A Shared Victory

Posted on Wed Oct 2nd, 2024 @ 4:56am by Lieutenant Commander Lyra Cassiel & Lieutenant Commander Andrei Petrov

Mission: S1 Episode 8: Resolutions
Location: XO's Quarters
Timeline: Date 2371-12-31 at 1515
5512 words - 11 OF Standard Post Measure

The raid on the Outpost had been exhilarating, bloody, and effective. They had taken Dr. Pel, the database, and many many Vidian lives. After reporting to Annalise and receiving their congratulations and warnings, Andrei and Lyra had taken the time to make sure Dr. Pel was working very closely with their Medical and Science departments to create doses of the cure. It was only after they were certain everything was appropriately set in motion and the Fleet was on its way back to Gamma Eridine that Andrei and Lyra breached the doors of his quarters.

“I feel like a god. We did it.” Andrei said with both relief and joy in his voice as he kicked off his shoes and started on his jacket, trying to get comfortable.

“We are gods, Darling.” Lyra said, the statement a simple matter of fact rather than boasting. The door closed behind her and she easily slid out of her shoes. Her hands intercepted his on his jacket and took over while she leaned up and kissed his lips gently.

He was covered in a moderate amount of blood, but he wasn’t surprised she didn’t really seem to mind. His swords were drenched as well, but the use of replicator technology which caused the blades to be produced from the hilt at need meant they never needed to be cleaned or polished. He returned her kiss slowly, though there was a certain electric quality to his movements. It was probably his bloodlust more than anything else.

“The Vidiians die beautifully after all they’ve done to stand in our way.” he said, his hands falling to her sides.

“Yes, they do.” She agreed. She was bloodied as well, though less so than her beloved. His jacket was followed by his shirt and her lips found his bloody shoulder. She didn’t care, she kissed him anyway despite the blood and sweat on his skin. “But I want more of them to die.”

“How many?” he asked, as he felt her lips on his skin. He closed his eyes, the shivering of his body accompanying his hands moving down to her bottom and gripping there. “Annalise will want to go back to playing things safe.”

Lyra didn’t even acknowledge his statement about Annalise. And instead her hands moved up to his cheeks. She cradled his face and brought her lips up against his. She kissed him once, so very tender, and then spoke quietly and intimately to him. “All of them.”

Her tone was soft, seductive, and full of promise in a strange way.

“All of them?” he asked, his tone suggesting a bit of surprise, but certainly not dismay. “I like that idea as well.”

He kissed her back, his hands now moving not to her jacket, but to the buckle of her belt.

“We could blow up their pathetic little homeworld, but I would much prefer to go down…and feel their blood between my fingers first.”

“And why wouldn’t we?” She asked, not interfering with his efforts while still speaking softly into his ear. “We can go… tear them apart… take them as slaves and raze their world for whatever we need or desire. Then when we are done, we can erase their worlds from existence as penance for their continued defiance.”

“To do that, we might need that mutiny we discussed.” he said, unbuttoning her pants and pushing them down until they fell to the ground. “I grow weary of following her orders anyway.”

“Maybe.” She said simply and kicked the pants away. Her lips found his neck again. “Or we could wait until we have our family back together. We will have to pass by again once we retrieve our lost lambs from the planet.”

“I’d bet father dearest could be convinced. And, if not..we can find another way.” he said, pulling her panties down next and then scooping her up into his arms by her strong legs. He walked over to the couch and placed her down rather gently. His lips found hers again, his motions quickening.

“If not, we can go ourselves.” She said between kisses and kissed him again. Her hands found his belt and she removed it with impressive speed. She pushed his pants and underwear down from his hips as far as they could reach, and then brought her feet up to push them down the rest of the way. Bloodlust for them inevitably turned into lust for each other once the violence was over. In the back of her head, the fleeting memory of an old wives tale regarding sons conceived after a battle being strong warriors stirred, but instead of allowing a reaction to settle on her face, she kissed him again. The thought of sons had been coming up more often in her mind as of late; it bothered her somewhat, but she also knew it was natural.

As Andrei swung free, he smiled and kissed her. Then, wasting no time at all, he lowered a hand to help himself and was inside her. They were prone to slow starts, but at times like this, it was a wild frenzy for this, their most natural position. He moved his hips with the same aggressiveness, skill, and speed with which he had moved his sword, and the dried blood that dotted their skin drew a connection between their previous actions and the current one.

“I love you.” he grunted in her ear, his tone a mix of aggression and moaning. They were gods, they belonged together, and no one could stand in their way; now, or ever.

Lyra was mildly surprised by the declaration for the simple fact it wasn’t something either of them said out loud often and he did even less than she. Her lips found his and then his neck, and her legs wrapped around his hips. It was a possessive gesture, but at the same time submissive as it allowed him full access to the deepest parts of her which only he could reach.

“My Darling…” She cooed into his ear softly.

They made love on the couch, they made love against the wall, they made love on the floor. That was where they finished in a wave of passion. When they were finished, Lyra relaxed against Andrei’s body and he cradled her head with his strong hands. There was nothing foreign about this act for them. They did it as naturally as another couple might enjoy a meal. Yet it was always impressive and passionate.

Her lips found his skin again and she traced kisses along the strong line of his jaw. It was a softness and gentleness Andrei knew was only reserved for him, never shown to others in such a genuine way. Her fingers found his hair, and she let out a sigh as he slid from her heated depths and left an emptiness behind.

He rolled her gently onto the floor next to him and wrapped his arm around her. They both were still wearing their tops, but none of that really mattered.

“I can’t wait to see Mika’s face when we get back.” he said, smiling broadly, seeming almost innocent if he wasn’t bottomless and dotted with the blood of innocent people. “Thank you for going with me; for being there.”

Lyra shifted close to him, pressing her body against his simply to be close to him and not pressing for anything more sexual than that. She looked at him with lifted brows. “I’ll always be by your side, Andrei.”

Andrei’s smile evened out a bit, not because his happiness had diminished but because the guarantee from Lyra made him pensive. He believed her, and he recognized how sick it made him that it might ever be any other way.

“I know.” he said, licking his slightly dry lips and holding her closer.

Lyra’s hand found his chest and her head moved to his shoulder. She didn’t expect the same assurance from him, and wasn’t disappointed on not receiving it. Naturally, if she was by him, he would be by her. They lay there like that for a few long moments just quiet with each other, and then finally Lyra propped herself up.

“We should have something good for dinner to celebrate.”

“Ooo.” Andrei said with interest, grinning at her. “Any good ideas?”

“I always have good ideas.” She snorted at him and then grinned to show her offense was only in jest. She leaned back to him to kiss him quickly and then moved to get up off of the floor.

“I’m thinking a nice thick ribeye. Maybe wagyu.” She could feel the wetness on her thighs in the cool air, and reached up to strip out of the rest of her clothes and then walked toward their bedroom. “Not sure of the sides though.”

“Lyra has to have her thick cut of meat, of course.” He said, watching her go with interest. “Something potato on the side, I think.”

“Roasted?” She asked as she walked away. Her hips moved with a natural, sultry sway and when she glanced over her shoulder at him, those dark eyes beckoned him through her thick black lashes.

Andrei knew that look well, and made no attempt to hide his willingness. Instead, he stood from the floor right away and followed after her.

“Roast it, bake it, mash it, fry it. I’m focused on other things.”

“Yeah you are.” Lyra laughed, seeing the look in his eyes as he followed her. “You’re still overdressed though.”

She entered the bathroom and turned on the shower, then turned and prepared herself for Andrei’s entrance whether it would be aggressive and assertive or if it would be more coy this time. “Smashed and roasted.”

“Your favorite combination.” Andrei said as he entered the bathroom, having abandoned the rest of his uniform before he entered. “But this is more like boiled, isn’t it?”

“Sous vide meat is delicious, really. Brings it to perfect temperature and then you finish it with a nice deep sear.” Lyra smirked and stepped into the shower and under the water.

Andrei followed after her, initiating their pattern by grabbing her cloth and soap, but actually starting to wash her exclusively, starting with her neck, and working down to her breasts. The water was boiling hot, but he loved the pain.

Lyra didn’t even seem pained by the scalding water, she just enjoyed it. She had reached out for his soap and washcloth, but a simple nudge from him signaled her to not, so instead she enjoyed his tender attentions. When he touched her breasts, she licked her lips, but she seemed content for the moment to leave their shower as an intimate, but not necessarily explicitly sexual encounter. After a few moments when he was about done, she grabbed her shampoo and then hesitated.

“Will you wash my hair?”

“I will.” He said decisively, taking the bottle from her and squeezing it into his hand. He started to work it into her hair, twisting his nimble fingers to make sure it was thoroughly done. When it was all soapy, he grabbed it hard and then kissed her passionately.

Lyra returned his kiss without hesitation, though her eyes were closed given her hair was all soapy and she didn’t want it in her eyes, which she suspected he had done on purpose. Her hands found his body with a sure touch; she knew exactly where he was and where her hands needed to land. Andrei had been with many women over the years and had slept with them many, many more times, but there was something different about the way Lyra touched him than the others.

Andrei hummed at her touch, directing her head under the water and helping the hot liquid to do its job. He kissed her again, closing his eyes to the water as well.

She made a soft sound as his fingers worked through her hair. She enjoyed it when he did this - it wasn’t overly often despite them usually sharing a shower at least once a day or every other day. Her lips lingered on his and one hand moved to his spine where she slowly ran the tips of her nails up and down the very defined line there in a way she knew would make him shiver.

Andrei reacted with a bit more than a shiver, and his back jolted slightly. He released her hair, now that it was clean, but stayed within her reach.

Lyra opened her eyes slowly, her dark gaze meeting his with a smoldering, possessive intensity. She looked like she wanted to kiss him but refrained and instead switched places with him. Instead of starting to wash him immediately, she let the water beat down on his rather filthy body to remove some of the grime while she worked her conditioner into her hair. Lyra was always one to keep her appearance pristine and took pride in her soft, thick, healthy hair. Once she was through, she finally grabbed his soap and the washcloth and began to wash his body down just as he had with her, though her task was peppered with kisses to his body and enticing attention of her tongue over certain areas, eventually focusing on his nipples while she carefully cleaned his manhood with her hands.

He hardened quickly, moaning gently to let her know he appreciated her touch. His hand found her hip, but he let her have her turn. His eyes met hers as she massaged and cleaned him. It wasn’t unusual for them to make love several times in a row, let alone several times a day, so he had suspected there would be more.

Though her attention was intimate, she seemed happy enough to keep it to teasing. She washed him thoroughly, and then knelt down so she could tend directly to his legs as he had with hers. Instead of focusing on his legs though, she looked up at him with her face level with his manhood. Her eyes seemingly searched his while she scrubbed his calves.

Andrei looked down at her, fully interested in what may happen next, but not seeming interested in forcing anything. She would do what she wanted down there, and he was okay with that. The possibility did spark an interest in his eyes as he met hers, however.

His passive interest wasn’t enough for her to engage, so she finished on his legs and stood back up to kiss him a few times instead. She grabbed his shampoo, and then switched places with him under the water so her conditioner could start rinsing out while she washed his hair. She lathered him up quickly, and then her nails worked down to his scalp to massage it while working the soap down. “Maybe a Caesar salad.”

There was something mischievous in her tone as she worked and once she had gotten him soaped up, they switched places again. “I’ll take care of it, Darling.”

That made him wonder as he stepped under the shower and the water rolled the soap away again. His hands found her this time, pulling her to him as he kissed her neck.

“Do you have some devilish plan?”

“Don’t I always have some devilish plan?” She replied and grinned, using her fingers to fluff his hair and help the soap rinse out faster while he kissed her neck.

“I’ll give you that.” He said with a chuckle as he moved up her jawline with his kisses. He gave no resistance to her taking care of him.

It seemed to please Lyra that he was more at ease with her caring for him and even more so that he had begun to reciprocate the gesture. They had never really discussed it simply because Andrei never asked and she rarely freely offered insight into her motivations, but it was something important to her for reasons she kept to herself. Once they were done rinsing off and taking a few more minutes to kiss and tease each other, they finally exited the shower and headed out to their bedroom. As soon as Andrei opened his closet door, Lyra’s hand extended past him and she snatched one of his shirts from the hangar to put on her body. She didn’t do it all the time, but she knew he enjoyed it when she did so. She wrapped her wet hair up in a towel, pulled on a pair of panties, and then walked out into the main living area like that and left him to his own devices in the bedroom.

Andrei lingered as she dressed and left, being slightly more selective than usual about what he should wear for an evening in. He pulled a dark gray shirt with the Imperial Starfleet logo on the center and a simple pair of boxers. As he pulled them on, his mind raced around the upcoming events and the fruits of his victory. Not only would they see the away team again, but they had found the cure that would free them from their Delta Quadrant prison. He was overjoyed, and smiled to himself. After a few more moments to himself, he turned and walked out into the living room.

Lyra had left the bedroom and moved out to the replicator in what was effectively now “their” quarters to get their dinner settled as she had promised. She wore no smile as she tapped the inputs to start things in motion, and allowed the few moments Andrei was absent to let her mind wander. Of course, from a very basic viewpoint, Lyra was thrilled to see their Terran family united once more and more personally, she was happy that Andrei would be soothed by the presence of his family once more; she knew he was in pain and she held true that she would never enjoy his pain. Not only that, but it was an obsession that would have made him act foolishly enough to potentially get them all killed and it was simply too early to die.

The simple fact was, however, that this victory was a loss for her personally. Without his family present, she had been the one Andrei had turned to and relied on. It had strengthened their relationship immensely and their closeness to each other was undeniable. Now, with their return, she was certain her light in his life would be dimmed. It was frustrating, but she knew it was something she would have to accept. As the plates materialized, she grabbed them and walked them to the table where their red wine decanter had been placed already. She saw Andrei walking out of the room and smiled as she turned to grab a large bowl full of salad.

“Pour the wine for us, Darling?”

“With gladness.” He said, though his smile had evaporated naturally. He grabbed the crystal glasses and filled them each one at a time. As he put the cap back on the decanter, he eyed his woman. “It’s important to me that everyone in the fleet knows where the determination for getting the Away Team back came from. I’ll not have our Captain taking credit.”

“She doesn’t seem like the type, Darling.” Lyra said simply and pulled the last plate full of slices of ruby red ribeye from the replicator. She placed them down on the table, and then wandered back toward their bedroom while unwrapping her hair and rubbing it vigorously. “We will make a point of letting them know.”

“She doesn’t have to do anything at this point. Our enemies may give her the credit just to weaken us.” He said, sounding a bit paranoid, but knowing for a fact they had enemies. Orion had been a sign that, at least, he did.

Lyra wandered back out after having hung up the towel and given a quick brush to her still mildly damp hair. She knew Andrei was being cautious - perhaps so much so that it strayed into paranoia - and while it really wasn’t something she wanted to linger on in the moment that should have been for celebration, she remained with him. “We both have enough people under our power that we will most certainly hear if anyone does such a thing and then we will handle it accordingly.”

“Of course, I know that.” He said, eying her as she came back out. “I only wanted to make sure you knew where I stood. Very often, I put no importance on what people think, so I don’t expect my strong conviction to be known in this case.”

Lyra moved to him, sliding her arms around his hips and lifting her dark eyes to him. “I know, Darling, and I only wanted to assure you that I hear you and I’m with you. I wasn’t trying to imply you had forgotten we had resources.”

“Alright, Love.” He said, looking at her. He knew she didn’t mean to imply anything, and though it hadn’t stopped him from becoming a bit annoyed, he found it easily forgotten. “Let’s eat. I’m starved.”

Lyra kissed his jaw and then let him go so she could sit down at the table. His volatility annoyed her deeply, but it was never something she let show. Scooting her chair in, she brushed her hair behind her ears and picked up the salad which was closest to her to put a portion on her empty plate. The salad and steak had been joined by the smashed, roasted potatoes, and there was a small vessel of bearnaise sauce for the succulent looking steak as well.

“Enjoy.”

“Oh, I will.” He said with a smile as he sat down opposite her and started to cut into the meat. He got the sense they just passed over yet another almost imperceptible bump in their communication. More and more, it seemed to happen that he was offended by her strategizing. Perhaps it was because of her intelligence, but he doubted it. In the back of his mind, there was a gnawing insecurity that she really didn’t think him as capable alone as she made out. He felt almost like her project, and the way his life had changed could be a sign of that.

They fell into silence as they ate, and while it was mostly companionable, there was just the slightest thread of tension there that wasn’t usually present. About halfway through the meal, Lyra had paused to take a sip of her wine again. “I wonder how your father is going to react when we show up.”

“Relief or anger are the options I see.” He said, swallowing a forkful of salad. “On one hand we disobeyed his direct and explicit orders and put ourselves in ‘danger’. On the other hand, we saved their lives and restored them to the Fleet’s journey.”

“Mmm…” She agreed through a hum. “Perhaps a bit of both, then. I can’t see him remaining angry, though, even if his orders were defied.”

“And, obviously, it was Annalise who defied his orders. So no skin off our bones anyway, hmm?” He winked at her, his foot finding hers under the table.

There were a few cracks in the logic there, but at this point Lyra didn’t care. In the end, it was between Annalise, Andrei, and Ivan. When she felt his foot on her under the table, she smiled a genuine, small smile. “No, not at all. What do you think they’ve been doing down there anyways?”

“If I were them, I’d be doing everything I could to find an escape.” Andrei said, scratching his chin. “But they aren’t me, so I imagine they’ve largely just given up by now and are trying to make some life for themselves, as dismal as that would be.”

“Have you ever thought about what you might do if you were normal?” Lyra mused, lifting her wine again.

“Normal? How do you mean?” He asked, placing his knife and fork down on the plate and looking up at her curiously. “Like a..commoner?”

“Yes. Or at least… not like we are.” She replied and motioned vaguely to the wall display of blades that was a testament to their delight of violence. “Musician?”

“Oh, Love, I can hardly imagine It.” He said with a furrowed brow. He thought about it silently for a few seconds before answering. “I’d probably settle for a career in finance or something like that. Though there’s something about being a handsome, traveling conductor that has its..appeal.”

Her dark eyes moved over him knowingly the moment he said handsome. Her foot slid up his leg slowly and she smiled. “You have the talent for music just as much as you do for killing, Darling.”

“There’s no time for rehearsal when taking over the galaxy.” He said in a somewhat sad voice. “What about you? What might you do if you were..different?”

“I’m not sure.” She said and then paused, not dodging the question, but simply not ready to stray from his reply yet. She reached across the table and placed a hand on his arm. “We could make time for it if you wanted to, Andrei. I do so love to hear you play.”

“I know you do. It’s one of those things that gets us..distracted.” He said with a smile, reaching and taking the hand she touched him with in his own. “I like to hear you sing.”

Lyra wondered if he actually did enjoy that, or if he really only meant it in the sexual way. She smiled at him, lacing their fingers together. “Maybe I would have been a model. I’m tall enough for it.”

“And beautiful.” He said, looking at her features admiringly. “I could see that. Perhaps we could give it all up and try to be normal when we return home, hmm?”

“We could… or we could bring the Empire to its knees and rebuild it however we want and see our legacy thrive through our sons and generations after them.” She offered up as if it were a simple matter of saying ‘yes, we’ll do that’.

“Not a very hard decision.” He said with a grin. “After all, what is a song to that?”

It was a real question, but one he would never let himself answer. The current Emperor might disagree with him entirely.

Lyra laughed, and it seemed the tension that had briefly settled between them had dissolved during the exchange. Soon they finished their dinner, and had ended up on the couch with each other and the rest of their wine.

“The Legion performed quite well.” She said thoughtfully and cuddled up to his side.

“I was very happy with them. They followed orders to the letter with a religious and exacting forcefulness. They killed without mercy, and they lived to serve.” Andrei said with a smile, his hand moving over her shoulder. “Do you think we can count on the secrecy of the others?”

“No, I certainly wouldn’t.” She said simply and shrugged. “Jules wouldn’t say anything, but Daniel doesn’t like you very much and Sipov is new, so who knows with him.”

“Does Daniel like being alive?” Andrei asked, his voice calm and cool like he’d asked about the man’s favorite color. “Because that should be the only like which concerns him.”

Lyra’s brows lifted just slightly, and she wondered if she heard the slightest hint of jealousy in Andrei’s voice underneath everything. She had been protective of Daniel before and still was. “I imagine he does, yes, though it will be hard to keep our secret for too much longer anyways, Darling.”

“Did Daniel express his distaste for me during the away mission?” Andrei asked, looking at her. He wasn’t jealous, per se, but he was aware of that protection. He knew there were gaps in his knowledge, and he was done with letting people disrespect either of them.

“Not really. He mentioned you being boorish using the Legion, but otherwise he was well behaved.” She said, speaking as if she were talking about training a dog. “But we’ve known for a while he isn’t your biggest fan.”

“I could have his tongue out. He can do his job without the powers of speech.” Andrei said, musing calmly again. “What people feel comfortable saying to my face matters, but what they say about me when I leave matters even more. Sipov and Julius are learning from his example.”

“Julius is definitely not learning from his example. Julius knows better.” She said, confident in her Shadow Squad commander even if the squad was currently on the back burner given all of the recent events. “Sipov well… perhaps you should go introduce yourself to him, Darling? I know you haven’t had much of a chance with everything going on.”

“That…is a good idea.” Andrei responded, and then seemed to drop the subject. He was tempted to ask why Daniel felt comfortable mentioning his negative thoughts about him to Lyra, but he knew her game. She played a bit more available than she was, just like he did.

Lyra finished her wine and then shifted her body to lie down with her head resting on his strong thighs. “Well what shall we do now that we’ve had a good meal?”

“We could catch up on sleep.” He answered flatly, and then smiled, “or we can watch something interesting on the screen. Maybe a scary movie?”

Horror movies tended to be more like comedies for Andrei and Lyra but that didn’t make them any less enjoyable. What would have scared many people just came off as something hilarious to them more often than not, and when it didn’t, it usually became something they wanted to try on some unfortunate soul. Lyra shifted over so she was looking up at him and took a moment to admire his handsome face.

“I do enjoy watching scary things with you.”

“Did you ever see that movie by Zander Kim that came out last year? It was another slasher film where teenagers get killed in the woods. I heard it’s actually pretty frightening.” He smiled at her. “I doubt it is, but it might be worth a look.”

“I didn’t see it, so it sounds good to me.” She smiled and reached up to gently touch his chest; she always liked to touch. “Maybe I’ll make some popcorn later if we want it.”

Andrei requested that the computer play the movie on the large screen across the room. Fortunately, it had been added to their rather large entertainment database before they departed from Terra. They settled in together to enjoy the film, and enjoy they did. What started as the standard described film of a bunch of barely-legals partying in the woods turns on its head as they are hunted down in pretty inventive ways.

Finally, once the movie was over, Lyra stretched and then moved to stand, bringing her long legs and sumptuous behind to eye level for the seated Andrei. “Well that was entertaining. I wouldn’t call it scary by any means, but I thought a few of those deaths were rather novel.”

“Well, what could scare us?” He asked, standing up and stretching at the same time. “I did enjoy the part with the bucket of rats though. The screaming was exquisite.”

“We should try that sometime.” Lyra picked up the bowl she had replicated their popcorn in about halfway through the movie and returned it to the replicator. “I’m sure we could find a rat somewhere on this ship… and if not we could probably find some creature that would accomplish the same thing.”

“I’m imagining Orion wailing with a searing hot bucket of rats over his little twig and berries. Hilarious.” Andrei said, walking up to her and wrapping his arms around her back, he kissed her neck.

Lyra giggled at the thought and slid her arms around his sides loosely. “Well, that would certainly teach him his lesson if he hasn’t learned it already.”

Her hands slid up under his shirt and to his back, touching his bare skin there tenderly. “Now what would you like to do, Darling?”

“I think I’d like to do..” he started, his eyes finding hers. He kissed her slowly, his strong hands grasping her waist again and holding her tightly. “You.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.” She grinned.

He picked her up then, supporting her by her bottom and kissing her again, and the two of them moved as one into the bedroom.

END