In Depth Negotiations: Time of Shadows

Amadeus Trask stood before the wide panoramic window on the bridge of his flagship, the Chosen of Fortune' admiring the calm ocean of stars from his lofty vantage point as he waited for the Eldar trade delegation to arrive. During the former rounds of negociations, he had tried using every sly technique he had picked up over the years to sway his recent allies to his way of thinking. However, to his disappointment, the Eldar would not allow him upon the Craftworld, forcing all parties involved to conduct every transaction through an intermediary vessel. As they'd made perfectly clear to him, the soil of Alaitoc was off-limits to any that didn't tread the Paths. This had surprised the Rogue Trader, for it implied the Eldar of Alaitoc would even refuse some of their own kin the right to enter their home, and he'd filed the tidbit of knowledge away in his mind.

In the two months since his first encounter with Kayleth, Alaitoc's intimidating yet beautiful Autarch, Trask had made every effort to establish better relations with the traders from her Craftworld. It had been a much more difficult task than he had expected; in comparaison to the isolationists of Alaitoc, the Eldar Exodites he had established contact with prior to meeting the Alaitocites, as difficult as earning their trust had been, had accepted Trask with open arms.The traders  who served to represent the Craftworld were much more difficult to deal with in nearly every aspect imaginable. Every word they spoke seemed to drip with contempt for both him and his entire species, with most having the audacity to act as if Trask, a Rogue Trader in comand of his own flagship and a small army of men, should be honored just to have the opportunity to interact with them.

Despite the many troubles he encountered when dealing with the xenos, over the past two and a half months Trask had actually managed to improve his relations with the Eldar, though it was not entirely his own doing. Autarch Kayleth had insisted she be present during each meeting between their races, and much to the surprise of Amadeus, her careful words and sharp logic had done much in the way of convincing her kin that Trask was not a threat, but rather a blessing to their isolated people and that their continued alliance would be mutually beneficial. While a few of them did not seem wholly convinced and clearly would have preferred to keep to their isolationism, the word of an Autarch held enough weight even amongst 'civilians' for them to accept working with a mere mon-keigh, even if only reluctantly.

Even though most of the Eldar he had dealt with remained impassive at best, not all of the traders he had encountered had been immediately hostile to him.The most notable of these exceptions was a pretty young vendor who went by the name of Me'risu, and she had immediately impressed Trask with both her extensive knowledge about his own people and her own sincerity towards him. Unlike the rest of her kin, she was constantly brimming with both curiosity and interest toward humans that Amadeus' arrival had aroused in her. She was pleasant to talk to, and Amadeus loved her company; her enthusiasm and energetic attitude was a welcome departure from the haughty arrogance of the majority of the other Eldar traders he encountered. Her hair was a deep red in color, shining with ruby brilliance when she tossed her head back with delighted laughter, which was often when Amadeus found himself in her presence. Though she seemed embarrassed by her outbursts around him, Trask found that she seemed to enjoy his company, and the feeling was mutual. Even the sound of her laughter was enough to brighten his dull monotonous days. He always looked forward to meeting with Me'risu and did his best to prolong their sporadic encounters to help relieve himself of the constant frustration he experienced when dealing with other Eldar.

A beeping sensor and dimming flicker of a holofield heralded the emergence of an Eldar delegation trade ship. While not as large as Trask's own flagship, he was awed as always by its appearance, as it was no less grand in decoration and held an almost otherworldly measure of grace.

From the outside, it looked like one of the "flying fish" said to inhabit the seas of ancient Terra. The voidship's hull was elongated and streamlined and unlike human ships, it was propelled by three elegant solar sails. Two were attached to the sides, while the third was upright at the stern of the ship, reinforcing the image of 'swimming' through the void. Each sail was made of a thin transluscent membrane, like the wings of a bat, stretched between branchlike spurs of wraithbone. Together, the sails absorbed the light of nearby stars converting the solar radiation into energy for the vehicle. Along the bow, Trask could clearly make out the rune of Craftworld Alaitoc - a white sword cutting through a waning moon.

After the ship had docked, Trask stepped on board with his chief bodyguard James, crossing the threshold that was currently guarded by two stern and inscrutable Eldar Guardians who stood present keeping watch as they had done every encounter before. Trask idly wondered if perhaps one of the pair were to move his feet whether or not he would find shallow indentations in the smooth floor. In all his time negotiating with the Eldar, he had yet to witness the pair of Guardians to shift position or move from their designated spots. The amusing thought vanished as he found Kayleth waiting for him, dressed in her usual blue armor decorated with red gem stones. Her ornate weapons were sheathed, yet still visible, as if she was expecting an ambush at any moment.

"I'm glad to see you again, Autarch," said Trask, slightly bowing his head in respect. Kayleth, as usual utterly business-like in her role as Autarch, merely nodded and motioned for him to follow her. The Rogue Trader and his bodyguard followed her through the corridors of the ship. Trask and James' footsteps echoed loudly in the corridors, while the Autarch's passage was nearly silent as she tread softly upon the smooth floor of wraithbone.

Despite the fact that Amadeus had been on Eldar ships several times before for trade meetings, he still could not get used to the unusual interior that they prefered. There were no corners or rough surfaces, as was usual for the ships of the Imperium - instead, it was a single perfectly clean, curved and molded wall spanning floor to ceiling. Several times Trask had noticed some elements of the wall emitting a strange muted glow that made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

After several minutes of traversing the strange corridors, they finally entered the hall that had been reserved for trade negotiations and meetings. The trio were greeted by a few traders who had been awaiting their arrival. Among their number, Amadeus immediately recognized Me'risu. She was dressed in an elegant yet simple sleeveless dress accentuated with red and gold elements. Two painted strands of turquoise, and two red, graced her fair arms to match the dress. Her sleek scarlet hair framed her narrow face, emphasizing her excited emerald eyes.

Trask took a step closer to her, offering his hand with a warm  and pleasantly surprised greeting to the girl. "Oh, Me'risu, you have no idea how glad I am to see you again! I did not expect to find you here." Turning to the rest of the Eldar, he adressed them in a somewhat less enthusiastic tone: "Of course, this is true for all of you. I am glad to see you too." The other attending Eldar nodded to him silently, and several of them looked as if they would rather be anywhere else but here in his presence, but they held their silence.

Me'risu took his hand, smiling radiantly as she welcomed the Rogue Trader. "I'm glad to see you as well, Amadeus. It is always a pleasure to do business with you; every time I speak to you it feels like new horizons open up to me."

"Likewise, Me'risu." He responded. "Well, let's start!" Trask could not wait.



*******

Sighing, Amadeus stretched his shoulders and neck muscles. The negotiations had lasted nearly three hours, three endless-seeming hours of incessant bickering, repeating himself and restraining his anger. The other traders had let Me'risu do most of the talking, remaining silent or interjecting something in their sing-songy Gothic now and then, but Amadeus had frequented Eldar enough to know they didn't need words to communicate, and he was a fine enough negociator to get that they were subtly mocking him with their quivering gestures. Still, the joke was on them, he thought with elation, carefully hiding his satisfaction. Despite the singular reluctance of the Alaitocites, the Rogue Trader had managed to wheedle quite a few favorable agreements out of the Craftworlders. Although most of the Eldar regarded them as little more than an unfortunate necessity and offered what he was certain was but a fraction of what they'd offer another Eldar for the same services, it didn't worry him too much. "Let them believe they got the better of me", he thought, "it is of little consequence. Anything crafted by the Eldar will fetch a handsome price with the right buyers, and with my contacts within the Imperium, I'll have no difficulty selling anything they give me as long as I do it far away and discreetly enough as to not attract undue attention. Hell, if they keep their word, I might even hold on some choice pieces for myself or as a bribe to keep any nosy Inquisitors off my back."

As negotiations drew to a close and the Eldar started to either discuss amongst themselves how to organize what they'd just agreed to or simply leave, their business concluded, Amadeus struck up a lively conversation with Me'risu. Despite her youth, she was obviously well versed in terms of business and negotiations; Trask had a feeling that she was probably old enough to be his great-grandmother, but out of courtesy he had decided after their first meeting two months ago not to ask her age. To his annoyance, Kayleth suddenly interrupted the pair in the middle of their conversation."Unfortunately, it seems that our time here is coming to an end. We should soon return to Alaitoc."

Trask raised an eyebrow in surprise at her unexpected verbal brutality and opened his mouth to ask a question, but Kayleth cut him off."If you wish to discuss something with me," she said, her tone curt and full of the authority of a military leader who expects compliance without retort, "then I would suggest that we do so privately."

Amadeus nodded and left, trailing after Kayleth to one of the adjoining rooms, giving James a sign to remain in place.

No sooner than the door had closed, Trask immediately broke the silence. "So, what is happening? You're not the kind of person who would break into other people's conversations without good reason. And from what it looked like in there to me, this time you had none."

"Humans... always thinking everything concerns them. But you are at least right in this: my reason is of no concern to you directly." She continued to explain, taking a tone like that used to explain something to a small child. "Today is one of the traditional holidays of our people. This requires us to return to our Craftworld without delay if we wish to be able to participate in the  celebration."

"Really?" Trask pondered aloud skeptically. "If this holiday is so important to you then why would you not end our meeting earlier? Why even hold a meeting today at all, for that matter?" Amadeus paused as a sudden suspicion struck him; however he was not sure how to voice it in such a way as to not insult his hostess. "Does this have something to do with Me'risu? As far as I could determine, she did not do anything wrong. God-Emperor, without her and you, this would have been a completely fruitless undertaking."

Kayleth's eyes widened fractionally, but only for a split second before she hid her involuntary reaction. The mon'keigh was more astute than he seemed, though she was sure that he could not suspect that the younger eldar's interest in him was not exclusively restricted to matters of business. Even to her eye, the young one had almost been successful in hiding her interest for him and the silent figure of his bodyguard behind her more general (and tolerable) eagerness of being able to meet and practice her Path with non-Eldar for the first time. And if the clues had been almost too subtle for her to pick up, she was certain they'd passed over the two unrefined humans' heads entirely. Still, Kayleth quickly steered the conversation into a subject more to her liking. "Not at all. Me'risu has always performed admirably on her Path. In fact, that is why I personally asked for her to join the trade delegation."

"What do you mean?" Amadeus asked.

"The younger among us often grow restless and are prone to following the Path of the Outcast if not properly guided, wandering away without guidance to slake their curiosity. Though curious and thirsty for knowledge, Me'risu was willing to redirect her desires, and she has shown herself to be a fine trader indeed. But enough of this. My duties normally would require me to attend the celebrations, but now that I think about it, perhaps we could come to a compromise in this situation."

Amadeus nodded, indicating that he was ready to hear what she would say.

"I remember that you have been eager to see our Craftworld. Though I still can not allow you to enter our home, I may be able to show it to you as it appears from the outside. And now that I think of it, I can suggest something else I could do for you as well.." As she spoke, a wicked grin formed on her face. "Do you remember how you asked if I might be interested in further "negotiations" with you? Well, if you are agreeable, I am ready for us to start." Kayleth leaned forward as she spoke, arching her back subtly as if trying to shove her chest in his face. Those thougths about being attracted to him returned to her conscious mind, and between them and the upcoming festival it was a testament to her willpower that she refrained from asking him to mount her on the spot.

Trask hesitated. The offer was very tempting indeed, memories of their tryst flitting through his mind and putting his self-control to the test, but on the other hand, he had already ventured into a more dangerous and uncharted territory than he was accustomed to.The Inquisition constantly monitored the actions of wayward aristocrats of the Imperium, and that focus extended to Amadeus as well, despite (or some would say because of) him being a Rogue Trader. Even with the substantial protection provided to him by his Warrant of Trade, he shuddered to think what would become of him if it became public knowledge he had taken a xenos warleader as a lover, even if it had been just once. The 'better to understand the xenos' clause perhaps? He shuddered again thinking about the average Inquisitor's reaction to that statement. Possession of xenos artefacts he was sure he could avoid any retribution, but this could very well spell his end, and the fact that his body and mind were screaming at him that a second opportunity to sleep with Kayleth was more than worth that risk didn't help.

"You have presented me with a very generous offer yet again." Amadeus spoke evasively. "But.. Please.. give me a couple of hours, I must return to my ship to consider your offer,"

 A flash of triumph crossed Kayleth's face for a second, disappearing as quickly as it appeared. She was no trader and was far more used to barking commands than subtle wordplays, but she knew she had him. "Very well. I look forward to your reply. I am sure that you will choose wisely." Kayleth pressed against him for a heartbeat before she turned and sauntered gracefully from the room. Trask paused for a moment admiring the play of her muscles beneath her trappings, letting out a pent up breath as he did so before urging his feet into motion and following.


******


Autarch Kayleth stepped into the bridge of her cruiser. It was quite a spacious room with a large encompassing window overlooking the void of space. As she entered, the ship's captain turned to his commander.

"Autarch." he adressed her, his relaxed body language indicating both respect and some bemusement at her unexpected presence, "Is there anything you require?"

She nodded regally, her attitude commandeering. "I wish for you to delay our departure for the time being. I expect the human Rogue Trader will be returning briefly as I have requested. When he is on board we will be able to return to Alaitoc."

"Autarch," the captain exclaimed in surprise, his stiffening attitude indicating extreme distaste at what he'd just heard, "are you suggesting we should miss the festival to bring a *mon'keigh* to Alaitoc?" Such decisions were uncharacteristic for the Autarch, and the captain was not afraid of letting it known, his position high enough to speak up without enduring censure.

"This would not be the first time I have missed one of our traditional festivals because of our duties, and it will not be the last." Kayleth answered, a curt gesture of her hand indicating she stood by what she just said before, "And I can assure you that even if he is my guest, the mon'keigh will never set foot on Alaitoc. If he tries to gain access to the Craftworld, I shall kill him myself. Do I make myself clear?" she finished, straigthening, her poise clearly showing she expected to be obeyed.

"Of course, Autarch," said the captain, bowing deeply, his own attitude relaxing once more into respectful acquiescence. Kayleth nodded, leaving the bridge and retreating to her cabin. She had to prepare herself appropriately for her soon-to-be-back guest in the end, not to mention the other preparations she had in mind.


******



"Sir, you are absolutely sure that this is what you want to do?"

"Absolutely."

"With all due respect, sir, I insist I be allowed to accompany you. We can neither afford nor allow you to go alone to the xenos' ship."

"James, you're not in a position to decide what I can and can not do. No Eldar would dare to harm me; they are not stupid enough to throw away much needed potential allies such as ourselves, especially not after brokering what they believe to be avantageous deals."

"I trust that as always you know what you're doing, sir," said the chief bodyguard, the considerable uncertainty detectable in his voice.

"Of course I'm sure!" Amadeus snapped. He did not like it when his subordinates questioned him, even when it was well intended. That, along with his current misgivings about his actions somehow being discovered by the Inquisition, had set his nerves on edge. He would just be going to do some final negotiating, that was all. Though he was fairly sure these 'negotiations' would be slightly different than the others had held for the last two months, to put it lightly.

While he trusted Kayleth more than he probably should, he was not a fool and took some precautions in the ever possible event that the xenos chose to betray him.
He put on his concealed refractor field (hidden within a watch), readied his digi-weapon, and carefully polished off his power sword before returning it to its ornate sheath.
Amadeus decided to wear his ceremonial white coat with the gold buckles and attaching decorations, completing the outfit with a pair of fine white trousers and sleek black shoes. He saved the outfit for special occasions, and he had a feeling that this would  be one of them.

Adjusting several of the medals hanging from his breast pocket, Amadeus again set foot on the Eldar ship. This time, one of the placid guardians stepped forward, startling Trask at the sudden movement. Struggling to keep his face straight, he imagined the spot where the warrior had been standing looked a little lower than the surrounding floor. The Eldar told him Kayleth had been expecting him.

"The Autarch has ordered us to accompany you to her  personal chambers. She is awaiting  your arrival. Follow!"

Amadeus nodded and the guardians proceeded to lead him through several long corridors until finally arriving at the door leading to the cockpit area where they stopped before a side door, the awaiting Autarch just beyond. Twin psychoplastic doors parted at his approach only to slide back in place and locking after his first tentative steps into the room.

Kayleth's cabin was illuminated with soft light, though he could not find the origin of the gentle glow. On one wall was a window from which the vastness of space could be seen, and on the other was something that vaguely resembled what he believed to be a holo-crystal screen. Sitting in the center of the chamber was a small table on which a pair of glasses and a bottle of dark blue, almost purple liquid was set up. Wine, he assumed. Just beside the table stood a plush regal sofa upholstered in soft dark red fabric, several sparkling gems adorning the armrests.

"I see you've chosen wisely. Welcome to my cabin." Amadeus heard the Autarch's voice but had not yet laid eyes on her. He quickly turned his head, towards where he had heard her just a moment before, searching the room for the warrior. When she sauntered out of the open door leading to another room - undoubtedly her bedroom, the man could hardly control himself.

The tall Eldar woman had dressed up for the occasion as well, wearing a bluish dress of silky fabric that emphasized her every curve rather than the armor she usually donned. A white gold necklace carried the brilliant sapphire soulstone she wore upon her breast, her jet-black hair was tied back in a tight ponytail, a few loose strands framing her austere face. Her bright yellow eyes exposed a  gleam he had associated with predatory beasts as they closed in for a kill.

As she walked toward him, her full perky breasts bounced slightly with every step, and Amadeus noticed that the long notches on the sides of the dress seemed to be made for the sole purpose of displaying her finely built legs. If she had dressed with the intention of exciting him, she had been more than successful in the attempt, the Rogue Trader's lower limb swelling with blood as a testament to her skill.

"Bringing your weapons with you again?" She questioned playfully. "I don't know whether I should feel insulted or praise you for your prudence."

Amadeus cleared his throat unsuccessfully before answering. "One can never be too careful. Or do you think that I could be a threat to an experienced warrior such as yourself?" Trask had always fancied himself an expert both in swordsmanship and in witty comebacks, but the Autarch had shattered every illusion about his skill with a blade when they first met, and she did not seem overly amused by his attempt at humor either.

"You could not threaten a grot if you tried." she grinned, exaggerating the expression grossly by Eldar standards to make sure he'd get she meant no insult, "But even still, I would prefer that you put your weapons away for the time being. It ill becomes a peaceful meeting between friends such as ourselves."

"As you wish, Autarch." Amadeus agreed to prop his power sword in the corner nearest him. It was out of reach, yet close enough should an intruder somehow manage to gain entry to the private chamber. After all, he was still a mon'keigh to these people, and to some, old habits were known to die hard. Meanwhile, the Autarch took the time to make herself comfortable and gestured for Amadeus to sit next to her.

"Would you care to try a little wine that came from the planet you established trade with earlier this year? Our Exodite brothers rarely drink such beverages, and even more rarely share them with us. Let us not even mention the idea of them sharing with a mon'keigh such as yourself." As she spoke, Kayleth filled the two glasses with the dark blue liquid by about half.

Amadeus took the closest glass and gently sniffed the alien drink. Its scent was not anything like the Imperial amasec he was used to - it was mild and floral, and had none of the harsh and corrosive textures that were a staple of many Imperial vintages. Amadeus stopped for a second before carefully taking a sip from the glass. One could never tell if it was poisonous just by looking. Noticing this, Kayleth tried to calm him down.

"Don't fuss over it, it is perfectly safe for human consumption." Though he had a feeling she was not being completely truthful, Amadeus decided to the Warp with his misgivings and took a good gulp of the beverage, rolling it around his mouth. If she wanted him dead, he mused, it would have happened far sooner and he doubted an accomplished and proud warrior such as her would have any taste for poisoning an adversary. The drink had a soft, refreshing and pleasant taste: it was sweet with just the right hint of tartness, the fragrant concoction producing the most exquisite feeling of warmth in the man's stomach as he swallowed it. Amadeus took a few more exploratory sips, relishing the taste.

"I must admit that this is a phenomenal harvest." he eventually said, "I would not mind being able to buy several thousand cases of such a sophisticated drink."

"I think we can discuss that at our next trade meeting. But do you yet wonder why it is I decided to invite you here, and even allowed you to lay eyes upon Alaitoc itself?"

"I certainly have been wondering about that. And I would like to know a bit more about this holiday of yours as well. Anyone in my line of business knows that you always have to keep track of new discoveries." Amadeus had not stopped for a moment to reflect upon the effects the wine was having on him as he continued sipping from his glass. A peculiar warmth began to spread throughout his body, slowly worming its way into his extremities, but as of yet Amadeus paid it no heed. Kayleth smiled coyly - the mon'keigh suspected nothing.

"Not unlike the humans, our people have their own specific traditions and holidays, although to explain their exact origins to you would take far more time than we have today. As fate would have it, your meeting coincided with what translated in your tongue would be called 'the Time of Shadows' before our 'Festival of Illuminations'.This festival symbolically celebrates the eternal cycle of life and death. Again, the exact intricacies would be lost on you, having never lived on Alaitoc, but what you'll be interested to know is that during this particular celebration we Eldar can surrender to our passions without fear of falling prey to... to She-Who-Thirsts, but... Only for one single night. One single night of death for the Path before it is resurrected and reaffirmed the next day, one single night of life for our deepest feelings before they are buried once more."

Despite his only fragmentary knowledge of Eldar culture, the implications of what she was telling him were not lost on Amadeus. "That sounds like my kind of celebration."

Kayleth put down her own glass and leaned closer. "I was hoping you would think that, because I certainly have a lot of passion to work off." As she leaned closer to him, her milky sweet breath touching his lips, the warm glaze of lust in her eyes was unmistakable. While its intensity was somewhat threatening to Amadeus, the wine did wonders to help calm his nerves, allowing him to concentrate his focus on delighting the Autarch.

Without taking his eyes off her, Amadeus put his glass on the table and pressed his lips against the Eldar's. She immediately deepened the kiss, all but shoving her tongue in his mouth from the intensity of her excitement. Amadeus reached out to hug her, but Kayleth caught his arm, pulling at his hand and placing it upon her tender right breast. Trask began lightly squeezing and massaging the fleshy mound through her dress, eliciting a soft moan of relief from Kayleth.

Their kiss became more passionate and Kayleth felt lust overtaking her. She wanted this. She desired this. She'd went to lengths politicking to get this particular human in her bedroom at this particular moment. And even the small part of her that berated her for lowering herself to mate with a mon-keigh only added to her excitement. Not wanting to wait any longer, she broke the kiss and breathlessly whispered into the man's ear.

"Come into my bedroom at once." she commanded.

They stood as the amorous Autarch all but bodily dragged Trask to the adjacent room, nearly throwing him onto her luxurious bed with surprising strength. Amadeus felt a fleeting moment of fear as the Eldar pounced on top of him a heartbeat later and locked their lips in a greedy embrace, her soft giving lips pressing into his as they kissed yet again with even deeper passion than just moments before. For all the restraint and reluctance she'd shown during their first meeting, she seemed to have let go of it from the very start and allowed her passion to run wild unbridled, and the intensity of her need was just as frightening as it was arousing to his duller human mind.

As Trask caressed her buttocks, Kayleth felt the familiar bulge pressing on her and broke the kiss for a few moments to ask with a lustful smile: "I thought I asked you to put your sword away - or would that be your other 'sword'  I feel poking me now?" Before Amadeus could even open his mouth to reply, Kayleth nearly destroyed his coat, several of golden buttons flying off one side and bouncing on the floor as she pulled it off his body - her lust and hunger were becoming unbearable. After pushing Amadeus back onto the bed, she pounced on top of him but with greater finesse than he would have expected given the circumstances. In a graceful series of movements almost too fast to see, Kayleth let her sleek black hair down and dropped her flowing dress, leaving only her underwear on, and that too was stripped away a few seconds later.

After some fumbling, Amadeus undid her bra and began to play with her pert breasts. He began by squeezing and massaging, and after a few moments began to eagerly lick her soft pointed nipples. Licking tentatively gave way to sucking, and soon Kayleth pulled Amadeus' head to her breasts, urging him to continue. "Yeeees!" She hissed with pleasure; the human sucked her with such intensity that she wondered if the man actually thought she might start to give milk. Feeling his strong hands kneading her buttocks as he continued to have his way with her breasts soon chased all manner of conscious thought from her head, leaving her only able to moan incoherently with pleasure.

After a few minutes of breathless fondling Trask paused long enough to address Kayleth. "Maybe you would like to take the initiative? My 'sword' could use some polishing, so to speak." said Amadeus and playfully winked to Autarсh.

At any other time, Kayleth would have taken offense at his condescending tone and implied smug superiority, but she was burning far too hot with lust to want to lose time playing mind games. After a mere haughty glance at the trader that was supposed to remind him he was her guest and not her master which was completely lost on his crude and excited mind, the Autarch languidly slipped from his chest and leaned forward to examine the bulge in his pants. As she took him from his underwear, she could hardly keep from moaning with desire as she laid eyes upon the human's impressive length once more. Try as she might, she knew she could never fit the whole of him inside her mouth so she began to suck his head instead, using one hand to stroke the shaft of his cock while she fingered her moistening lower lips with the other. She had little interest in wasting time teasing him and fighting for dominance this time though, and she hoped that by bringing the man greater pleasure he would be more inclined to return the favor. Throwing caution and self-restraint to the wind, she abruptly engulfed the head of his member and took him in as deep as she could, trying her best not to gag as his tip made contact with her throat.

Amadeus could hardly contain himself either. Acting on impulse, he grabbed her head to better control the process, gently guiding her and even restraining her enthusiasm as she choked trying to fit the whole length of his cock in her mouth. With her mental barriers brought down, years of deferred passions had all been unleashed at once for the Eldar, endowing Kayleth with an astonishing amount of libido, and although he could not see it from his vantage point, her inner thighs glistened eagerly with her fluids, her body going into overdrive from the simple touch of her free hand between her legs combined to the excitment from the depraved act she was performing. Said excitement proved contagious, for she had only been servicing the human beneath her for a handful of minutes at the most when she felt the head of his penis throbbing against her tongue, and soon her mouth was flooded with his seed as he utterly lost control under her fierce assault. She noted to herself with some surprise that the aphrodisiac wine made him taste a little sweeter than she had remembered as she swallowed. Greedily, she squeezed him by the scrotum with just enough force to make him yelp slightly, and was rewarded for it by another jet of sperm spurting from his engorged member. Despite her best efforts to swallow all of it, some of his seed dribbled out of her mouth and onto her chest.

 "Now that you're finished," she spoke as she rose, her voice husky and the fire in her eyes burning with passion, "I expect you to please me, in turn." Not granting him the slightest time to recover, she wasted no time after his climax and quickly jumped back on the bed, planting her pussy on his face and pushing her wet crotch across his mouth as she rode him, her hips writhing sensuously in anticipation. Feeling that she was not far from it, she urgently wanted to reach her own climax.

Still to dazed to even think about protesting, Amadeus tilted his head obediently, gently licking her lower lips, then slowly easing half of his tongue inside her, enjoying the warmth he felt emanating from her core. His nose was close to her clitoris and his excited breath gently caressed it while he enjoyed inhaling the soft fragrance of her womanhood. The scent and taste of her juices, cloyingly sweet with a hint of saltiness in them, was even more intoxicating than the wine he'd drunk just before and he eagerly continued gently licking her from the inside, Kayleth trembling with pleasure from her glorious perch atop his face. Her excitement grew rapidly, and her breathing became ragged and strained as he continued. Amadeus gently wrapped his arms around her slim waist, pulling her towards him possessively, allowing his tongue to penetrate deeper into her folds. Gently massaging her soft vulnerable clit with two fingers, Trask pressed his lips to her crotch, pressing his tongue in as deeply as he could and began licking her constricting walls with renewed vigor.

It was enough to push Kayleth over the edge. She shouted hoarsely, her inner walls convulsing around Amadeus' tongue as she came, her divine body shaking as her strong legs clamped together reflexively. Kayleth's body slowly relaxed, and she collapsed onto the bed, her breasts heaving as she tried to catch her breath. Releasing his head from the Eldar's thighs, Amadeus paused before planting a kiss between her legs. This was the first in a chain of kisses, which stretched from Kayleth's smooth pelvis and across her muscular body up to her lips, taking possession of her whole body in a oh so tender way. In normal circumstances, she would have been aggrieved by such acts, their decadence and implied humiliation irreconcilable with her status as Autarch; and not even a lofty Farseer, should she have agreed to mate with him, would have dared behave like Amadeus did unwittingly. But that night, unfettered by the morality and haughtiness of her station, she was free to indulge and express her ecstasy as much as she desired, and the fact she was doing so with a human once more only added to the experience.

As their lips met once more, Kayleth felt something pushing against her. Once again, the Rogue Trader was completely hard, clearly excited by what he'd just done to her and eager for a lot more. A delighted smile tugged at her arrogant lips. "I almost forgot to mention that the wine we drank carries with it an invigorating effect. I had not fully expected it to be quite so powerful on a human, but it will certainly make for a night neither of us will soon forget." As she recovered from the throes of her first orgasm, the desire for more quickly asserted itself, but she restrained it, allowing it to grow within her for the moment. "Kneel and hold still." she ordered, a mischievous smile on her lips, "Place your cock between my breasts. I want to try something new. Something *human*!" she whispered, uttering the last word as if it was a crass, foul thing. As she spoke, she tucked a couple of fingers in her mouth and smeared his shaft with her saliva.

Not rising to her verbal bait, Amadeus wasted no time and did as she asked, and as Kayleth pressed her chest around he immediately began to gently slip back and forth between her perfectly formed breasts. Kayleth slightly bowed her head, and the tip of his shaft began to pass between her lips with each forward thrust. Amadeus felt his excitement peaking again; after the erotic spectacle of her climaxing on top of him, the alternation of friction between the Eldar's firm breasts and the gentle warm caresses of her lips and tongue were doing an impressive job despite her unfamiliarity with the act, and he knew he wouldn't last long. He increased his pace and a wet slurp could be heard every time his cock left her mouth. When she felt Trask begin throbbing in her mouth, Kayleth quickly took the base of his cock with her hand, gripping it with surprising strength. After a few moments of frantic fondling, Amadeus again came in her mouth. This time Kayleth was sure to eagerly lick up and swallow every drop of semen from the tip of his penis as it left her mouth.

"I can't begin to tell you how badly I have wanted this. Take me, now!" Kayleth moaned anxiously a few minutes later once the human had recovered enough. She had already gotten comfortable on the bed, and she rubbed her clit gently in anticpation for what was to come. Trask did not need further prompting and he wasted no time positioning himself so that the head of his shaft pointed in between her reddened labia. The fires of passion burned undiminished in her eyes as she wrapped her toned legs behind him expectantly, clearly urging him to go on. Leaning toward her, he kissed her passionately as he tenderly entered her aching folds. Kayleth moaned with pleasure against his mouth as she felt herself expanding around his penis and Amadeus began to slowly and methodically delve further into her depths with each thrust;  despite all the foreplay from earlier, Kayleth was just as tight as he remembered her  being when they had first slept together. In fact, he could swear she actually felt even tighter than before, if it was possible. Once he got going, Amadeus turned his attention once more to her considerable breasts as he again began to play with her sensitive nipples, licking them with his tongue, eliciting a cry of delight from the Autarch which only grew louder as the pace of his thrusts increased. In turn, the Rogue Trader redoubled his efforts to please her.

Without warning, he put his arms around her and sat down, all without breaking their union. She cried out in surprise, but another round of kisses soon silenced her. A handful of seconds later, they began kissing in earnest, with Trask holding her in his arms, Kayleth's powerful limbs tightly wrapped against his torso. In any other situation she would have been disgusted with herself - beyond the mortifying position of being held and used like some kind of toy in his lap, she was willingly mating with a mon-keigh and had no benefits to show for it. And yet here she was, enjoying every moment of it and begging for him to go faster and faster, to hold her tighter and never let go.

Suddenly, the trader pulled the Autarch down on his shaft, entering her almost to the hilt and lightly brushing her cervix. Kayleth shouted in his mouth - it was a bit painful, but she was feeling enough pleasure to see the pain far eclipsed by it and only add to it. Amadeus quickly restored the old pace and broke the kiss, letting Kayleth's screams and moans fill the room. Meanwhile, Trask reached for the most sensitive spot on her body that he could reach: her ears. First he gently kissed the tip of her left ear, but soon the man licked the tip and then began to suck her ear with lust; Kayleth began to shout and moan without stopping, unable to contain the joy that filled her. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Isha, it's amazing!" They embraced so tightly that she could feel their hearts beating as if they were trying to break through their chests and merge together.

Amadeus made one final thrust, and Kayleth shrieked at the top of her lungs as she came. Her orgasm was intense enough to leave her convulsing with pleasure, unable to form a single coherent thought as she felt the familiar warm wetness infiltrate her core as if it would fill her womb. This did not necessarily mean that she was finished with him; on the contrary, she pushed him back onto the bed and straddled him again, she gladly noted to herself that he still had enough stamina for another round.

"We're not done yet." she grinned at him somewhat predatorily, "After all, we still have the rest of the night." Kayleth quickly took his warm member, still covered with their mixed sexual fluids, and put it back between her legs. She closed her eyes and slowly sat down on his shaft, again feeling her inner walls extend around its length. Amadeus pulled her to him and again began to caress her ear, but she pushed his hand away before he had a chance to take his time with them.

"Not this time!" she purred, "I'm sure you don't want to finish too early. If you need to keep your hands busy, you can use these." Kayleth moved his hands back to her breasts as she spoke, and she took the lead moving atop of him although she quickly squealed a little as he skillfully squeezed the soft flesh of her breasts.

As familiar as her body had become to him, Kayleth's beauty never ceased to amaze Trask; her libido on the other hand was far stronger than anything he had imagined from her, though - especially after how reluctant she had been to sleep with him the first time. Then the Autarch reached towards Amadeus' brown hair and pulled his head against her chest. Without hesitation, he began to lick her nipples, squeezing them gently with his lips as he savored her taste. Meanwhile, Kayleth slowly began to move up and down along his shaft, trying not to make her mon-keigh companion climax too quickly this time.The bed sheets were soaked with their mixed sexual fluids, and internally she was grateful that the room was soundproofed for otherwise the whole ship would probably have heard what they'd been doing.

Amadeus began to move his hips, and, in response to this new stimulation the room began to fill with the sound of flesh slapping against flesh each time their bodies collided.
Soon he grabbed Kayleth's firm buttocks and began to increase the pace, much to the Autarch's delight. Any claim of restraint on her part soon ceased, and in no time she began bouncing up and down on his shaft so hard, he could swear his pelvis might have been bruised. Just when he felt the stimulation becoming too much for him to bear, he heard the Autarch cry out as she arched her back in ecstasy atop of him, and again the trader shot his load in her welcoming folds, spurred on by her climaxing atop of him.

After another orgasm Kayleth slowly relaxed and laid down on Amadeus, enjoying the feel of his semen inside her as she caught her breath. After Amadeus embraced her and they kissed again, Kayleth noticed that the  trader's member was still buried inside her, and once more slowly starting to rise. Breaking off the kiss Kayleth said: "Your 'sword' is surprisingly resistant. But we're not close to finishing yet."

After these words Kayleth pulled Trask onto his side and wrapped a hand around his neck, all without breaking their union. "I must admit I am beginning to tire out, though. Perhaps we could slow down a little and enjoy ourselves while we can?" Amadeus said nothing, but nodded in agreement, his own body feeling heavy from the multiple bouts they'd enjoyed already. His thrusts were slower than before, but each one felt deeper than before on account of their position. The initial frenzy of lust on Kayleth's part had died down, and she was content to let Trask knead her breasts with one hand as he held onto her free hand with the other while he took his time thrusting with a slow, gentle rhythm. The wine's effects had begun to wear off by this point and he was feeling quite exhausted, but Trask was unwilling to let his gracious hostess down and break off before Kayleth was ready to do so herself.

She didn't seem to be too worried about his endurance, though - if anything, she seemed content to simply lie back and enjoy the feeling of fullness between her legs. After what felt like hours embracing like this, she could take no more of it and all but begged for him to climax. "Cum inside of me! I want you to fill me with every single drop of your seed!" Mere seconds later, they came at the same time; as Kayleth's passage clenching and squeezing around the Rogue Trader's shaft with greater intensity than ever before, Amadeus groaned as he released the last of his seed into the Autarch's folds. Drained of energy, they could do no more but kiss and caress each other until they drifted off to sleep, satisfied at last.


*****


Kayleth woke up in Amadeus' arms. Her mind was clouded and foggy, but she remembered the events of the previous night perfectly. She was impressed by Amadeus' stamina, even if it was due in part to the invigorating effects of the wine. She gently ran her hand down his cheek. Although to her kin this thought would be insane,she had begun to realize she really had started to fall in love with the mon-keigh, as uncouth and greedy as he was. Gently disengaging from the loving embrace of the sleeping Rogue Trader, she stood up, put on a soft bathrobe and with a graceful gait went into the shower, trying her best not to wake him.

The soft warm jets of water washed away the remains of their passionate night, but it could not wash away the emotional echoes of the previous night's activities. She knew that if she attempted to suppress her emotions entirely, her mind would grow restless and her place on the Path of Command would be jeopardized. Other Eldar chose to simply repress all memories of the Time of Shadows to keep them out of the clutches of She Who Thirsts, locking them away in one of the recesses of their mind never to be accessed again, but Kayleth had found her own solution.

Stepping out of the shower, the  Autarch strode across the variegated carpets of her bedroom to a small bulge in the wall, which she tapped to reveal a secret compartment. Inside were a few shelves, and on each one stood a few crystals of the size of a thumb, each marked with different symbols. It was her poem collection - a personal secret of hers that only the people closest to her knew about.

Despite the fact that the Path of the Poet had ended centuries ago for her when she'd first felt the call of Khaine in her soul, she did not discard the experience. In this way, she was unlike many other Autarchs from Alaitoc,who concentrated almost exclusively on the Path of Command and only drew upon their experiences from their former Paths of the Warrior.

Taking one of the crystals, she went to the small table in her bedroom and took the feather she used as a writing utensil from it. Sitting on one of the motley carpets, she raised her eyes to the crystal. Drawing upon her memories of her night with Amadeus for a moment, she put the feather on one of the faces of the crystal and began to inscribe runes upon it.

The flow of light passed through the crystal facing, and the rainbow pattern in the center of the crystal began to shift and change as her emotions were encoded within it. The Autarch's hand slid up and down, turning poetic lines in the shimmering multicolored ornament. With each stroke, she felt like the passion being drawn out of her to fill the runes on the crystal, and the bright flame of passion in her soul subsided, leaving only the warm glow of pure love.

Each rune carefully inscribed upon the crystal reflected her emotions and feelings. When she was finished, Kayleth put down the feather and turned the crystal in her hand. The colors began to play in a new way, the runes within them interweaving themselves in new shapes. Eventually, they settled down into a form similar but not entirely identical to their original form, the psychically reactive material reforming and realigning to what it had just been given by the Autarch.

Satisfied with her work, Kayleth went to put it away, but halted in mid-step. This one was special; she didn't feel comfortable simply holding onto it where only she could see it. Instead, she resolved to present it to Trask as a memento of this night.

Closing the shelves with the crystals, Kayleth returned to the bed and woke Amadeus.

The Rogue Trader blinked and rubbed his eyes. Despite the wine, he did not feel a drop of a hangover. "Another reason to reach an agreement on the supply of this wine." he thought. He looked at Kayleth sitting next to him, and admired her beauty again.  Even in a simple bathrobe she looked beautiful, although she once more wore the austere, severe expression of her day-to-day life. Gone was the insatiable vixen from the night before, and he marvelled at the feat of self-control.

Standing up, Amadeus gently kissed her then went into the shower and began to wash up. Once refreshed, he donned his uniform once again, his coat now lacking two buttons as a reminder of Kayleth's lustfulness. He would have to think of a way to explain it to James later, for it was the kind of details his bodyguard would remark immediately and Amadeus would prefer that even he remained convinced he'd done nothing more nefarious than discussing and negotiating. Then he noticed her panties on the bed near the pillows. Looking for a few seconds towards Kayleth who wore her form-fitting suit and once again admiring her body, Amadeus tucked her panties into one of the inner pockets of his coat when he thought she wasn't looking. She noticed the theft on his part, but in her current mood she let it slide. She had more to spare anyhow.

They both finished dressing and went back into the living room. When Amadeus once again retrieved the discarded sword sheath on his belt, the Autarch spoke to him:
"Do you remember how you mentioned that you wished to see the Craftworld for yourself?"
"Have we arrived so soon?"
"In fact, we have been here for some time, and will need to depart once more soon. But you can still enjoy the view. Come here and see for yourself," said Kayleth as she beckoned him over to the viewport. Amadeus stood next to her and was rendered speechless by what he saw.

Alaitoc was truly enormous. It resembled a massive artificial disc-like continent, floating in the wind of stellar energy. On the surface of the craftworld, he could see a lot of brightly glowing bio-domes;  the nearest was close enough for Trask to see see genuine rivers and forests. The outside of the worldship was dotted with glittering towers of different shapes and sizes, and giant shining solar sails many kilometers long caught the light and converted it into energy. To him, Alaitoс looked similar to a giant mirror-plant from Ixius II, absorbing each ray of the dying star Mirianatir.

The sight was so awe-inspiring  that Trask almost forgot how to breathe. Never had he imagined the Craftworld to be so gigantic, believing it was akin to a mobile space station of sorts. When Amadeus composed himself to the point where he could give a coherent response, he said quietly: "By the Emperor ... It is amazing. I've never seen anything like it before."

Seeing the reaction of Amadeus Kayleth smiled and turned towards him. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. And there is one more thing I have for you."

"You are very generous, Kayleth."

The Autarch took the crystal from her pocket and gave it to Amadeus. The trader raised the crystal to his eyes and closely examined the shimmering runes on its faces. While it was very pretty, the script it was written in was impossible for him to decipher. "May I ask what is written here? I must admit that I do not know much about your language." Amadeus would normally be reluctant to admit when he was unable to do something, but around the Autarch he felt like he could be more open than usual.

"You'll have to figure it out for yourself, but I can give you one hint: it bears great importance to the both of us."

Trask looked at her, wondering exactly what she meant by such a cryptic response. Then he gripped the crystal in the palm of his hand and carefully tucked it into the inside pocket of his coat, just in front of his heart. The Rogue Trader took Kayleth hands and leaned toward her looking her straight into her eyes. Whatever it was, he would find a way to decode it in due time.

For a heartbeat,  Kayleth's bright yellow eyes were locked to the light green eyes of Amadeus. Then Trask gently caressed her cheek with his hand, and their lips found each other once more. In this kiss there was no passion or lust - only love that filled their hearts with a soft warmth.

*****

Amadeus spent the next few hours of flight back to the venue in a cabin with Kayleth, enjoying socializing with her. At first he wanted to press the Autarch about what was encoded in the crystal, but he had a feeling she would not be forthcoming with the answer. In the end it didn't matter - he could figure it out himself eventually. Instead, he  spent much of the time quizzing Kayleth about her people - Amadeus had always been interested in Eldar culture, but he had barely found out anything about them from the representative of their race he'd met before her.

Kayleth was willing to indulge him, and shared what she believed would be harmless enough for a human to know. No sense in having him learn something too important from her, after all.

When Kayleth finished recounting an abbreviated version of the myth of Eldanesh and Ulthanesh and linking it to her own life as Autarch, Amadeus asked a question that he had been wondering about for a while: "I do not want to sound rude, but how old are you? It sounded like you have been on the Path of Command since before I was born."

"Seven hundred and fifty-eight. And you?" The Autarch seemed to take the question in stride; Trask had expected her to be far more offended by it.

"Forty-two." Amadeus said, slightly surprised that she would be this interested in him.

"Why are you interested in my age?"

"Truth to be told, I would like to know more about you on a more personal scale. We're more than just  'friends with benefits' now, aren't we? And yet I know next to nothing about you beyond the fact that you're an Autarch."  Trask couldn't keep himself from grinning through this exchange. He moved closer to her, wrapping his arm around her back. "Tell me about yourself, Kayleth. I'm all ears. I think we have just enough time to get to know each other."

"Only if you tell me about yourself in return," Kayleth said smiling slightly. Over the next remaining two hours, they shared with each other the highlights in the stories of their lives, and by the end of their trip they felt like they had learned all that was important to know about one another. Kayleth never thought that she could be so open with this human and share with him her innermost thoughts and feelings; she herself had believed them all to be semi-sentient beasts unworthy of life, but something about this one mon-keigh had managed to soften her heart towards him despite his distastefulness, general coarseness, and lack of self-control in comparaison to an Eldar. Perhaps it was his willingness to listen to her without dismissing her as a xenos, or the affection he lavished upon her; but whatever the reason might be, she could not deny that she had grown fond of him to the point where she contemplated openly admitting her feelings for him if he could not decode her gift himself.

*****

When the Eldar cruiser returned to the meeting place with Trask's ship, the Rogue Trader immediately contacted his people on vox, and then went to the gateway accompanied by Kayleth. However,  they were both surprised to see James and Me'risu waiting for them. At the sight of the Autarch, Me'risu prepared to explain what had happened. "It appears that your bodyguard is ready to follow you, no matter what you ask of him. I found him sneaking on the ship after you came here," the Eldar merchant said with a slight smile.

"I'm just doing my job!" James said calmly.

"Your zeal to fulfill your duties, even against my express order, will be discussed later, James," Amadeus snapped, his tone light but his annoyance clear. Then he turned and bowed slightly to the Autarch. "Thank you for your hospitality, Autarch Kayleth. And I apologize for my bodyguard's actions. I should hope that this does not affect our relationship."

Kayleth drilled the bodyguard with her gaze for a few seconds, and then turned back to him. "Not at all." she answered curtly and dismissively, once more caught up in her role as Autarch, "I would assume he acted on his own initiative. Just make sure to control him next time."  The Rogue Trader nodded and turned around, but before he could walk away, the Autarch beckoned him back for one moment. "And...I look forward to our next meeting, whenever it might be." This last part was whispered, just in case someone might overhear them.

Once Trask and his bodyguard had left and the gateway was closed, Kayleth turned to the vendor. "So am I correct in assuming that this mon-keigh interloper caused no lasting damage?"

"Yes. I... took care of it, Autarch," Me'risu answered, blushing slightly for a moment. Kayleth suspected that the girl wasn't telling the whole truth, but chose not to pursue the matter further in spite of her suspicions. Silently, she pivoted on her heels and moved to the bridge without further comment, and after a while Me'risu went back to her cabin. Even if what happened between them was what she was certain had happened; Kayleth was in no position to lecture the young trader about sexual trysts with mon-keigh, nor was she particularly inclined to do so.

*****

"So, James ...would you be so kind as to explain why you would jeopardize the trade relations that I've been building for so long?" As Amadeus and his bodyguard returned to their ship, he tried his best not to seem overly cross.

"Sir, I was only doing what was written in my contract. Isn't that what you specifically hired me for?"

"And what do you think they would do to us if they found you trying to break into their ship in spite of the fact that I was supposed to come alone, and we were specifically requested to come unarmed? I'm amazed those statuesque fellows that always keep watch didn't kill you on the spot."

"Permission to speak freely, sir?" the bodyguard said after taking a deep breath, his tone one of forced calm.

"Permission granted."

"By the Emperor and all his Saints," James growled, his frustration clearly audible, "You hired me specifically to protect your ass from harm, and yet you rush straight into places no sane man would ever go to as if you had a death wish, all alone on your own to top it all! Why did you ever consider going alone on their ship? Do you actually trust those xenos?"

"I show them as much trust as is necessary to do business with them, James. As I told you yesterday, this *is* merely business. The Eldar are xenos, yes, but even Orks won't kill you if they believe they have something to gain by trading with you. You are no longer in the Kasrkin, man- you don't need to shoot anything that moves on sight. And what of Me'risu? What happened between you two?"

The former Kasrkin hesitated for a moment as he tried to come up with a plausible story for his employer. "She found me when I got lost in the corridors of their ship, recognized me and... well, she kept me out of sight of the other Eldar. There is nothing more to say about it. "

"Very well. But in the future, I would strongly urge you to remember that my orders are absolute. Dismissed."

The bodyguard took another deep breath, nodded, saluted and left the cabin. Amadeus sank wearily into a chair and pulled out the crystal that Kayleth gave him. As he spun it in his hands, his first idea was to call the Sister Dialogous whose services as an interpreter he had acquired recently to decipher the text for him. Then Kayleth's words came back to him: "It carries great importance to both of us." It was something personal and Amadeus himself had to translate it, if only because the Sister would slay him for heresy if the contents made even the slightest reference to last night's events. Instead, he asked the Sister Dialogous to bring him all the materials about the Eldar language she possessed so he could begin trying to translate the runes by himself. He knew that it would be a difficult task, but he was willing to spend the time to unravel the mystery of the Autarch's gift.