Here you go folks, another chp...
JMH
trandar2002@yahoo.com
chps up to 20 are now posted on the yahoo group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/adultwritingworkshop/
Drake hugged Puppy close to him as, after he was separated and put into a cell, she was his only companion. The dog, sensitive to Drake's emotions, whimpered in his hands.
"It will be ok Puppy... I'm sure Tidal will find a way for us to escape," Drake whispered as the dog licked his nose.
Eventually, the door to his cell opened letting in three clay masked servants. "Hello," Drake greeted.
The masked men and women did not say a word, but gently removed Drake's clothes before dressing him in a white robe and covering his face with a gold mask. He was then led out of the cell and back to the upper chambers where he found himself in a long dining room.
In the center of the room was a giant table, surrounded by dozens of heavy oak chairs. Only three of the seats were occupied, however, making the room feel uncomfortably empty.
Seated away from the three men at the table, Drake protested when he felt one of the red masked servants try to take Puppy away.
Saul, wearing his gold mask raised a hand. "Let him keep his pet."
"Thank you," Drake replied, as the servant moved away.
"Our pleasure," Saul nodded. "Is that not so brothers?"
"Yes," the one replied eagerly from behind a steel mask.
"Yes..." Adam's less then enthusiastic voice came from his white mask.
"Adam...are you alright?" Drake asked worriedly.
Saul eyed Adam sternly. "My brother is fine."
"Where are the others?" Drake asked after a servant had placed a bowl of soup in front of him.
"They are eating just as you are." The man in the steel masked replied.
"Then why are they not here."
"You are the son of the Prelate; you should be with your equals... not lowly inferiors."
"They are my friends," Drake protested.
"We are your friends, Drake Van'sol, or at least the kind of friends you need." Saul insisted. When the servants left the room, he and his brothers removed their masks, Drake quickly following.
"Maybe he would better understand our benevolence if we showed him that the others have not been harmed," the Star General said.
"If you think so Robert," Saul nodded to the Star general.
"If you will follow me Lord Drake," Robert said as he stood up.
Following the steel masked man, Drake left the palatial house and walked down a dirt road until he reached the servant's barracks. There he saw Tidal and Austin eating what looked like a watered down gruel.
"Tidal!" Drake shouted on seeing his friends.
Tidal's head darted up from the table. "Drake... are you all right?"
"I'm fine... are you ok?" Drake asked, as he went to the Protector and hugged him.
"Yes... they have not harmed us." Tidal nodded.
"But they sure are not feeding us," Austin complained as he spooned up a weak gruel.
"Can they join us for dinner Robert?" Drake asked.
"I'm afraid not my lord... they would find Saul's company most unpleasant. I will see however that better food is brought to your friends. We should be leaving."
"But..." Drake protested.
"We will be fine Drake. It is you I am worried about. Whatever happens, you must stay away from the Prelate."
"That is up to the Prelate," Robert replied, as he took Drake's hand firmly.
"But I don't want to go."
Robert let his steel mask fall from his face, revealing his short locks of curly brown hair. "Drake... I can only insure the continued safety of your friends if you do what I say."
Drake took off his gold mask and rested his head against the star general's chest. "I don't want anything bad to happen to my friends."
"Then you will come with me." Robert whispered into the other man's ear.
"I will," Drake nodded.
After giving Tidal and Austin parting hugs, Drake returned back to the dining room to find it now empty. Silently Drake and Robert finished their meal. When done, Robert took Drake to a large bedroom. Tired, Drake put Puppy on the bed before laying down himself. He did not notice, until he felt bare arms wrap around him, that Robert was joining him on his bed. Drake responded by moving back so he was spooning against the taller man. He felt Robert's soft lips press against the back of his neck, while the other man's hands ran down the front of his body.
"Drake... what am I going to do," Robert sighed as he nuzzled closer.
"I don't understand."
"I do not know what it is, but the moment I saw you I have wanted to be close to you... love you... protect you even."
"Then protect me... don't let your brother send me to Earth."
"I wish I could, but not even I, a Star General, can oppose the will of the Prelate, especially this one."
Drake pulled away. "Then you have nothing you can offer me."
"No... there is something I can do for you. Saul, my brother, wants to give your friends over to the Prelate. If... if you could find your way to loving me I will do all I can to set them free."
"Why do you want me to love you? We have only just met."
"Do you know about the counterpart?" Robert asked.
"Yes... my papa is a counterpart."
Robert let out a soft chuckle. "I believe that everyone has a counterpart... even a lowly Star General such as myself."
"And you believe I am your counterpart," Drake laughed as he was pulled back toward Robert.
Drake felt Robert's lips taste the skin of his neck. "I knew from the moment I saw you, you are my other half."
Drake did not know what to think. He looked into Robert's mind, searching for a lie. He could not find one. Robert truly believed that he was his counterpart. As Robert continued to kiss his body, Drake could not help but feel that something important was happening. Not since being held by his papa for the last time had he felt so safe and loved. Drake wanted to be loved... needed it. He did not understand why Robert had fallen in love with him. In truth, he didn't really need to know. Having his love was all Drake needed for now.
Drake let out a long moan when he felt Robert run a hand under his shirt, running his fingers through the short brown hair on his chest. It did not take long before both of them were naked, Robert climbing on top of Drake, their manhoods rubbing against each other. Drake wrapped his arms around the back of Robert's neck, pulling him down into a kiss. That was the moment that both men's seed exploded between their two bodies. Robert lapped up the product of their love into his mouth before sharing it with a kiss.
Drake rolled both of them over so he was on top of the Star General, resting his head on the broad man's chest. "You promise that you can save my friends?"
"I will see that they are taken to safety this very night if you want."
Drake looked up with begging eyes. "Please... I already lost Clive. I can't lose the others."
"Then I will have my men take them someplace safe... as for us, we will be riding on the next War-Liner for Earth in the morning."
"I'm scared Robert... my papa said the Prelate would hurt me."
"I will give my life before that happens Drake."
"But you said..."
"I know... I said I can not stand against the Prelate. It would be suicide for me to try... but I will do everything I can to protect you Drake."
"I believe you Robert. Is the Prelate really as bad as my papa said he is?"
"He is probably worse... Falcon is a monster Drake, never doubt that. He rules with an iron hand, crushing any who dare oppose him. Only a half dozen Star General have dared to rebel... and all of them are dead, as are all their men. That is why I can not oppose the Prelate... I love you Drake, but I can not risk the lives of my soldiers."
"I understand." Drake sighed.
Vard, wanting to show Joshua that he had every intention of keeping his promise to rescue Drake, decided to take his husband up to the orbital shipyards.
Looking outside the view port of an assault shuttle Joshua was amazed by what he saw. "The planet looks like it is trapped in the middle of a web."
"That it does Joshua," Vard nodded. Over the past few years a tangle of metal support structures had been built in high orbit around the planet. First dozens then hundreds of construction pods had been built into the web that surrounded the planet.
"How many ships do we now have?"
"Over a thousands assault ships, hundreds of Manta class cruisers, and over six dozen Guild War-Liners," Vard listed.
Joshua let out a sigh. "Such a force of destruction."
"It is the only way we will be able to free humanity... and free you from Gerick."
Joshua lowered his head in sadness. "But it will mean I will have to kill my father."
"Is there any chance that we could purge the filth of Gerick from your father's soul Joshua?"
"I don't know, but I will not give up without trying."
Vard embraced his husband from behind. "I know my love. I also do not want to kill Falcon unless I have no choice."
Joshua leaned back against his husband. "It has to be my choice Vard."
"But Joshua..." Vard protested. He did not want his husband to carry such a burden.
Joshua turned around and placed a long finger on his lover's lips. "Vard... he is my father. I must... I will save him from Gerick. I can't give up on him."
Vard closed his eyes and nodded his head in defeat. Joshua was right... only he could make the final decision of what should happen to his own father.
"Vard, are you mad that I still love Falcon... even after all that he had done to us?"
"It is part of who you are my love... When I took you as my husband I took all of you... including your feelings for Falcon."
Joshua rested his head on his lover's chest. "Thank you Vard."
Vard nodded his head as he ran his hands down Joshua's body. Every day since he had been reunited with his counterpart... even during the slaughter on Wor... Vard had been filled with constant joy. Joshua was everything to Vard... his world, life, and soul. For Joshua, and only for Joshua, Vard had given up his birthright, the Prelacy... for the time being. Time was fast approaching, however, when Vard knew that for the good of humanity he would have to return to Earth, this time not as a prisoner but as it's conqueror.
As he continued to hold his husband, Vard's eyes focused on the giant ship they were rapidly approaching. "Look Joshua... the Santor." He pointed at the ship which had been named after his destroyed home world.
The Santor was a Guild War-Liner built on a gigantic scale... ten times larger then any other ever built. It was the flagship of the armada... a fleet built for only one purpose... to free humanity from the ghost of Gerick and his hated Brotherhood.
After their assault shuttle docked, Vard led Joshua to the war-room, located in the heart of the gigantic ship. Taking their seats at the twenty foot in diameter round table, with the rest of their surviving friends, the meeting that was to determine the future of humanity began.
"Thank you for coming on such a short noticed." Vard bowed to his friends.
"I'm just glad this day has finally come." John smiled.
"My knife hungers for the blood of a Prelate." Sparrow agreed.
"And you will have it." Vard promised.
Star General Felix stood up, raising a hand. "Yes... we all want our revenge, but we should not act with hast. We have a fleet that can match any force the Prelate can send after us but, unless we are willing to blast away any planet that opposes us, we don't have the forces to fight on every planet in the Assembly of Worlds."
"The key to everything is Earth... if we can take the capital of humanity quickly, most of the other worlds will rise up against the Brotherhood," Vard said.
"But Earth is the most fortified planet in the galaxy... under Falcon's leadership the entire solar system has been turned into a fortress. We would lose hundreds of ships trying to take the planet directly, leaving us too weak to take the other worlds," Felix argued.
"Then what do you suggest," Joshua asked.
"We should take the Core Worlds... the ones that supply Earth with the fuel, food, and the raw materials it needs, and thereby isolating it."
"How many worlds are we talking about?" John asked.
"There are around fourteen worlds which supply Earth. If we could capture the majority, then Earth will quickly run out of war materials," Kentor replied as he passed out Felix's battle plan to the others.
Vard, handing his copy of the report to Joshua, waited for him to read it to him before responding. "You want us to break up the armada into three assault fleets. Does that not risk dividing our forces?"
Felix nodded his head. "Yes it does, but if we want to make the most of our advantage of surprise, we should try to take as many planets as we can as quickly as possible."
"I agree with the Star General... once we commit ourselves to this enterprise, the Prelate will send his own fleets to stop it. We will only have a few days... maybe a week, before we will be put on the defensive," John said. "The more worlds we capture in the initial attack, the better."
"Sparrow?" Vard turned his attention to his last surviving tribesman.
"It would be like the old days of hunting the herds... separating the weak from the strong," The blond man replied.
"And you my husband... what would you have us do?"
"War will bring more suffering to humanity, but Gerick must be stopped," Joshua replied.
"And Drake?" Vard asked... knowing what was in his lover's heart.
"And Drake..." Joshua agreed. "I feel selfish, but all I really care about is getting my son back."
"I know, but are you ready to do what it will take to free humanity and get Drake back? Are you ready to have me come to you with blood on my hands? Will you still love me if I become like Gerick?"
"You could never become like Gerick."
"I can Joshua... the same mad power you feared in Gerick runs through me as well."
"Yes, but you have something that Gerick never had."
"And what is that?"
"You have my love Vard."
Vard reached over and took his Joshua's hand. "Thank you... in the coming days I will depend on you more than ever."