Chapter 17
Fuck Vegrun
Khar
“Vegrun Fer’sink is absurdly rich, with his long tentacles dipping into every imaginable industry, yet he guards his private life with astonishing care. Practically nothing is known about him, not even where he acquired his first million IMPERIUM credits.”
“Silomarila Whitecloud Deepmoon, of the Amphibious Registered Species, is the most celebrated actress, model, and influencer of her era. Everything she touches turns to success, as if destiny itself shaped her path.
Despite her experience, she still projects a youthful, innocent image. A media mogul whose hand has been sought by a Vixori prince, promised lifelong devotion by the acclaimed director Marfos, and named muse by the infamous Designer, Pallas.
And yet, Silomarila has never made any relationship public.
Who, then, will steal the heart of the most coveted flower of the Augum-3 swamps?”
Secrets, Gossip, Lies column, IMPERIUM Daily News Portal
Over the next three chrono-cycles, Khar and Lily slept only in fragments, taking turns whenever they could until the work was finally done.
The service drones handled the actual spraying, but the precision work fell to them. Each unit had to be programmed individually with laser guidance so the paint coverage was flawless, while avoiding damage to the dense network of sensors and Vitro’s latest hybrid camouflage system.
An ordinary ship could have been hauled into a maintenance bay and coated automatically. Vitro, as always, demanded skilled hands. In return, it offered reliability and an unmatched experience in flight.
They stopped only for short breaks to eat, drink, and dose stimulants, staying sharp enough to manage targeting despite the exhaustion. There was barely time to speak beyond clipped phrases, and that silence weighed on Khar even more than the relentless pace.
By the evening of the third cycle, they finished and returned to the dock. Just enough time remained for a brief sleep before Vegrun and Silomarila’s arrival.
They stripped off their suit layers in silence, both soaked through with sweat. Lily stumbled slightly while hanging her suit in the locker, and Khar silently thanked his reflexes as he caught her.
“Are you all right?”
Lily leaned back against his chest, managing only a weak groan.
“I’m so damn tired. Fuck Vegrun.”
It had become their favorite connective phrase lately, used just as freely when checking in on each other through the helper drones. Khar rested his chin on the crown of her head.
“Same. Fuck Vegrun.”
He bent and lifted her. Lily started to protest out of habit, then gave up entirely and slumped against him.
Khar carried her to the crew quarters she used when traveling under Vegrun’s command. She could have slept aboard Helios, but even the short walk between ships meant time stolen from rest.
Lily touched her VoidBrace to the door sensor. The door slid open, and Khar carefully set her down on the threshold.
“Thank you, Khar.”
“Sleep well, Lily.”
He was about to leave when her fingers closed around his wrist. She looked up at him, hesitant.
“Don’t you want to sleep together?”
For a heartbeat, Khar felt like he could fight through any exhaustion the galaxy had to offer. Instead, he shook his head gently and brushed her cheek.
“I do. Just not tonight. These beds are too small for us to rest properly, and I want you to actually sleep.”
She did not seem offended, though it was hard to tell if she was even fully aware of what she had asked. Khar guided her to the bed and pulled the blanket over her.
“Sleep well,” he repeated.
She was already drifting.
Khar felt a quiet satisfaction settle in his chest. Taking care of her felt right.
His good mood lasted into the next chrono-cycle, when they waited in front of Vitro for Vegrun and the object of his devotion.
Vegrun hovered anxiously around Silomarila, who kept him on a surprisingly short leash. At least she appreciated the new paint job, for which Vegrun rewarded them with a grateful glance.
Khar and Lily watched with shared satisfaction as the billionaire made a spectacle of himself.
When Vegrun finally coaxed the Mokra star into his private suite, Khar cast Lily a knowing look.
“I like Madame Turtle.”
Lily nodded.
“I hope we see a lot more of her.”
Vegrun spared no expense to impress his lover, keeping Vitro in near-constant motion.
Dinner beside the Khgorg asteroid cloud, which, if one squinted, could be interpreted as the shape of two Algors mating, so Khar deeply disapproved of that decision.
Breakfast already on Rach, and an evening concert orbiting Silomarila’s favorite world, Augum-3.
Khar and Lily alternated shifts because a schedule like this demanded continuous oversight. During the most dangerous intervals, such as when they had to shoot down incoming asteroids to protect Vitro’s hull, they worked together. Outside those moments, they had precious little time for each other.
At last, on the evening of the second chrono-cycle, Lily went ahead to rest. Khar set Vitro into a stable autopilot loop around a nearby star, and for the first time in cycles, an opening appeared.
He had just returned to his own crew cabin when Lily stepped into the corridor beside him.
“What’s going on?” she asked, hope edging her voice.
“They locked themselves into the private suite.”
Lily let out a deep, heartfelt sigh.
“Finally. I was starting to think it would never happen. Not that I didn’t enjoy watching Vegrun suffer, but this has been our most exhausting run yet.”
Khar had not been thinking about Vegrun for quite some time.
“Come here.”
He pulled her into the cabin and kissed her. Lily laughed at the sudden intensity, then answered him with equal heat. They backed toward the bed, stripping layers from each other with clumsy efficiency, careful not to break the kiss for longer than absolutely necessary.
Soon Lily stood in her underwear, while Khar wore only his briefs. She felt his hardness immediately as she climbed into his lap.
Khar did not rush her. His rough tongue traced her throat, his sharp canines grazing her skin as a warning rather than a bite, enough to raise goosebumps without breaking flesh.
One hand slid beneath her bra, teasing her breast until her nipple hardened fully.
Then he tore the garment away and took her into his mouth, tormenting her slowly until her panties were soaked.
“Khar…”
“Say it. Tell me what you want.”
He watched desire finally overpower her shyness.
“I want you. Please.”
“Good female,” he murmured. “I will reward you very well.”
Khar felt a swell of pride. And now, he would show her what he had been waiting to reveal.
He covered her eyes with one broad hand. With the other, he freed himself and nudged her underwear aside, positioning himself at her entrance without entering yet.
“Khar, what are you…”
He did not let her finish.
He thrust in deep and decisive. Lily’s moan was raw and ancient, so erotically unguarded that Khar nearly lost control from the sound alone.
Her body had been well prepared by their earlier hunger.
There was no pain, only shock and pleasure, though the journey had only just begun.
He started to move, careful not to let her feel the small horned ridges at the base of his shaft just yet.
Even without them, the new textures along his length were already working their magic, drawing helpless whimpers from her.
“Why does this feel so good?” she gasped.
He could not see her expression beneath his hand, but her voice was praise enough.
Khar waited until she hovered close to the edge before driving fully in. As he anticipated, the small horns nestled perfectly around her clit, stimulating it with every deep thrust.
Lily shattered.
She cried out as she came apart, and Khar watched in reverent focus. The spasms of her body were like divine command. He could not resist. He followed her over the edge, pulling out at the final moment.
Lily curled against him and looked up into his eyes.
“Khar, I loved that. What was that thing you used?”
“Not a toy,” he replied calmly. “But if you want, you can play with it anytime.”
He gestured to himself. Lily squeaked in surprise.
“That wasn’t there before!”
Khar shrugged, as if it were nothing at all.
“Divani adapt to their partner. Exactly one partner. I adapted to you.”
Lily flushed.
“Humans don’t do that,” she said, then added more softly, “but I really liked it.”
Khar smiled broadly. Fortunate, how little she dramatized the miracle.
“Want another round?”
Lily yawned widely.
His chest softened instantly. As much as he wanted her, he would not push.
“No,” she said apologetically. “I’m still really tired. Fuck… Vegrun.”
“Why would I be angry?” Khar asked.
She answered with a sleepy murmur and drifted off against him. Khar sent a message to Vitro, swapping Lily’s morning shift with his own so she could sleep longer. He adjusted his VoidBrace to wake him with vibration only, not sound.
The bunk was narrow and uncomfortable for two, but Khar could not remember ever sleeping as well as he did with Lily beside him.
The journey ended soon after, though not quietly.
Silomarila threatened Vegrun with emergency landings more than once, threats only defused by promises of obscenely expensive gifts.
Khar found himself developing genuine fondness for the Mokra female, despite having barely exchanged a word with her.
It seemed they shared a common hobby: tormenting an old tentacled lecher.
That goodwill lasted right up until Khar was ordered to land on a nearby planet to hunt a fresh gurjt for her, a delicacy renowned this season.
He was still muttering about it when he returned to Vitro, then brightened instantly at the sight of Lily.
“Hello, beautiful,” he said. “Did you miss me?”
She rolled her eyes, but he saw the pleasure beneath it.
“Vegrun’s nervous,” Lily said.
“Let him be.”
Khar’s suit had been damaged during the hunt, not enough to compromise its integrity, but enough to require tape to keep it from flapping loose. Lily watched with interest as he extended one claw to twice its resting length and sliced cleanly through the adhesive.
“I’ve never seen you do that before.”
“Make it bigger?” he asked mildly. “Or cut through tape?”
“Now that you mention it,” she said, frowning, “neither.”
Khar extended all his claws, turning his hand into something unmistakably lethal.
“Divani trait,” he explained. “Though lately, they have become harder.”
Lily leaned closer, examining them, then froze.
“Wait,” she said quietly. “But you… how were your fingers inside me?”
Khar retracted the claws in one smooth motion, then extended them again.
“I do not enjoy keeping them retracted,” he said. “Some Divani do.”
Lily tapped one experimentally, as if testing a blade.
“Hmm. Useful.”
Khar reached for her, but she slipped away, grabbing the sack containing the gurjt.
“No,” she said lightly. “Vegrun’s waiting.”
Khar muttered their now-familiar refrain under his breath. Fuck Vegrun. Lately shortened to “FV,” since Vitro’s command systems had a habit of listening.
He could hardly wait for the star-crossed lovers to disappear from view, so he could finally have a full week with Lily.
If she allowed it.
He hoped she would.