Business Ventures
Story by Stories of Old and Far on SoFurry
Imported from SF2 with no description.
Rio De Janeiro, Earth, January 15, 2555
Sunlight shone across the packed vibrant suburbs as crowds intermingled in the old streets, weaving like threads as they traveled to and from their destinations in mind. Blake paused, slinking off the cramped bustle and stares of the sidewalk crowds into a small shaded alley, the tall Sangheili traveling beside him stepping in to lean across him on the opposite wall of an ancient brick wall, painted bright yellow. Blake lowered his darkly tinted, rounded sunglasses, eyeing up the alien.
“What's up Jer?"
The Sangheili's mandibles closed in a huff, Jer crossing thick skinned, dark grey muscular arms together.
“I do not trust the deal. The Kig-Yar have made it abundantly clear that they are not going to work with us. We should kill them instead."
Blake shook his head, sliding his palm down his forehead as he held his glasses aside.
“Listen, Jer, you know better than anybody that Kigs are sly. That's where I come in. We don't want to start a feud here. Trust me. Bad for everybody. Real bad for business."
Jer's upper lip stretched in a sneer, revealing sharp teeth.
“Why?"
Blake smiled, spreading his arms.
“Jer, really? You forget who saved your ass all those years back? Pulled you outta a wreck, gave you a place to stay where you wouldn't get mauled by those big macacos or my people out for blood?"
Jer's mandibles tensed as his snake like head rose. The alien sighed.
“You are not wrong. I owe you. But this…..this is not my way."
Blake's head slunk, eyes watching the crowds outside in the heat and sun pass the shaded alley by as he spoke lowly.
“Jer, come on. You got to get rid of the weapons. You don't even have your official papers to be here yet. If UNSC sniffs out the weapons at my place, I'll disappear into a black bag. You'll probably end up in a black bag. Think of the upsides to this. You sell them your gear, and that trouble is off your hands forever. You get enough money to get yourself official citizen papers, everybody wins."
Jer pushed off the aging wall, uncrossing his arms and standing up to his full height, imposing to Blake and most people, as even for a Sangheili, Jer was big.
“Fine. I will take your word, but it is a shame. Where these old times, I could kill them and be done with it. You do not negotiate with Kig-Yar. There is an old saying. Show Kig-Yar your back, and you will have Subanese Crystals in it."
Blake pushed off the wall, extending an arm upwards to pat the alien across the side of his mandibles.
“Were these old times Jer, you and me would be at each other's throats mermão."
Blake chuckled, sliding his sunglasses back on.
“You're going to have to adapt sometime."
Blake looked above the alley's buildings, beyond the rickety metal rooftops, high into the clouded green mountains above the city. Even from down here, he could see it. The old statue on the mountain, overlooking everything. He could see most of it anyway. Half of it was gone now. Missing one arm and half of its head, left as it was to memorialize the attack of Earth and mark the final bitter end to over twenty-five years of bloodshed.
He'd seen old pictures of it, back when it was still whole. Arms splayed out wide in open acceptance, welcoming all who came. The Redeemer, as it was known. Back in times when an older religion had more prominence on Earth. Jer stood beside Blake, looking out to the mountains beyond.
“I still do not understand the fascination your people have with that warrior."
Blake smiled.
“He wasn't exactly a warrior, Jer. He did fight, oh yes. But not with violence. Words were his weapons."
“Not unlike you."
Blake smiled.
“Exactly. I'm fighting the Kigs in my own way. You'll see. They think they know about sleaze? I'll show em' how we get down in my town."
Blake rapped on Jer's armored arm, the only piece of the old and dulled armor left that the alien ever wore anymore, eventually having replaced everything else with scrap second hand bits of human clothing in the wake of Rio's tropical temperatures. Blake winced slightly as the metal stung his knuckles harder than expected.
“Come on big man. Let's get this show rolling."
Blake and Jer moved forwards, leaving the cool shade of the alley behind as they headed back out into the crowded, sweltering streets.
The pair passed through old winding streets and crowded housing districts for several hours, making their way deeper into slum territory as they pressed towards the meeting point. Places like these were a common sight lately. UNSC liked to keep close watch of activities like this inside city limits, but in the refugee slums that had since grown during, and after the war, crowding both with humans and displaced Covenant species with nowhere to go, the UNSC's jurisdiction and boundaries blurred heavily.
Jer and Blake eventually found their way to their destination, an otherwise normal yet ancient squared building painted bright red that matched others in the area, just as brightly colored and stacked in large mismatched piles, cramped together so tightly as to induce an ever present feeling of claustrophobia. Blake stood outside in front of a metal reinforced door, knocking on it a precise number of times, pausing before delivering the final knock. Blake looked up over at Jer, who kept a tensely irritated scowl on his mandibles.
“Ease up big guy. I got this. Ball's in my court here. We'll have fun, you'll see."
Locks slid aside behind the door as it opened and a tan skinned alien, roughly human sized, birdlike and thin of frame held a Plasma Pistol in one three fingered hand, looking over Blake and Jer with large yellow eyes. The faintly green spines on the top of its skull quivered before it motioned with its head for them to pass.
Blake walked forwards, Jer ducking low into the doorway as he entered the building, devoid of anything notable save for a table propped up in the main area which had been swept flawlessly clean. As the two entered, Blake caught sight of the Kig-Yar's leader sitting on the table, double jointed legs hanging over the side. The alien was notably different in appearance to some of the others, boasting a thicker grey skinned appearance not unlike Jer, and more raptor like qualities under bright blue plumage that quivered as the two stepped into the main room.
Blake smiled, watching as the alien's contrasting yellow eyes darted over to Jer immediately while Blake removed his sunglasses, coughing into his hand to get her attention.
“Don't worry about him. He's the one with the guns. Big Man's also security. Don't try anything around him."
The Kig-Yar's yellow eyes darted over to Blake as she spoke.
“Where are they?"
Blake shook his head with a smile that was all daggers, waving a finger.
“Nu uh. We're not bringing the rest of them until you pay us. And you pay us the right price. No money, no guns, simple."
The leader, Blake had since come to know as Kel, flared blue feathers on her head and went to speak before he quickly cut her off.
“Let's cut the besteira here. You're short on weapons, I know you are. You've got your own problems to deal with but you're holding out on us. The last batch of gear we have is top quality. Me and my friend here walk right now, and find another buyer, easy. Pay up, or we're done here."
Jer stood tall, observing the otherwise empty room. One guard behind them at the door. Jer inhaled deeply as he smelled the air. The human, Blake. The leader, Kel. And two other distinct smells. Likely two other guards. Jer watched as Kel pushed herself off the table, all the signs of clear agitation from her feathers as she approached Blake.
“You think you can walk in here, and just threaten to leave? We had a deal."
Blake shrugged.
“We had a deal that you pay us the right amount. You've been short changing us. I know the markets Kel. Stuff we've got, sells a lot higher than what you've paid."
The alien clenched both hands together as she stood straight, barely edging to Blake's height as she moved closer, eyes watching his. She spoke in a quieter tone, feathers quivering under barely held anger.
“I told you. I don't have enough."
Blake smiled, raising his eyebrows as he ran a hand over the scruff of his chin. Jer was working well as a deterrent. He had a little more room to work with than he usually did. This was his moment.
“Well then. You think maybe we could make a compromise?"
Kel's eyes narrowed sharply.
“Name your conditions. Carefully."
Blake nodded, looking over to Jer, giving him a smile and a wink.
“We could still give you those weapons. They're quite heavy duty."
Blake looked back over to Jer.
“Big man, what kinda guns you got?"
Jer listed them on his four fingered hands.
“Rifles, five of them, Type-25, fully charged. Type-51 Carbines, two and a crate of ammunition. T-33 Cannon. Two crates of rounds, shielding intact. T-52 Turret, half charge. "
Blake turned to Kel, eyebrows raised.
“We give you those in exchange for what you can pay now under two conditions. Number one. You're gonna use those weapons to gain more leverage only against other Kig-Yar, aren't you?"
Kel nodded silently, studying Blake. The man smiled back, all pearly whites.
“You're going to get more profit coming in soon then. We want a cut. Five percent of everything."
Kel's feathers bristled, but she held her temper at bay.
“Done."
Blake nodded, holding up two wiggling fingers.
“Number two. Send your guards out of this building. All of them. Then we'll talk about the second term."
Kel tilted her head momentarily, leaning around Blake to hiss something in her native language to the alien at the front door who nodded silently, making his way past the group into the back of the abandoned building and outside. Blake nodded, looking back to Jer.
“Almost done here. Wait outside at the front for me. You smell trouble, come get me."
The Sangheili nodded, sighing as he turned and left, unlatching the front door and closing it shut behind him with a resounding finality. The old building took on a quiet still, as it was now just Blake and Kel. The alien's tenseness did not fade as she spoke.
“Talk."
Blake shrugged.
“Much obliged. You've got to put on a face to all your guys. No compromise, never back down, the works. I'm not your enemy here. Five is fair."
Kel tilted her head, walking a slow circle around Blake.
“Then what's your second term? I agreed to the first."
Blake smiled.
“Ah, this one's not so simple. It's the Big Man."
“The Sangheili. I'm impressed you have control over him. We could use somebody like him."
Blake chuckled.
“Doesn't work like that. You're lucky anybody in here left the building alive today."
Kel's posture and plumage relaxed somewhat as the slender alien headed back to the table in the middle of the room to sit on it.
“Explain."
“Been around him long enough now to know when he's bored. He's a still a soldier. Not meant for working a dull day job. He needs a little bit of excitement."
Kel tilted her head, clawed feet dangling over the table as she leaned forward.
“You're not making your point very clear."
Blake nodded, raising his hands defensively.
“Big Man's not going anywhere. He seems to enjoy it here. Only thing is, he could use a little more……companionship than I'm capable of providing."
Kel's eyes widened as her feathers bristled.
“You….you've got some nerve-“
Blake raised his hands up.
“All right. That's fine. I'll pack up. We'll go find somebody else who'll buy."
Blake turned to leave as Kel pushed herself off the table.
“You arrogant flatface."
Blake turned on the spot rubbing his hands together.
“Now that's the kind of fire Big Man might like!"
Kel surged forward, blue feathers bristled as the alien's sharp beak pressed dangerously close to his face.
“I'd kill you if that Sangheili wasn't in the way."
Blake stepped forward as he quickly wrapped his arms over armor plating and scrap clothing to reach around to Kel's backside, hands finding the softer material that was left of her suit as he gripped tightly and pulled her close. The alien was taken by surprise as Blake smiled, making a point to squeeze tightly.
“Now, funny thing about you aliens is that you're not so different. Never mind Jer."
Blake slid one hand along the material of Kel's backside as the alien's eyes narrowed sharply at him.
“Hell, never mind me."
Blake smiled as he slapped one hand against Kel's ass, watching her expression sour as her long jaw clenched and her feathers flattened out.
“I know somebody who wants it when I see them."
Blake smiled.
“So, number two. I'm leaving. You know where me and Big Man are. Come get the shipment yourself. We can discuss the finer details and do proper business. No guards."
Blake slid his hands free, stepping away from Kel as he turned and walked, making for the door.
“If you don't want the weapons, don't show up. We can always find somebody else. If you do, come get them."
Blake raised his brows as he turned back briefly.
“You've got good opportunities here. I'm not just saying that for my sake. You're in Rio meu bem! Live a little!"
Blake slipped on his sunglasses with a smile as he closed the door behind him, leaving Kel to stand there, fuming silently as her feathers quivered.
Jer sighed as Blake stepped out, looking upwards to the sun behind his glasses as he closed the door behind him.
“Were the negotiations successful?"
Blake nodded.
“You know how the Kigs are. They play hardball but they know when to fold. Don't worry Jer. Pretty sure I got her. If things work out, we'll have a cut of their profits coming in. Maybe a little extra for ourselves."
Jer looked down at Blake, still leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
“You named only one condition. What was the other?"
Blake smiled, leaning back against the wall with Jer.
“Wanted their head honcho to show up by herself to take the goods. She'd be less likely to try anything on her own. She's our little extra insurance policy."
Jer nodded, but kept his eyes narrowed as he scanned the nearby colorful stacks of boxy buildings.
“A wise tactical approach. But strange. You fight strangely, Blake."
Blake chuckled.
“I know sitting around isn't your style Big Man. You're not like others of your kind that I've met before. But you're still a little….inflexible. I think you should start having some fun around here. Loosen up a bit."
Jer looked down to Blake with a scowl across his mandibles.
“Some of the things your species does for entertainment is….."
“Stupid? Not your game? I hear you. I think I found something you might enjoy. You need to relax a bit, take in some local customs."
Jer looked out, far above and beyond the rooftops to the mountainside overlooking the city, out to the old statue that was still standing, one arm splayed wide open.
“I realize some errors to my kin and of their ways. Perhaps it is time that I adopt more of your world's customs. It is my only home now."
Blake smiled, giving Jer a thumbs up to which the alien tilted his head in study.
“Now you're thinking! Trust me on this one."
Jer pushed off the wall, standing upright as he continued to gaze out to the Redeemer.
“I do. Perhaps your old warrior on the mountain is right. Sometimes it pays to fight with words."
Blake chuckled.
“Maybe so. We'll see later on tonight. Come on, let's get back."
“I prefer human stench to that of Kig-Yar. This slum is testing my patience."
Blake stretched his arms outwardly towards the sky, fingers outstretched as if reaching for something.
“I didn't know you were taking courses in humor Jer! Hell, why don't we just drop the whole thing and get you a mic on stage. Billions would be ours."
Jer grunted, struggling to sound the phonetics of two different languages together on his mandibles as he walked alongside Blake into the blistering afternoon.
“Blake, you are… estranho."
The day came and went as Jer and Blake returned to their base of operations and home alongside the coastline of the city in the poorer districts. Still as crowded as the slums, but less oppressive and constricting. Nightfall arrived as sun set over the ocean, and Blake and Jer called it quits for the day, done with hauling fish in Blake's antique fishing vessel.
Blake's home was nothing fancy, an old warehouse along weathered wharfs, but it was good enough for him to sit back and unwind after the long day, and granted slightly more space for Jer to move around. Of course, Jer had long since stopped moving around in the evenings, seeming to have taken a liking to Blake's TV, puzzling over the channels.
Blake remembered the first time he'd dragged Jer into the old building. That was already a long time ago it seemed like. It was during the height of the Covenant invasion, when things suddenly changed. Blake was never really sure what exactly caused it. But when Jer's dropship crash landed down into the streets a few blocks away, Blake capitalized on things.
A chance to find weapons and fight back against the Covenant troops presented itself, but then he found Jer under assault instead. The only survivor, falling under attack from other aliens. Big ones, even bigger than Jer to be certain. Jer had held true and won entirely on his own with the exception of Blake catching the attention of one of the brutish aliens with pistol fire. It gave Jer the last upper hand he needed. But the alien didn't get out without injuries. Blake remembered it well, approaching Jer with his pistol drawn in the middle of the chaos. Plasma rained down from the sky, alien craft and what was left of Navy ships screamed overhead, the two locked eyes. A simple nod from both of them, something resoundingly universal, and they knew. Ceasefire.
Blake watched the alien on his couch, intently absorbed in watching the late night TV shows that aired, and couldn't help but smile. Jer was his brother now, as strange as it was to think about. Jer was also a member of the community here on the wharf. He was a brother to all here. Down here in the slums, if you didn't have a brother watch your back, you were alone.
It seemed like those rules didn't ever really change, despite the species. Like Kel and her lot. Blake paused, thinking. It was a potentially dangerous game he was playing. His section of the neighborhood didn't have the manpower or people to fight the Kig-Yar if something did go down. Or the safety of the UNSC paying too much mind to the older sections of Rio. They were more concerned with activities in New Rio and the Orbital elevator up in Quito.
A resounding knock on the metal of the back door sounded out, calling Blake back to things as both him and Jer stood, moving quickly. Jer covered the ground to the door faster in his long strides, opening it forcefully to haul none other than Kel through, shutting the back alley out quickly. Kel tripped along as she was hauled by Jer, bumping headlong into Blake as he caught her, smiling.
“Fancy meeting you here."
Kel pushed off Blake, feathers quivering and hands wringing as Jer crossed his arms, leaning back against the door.
“You came for the weapons alone. You surprise me."
Kel's eyes narrowed.
“Don't get coy with me Sangheili. I'm here. But I don't have to like it."
Blake chuckled, clapping his hands together.
“Easy. Sorry about the rough introduction. You're not exactly welcome in the neighborhood. Can't have anybody seeing us together just yet."
The muscles on Kel's upper jaw tightened, revealing rows of sharper teeth in what Blake assumed was a scowl.
“The feeling's mutual."
Kel's feathers quivered as she took a few steps into Blake's home, observing the simple shamble of loose parts and scrap assembled into a living room quickly before sighing in a rolling exhale of sharp hisses.
“Can we get this over with?"
Blake smiled.
“Which part?"
Kel turned to Blake, pointing her primary finger at him.
“You listen here. I don't need your weapons. I have other contacts. I can walk out, too."
Blake nodded, smiling.
“I'd like to see you get past Jer."
Kel stared up to the Sangheili standing in the doorway. Jer leered down at Kel, clear disdain on his features.
“You are not leaving until you pay."
Kel's feathers shook as she crossed her arms.
“You know I don't have enough. That's why I'm here."
Jer tilted his head as Blake approached, standing next to Kel.
“That's right, Jer. I negotiated something a little different tonight."
The Sangheili tilted his head.
“Explain."
Blake smiled, wheeling back over to the couch and shutting off the TV before tossing the remote aside into the cushions, coming back around to lean alongside Kel, wrapping an arm over her shoulders. Kel's feathers shuddered as Blake made a point to stretch on the straps of her second-hand shirt.
“The lady here is about the feistiest I've ever met, Jer. I invited her over for some personal time. Ease up relations, obviously. Everybody needs to lighten up a bit."
Blake let the strap he held snap back against Kel's shoulder.
“Isn't that right? We're all just taking it easy tonight, aren't we?"
The alien's feathers shuddered briefly as Kel looked up to Jer who still blocking the doorway.
“This is just business."
Jer's mandibles slacked briefly as his eyes narrowed. Jer uncrossed his arms as he stood to his full height, chest swelling as he inhaled deeply.
“I will do no such thing."
Blake looked over at Kel, raising his brows.
“Personal moment here lady. Weapons crate is in the boat on the docks. Don't take our boat."
Blake pointed off to a doorway at the end the room, unshouldering Kel as he stepped in front of Jer who moved as quickly as Kel did. Jer stopped in his tracks, watching over Blake's shoulder as Kel left the living room to the pier.
“Easy there Big Man. She's feisty. Not stupid. She won't try anything."
Jer leered down at Blake in clear disgust.
“You bargained for procreating."
Blake shrugged with only a lighter smile.
“Not quite Big Man. I volunteered you too."
Jer's expression soured further as his upper teeth bared. Blake raised his hands up.
“Easy. Wasn't a signed contract. I just thought you could loosen up a bit. You need something to work all that boredom out."
Jer's mandibles stiffened as he tilted his head.
“What makes you think any dealings with that sad creature would be “fun?"
Blake chuckled, waving two fingers around.
“Two reasons. She's proud. She won't ever admit it, but she didn't come here just for the weapons. And second, oldest trick in the book. She'd look pretty undignified in front of her pals if it was known that she was in bed with me or you."
Blake chuckled.
“Whether that's a figurative thing, or a literal thing. I told you buddy, Kigs might be good at being sleazy, but they're on my home turf. That's how we survive Jer. We gotta play the game."
Blake spread his arms wide.
“I'm not afraid to go where everybody else is. Even if that includes a nice grande bunda belonging to an oversized pássaro. That's why I've got your back here Jer! Anybody else would have shot you. Me? I can smell good opportunity."
Jer's shoulders slacked briefly.
“I'm not fond of Kig-Yar stench."
Blake smiled.
“Hey pal that's fine. More fun for me."
Blake raised a brow.
“You know she's feisty. You telling me you wouldn't want to conquer that beautiful bunda?"
Jer sneered.
“Your definition of conquer is different to mine."
Blake shook his head.
“There's a really, really old saying. Make love, not war. Remember the big man on the mountain Jer? He's got a point."
Jer crossed his arms.
“You do what you have to do Blake. So long as you secure the deal. Do not drag me into your personal deals otherwise."
Blake nodded.
“Okay big man. You're the boss."
Blake turned, stalling briefly as he turned for one last go at it with a smile.
“You and me might be a little different buddy, but not that different."
Blake chuckled.
“If I was stuck on another planet, hmm, say, yours? I'm sure your women would start to look appealing. But you? You've got some choices now buddy! What more could you want? Think about it. You've gotta relax sometime."
Jer remained with his arms crossed, scowling.
“I will find other ways to relax."
Blake nodded.
“Okay Big Man. You keep watching those old soaps. I'm gonna go have some fun tonight."
Jer pushed past Blake, slumping back down onto the couch in his usual spot, sinking far below normal as the old beaten cushions struggled to hold his weight, turning the TV back on as Blake left the main room for the housing dock that harbored their fishing boat.
Blake walked along the wooden dock towards his old weathered boat, steps slowing as he made casual progress on the old swaying planks floating on the water, spotting the blue feathered alien sitting idle on his pile of purple crates, protective tarp pulled aside. Kel greeted him with a scowl, arms crossed.
“I admit. It is good to see that were not lying about the firepower. It's a wonder you've managed to keep it all hidden for so long."
Blake nodded, smiling back.
“UNSC can't be everywhere at once. They've got bigger problems than dealing with contraband and asylum seekers."
A quick silence crept over the two, the only sound to be heard in the reverberating walls of the warehouse wharf was the lapping of the water off the pier. Blake studied Kel's eyes, a golden sheen highlighted by the narrowing of dark black, sharp vertical irises. Her blue feathers quivered slightly, something that Blake felt wasn't necessarily due to the gentle swaying of the dock.
He acted on the feeling, sliding his hand into his vest pocket, finger on the trigger of his pistol, joined in graceful unison by Kel, whose finger rested on the trigger of her pistol, charging it to emit a bright green light. Blake openly chuckled.
“Please… let's be civil."
Kel's feather's bristled.
“You think could even hit me before I got you first?"
Blake smiled back calmly.
“Probably not. I know how some of you gringos can move. But Big Man down in the other room knows what my gun sounds like. You wouldn't make it out of here alive either."
Kel's gaze skirted past Blake to the doorway off in the distance, but she held the charge on her pistol.
“We need to change the deal."
Blake's brows raised as he kept his hand steady. Kel eased off on the trigger, the green blob of energy dissipating in silence as her weapon found its resting place down her white top, neatly vanishing between two breasts in a shirt that obviously packed together much too tightly. Blake chuckled.
“You've got my attention."
Kel's feathers bristled.
“I need something else. There's a reason that Sangheili of yours has managed to stay so long, hasn't he?"
Blake finally let his guard down, holstering his pistol into the coverage of his vest.
“Big Man hasn't been registered, but we've been getting by."
Kel crossed her legs on the crates she rested on.
“You know a forger?"
Blake nodded.
“I've got the means to make it happen. Convincing enough replica that'll pass most inspection, and some real work on altering data centers, and you've got yourself some papers."
Blake shrugged.
“But I'm not in the habit of giving perks like that to people who hold guns up at me."
Kel's feathers bristled yet again.
“I can make it worth your time."
Blake nodded.
“Last time I checked, you didn't have much to give that already wasn't up for the offer."
The blue feathered alien exhaled in a low hiss, feathers flattening out as if she'd suddenly gone timid.
“There is no five percent."
Blake crossed his arms, tilting his head.
“What?"
“If I purchase the last of these weapons from you, there won't be anything else left to give. I'm losing control. There's another with us that wants control. I should have done him in months ago. He'll try to take it once we have the weapons. Half of my men side with him. Even if I beat him-“
“There's no sense in sticking around with the party if they want you dead."
Blake scratched his chin.
“Why us, then?"
Kel stood up from her pile of crates, approaching slowly as she stepped onto the wood of the dock.
“The Sangheili alone offers more protection than over half of my crew. And with papers, even forged ones, I'd be clear to stay. When I leave my crew, they'll go right to their next problem. They'll put themselves on the radar like fools. Your governing body will be on them within a week."
Blake chuckled as Kel drew closer, standing only a few inches apart from him.
“That sounds like a good deal for you. What about me? What about Big Man?"
Kel placed both hands over Blake's vest, feathers still flattened.
“We can negotiate after I deliver the weapons and leave. Let me show you the part of the deal I can keep."
“I told you I know when somebody wants it."
Kel's feathers flared.
“Don't push your luck. I can find other places."
Blake smiled as he wasted little time, unbuckling the belt around his waist, Kel making an effort to lower herself to her knees on double jointed legs. Blake shook a finger at the alien.
“No, not like that. We do this, we do it the right way."
The grey skinned alien tilted her slender head, feathers quivering slightly. Blake motioned with his hands.
“Stand up. Wait."
Kel stood as Blake removed his vest and began unholstering his pistol belt.
“My Papai always said, when you get involved with the women, first you show, and then you go. You got to treat them right."
Blake removed his gun belt, letting it slide to the floor while working on his lower clothing. In no time, he was stripped down to nothing in front of Kel. The alien's eyes watched intently, spending a few extra seconds focused below his waist before Blake nodded, reaching out for the alien's hands.
“See, I show first. You go. Come on. Explore."
Three fingered hands, akin to something more like talons draped over Blake's chest as he guided them. Kel's skin was tougher at the hands, grating across his own skin like sandpaper which by comparison was much softer. Kel remained quiet, the only notion of her involvement being the bristling of her plumage and twitching of her irises as they studied intently. Blake nodded with a smile.
“Never been with a flatface before, huh?"
Kel's eyes remained locked in study as Blake guided her hands across his body as he pleased.
“No."
“I've never been with a pássaro before."
Blake smiled, taking a closer look at Kel and her ragged collection of worn down armor plates and scavenged human clothing. Her form filled out nicely. He might've questioned the finer details in things at one point, but remembered that he'd read somewhere a long time ago that Dinosaurs had feathers and were likely warm blooded despite being reptilian.
Life took a lot of strange forms. Who was he to question the boss that made them as they were? But God could he enjoy it. Blake let go of Kel's hands and found that they roamed now of their own accordance, leaving him to reach past and take handfuls of the alien's rear, taking enjoyment in the slickness of the form fitting under suit that covered lower portions of her body.
He squeezed lightly, feeling that wonderfully soft flesh practically absorb his fingers, thoughts turning to the enjoyment it would be to give it his all on something so luscious, even if it belonged to something that wasn't human. In fact, that was the exciting part. He was gonna show her how they did it in Rio.
Blake smiled, flinching lightly at the rough skin that had found its way across a vastly more sensitive area, unashamed as the thoughts swirling round in his head brought heat and excitement with them. He huffed sharply, staring down at constrained breasts in their too-tight shirt.
“Okay. Your turn. You show."
Jer slumped in the spot he had since etched into the couch in the first years he'd arrived here, listening to voices on the large screen mounted in Blake's living room absently as they barked their strange phonetics in the languages he had since grown to understand somewhat. Two dialects, one that was a native tongue to this region of Blake's world, and occasionally, the common universal tongue shared between all of Blake's kin across space.
He stared down to the small glass curiosity in his hand, green and uncorked, smelling of something foul yet alluring at the same time. Rotten plant life, Blake had said. Jer never understood how decaying plant life could result in such an oddity to drink. Even more, it was notably toxic to Blake's species.
Jer huffed to himself. They commonly actively drank poison. Jer could think of few drinks from his home world that had such effects. Although it was more common to find Sangheili that partook in such practices on the outer edges of what was once Covenant space.
Jer turned the bottle upside down, having emptied it and a few others already, watching it fall to the floor with a heavy clunk. Now he actively enjoyed the poison, even if it was shameful. His home world. What he would give to see it again, even if he knew that he could not go back. He had always skirted the edges of what was conventional to his people. Truly, as much as he hated to admit, Human customs had grown on him somewhat. He was free to pursue far more than he once could have.
That in itself was jarring. A day to day shock he was always reminded of, in part thanks to the company of his strange counterpart, Blake. The large screen flashed, bright colors catching his eyes as clips played of Human beings gathered together at various locations, all wearing vibrant apparel, golds, silvers, and feathers, oddly shaped masks, bright colors.
Jer remembered Carnival. Blake had dragged him into its festivities once he was sure that unrest towards ex-Covenant in Rio had been dampened with the official sanctions made that offered asylum to the stranded like himself. The time of the strange event where the aliens would fill the streets, consume poison, and flaunt themselves was nearing yet again this year.
Jer watched a dark skinned woman embroided with elegant golds dance and bare her teeth in what counted as a smile as enormous blue feathers shook violently from her erratic and boisterous movements. The golden craftwork reminded him of Sangheilian women.
Another huff parted his mandibles. It had been a long time. The blue feathered woman vanished as the content changed, finally returning to the curious program he had since become invested in, Blake mysteriously calling it a “soap" despite there already being soap in Blake's showering premises.
The blue flashed in his mind, reminding him of the Kig-Yar. Un-trustful creature. Jer flared his nostrils, inhaling the smell of the sweet poison he had imbued, the scent of fish, and… something else. Jer tried again, the smell igniting some distant memory.
Sex.
The tempered one had not attempted to slay Blake. That was unexpected. The smell lingered faintly, tantalizing him with flashbacks to the last time he had shared intimacy. It had been a very long time. Jer stared down at the small collection of bottles on the floor. When he was a soldier, if he was standing here now, what would he think of himself? Jer smelled the air once more.
Shameful. But sitting here now, staring back at his life, he found shame. The things he had done in the name of the San'Shyuum. Blake's odd face formed in his mind, his features contorted in an alien smile and his words danced around in his head.
He needed to loosen up a little.
Kel was surprisingly lenient with Blake as he went straight to business, the alien imposing no sense of trepidation on him as he discovered to his delight that everything was roughly parallel to human biology. The alien easily fell into the act as Blake traversed her body with ease, finding all the right places quickly and taking advantage of them.
Bare skin revealed excited him, more dark greys with the occasional spattering of small black spots, a light and nimble body, wiry in strength but managing to capture an essence of femininity that Blake adored so much. His hands explored undaunted, curious. Breasts set free from their confines into his hands, responsive as black nipples hardened to pinches and tugs, the slender stomach of the alien flinching to his touch as his hands glided lower after the real prize.
Black folds parted, and with them eroded the otherwise fiery demeanor of the alien, who had taken to falling to her knees onto the dock as Blake pressed his body to her back, hand and fingers keen on exploring the soft wanting flesh as it grew hotter to his probing, the other hand keen to roam as it pleased, exploring curves and feathers before settling on resting two fingers in the spread jaw of Kel, sliding along the folds of her tongue as her breath had become hot. Through tougher ridged plates of bone-like natural armor that adorned the alien's head, patches of grey skin had turned bright flush red at her neck.
Blake ran a hand along the alien's bottom jaw, his other finding exactly what he was looking for, small and smooth, hidden. Kel's reaction was immediate, skin flushing purple elsewhere, blue plumage on her head and arms standing upright as she let out a low trembling rumble etched in her feminine tones. Blake leaned in closely, watching as the alien's dark tongue slid off to the side of her slender jaw in heavy breaths.
“Not bad huh? You want more don't you?"
The yellow eye on the side of her head turned, black vertical slit contracting sharply as Kel spoke between heavy breaths.
“Just…business…"
Blake smiled, pinching two fingers gently together to trap something delicate between them, watching the alien's feathers shudder in response. Blake had been neglecting his own need, now deciding to take advantage.
“Are you sure you don't want more?"
Before Kel could answer, he used his free hand to help adjust his member, angling it down past where he desperately wanted to go, sliding between the alien's thighs, shuddering himself when the tip brushed hot folds that were already slick.
Red and purple flushed, blue feathers quivered, Blake's final play demolishing the alien's resistance as he pushed slowly, barely edging into the burning hot folds before stopping himself with trained control, his fingers igniting another shudder from the alien. Blake smiled, still teasing but struggling to hold back his own tense breath.
“Come on, you waaaaant it."
Kel's feathers quivered and her iris expanded, eye fixing on something behind Blake. The docks swayed gently on the water as something heavier than either of them strode across the old wooden planks. Blake turned with a smile, knowing who it was.
“Big Man! Come to join the fun!?"
Jer had removed all of his clothing, exposing his rough scarred hide in full. Kel's attention was affixed to the large purple organ that had slipped out from its protective confines, already in the act of hardening as the larger alien closed the distance in quick strides, suddenly intimidating to both Blake and Kel as the alien took on a predatory air of superiority to them both. Jer stopped beside the frozen pair, leering down at Blake before breaking his stern composure with what may have passed as a smile for Sangheili standards, coming off as devilish intent to Blake.
“I will take the frontal assault. You will cover my back, mermão."
Blake smiled, nodding as he slunk away from Kel. Communication between the two was sometimes sketchy, but in this, Blake knew exactly what was being said. With little pretense of ceremony, Jer leaned down, flipping Kel over to a surprised hiss and flattening feathers, lifting the smaller alien up in two hands that grasped firmly over her shapely hips, raising her to his eye level. Blake stood back, watching with a mixture of amusement and anticipation as Jer sneered at Kel, leaning his face close to hers.
“Protection has costs. You would pay them?"
Kel's amber eyes briefly darted down to the imposing girth poised below, three fingered hands curling into balls across Jer's chest. Blue feathers quivered excitedly as Blake's handiwork left her aching. She knew exactly what was coming and she wanted it. But she had to compromise. Kel let out a short huff of resignation, trying to sound irritated, at the very least.
“Fine."
Jer inhaled sharply, mandibles tensing as he lowered Kel. Heat and sensitivity collided as black folds parted, stretching to accommodate but still remaining wanting. Blake watched the coupling unfold with a supreme sense of satisfaction. Jer snarled as Kel slid down his length, feathers flattened as she rumbled a chittering tone, legs tensing and toes flexing wide as her talon like fingers embedded themselves in Jer's chest, drawing purple blood and aggravating the alien to impale her further as the slightest outline of a bulge began to make itself prominent on her stomach.
Blake moved, hands extended to take handfuls of what he'd wanted all along, his waiting having finally paid off as he slid between two soft pillowy mounds, pressing against the dark ring that had tensed, pure bliss arriving as he forced himself forwards, finally breaking through to sweltering depths that clenched around the intrusion tightly.
Kel's legs kicked aimlessly, toes splayed apart, talons locked in place, slender jaw open wide in a combination of pain and the cumulative buildup of want as she hungrily took the final inches of Jer and felt Blake press forcefully against her, both males hilting themselves. All three breathed heavily, huffing in relief.
The need of course, had other plans. Jer retreated, as did Blake, both pulling out in what filled Kel with short lived relief as she still ached, the two males obliging kindly with what began as a slowly hurried rhythm to accommodate differences in height. Only when she was impaled fully by the Sangheili did the Human intrude with a lance of discomfort that eroded quickly.
As three became familiar, the pace accelerated in the wake of chasing what they sought. Kel was left to wring her talons and splay her quivering toes and feathers, leaning her head down against the chest of the Sangheili as the alien handled her like equipment, assaulting her again and again without fail with his barely tolerable size. The Human added an element of pain with every rise and fall as she writhed and clenched, but made efforts to appease her with those roaming hands of his.
The pier echoed with the audible slaps of softer flesh and the distinct sounds of three separate beings moaning quietly in alien vocals. Water lapped as the dock gently swayed in response to motion. Kel arrived at her peak first, feathers trembling as her louder rumblings died down to hisses between frantic breaths.
The Sangheili, Jer, arrived second, grip tightening and pace exploding with one last frenzied onslaught with a startling roar from the very bottom of his lungs, pumping relentlessly until Kel had been filled with a satisfying burning at her core that overflowed onto the dock. Lastly, the Human, Blake, arrived in similar fashion, gripping tightly in one last frantic push, filling Kel with a new feeling of warmth that was notably different to Jer's.
Limbs slacked and breaths were drawn in long exhales as the fire died. For Kel, her species often spent intimate time together in very short periods. Emphasis was placed on the courtship and buildup to a frantic and short lived coupling that was abrasively rough, opposed to the gentler pretense beforehand.
It came to her as an immense surprise when Blake slapped her ass with a smile, peeking over her shoulder to Jer with raised eyebrows. The larger alien gritted his mandibles together sternly, nodding silently. Among what Kel had already learned from having lived as a refugee on Humanity's home world, she was made aware that some Human beings were capable of matching Sangheilian tales of endurance. Naturally, at first, to her feverish dismay.
The night continued on long after a reasonable hour, the two seemingly inexhaustible males taking turns in trading places, handling Kel's smaller frame with ease. After several rounds of exhausting sex, Kel no longer had the fire in her to put up a display of her temper, resigning to the pleasure even when the two tried more exotic endeavors. She was always handled with delicate care from the Human as her flexibility was tested or she was handled like a simple set piece by the Sangheili.
At last, the two males had to slow, ending the night with one last heated coupling. Kel's legs had been raised high above her head as both males spread the ring of her resistful ass apart together. It would have been more painful to take both at the same time had the Human not once again entrapped her with skilled hands that teased and constantly ignited her tired sex drive.
The Sangheili parted her legs wide, hilting against her back to release volumes as her toes spread, clenching at the air from yet another rippling climax that shuddered her feathers and made her skin stiffen. Her eyes had gone wide and unfocused as the Human circled his tongue around one of her black nipples, teasing with occasional sharp tugs from his teeth, absently having slipped his thumb under her lolling tongue to cradle one side of her face as he hilted with one last push.
A calm descended on the pair as four hearts slowed and ragged breathe grew longer. Kel's feathers shuddered with a moan as both males pulled out, a mixture of fluids splashing freely as she could finally relax. The tropical heat ensured that all were slick and finally played out by the ordeal's end, having long since spent any energy to discuss in detail how to move contraband weapons through Blake's home district. The night ended as all three sluggishly found places of contented rest.
The morning news blared on the radio with exchanges of music as Blake tapped his feet on the old floorboards of the cramped and colorful, if rickety kitchen, sipping coffee as fish sizzled on antique cast iron cookware. Subtle clinking on the floorboards as talons etched themselves slightly into the wood made him turn, instead finding the Kig-Yar holding clothing up to cover herself. Notably misplaced and ruffled feathers quivered as Blake faced her, uncaring of his lack of clothes. His cup clanked on the countertop as he waved a finger.
“Can't skip on the most important meal of the day."
Kel's nostrils flared as she stood awkwardly in Blake's ran shack kitchen. Her tone was low, tired but still managing to emulate her previous composure before the night's events.
“I need to move. If I'm gone for too long problems will arise."
Blake sipped from his cup, shaking his head.
“Change of plans. You missed the radio in the morning. We've got more business to talk."
Blake eyed Kel up from top to bottom, smiling as he pointed off to a doorway at his side.
“Bathroom is in there. You know how to work the shower?"
Kel's feathers bristled as she silently lurched forward towards the doorway. Metal clinked and grease spat at Blake as cleaned fish was turned over to sizzle in the pan. Blake watched intently as he caught a glimpse of the alien's backside as it swayed in its own unique manner thanks to her double jointed legs.
Another sip of coffee as he raised his brows, eyeing up the sizzling fish in the pan, still far too light to be ready. A slow whistle escaped his lips as he rubbed his hands together after setting down his cup and spatula to move quietly towards the open doorway that would lead through the waterwork machinery of the ancient warehouse and outside to a ramshackle shower stall.
Halfway across the rainbow collaged kitchen, talons clinked on the floor as Jer ducked under the living room doorframe to catch Blake edging slowly across the kitchen floor. The alien huffed with half open eyes, approaching the circular wooden table in the middle of the room, pulling out a chair that screeched across the old wood. Metal groaned in struggle as the alien sat down uncomfortably, trying his best to fit at the table before setting his head down in his arms and drifting back to sleep.
The radio blared throughout the kitchen, fish sizzled, and ancient pipes rattled as the waterworks started up. Blake stared at Jer, the unwieldly alien remaining at the table, eyes closed and mandibles slack with gentle breathing. A quick check on the fish found that it was still too light. Blake nodded to himself, moving quietly across the old rickety kitchen.
Thick damp air cast its presence even in the early morning, indicating that it would be another sweltering day. Most variations of Kig-Yar colonized warm temperate worlds, and the hotter sections of this world posed her little issue. Despite this, the water running from the showerhead eased Kel as she felt cool under the otherwise imposing sticky dampness.
For once she had a moment to collect her thoughts under the water. The Sangheili was everything she had ever expected to be. That was typically standard. But the Human was admittedly something else. He wasn't afraid to make low blows and yet he managed to retain an air of integrity and genuine honesty to him.
She would have found that charming, if only it didn't clash with her authority. Kel closed her eyes under the water. Who was she playing? Her authority had eroded long before she found Blake through her collapsing network of trustworthy contacts. Last night officially marked the end. Or had it?
Kel considered how the Human and Sangheili interacted together. It was so strange to see them engage smoothly with one another. Even during last night…. Kel's eyes widened as bare feet splashed on concrete and two hands solidly gripped her ass.
“Abençoado seja o teu pai por este ótimo o cu, eu não sou digno!"
Kel flushed reds and purples, plumage shuddering as she wrung her hands.
“This was not part of our deal!"
Blake slapped her lightly, eliciting a sharp guttural cry from Kel.
“I see ass and I must have it!"
Blake suddenly tensed, his smile fading to a look of seriousness Kel had not seen since he had first met with her and put on his best impressions. He backed away, grabbing something that rested on a notch in one of the shower walls and held it out. A small green bar. Blake smiled once more, clearing his throat.
“Couldn't help myself. Soap?"
Blake raised his eyebrows.
“Jer smells better than me and even I can smell it. You smell like sex. Like it was really good sex."
Kel's feathers bristled as she took the green bar.
“Will you leave me be?"
Blake scratched his stubbled chin briefly.
“Actually I wanted to talk. Before big man loses the hangover."
Kel chittered to herself, closing her eyes and turning to face the shower wall as she began making use of the odd smelling bar. Before she knew it a body had pressed itself against her back, arms wrapping around her to steal the bar from her hands. Kel did not bother to protest as soapy hands other than her own began cross paths over her skin.
“Radio this morning says there were firefights in the slums outside New Rio last night."
Kel's tenseness evaporated as Blake's hands navigated her body with ease, lathering soap across her chest, cupping her breasts briefly before roaming elsewhere, down her stomach, tracing along her sides, arcing up her spine to gently knead her toughened shoulder blades. Even under the thick protective skin, muscles relaxed. Concern had otherwise vanished as she simply questioned for the sake of it.
“What happened?"
Blake's hands caressed her shoulders, working out across Kel's arms down to the hardened overlapping skin plates of her wrists.
“Local authority got involved. Called in for backup. Army and Navy showed. Your gang was probably wiped out."
Kel's feathers bristled momentarily. Blake paused. Falling water took on a sharpness on the concrete floor-pad before Blake spoke.
“You okay?"
Kel nodded.
“It was coming for a long time."
Blake sighed.
“This changes our deal. I was going to use the money to get Jer official papers. The fakes won't last forever. And the basic papers won't let him do much. If you're going to stay with us, you pull your weight, deal?"
Kel's feathers quivered.
“And what else?"
Blake chuckled, returning his soapy hands to her body. Something hot slipped between Kel's thighs, sending shivers across her skin as Blake shifted his hips, rubbing slowly.
“Certain parts of our original deal, if you want."
Kel gasped in her rolling, chittering vocals, leaning against the shower's scrap metal wall.
“That…seems…fair…"
Blake smiled, pausing.
“I dunno. You don't sound very convincing to me…"
Kel's feathers bristled and her eyes shot open angrily.
“Just fuck me already!"
Blake slapped her lightly once more with a smile.
“Such dirty language! And here I thought we were all civil people!"
Blake shrugged to himself, shifting his hips once more, rubbing against black folds.
“I guess we'd better make it quick for the dirty lady then since you haven't got all day?"
Kel's talon-like hands curled against the wall and her feathers flattened in anticipation as Blake gripped her hips tightly.
Rio De Janeiro, Earth, January 20th, 2555
Sol rose to its zenith over Earth, over the white statue that had once stood tall with open arms, now a cracked monument to a war whose fires had only recently receded. Sol set over The Redeemer, over the old and weathered city of Rio, and the newer, towering districts on the outskirts, nicknamed “New Rio." Colors both old and new gleamed in the fading orange of a hot day's end, the life of the city continuing its steady pulse as a weathered antique fishing boat left port.
The evening waves were gentle on the old vessel as it slowly and reliably tugged along, gaining distance on the shoreline until even the alien eyes on board could not make out any detail to the old warrior overlooking the mountain. The day's haul had already been taken care of. All that was left was this.
They had all discussed it over the past few days in light of recent events. Kig-Yar circles had feuded with one another, catching and drawing human communities in the crossfire. The eyes of attention focused on the slums now, more than before. Civil unrest flared again, as certain inhabitants to Rio voiced what they could not let go of. Blake couldn't blame them. Twenty five years was hard to forget.
The community on the old wharf district had long since come to accept Jer as one of their own, but even still, the last few days had seen the alien cooped up inside. Kel was no exception. It was Rio that had elected to act as a place of refuge, ideal of climate for some of the lost aliens. But no matter how big or small the decision, no matter how unanimous, opposition would always exist. He knew that. For the same reasons, that was why all those years ago, he'd stayed his hand on the trigger.
Blake looked out to the sunset from behind his rounded sunglasses, eyeing up the larger alien dressed in remnants of faded armor and loose covering clothing stitched together in a patchwork. To the smaller one that stood out in bright blue plumage, but equally as ragged ensemble.
“Okay. We all agreed on this right?"
Jer nodded sternly, arms crossed.
“I do not like the idea but it now seems like the best course of action."
Kel's eyes traveled over the waters absently as she nodded, pondering what was ahead. Blake sighed openly.
“Really wanted to sell these."
With a heavy push, a rectangular crate strapped to several smaller cases, purple and curved in unique organic architecture tumbled into the blue waters with a splash, sinking beneath the gentle lapping waves. Blake turned, hands in his vest pockets as he headed towards the boat's cabin.
“Well, that was fun. Let's go home."
The boat's engines rumbled to life and the old vessel trudged forwards on the waves. Jer's eyes fell over Kel, standing on the other side of the deck.
“You are staying with us then."
Kel stared out towards the towering skyline of New Rio in the distance. Alien buildings to her.
“Us?"
Jer nodded.
“Tell me. When did you know that Blake was a comrade?"
Kel's eyes focused back, turning to find the Sangheili's eyes. Her jaw quivered briefly, caught up in finding the right way to say it.
“I drew on him. He drew on me."
Jer nodded, arms remaining crossed.
“Both you and I are guilty of crimes against his species, are we not?"
Kel's feathers lowered slowly in a pang of realization.
“We are."
“I owe Blake a debt of life. Now so do you. We owe more than that. But he does not care. He is a curious alien. He grovels at the sight of profit as your people do, and yet he carries himself with an honor I cannot name. Should you betray him, your death will not be swift. Should you uphold honor, then we are allies."
Jer stood to his full height, towering over Kel as he approached, extending an open hand. Kel tilted her head at the gesture before realizing that she had been greeted with it before. She extended her opposite hand out warily. Jer's fingers enclosed over Kel's with utter ease, shaking upwards once to part. The imposing alien leered down at her, mandibles upturned in a half convincing smile, speaking alien dialect the first words he could remember having spoken at him.
“To new business ventures."