Page 8

New Base

Base Kasey was going well, with several buildings built or partly built. The new problem was that they needed another base to watch Base Kasey to ensure it wasn't attacked. The choices were a domed base on one of the nearby planets or a location on a mountaintop on the same planet with a view of it. Flander knew that Ranni was having a hard time making the decision. The wrong decision could put lives at risk. These were lives that they had saved once and did not want to have to save again.

Robotics were being built, and Kasey was building a large drone flying over Base Kasey. The problem with this was that any unauthorized flights would be taken down, and someone might forget to get their authorization for a pleasure flight or even inadvertently move into the area the drone was protecting. It might not be an issue with an established drone that had been tested and approved, but this wasn’t one of those. This was new research, and who knew how it might react.

It made them all nervous while they considered what the best thing to do was. The most important thing was protecting Base Kasey. Some other teams were helping get people off the planet and up to the new base. They would have to be sure that the people they hauled there weren't destructive or enemies. It was not an easy thing to do the way that people flooded the shuttle to get off the planet. The robots were patrolling certain areas of Purgatory. It was no longer an easy place to be for gangs or maybe even for anyone at all. Parents were worried about their children, and they should be, but with the state of the planet's surface, they should have been worried about them long ago.

Hel had made a cyborg that Kasey had checked. It oversaw the robots. It did well finding the enemies and sending the robots after them. When they attacked them, it was a bloodbath because they would not give up. Flander didn’t know why they wouldn’t either give up or run. The gang simply dug in and fought until they were all gone. While it reduced their numbers, it was disturbing. It would be better if they left or gave up. That was the plan, but it wasn’t working out that way.

Flander tried not to think about his relationship with his mate. He'd moved her things to his room and made sure someone else was in her former room. He'd not expected the meltdown Hel had. His room was larger and better. What was the problem? It was hard to understand human females. Hel had been angry, and he'd spent two nights in his spare room, but he was done with that. They'd be sleeping together tonight regardless of what she said.

“Sweetheart, are you ready for breakfast?” Flander asked.

“I'll be out in a minute.”

It was almost like she didn't even want to talk to him. All of this over giving up her room? He knew that he was going to have to speak to someone, and he thought that Kasey would be the most helpful and usually the least judgmental. All he had to do was find a time when Hel wasn't around and her sister was available. Yeah, that would be easy, not. He needed to get to breakfast and then move on with his work.

Breakfast was as usual, with the whole squad there and his mate, the last one finishing her food. Now that several buildings were finished, they switched back and forth between Purgatory and Base Kasey. They were headed to Purgatory today to check out the last Mercury facility and load up more refugees. While this wasn't the most populated area, it wasn't totally remote either. They would be taking the ship, and there was a good chance it would be filled up completely before they headed to the base.

Hel shot him an angry look, and he knew it was because he was looking at her and trying to figure out what she was thinking. He needed to stop doing that before they were going on a mission like this. He knew that sometimes going into these old facilities influenced her. She remembered the good times and felt a loss over what had been. The squad knew she had mourned the past, and he hoped the others would help him look out for her. He hoped today wouldn't be one of those days.

They loaded on the ship, and it wasn't long before they headed down to Purgatory. He didn't know why anyone would call their home that. There were no good meanings associated with that word. He could only assume that the planet hadn't been easy to live on when they first arrived. His mate was already withdrawn; part of it might have been because they weren't getting along. This was not his fault because he hadn't done anything wrong. Hel was upset about something that needed to happen. They were mated. There were rules. They had to live together. It freed up a room for someone else by ensuring that someone got put in her room. He moved her stuff and ensured she didn't get in trouble for not following the rules. Why didn't she understand that? Flander knew he needed to stop thinking about it because it drove him crazy.

The ship was ready to land, and everyone needed to be prepared. A small crowd was forming outside, and he knew that would cause confusion when they tried to get into the facility. Everyone was aware and prepared, so they headed off the ship and straight to the facility. Havoc ruled as people tried to get close to them even though the robots were holding them back. Brave or foolish people pushed forward anyway, trying to get their children on the ship.

“You will be able to load once the warriors come back, " the Andriod announced, but no one seemed to listen.

All they could do was get into the facility and finish the work as quickly as possible. Hel Remembered everything about this facility as she had about the past ones they had gone into. She put in the codes, opened the doors, and they all entered. This facility didn't seem any more special than the other ones had. She quickly packed things into handy boxes and set them in the middle of a circle with a dot on them. It flashed up quickly. She moved some equipment to the same spot, which also flashed up.

“Are we done?” Flander asked.

“We are," Hel said.

“It's time to get those people loaded and get out of here before we draw even more attention," Flander instructed.

They all hurried to follow his directions. As soon as they left the facility, it was almost like a mob pushing at them. Even the robots were not enough to keep them under control. All of them rushed to the ship, where they would allow refugees to start loading slowly.

“One at a time and no pushing, please," the Andriod directed.

There was no end to the pushing. The crowd seemed almost panic-stricken, and he wasn't sure why. That was answered soon after as gang members appeared and started moving closer. The Andriod remained at the entry to the ship, but the robots took position outside of the refugees and were ready to attack the gang members if needed. The slow and careful entry that Flander had suggested went out the window. People pushed and shoved as they attempted to get on the ship where they felt safe.

People loaded quickly. Somehow, they managed to get everyone on even though not everyone had a seat. The robots would stay behind and patrol the area since it was obvious that gang activity was high here. The Andriod came with them, although Flander wondered if he might not be better served staying behind and commanding the robots. That wasn't what their orders said, so they shut the doors and headed to the sky.

He could feel the nervous energy as refugees worried if they had made the right choice and what would happen next. A few children cried, sensing their parents' confusion. Their parents tried to hush them as if they thought they would be punished if they continued to cry. Flander remembered many years before when the ship he was on had stopped near Purgatory, and warriors had gotten the opportunity to take a break for two or three days, depending on rank and available leave.

This planet had been so different back then. It had been prosperous, and even though it was mainly a family planet, there had been a small section of the larger towns devoted to entertainment for singles. Nothing like those places where crime was out of hand. There had been a place where the warriors could find female entertainment, a few bars with various types of alcohol, and a place where they could go to indulge in some of the drugs that were labeled for entertainment and legal in certain amounts.

Flander remembered this place as one of the best leaves he'd had the whole time he had been a warrior. He'd enjoyed himself and indulged without fear of being attacked or catching some unknown illness. Ships had docked there in controlled numbers, so the planet hadn't been overwhelmed with visitors. The entertainment areas had strict rules, and the females were there voluntarily and got the best medical care. Hel probably wouldn't appreciate hearing about his fond memories of the old Purgatory. He had never shared them with her. It made him wonder if Ranni had ever shared it with his mate.

The comparison between his first visit and the next one was night and day. The second visit was after the grabbers attacked the planet, and everything was in chaos. There were dead and dying everywhere, and those who lived needed everything because it had all been taken from them. Flander knew at one time that the grabbers had been victims, but after seeing what they had done to several different planets, he felt they needed to be destroyed. His mate might even agree with him because she had been through the worst of it and seen her neighbors victimized.

Two years later, the planet didn't look much better. The attack by the grabbers opened the door for others to come and created even more chaos. Their ship changed direction, and his attention was drawn to the fact that they were landing. About two hundred people needed to be processed and found somewhere to sleep. That was what Hel and a small team of others would do. She was remarkably good at finding places for people and putting them into jobs they could.

His mate had even found a number of trustworthy enough people to work on the ship and fill in on positions of low priority. A few had been moved to squads, but only one per squad so that they could not cause too much discord if they were there to cause trouble. The average citizen would never make a squad, so there was only a small number of people who could even qualify to work on one.

People streamed off the ship in a far more organized manner than when they had entered it. Families went one way, while couples and singles went one another. Families would have priority over any houses, apartments, or even single dwellings because of the children. It meant that they would have more privacy, but they would be crowded, and that meant they might not be any better off than couples or singles in the long run.

Couples and singles were often in dorm style accommodations. Cots were lined up on each wall, and bathroom facilities were in the center of the building. Females and males had separate bathroom facilities because humans were very private. Other races valued their privacy, too, but most didn’t mind being seen naked by others. Flander certainly wasn't bothered by it since warriors had no privacy from when they were young children. There was no choice but to get used to it.

Hel went one way, and the rest of the squad went to the construction areas. Construction was going well but not keeping up with the large numbers of people that were incoming. The good thing was that his mate kept finding more people to work construction, which was speeding things up. If she could find more, maybe they could actually get a handle on this. It was hard for him to concentrate on things when he was worried about his relationship, and that was the most important thing in his life.

They were trying to help Purgatory, but as important as that was, his relationship with his mate was more important. Flander felt bad, but he wished they were anywhere but here while they were trying to work their relationship out. Ranni had been the lucky one because right after he had mated, they had been recalled to one of the other areas, and the ghosts of the planet below did not interfere with his relationship with Kasey.

That would not be the case with his relationship because not only was the planet below, but they were going to it every other day and working with the people that came from it on the other days. As if that was not bad enough, they were unbelievably shorthanded for the significant goals that had been set. Flander pushed his thoughts aside and put his shoulder into his work as they tried to start another building. A team would build the foundation, and then his guys would come in and start work on the building. There was a specific style to all the empire buildings of the time, and they were built with as many local materials as they could find.

There was a red rock that was scattered in locations all over the planet that had been pulled into work as building materials. The rock was hard. Once cleaned, it was attractive. Most warriors knew how to lay rock and stone, which wasn't a problem. They each took a different wall and worked as quickly as possible. As soon as they reached a certain point, refugees would come in and begin to do their assigned work. The rock was heavy, and warriors did a good job with that kind of work. Interior work had lighter materials. Anyone could do that if they knew how.

Flander was watching Jaird, who seemed distracted by a local girl. He'd checked into Donna, and she was a distant relative of Kasey and Hel. Maybe it would be a good thing for him. He was in the right age range for mating if that was what he wanted. If it was just sex, then it wouldn't matter. He would keep an eye on things because that was what he did. That was what it meant to be a leader. Flander stepped back, looking at his wall, and felt accomplished. The first floor was always the easiest.

Maybe romance was in the air, and he also needed to watch his other guys. It was also possible that he needed to get his own romance in order before he worried about everyone else's. Ronner got his attention.

“It’s lunch time,” he said.

"That's good because I'm starving," Tannen admitted as he approached where they were. Tomsin trailed behind him, and they all headed to the cafeteria.

They all had trays and were sitting at a table when Hel arrived. She got her food and sat with them. Flander enjoyed having his squad together because he knew it wouldn't be long and significant changes would occur. He wasn't sure where everyone would end up going. If Ranni got the Chief position, he would get subchief. Most weren't squad leaders, but he could keep his position if he chose to. With all Kasey's work, he was surprised that she had not already asked for his mate to assist him. He saw that possibility coming soon. The other guys were all good and would probably be considered for squad leader positions, but he didn't know when they would get those positions, only that he thought they should.

He'd already recommended his males for leadership positions several times, and eventually, it would happen. Eventually, he knew the squad would be disbanded and spread to the wind. There was no way to say if he would ever see them again. They've been together for five years, a long time for a squad. It was sad every time that a squad disbanded like this. This was not the first time he had been in a squad that had disbanded and would not be the last. All of them knew it was coming. They just didn't know when or how.

All the males were finished eating. Hel was finishing up her plate. He'd wait if he could, but they were in a hurry, and lives were on the line. He nodded at his mate so that she knew that he was acknowledging her presence and that he had to go. Flander led the way, and the rest of the squad followed, except Hel, who would again go in a different direction. Her talents were different, and that's where she would work while they did the grunt work in construction. Most warriors were trained in construction and had a talent for it. They could lift more and work faster than almost any race. That's how this would get done, through hard work and perseverance.

They all worked hard and waited until the end of the day came around, and because they were working hard, it didn't seem like it had taken long. The shuttle was waiting for them, and his mate was already seated, so he sat next to her. They were filthy, and a place to clean up would have been nice, but they didn't have one. The few showers that were available were for the refugees and those working among them, which made them off limits.

Everyone loaded on the shuttle, and it headed back to the ship. As soon as they landed, everyone hurried to their shower. Routines were important, but they had fallen into one over the last few months. They knew what to expect and where they would be most of the time. Maybe it was time to shake up his mate's routine. Still, a shower was needed to remove all the gunk from a hard day's work. Now that they had landed, everyone was rushing to get clean. He enjoyed his shower. The hot water relaxed his tired muscles. Once he was through, he was ready for supper. They had all worked hard. They needed energy replaced, so they would be good to go tomorrow.

Majuri ate more than the average person, replacing large amounts of energy used when they worked or fought hard. Flander dressed after he was dry and then headed down to the cafeteria. He had not seen his mate in their room, so he had no idea if she had gotten clean faster or was still in the shower cleaning up. When he got to the cafeteria, only Jaird was there before him. He had their table reserved. The food smelled wonderful, and he loaded up his tray and sat down next to Jaird. Now, they both watched to see who would arrive next. There was no guarantee that they would all show up, even though most usually did.

They didn't wait for the others to arrive; they began to eat immediately. That was just the squad's rule since you never knew who would show up or when they would show up. The one he was waiting to see was Hel, but she ended up being the last one there. Flander had worried that she would try to avoid him. Maybe she had decided to avoid him and then changed her mind. Tonight, they would deal with their relationship for good.

Flander was done, but he sat sipping his drink, waiting for his mate to finish eating. The other guys finished and left one at a time.

“Are you waiting for me?” Hel asked.

“I am. We must deal with our relationship when we get to our room.”

“Fine. Just remember I have something to say about this, too.” Hel took her last bite of food and picked up her tray to drop it off in the pan.

Flander stuck with her so she would not try to escape him, and they headed to their room. This was important, and he tried to remember that he hadn't asked and had just mated her. She wouldn't appreciate what he had to say, but he was going to say it anyway. They would be together for the rest of their lives, and she needed to wrap her mind around that. The moment they entered their apartment, he grabbed her, pressed her up against the wall, and kissed her passionately.

Flander whispered in her ear. “You are mine!”

She shivered in his arms. He knew she wanted and needed him, but for some reason, she was fighting that. It was hard to understand why she would do that, but human females were hard to understand. Sometimes, even human males didn't understand them. He had seen that personally.

“This doesn't seem like a discussion. It seems more like an instruction session.”

“I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but I am telling you what we are, bonded together for life. Neither of us will ever be able to be with anyone else. If you reject me, we will both be alone. Is that really what you want?”

"I want some say in my own life. Someone making all the decisions for me was never my dream life, and it still isn't. You don't seem to understand that." Hel observed.

"All this because I moved you into my apartment. Once we mated, we had to let one apartment go. Why did that upset you so much?"

"You never asked me and never gave me any time to adjust. You just decided and implemented the decision, and I got to live with it. That's not how it should work, even if you think your decision is a foregone conclusion.”

“You would have had to move anyway, and my apartment was the best of the two.”

“We could have asked for a different apartment neither yours nor mine. You could have given me a few days because that's usually allowed. We could have talked about this and made the decision together, which is what mates are supposed to do. If this is what you will always do, then we won't make it.”

“I’m going to show you why we will make it.”

Flander leaned in and licked her ear. He immediately smelled her heat and knew she was growing wet between her legs. Hel wanted him, and there was no denying it. He began removing her clothing and his. Pressing against her, he made sure that she could feel his hard on between her legs. That was where he belonged and intended to be before very long. Lifting her, he moved her to bed and slid on top of her.

“If you don't want this, just say no," Flander told her.

Hel seemed to have nothing to say. He kissed her and then began to work his way down her body, sucking on her nipples and biting them until they grew hard. He licked his way down her body until he made it to her moist center. It was crying out to him to make love to her. That was exactly what he was going to do. His finger slid in, and his tongue found her clit and began to circle it. Flander added another finger, sliding it in deep, and then added another finger. Three was all she could take, and he started moving them in and out faster. His mate moaned and moved up and down to join him. His tongue continued to circle faster, too.

Hel was moving up to a gigantic orgasm, and he could sense that it would be soon. He sped up, and she exploded, screaming his name. Flander slid upper body, and his large thick cock slid right in because she was so wet. Now, he began to pump into her again, and it wasn't long before her body began to respond. They were made for each other, and by the time he was through loving her all night long, she would realize it. He pounded in harder and harder, and she responded by lifting as he came down. She wrapped her legs around him and screamed as she came, and he followed.

He knew she wasn't ready to get pregnant, but it wouldn't take long. Flander had never felt so wonderful. She was everything he wanted. She would see that he was everything she needed to be. Eventually, he would teach her about making love and being in love. Maybe he would learn something, too, since he'd never been in love. There was no way he would let her sleep, and he kept her up most of the night. They would only get a couple hours when they finally got to sleep. Wrapping his arms around her, he felt like he had begun what would be the rest of their life. Nothing would come between them because he wouldn't allow it.

“What did you do to me?” Hel asked in a grouchy voice.

“Took you to heaven. Are you wanting more?”

“No, it’s time for breakfast. We can’t be late to work.”

She jumped out of bed and hurried to the shower, and it made him feel good to see that she was having trouble moving. He felt a little rough himself, but it would make a big difference once he showered. The hot water relaxed his muscles, and he couldn't deny that he needed it. After drying and dressing, he was ready for breakfast and hoped she was too. Hel took a few extra minutes before she appeared, and they left the room together. Her walk was better now, but it was still obvious that she'd been well-loved. All he could do was smile, knowing the guys would realize why. His mate just shot an annoyed look his way. That wouldn't go unnoticed either.

They entered the cafeteria, and his squad gave them their attention. Both got their food, and the chairs left were side by side. Hel gave the same annoyed look to the rest of the squad, but she took the chair next to him anyway. The guys would make sure that two seats were left for them together from now on. Mates should sit together. His mate needed to get used to that. They finished eating, and today, they would go to the planet, but he didn't believe there would be any facilities that they needed to work with. This would be a trip just to pick up refugees. He wasn't sure they would make this trip so soon when they were getting people faster than they could supply places to live.

The shame was that the emperor made the choices, and they were just playing catch up the best they could. They could see the planet below them as the ship prepared to land. Once they got this load of refugees to the base, they would return to work and start doing more construction. The people Hel had found were working well so far, and he hoped she would find more. Even the ones that weren't trained or capable in the areas where they needed them could do the unskilled labor in other places like the kitchen or cleaning. Those positions were also required, and people willing to work in those positions were valued.

He saw a crowd far more than this ship could hold as they landed. These people were desperate and would do anything to get on the ship. The issue was stopping them without harming them. Hopefully, the robots could help. The Andriod was good at planning these things. Maybe they could avoid any problems, but he felt bad about this. There were too many people and not enough room, and those in this crowd had expectations that would not be met. This was a recipe for disaster. As the ship set down, the crowd surged forward, preparing to rush the door when it opened. They should realize by now that the robots would come out first and rushing them was a big mistake.

Flander had the pilot announce that the robots would come out first and everyone needed to step away from the plane. Many of them stepped back, but some of them just continued to move forward. It would be horrible if anyone got injured because of their stupidity and desperation.

“No one will get hurt, will they?” Hel asked.

“Do you know a way to prevent it?”

She shook her head, but it was clear that she was upset. The robots opened the door, but they blocked entrance to anyone who hadn't been approved. Some parents were trying to hand their children off, more concerned with their own safety than their own. A few kids managed to make it past the robots, and once on the ship, they would be taken. Their robots allowed a few on but blocked more from entry.