"What do you think, our Supreme?"
He jerked and looked at Leic-en, the head of the science team, who turned to him, waiting for his reaction. But he had no idea what was being discussed.
The meeting dragged on and seemed endless. Rag'ell found himself unable to concentrate on anything, barely listening to the reports of his subordinates.
"Are you well, my lord?" Maw-ghet asked, sitting in the place of honour to his right.
The senior commander of the armed forces, along with other military advisors, technicians and scientists, had gathered in this conference room for a regular briefing to discuss the most pressing matters.
About fifteen of the most important crew members were seated around a large rectangular table, with an activated holographic screen in the centre showing a 3D animation of several new weapons.
"I'm fine," the Supreme dismissed his concerns and took a sip from the glass of water in front of him.
He looked questioningly at the older Aardanian in the white and grey uniform worn by all members of the science section.
"I was showing you some improvements to our weapons," the old man repeated, whose uncharacteristically short hair already beginning to thin noticeably.
"Of course, I agree with your suggestion," the Ardanian ruler nodded, still somewhat absent-minded, his thoughts wandering to other matters. Specifically, to a certain dark-haired rebel who resided in his chambers.
I wonder what he's doing? Maybe he's still asleep, Rag'ell mused, feeling tired himself as they had spent most of the night discovering differences between Ardanian and human amorous activities.
"My lord, are you listening?" Maw-ghet's voice jolted him from his pleasant memories.
He looked irritated at his commander, but before he could answer, Maw-ghet continued, "I was just asking the science team if they had found out how the Earthlings had bypassed the genetic lock on our weapons, and if we could count on it not happening again."
This was a legitimate question, and the Supreme knew it was a serious issue that needed to be addressed.
It was also one of the recommendations that had come from Ardana, their home planet, the morning after the local council had read his laboriously written report.
He had only sent it to them the day before yesterday, having been unable to put it together earlier as his mind was constantly occupied by Gabriel.
The Mieh-ga, or Ardanian Council, was an advisory body that made recommendations to the Supreme and helped with difficult decisions.
Fifty of the most prominent Ardanians gathered in this ancient institution, selected from the wisest and most experienced of all professions. Rag'ell's predecessor, the previous Supreme, was among them as well.
"We have examined the shield and dagger Gabriel Cassel used in his attack."
He froze at the mention of his lover's name and glanced at the very young technician who had taken the word. It was the first time the Supreme had seen the boy here, he seemed nervous, probably at having to talk to all these important functionaries.
"Of course... er... you know that our war technology: weapons, shields and aircraft all have a DNA-sensitive genetic imprint built into them. This lock is to prevent our weapons from being used by anyone other than an Ardanian," the youth explained hurriedly, his voice trembling with uncertainty. "If anyone else tried to activate it, the weapon would... shortcircuit and become unusable."
Rag'ell looked at him thoughtfully, studying the sparkling pale violet eyes and the long white hair braided into many tiny plaits, wondering if he was being attracted to that handsome face, if he felt even a fraction of what he felt around Gabriel.
But there was none, his thoughts belonged only to the dark-haired rebel leader.
"Unfortunately, the Earthlings managed to disable the lock without affecting the weapons' functionality," the now more confident young technician continued, putting the dagger down on the table.
"This is the Qar'a Cassel used. We've examined it carefully and believe we know how the humans bypassed our security. On this dagger," the boy pointed to the weapon lying on the table, "we have restored the genetic lock and added a protective circuit to prevent the lock from being overridden. We need to run some more tests, but we think this will hopefully ensure that...".
"You think or you know?" Maw-ghet interjected. "It is indeed an unpleasant surprise for me and my soldiers to find that the Earthlings are shooting at us with our own weapons."
"As it turns out, humans are not as technically unsophisticated as other races we have encountered," Leic-en, the leader of the science team, said. "We should have expected that they would eventually be able to break into our technology."
"It was your arrogance not to consider that possibility," Maw-ghet snapped.
"We do not deny that we underestimated the situation, but I can guarantee that they will not succeed in doing something similar again," the older scientist responded with confidence.
Rag'ell didn't pay much attention to the quarrel between Maw-ghet and Leic-en, for it was nothing new for them to be at each other's throats. They rarely agreed on anything.
Instead of listening to their mutual accusations, he reached for the dagger on the table. By pressing a small notch on the side of the handle, he activated it.
He stared at the purple glowing laser blade that appeared and unconsciously ran the fingers of his other hand over his neck, where the wound caused by that very dagger was successfully healing. Strange feelings that he couldn't identify filled him, feelings that frightened him.
He deactivated the weapon and clenched it in his hand until the metal dug painfully into his skin.
What was he doing? What was happening to him? How could he have allowed himself to be so under the Gabriel's influence?
"Your incompetence endangered the Supreme himself," Maw-ghet's words reached his ears. "That Earthling almost killed him, did you realise..."
"Enough!" Rag'ell interrupted their argument.
The two Ardanians fell silent, looking apologetically at their leader.
"My lord," Maw-ghet spoke again after a moment of silence, "what do you intend to do with Gabriel Cassel?"
It was an awkward question, one he had hoped would not be asked here.
What do I want to do with Gabriel Cassel? Rag'ell repeated to himself. And what he really wanted to do with Gabriel right now was to throw him on the bed, tear off all his clothes and taste every part of his body.
"I have my plans with him," he replied evasively, in a tone he hoped would discourage the commander from prying further.
"Of course, my lord, I am only concerned. He tried to kill you, you shouldn't be alone with him."
"I am in complete control of the situation," he said coldly, and Maw-ghet finally fell silent.
But that was another lie. He wasn't in control. Quite the opposite. He was lost and didn't know what to do. Gabriel had completely taken away all his reason and logical thinking.
"I'm ending this meeting," he decided abruptly, rising from the table.
"But, sir," Leic-en spoke up in surprise, "we still have to discuss..."
"I'm in no mood to listen to your bickering any longer. We'll meet again tomorrow," he snapped, but his bad mood was only partly due to the endless arguing. He couldn't stand another minute here.
He wanted to see Gabriel, to talk to him, to touch him.
The Supreme ran his icy gaze over everyone at the table, waiting to see if anyone else would contradict him, but no one dared. Not even Maw-ghet.
Silently, they rose from the table and bowed to Rag'ell as their leader left the room in a hurry.
He quickly navigated his way through the twisting corridors of the huge spaceship, ignoring the soldiers and other subordinates he passed bowing to him. All he wanted was for them to get out of his way so he could get to Gabriel as quickly as possible.
But it was only because of his title as absolute ruler that he could decide the rebel's fate without consulting anyone; he could spare Gabriel's life, he could keep him in his chambers, and if anyone thought it strange, they dared not protest against his wishes.
Only Maw-ghet seemed suspicious, his knowing glances and curious questions suggesting that the older commander was not to be fooled and knew full well that something was amiss with their leader. Something potentially very dangerous.
At last he arrived and eagerly unlocked the door and entered his room.
Gabriel was getting dressed, his black hair a little damp, probably from the shower. He finished buttoning his trousers and grabbed a clean shirt, and Rag'ell wanted to tell him to stop, because he would be rid of all those annoying clothes in no time anyway.
As if reading his mind, the Earthling smiled and stopped dressing, shamelessly displaying his toned chest.
"You came back soon," he said happily, and the Supreme wished that the Gabriel's joy of his return was genuine.
"I couldn't stop thinking about you," the Ardanian blurted out before realising he shouldn't have said such a thing.
But he didn't want to play games anymore. He didn't want to pretend that he wasn't completely smitten with this man.
With a few quick steps he made his way over to Gabriel, wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him eagerly against him. And then their lips locked hungrily.
Yes, this was it. This was what he'd been thinking about during all those endless meetings, this was what he'd been thinking about instead of attending to his duties.
Without parting their lips, Gabriel guided him towards the bed and the Ardanian willingly let himself be pushed there. He ended up on his back and the Earthling followed.
"You tricked me," Rag'ell whispered between fierce kisses as their prisoner straddled him, trying to get him out of his uniform coat as quickly as possible.
"What do you mean?"
"You told me that if I gave in to these desires, they would go away. Only it's much... much worse."
"I didn't trick you," Gabriel smiled as the Ardanian tried to wriggle his arms out of the long sleeves of his unbuttoned uniform and the shirt he wore underneath.
"This isn't an exact science, sometimes one night is all it takes," he gasped, kissing Rag'ell impatiently as he ran his fingers over his exposed chest. "And sometimes a hundred isn't enough," he added in a whisper as their lips parted for a brief moment.
The Supreme felt those skilled hands on his body, felt nails digging into his skin and it was just too much. He jerked his arms furiously, trying to free them from the sleeves so that he too could finally touch his lover.
The Qar'a dagger fell onto the mattress.
Rag'ell froze as he and Gabriel looked at the deactivated weapon lying on the bed.
The Ardanian silently cursed himself for his incredible stupidity. He had obviously put the dagger in his pocket automatically without noticing, his mind had been wandering to who knew where all day, and the lack of concentration was now his undoing.
The Earthling, who, unlike Rag'ell, did not have his arms trapped in the sleeves, reached for the dagger and gripped it in his hand.
The Supreme swallowed hard. He watched the other man with bated breath, unable to do anything.
He could only hope that the genetic lock had been restored, as his science team had assured him, and that the human would not be able to activate the weapon.
That hope vanished in the next second as Gabriel pressed a small notch on the side of the handle, the tense silence broken by a faint hiss as the laser blade activated.
The silver-haired Ardanian realised that he probably wouldn't live to see his scientists punished for their blatant incompetence.
"What is this?" Gabriel inspected the dagger in his hand, uncomprehending, then looked at Rag'ell, who lay helplessly on his back before him, his arms still tangled in his sleeves. "Is this some sort of test of yours?" The man asked in astonishment, clearly not believing that his captor had made such an elementary mistake and expecting some sort of deception.
"No, just my immense stupidity," he whispered hoarsely, watching the Earthling's every move.
The silver-haired Ardanian was well aware that his prisoner had already had the opportunity to surprise him and try to attack him. With all they did together in bed, it was impossible to be constantly alert.
But it was one thing to let his guard down, quite another to offer his enemy a dagger and exposed throat.
How could he have made such a huge mistake?
The captive, who was still straddling him, leaned over to the Ardanian, brought the blade to his neck and said coldly, "What do you expect me to do now?"
"Kill me," he urged, resigned. "You waited for my mistake, and it came. Kill me, you won't get a better chance."
They stared at each other. A heartbeat or an eternity. Rag'ell was lost in those wild blue eyes, and it occurred to him that even if it was the last thing he ever saw in his life, he would die happy.
Despite the huge advantage the rebel leader held over him, he could still attempt some sort of defence. But he did nothing. He remained lying down, at the mercy of his opponent.
He had no will, no determination. If Gabriel still hated him, if this was all a cunning ploy to get a favourable opportunity to attack, then the human had just won against him.
If this thing between them meant nothing to Gabriel, if he had lied to him and pretended to return his affection so perfectly just to confuse him and mess with his head, then the rebel leader had achieved exactly what he had planned.
He had outwitted the Supreme and rightfully triumphed over him.
And Rag'ell would now accept his defeat. He would accept death from Gabriel's hands.
After endless seconds of tense silence, the Earthling uttered something in his native tongue, a short phrase that an Ardanian suspected to be some kind of swear words.
Then he threw the dagger furiously away from him. The weapon hit the metal floor with a loud thud, deactivating itself on impact.
Gabriel then leaned forward and kissed Rag'ell passionately.