The Fractured Empire: A Tale of Downfall

Chapter 2

(Four hours later...)

"Attention all personnel, we are approaching Sylkiir V. Please stand by for further instructions."

"Alright, stop real quick," I panted, falling to a kneeling position on the padded floor of the Sovereign-Breaker's gym.

"Huh, someone must've fixed the intercomms," Boreas mused, sticking a finger in his ear and cringing, "It's not like I'm already deaf..."

"Ugh, thank fuck..." Alexander got out as he flopped onto the floor nearby, "Why is my mother such a she-devil?"

Alannah knelt beside him and ruffled the kid's hair. "Hey, you did this to yourself, kiddo. Learn to not be such a sarcastic prick, and maybe you wouldn't get your ass handed to you during our exercise routines."

"Eh...that'd take effort though," he mumbled.

After we finished eating and spent about two hours hanging out in the mess hall, I brought my crew to the gym to work out. Raphael and Damien joined us thirty minutes into our routine, and they kept up with everyone else as we worked on our cores and subsequently had a few sparring bouts. The intercom announcement interrupted a two-versus-one match between me, Alexander, and Alannah, and I was silently thankful for the brief moment of rest.

Unfortunately, it was only that: a brief moment.

After my wife rose to her feet, she charged at me. Pushing myself back up, I blocked her strikes and got in a few blows of my own. Since Alex was down for the count, it was now me versus the red-headed menace.

Without warning, her hair whipped me across the face. Since she always kept her reddish-orange curls in a messy pony tail while she exercised, the surprise attack had more force to it than I had thought. I was blinded for a few heartbeats, but that's all that was needed.

In a flash, Alannah swept my feet out from under me, and I felt a pressure applied to my chest as she pinned me down with her knee.

Before I could say anything, she planted a kiss on my lips and flashed me a cheeky grin. "That makes us two for two, love."

I huffed. "Indeed it does."

"You okay?" Alannah inquired after she helped me stand up, "Sorry if I hurt you..."

In response, I kissed her back. "I'm more resilient than you think, mijn sintel. I'll live."

"Fair enough," she managed to get out.

Since she always gets me when I least expect it, I pinched Alannah's rear before turning to regard my crew. "Since we're getting close to Sylkiir V, we should probably seek out Jackson."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Boreas began, only to chuckle to himself, "Well, would you look at that? You're not the only one who likes buttplay, Cylus."

"Sh-Shut up!" Ali snapped, her face aflush with embarrassment–.

"Not embarrassment," Vi'karac chimed in, humor saturating his voice, "Try again, Cylus."

Okay fine, arousal. Happy now?

"I wasn't the one who had my posterior pinched. I'd advise you to watch yourself tonight, but if I've learned anything, it's that resistance is futile."

Gee, thanks for pointing out the obvious... 

After I got a hold of myself, I averted my gaze when my wife looked at me with a mixture of irritation and...something else in her expression.