Title: Love Among the Stars (Part 1) Author: bobel Pairing: Viggo Mortensen/Orlando Bloom Rating: NC 17 (eventually) Disclaimer: Don’t know‘em, never happened Warning: AU, angst, first time, mpreg, violence, non-con(?), character death (not permanent) Feedback: Please, please, pretty please. It’s my first fic, though I’ve read hundreds. I’d love to know what you think. E-mail: bobel32000@yahoo.com Summary: As he is dealing with a terrible loss, Viggo’s ship crash-lands on a distant planet where he encounters a peculiar humanoid race that gives him a strange welcome. He hadn’t expected to find love among the stars. (So corny. I really suck at summaries. But the story is better, promise). Notes: English is not my first language and I don’t have a beta but I did my best and I’m confident there are few mistakes. PART 1 He was dreaming. He had to be. He hadn’t felt that peaceful in a long time. No worries, no responsibility, the love of his live in his arms, whispering softly to him, telling him that he’d never be alone. But then the dream turned into a nightmare, he felt cold and his arms were empty, a mocking laugh in the distance. “No! Don’t leave me! Please…” Viggo was jolted awake by the shrill call of the alarm. He stood up, dazed and slowly became aware of his surroundings. Crew members were running silently by his open door towards their battle stations, seemingly oblivious of their captain. Protocol was not that important in battle. His com link was automatically activated as his second-in- command began briefing him on the situation. “Sean, what happened?” he asked quickly as he began pulling on his tunic. “Some sort of energy blast in the engine room, captain. I don’t have any details right now but there seem to be some minor injuries.” “Are we in trouble?” “I’m afraid so. If we don’t find some place to land soon, our engines will explode and we’re toast.” Sean replied. “Bring up the navigation chart, Sean. I’m on my way to the deck”, Viggo said going through the door. “Understood, captain.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “All right then, what have we got?” Viggo asked, sitting down in his chair on the deck. After a moment of silence, while manipulating the controls on his workstation, Sean answered: “There’s a small M-class planet nearby. An hour away at our current speed. If our engines can take that much.” Viggo stood pensive for a few moments, and then turned towards his second-in-command: “We have to try. We can always get another ship but the lives of my crew are irreplaceable. The High-Council will just have to wait for us until we can repair.” Sean nodded and set the course. “We’re on our way.” The bridge was quiet as everyone prepared for a rough landing. Viggo pondered for a while then called: “Lt. Wood”. “Yes, sir” came the young officer’s eager reply. “I want a detailed report from the engine room concerning injuries and damages”. “Understood, captain”. Viggo sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Let’s just hope our engines hold.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Hold her steady!” Viggo yelled gripping the armrests. “Trying, captain.” Sean answered surprisingly calm as his fingers flew on the keyboard in front of him, trying to balance the huge chunk of metal hurdling through the planet’s atmosphere at a frightening speed. Viggo clutched the armrests harder trying to maintain his composure as befitted a captain. He couldn’t lose it in front of his crew. He was their leader, the one they looked towards for guidance. But they didn’t know the real him. They only saw the captain, strict but fair, a no- nonsense, strictly business man, who had led them through the most danger-filled recesses of the galaxy and beyond, seemingly unafraid of anything they had encountered: vicious alien races, meteor showers, black holes. He had never let them down and they trusted him. None of them would panic under the legendary Captain Mortensen’s command. But there was another man under that front: insecure and troubled. No one remembered him indulging in any recreation. He never joined their parties or shared their jokes and spent his off hours threading through reports or locked in his quarters. They knew he had been married and had a son back on Earth. But other than that no one knew anything of his personal life. Well, almost no one. Sean was his only link to his old life, the one he had left behind to search for answers among the stars. Many wondered about his cold demeanor and his reclusive nature. He was strikingly handsome, with sandy hair, piercing blue eyes that seemed to see everything, broad shoulders and well defined muscles. But this beauty was rendered inaccessible by the lips that never smiled. He had quite a poker face, not that he ever played. Sean, on the other hand, was a blonde, green-eyed man with a flamboyant personality. He loved life, reveled in parties where he drank too much but was always faithfully back at his station in the morning, an ever watchful sentinel whose senses where heightened by the ships sensors. Sean was the only one Captain Mortensen allowed beyond his walls, the only one who knew him and was never fooled or intimidated by Viggo’s rough manner. As it was, some of the crew wondered, though not out loud, if there was more between the captain and his right hand than met the eye. (<>). Many of the crew had family back on Earth and some had their loved ones on board, more than one romance having blossomed during their journeys. Viggo tensed knowing that all these lives were in his hands and he often wished he hadn’t relinquished his position as officer to become a captain of his own ship, the S.S. Evenstar. The surface seemed to be getting closer and closer as if they were the ones standing still while the planet itself was plummeting towards them. Viggo briefly wondered if his beloved had seen a similar sight through the main monitor before his ship had smashed against the surface. It seemed like lifetimes ago. >>Flashback<< He vividly remembered that dreadful day. Viggo had just been made captain and anxiously awaited his lover to return from a mission before they could celebrate. “He’ll be here soon” he thought. Viggo looked around at the quarters they shared, taking in all the things they had chosen together for their home, the paintings, the sculptures, the modern furniture. He stopped to look fondly at the beautifully carved four-poster bed. An antique, one that Orlando had had to have, one he had pleaded for until Viggo had no choice but to buy though it had drained his account. He smiled. That bed had seen and heard a lot. Viggo sat on a couch watching the sun go down through the huge window. He started to remember their last moments together before Orlando had left on his first command mission. …….. It had been intense, sweaty and loud. Very loud. Afterwards, they lay spent on the crumpled sheets. Orlando had his head on Viggo’s chest as Viggo caressed his curls. “I love you, you know”, Orlando suddenly said. “I know”, came the quiet reply. “Do you love me?” Orlando’s voice was unsteady. Viggo tightened his grip on the younger man’s shoulder and said fiercely as he turned Orlando’s head to look into his eyes: “More than anything in this universe, angel. You are my soul.” Orlando shed a single hot tear and said: “I’m scared.” Viggo frowned. “What are you scared of, angel?” “Of losing you… of not coming back”. More tears began to stream down his face. Viggo lifted them both to sit in the middle of the bed. “Of course you’ll come back to me. What are you saying? I know this is hard, being apart. You’re the youngest captain in the history of the fleet and this is a big responsibility but you can do it. Promise me you’ll be strong. Promise me you’ll make me proud. Promise me you’ll come back to me”. Viggo said the last words in a shaky voice and for a moment he looked a lot younger and very vulnerable. “I promise” Orlando managed to say before he was drawn in a heated kiss. “Besides”, he continued, drawing away, “you’ll still have Sean while I’m gone” Orlando said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “Sean?!” Viggo snorted. “Sean’s not my type”. “And what is your type?” Orlando innocently asked, enjoying their banter. “You are” Viggo answered seriously now, lowering his lover to the bed, “always you” and punctuated his statement with another mind blowing kiss, driving all coherent thought away from Orlando. ……….. The monitor suddenly lit up to show a grim face that Viggo wasn’t familiar with. “Commander Mortensen?” the man asked. “Captain, actually”. The man nodded “Congratulations on your promotion, sir”. “Thank you. How may I help you?” “My name is Bernard Hill, I’m an assistant secretary in the High- Council. I’m afraid I have some bad news.” A tense silence followed as both men seemed to study each other. Then a dreadful feeling began creeping in Viggo’s heart. His voice shook as he asked: “Something’s happened to Orlando? Tell me!” The man sighed: “Captain Bloom’s ship suffered a core meltdown. They crashed on Mallox III. There were no survivors. I’m sorry, sir.” For a moment Viggo couldn’t move. Just a moment. Then he fell to his knees. “He’s…gone?” he croaked. “I’m afraid so. You can contact the command center for more details. I am truly sorry.” The monitor was dark now. Outside the sun was setting, dipping the room in a painful orange glow. Slowly, as the sun went down, the light crept along the walls to finally bathe the lone figure kneeled in the middle of the room, immobile, hands clutching the carpet and tears streaming down his face. He didn’t know how long he had been there, he couldn’t feel the hot tears or hear the doorbell ringing furiously while Sean yelled at him to open the door. Finally, the sun had set and the room became pitch dark, as dark and as empty as his own heart. He screamed as hard as he could and then the darkness took him. He could only remember bits and pieces from those days. Sean had taken care of everything. He barely remembered attending a ceremony at command center, concerned people all around him but he couldn’t hear their voices. He drifted in and out of awareness, Sean always at his side, soothing his angry sobs and whispering to him. Two phrases twirled in his mind, they had become his mantra: “I love you”, “I promise”. It had taken almost a month to regain some semblance of normality and then he had plunged himself in his work. Nothing was too difficult, no mission too dangerous and Sean was beside himself with worry. It took a while but Viggo managed to find out all the details of Orlando’s first and last mission. They were escorting a large shipment of ore when they had received a distress call. Orlando had left the transport in the care of their sister ship and had hurried to the rescue. A passenger transport had been attacked by enemy ships on a supposedly safe route. They didn’t stand a chance and the captain had immediately sent out a distress signal. They were incredibly relieved to see a frigate come to their aid and engage the enemy. The battle had been fierce but the enemy ship had been blown to bits. As the passenger transport was making a mad dash for the nearest spaceport two more enemy cruisers uncloaked and attacked. As the transport escaped, Orlando stayed behind to hold back the enemy and managed to seriously damage one of the ships but not before their lasers penetrated the weakened shields. Feeling their end was near, Orlando ordered a last suicide attack and crippled the second enemy ship. By that time, the ship’s energy core had begun to overheat and the weakened engines were unable to resist the gravitational pull of the nearby planet, Mallox III. They watched helplessly as they tumbled through the atmosphere and disappeared in a huge explosion. When word reached central command, they were heroes. Dead heroes, Viggo thought wryly. After patient research, Viggo managed to locate the last transmission Orlando’s ship had made. It contained a sketchy description of the events, made by the communications officer and ended with a coded recording of the log. The experts hadn’t been able to crack it but Viggo instantly recognized the code with a shiver. He and Orlando had put it together to be able to exchange personal messages when they were separated, protected from prying eyes. Tears he didn’t know he still had began streaming down his face as he and Sean watched the recording, Orlando’s last words. It had been taken on deck. Orlando did not need to hide from his crew. They were all doomed anyway. He sat in his command chair, seemingly calm, while everything around him shook and burned. His hands were shaking slightly and there was a cut on his left cheek, but he was even more beautiful than Viggo ever remembered seeing him. “I’m sorry, my love” Orlando said softly. “I have failed you. In a few minutes we’ll be dead. I broke my promise.” He paused to look at something on his right and said a few kind words to a crew member that the camera couldn’t catch. Orlando smiled sadly. “They trusted me and I failed them. I have led them to their deaths. But they all stood behind me to the end.” Orlando’s voice quivered for a moment, then he continued “I love you, Viggo. Remember me but go on with your life. I’ll be watching over you and this is a promise I shall not break”. Orlando pressed a hand to his lips and then touched the screen. “Be well, my love”. The screen filled with static as the transmission was interrupted. Viggo’s hand lingered on the monitor where Orlando’s had been the moment before. Sean held him tight as sobs wracked his body. >>End flashback<< Now was not the time to dwell on his pain. That had happened years ago. He had survived and had taken command of this ship and started the missions. The ghosts were still there, lurking in the back of his mind, sending bittersweet memories, the feeling of his lover’s skin, hot and sweaty against him, his taste, his scent. Now, however, he had his crew to worry about. “Brace yourselves” he yelled. “Ten seconds to impact” Sean announced calmly. “Ten, nine, eight…” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Slowly, the deck’s emergency lighting came on and the computer screens started blinking unsteadily. Viggo got up slowly from the floor. He didn’t seem to have broken anything but he had a splitting headache. He looked around and asked: “Is everyone all right?” He noted the nods of his command crew and turned towards Sean who was clutching his left wrist with a look of pain on his face, “That could have gone worse” Viggo said. “This has got to be the biggest understatement I have ever heard” Sean finally exploded. He grinned at Viggo, then sobered up and turned towards his computer to receive status reports from all over the ship. “No casualties, minor injuries, some hull damage” he remained quiet for a moment and then said “The engines are fried and external communications are down. We’re on our own”. Viggo pondered for a moment. “I want you to lead a team outside to assess the damages and take a look at our surroundings. I’ll be in my quarters.” TBC…. Title: Love among the stars(Part 2) Author: bobel Pairing: Viggo Mortensen/Orlando Bloom Rating: NC 17 (eventually) Disclaimer: Don’t know‘em, never happened Warning: AU, angst, first time, mpreg, violence, non-con(?), character death (not permanent) Feedback: Please, please, pretty please. It’s my first fic, though I’ve read hundreds. I’d love to know what you think. E-mail: bobel32000@yahoo.com Summary: As he is dealing with a terrible loss, Viggo’s ship crash-lands on a distant planet where he encounters a peculiar humanoid race that gives him a strange welcome. He hadn’t expected to find love among the stars. (So corny. I really suck at summaries. But the story is better, promise). Notes: English is not my first language and I don’t have a beta but I did my best and I’m confident there are few mistakes. PART 2 Viggo lied down tiredly on his bed. He felt like he hadn’t slept in ages. He had slept, but rarely rested. The nightmares drained him and when he was awake he had to keep busy so the memories wouldn’t overwhelm him. He felt a twinge of pain in his heart and stretched his hand to a well-worn button under his monitor. Orlando’s image flooded the screen. It was a recording Viggo had made on their first anniversary together. Orli was giggling like a child, unwrapping his present. It was a gold locket, shaped like a sun which opened to reveal a holographic projection of the two of them embraced. Orli had taken it with him on his mission, to comfort him and remind him of home and Viggo. It was as dead now as he was. The recording ended with Viggo setting down the camera on a table and embracing his lover and pulling him down on the carpet, beyond the range of the camera. The screen was blank but Viggo remembered painfully well what had happened afterwards, how Orli had felt in his arms. >>Flashback<< Viggo POV He looks so peaceful asleep in my arms. I can’t believe he’s mine. This beautiful, amazing creature is mine. Not tamed, no, I wouldn’t want him lose that which makes him so unique. He’s here because he wants to be, but he’ll always be wild. Even in his sleep he cannot stay still. His body trembles slightly and the rapid movements under his eyelids show me he is dreaming. Is he dreaming of me? I know my dreams are filled with his presence. They are not always pleasant dreams. Sometimes I feel him slipping away and I wake up drenched in sweat but the warm body next to me keeps me in touch with reality. That’s why I always sleep so badly when he’s not here. I need to touch him, to make sure he’s still with me, still mine, as I am forever his. I take a moment to study him. He has such a soft skin, softer than any woman’s, softer than a baby’s. I run my hand up his back and caress his scar. I shudder. It must have hurt terribly. He never told me how he got it and pales every time I ask him, so I don’t ask anymore. My hand continues its exploration. I reach the back of his neck. He’s sleeping on his belly as always, head to the side, one arm draped across my chest as if he needs contact even when he’s unconscious. My hand sinks in his chestnut curls, silky and soft. He’s probably got the longest hair in the fleet, which is totally against regulations but who can resist that brilliant smile and the chocolate eyes and tell him to behave. I, for one, cannot. My fingers ghost across his cheek and settle for a brief second on his lips. They are swollen from my kisses and, well, other pleasurable activities. The thought sends a bolt of lust straight to my groin. I can’t believe I still have it in me after such an exhausting night. My hand journeys down now and stops on the delicious roundness of his backside, which I then avidly caress. He stirs almost imperceptibly and sighs. I smile…so sensitive…and always so eager. I can’t resist. I kiss him. He responds without waking. He tastes so sweet and I relax and lie back down, holding him closer and nuzzling his curls. All mine. >>End flashback<< He only had the memories. At first he had been terrified that in time he would forget the feeling of holding Orli close, his scent, his voice, whether a musical laugh or a low, throaty purr. But the memories were as vivid as if recorded, etched in stone. And he had begun to wish he would forget. The com link roused Viggo from his reverie and he struggled to focus on the situation at hand. “Commander Bean is back, sir” a young voice informed him. Viggo sat up and headed for the doorway. “Thank you, lt. Wood. I’m on my way” The short elevator ride to the bridge allowed him to compose himself and display a calm countenance. Viggo left the elevator and headed towards the group of officers and crew members on the other side of the deck. “Report” he said, coldly. Sean nodded towards ensign Monaghan who took a step forward and began: “Well, captain, we seem to have been very lucky. We landed on a small patch of sand that cushioned our rather rapid descent. We are on the greater continent of the northern hemisphere, in a temperate climate. It seems to be the beginning of summer. The temperature…” “Leave the weather forecast. What about our surroundings?” Viggo asked patiently. The young science officer could sometimes become too engrossed in his observations. Sean decided to continue the report himself: “There is a large body of water to our right and a forest all around us. We were lucky not to land in the trees. It would have made things a lot more difficult.” Viggo took a moment to process the information. “What about signs of life?” Sean shrugged, “Not much, captain. Some small rodents, a few animals that closely resembled deer. Though,” he trailed, “I had a feeling we were being watched. Call it a gut feeling. We found no evidence.” Viggo looked at him intently “I’ve learned to trust your gut feelings, Sean. Set the sensors to track any motion around the ship.” “We have begun repairs, captain. It may take a while. What shall we do in the meantime? “Pack some gear. I want to take a closer look at that forest.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A small group stood at the bottom of the metal staircase that extended from the bowels of the ship. Captain Mortensen, Commander Bean, Lt. Wood, Ensign Monaghan and two security men. They had packed weapons, ammunition, food and sleeping bags, not knowing how long they would be gone. The older men were reviewing the gear while Wood surveyed the thick foliage barely a few hundred meters from the ship. He didn’t like it. It was too quiet. Perhaps he was just nervous, he thought, after all it was his first land reconnaissance and he didn’t want to disappoint his captain. The others were ready and Viggo gave the signal for departure. He wasn’t worried. The ship was left in the capable hands of cmd. Weaving, an experienced officer whom he had learned to trust. The dark forest ahead however was another story. Who knew what they would find there. The party made their way towards the line of trees, keeping an eye out for anything unusual. The security crew had their hands on their stun- guns while the science officer kept making beeping sounds on his portable sensor kit, quickly analyzing the local flora and soil samples. Sean whispered impatiently to Monaghan: “You make more noise with that thing than a pack of parched elephants heading for a water-hole. Maybe we should try putting up signs too, to announce our presence.” “Sorry, sir” the officer answered sheepishly, pocketing his contraption. The commander softened his gaze and laid a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “Just relax and smell the fresh air, Monaghan. We’ve been cooked up in the ship too long. A bit of green will do you good.” The officer nodded. Behind them, lt. Wood grumbled “I have a bad feeling about this” he said looking up at the distant tree tops that almost obscured all sunlight. “You always have a bad feeling about things, Elwood” Monaghan retorted and the two young men started a friendly argument in hushed voices. “Quiet!” Viggo shushed them. “Did you hear that?” They stopped and started looking around trying to locate the source of the unusual noise. Something like the roar of thunder could be heard in the distance. “There it goes again.” Sean said. “But where…” He didn’t have the time to finish as Viggo took to the right and ordered: “This way. Follow me!” The rest followed as fast as the equipment bags allowed them. They ran blindly for a few minutes following Viggo as he darted through the trees with the speed and agility of a wild cat. The noise was getting increasingly louder and it became apparent that it was caused by some wild animal. ‘A rather pissed one’, Sean thought to himself and picked up the pace to stay as close as possible to Viggo in case his captain ran into something he couldn’t handle. As they got closer to the source of the angry growls, they were spurred on by a shrill scream which could only belong to a human being. They suddenly reached a clearing, to behold a shocking sight. A huge beast loomed in the middle of the patch of grass. It was ten feet tall and sported impressive fangs and claws. It seemed to be a combination of wolf and cougar, though definitely a species that no Earth zoologist had ever met. Monaghan’s eyes bulged right out of their sockets and he would have probably been tempted to classify the beast if it didn’t look like it would have him for lunch. Mere feet away from the beast, pinned against a tree trunk, stood a disheveled and obviously wounded figure. After taking just a split-second to assess the situation, Viggo drew out his energy gun and calmly aimed a shot to the beast’s back. He pulled the trigger and the creature spun around to face them with a fierce roar that must have echoed for miles. By that time, the rest of the team had taken out their weapons and they began shooting in rapid succession. Their blows, powerful enough to kill a man, seemed to leave no trace on the animal’s body and only served to enrage it further as it pounced on them. Suddenly, the forest around them shook with a terrifying battle cry. A swishing sound followed and the advancing creature was hit by a dozen arrows that swiftly felled it to the ground. Ignoring for now the source of the arrows, Viggo turned towards the creature he had wanted to save. Exhausted by the loss of blood, it had slithered down and now lay motionless at the base of the tree. Viggo approached it warily, not knowing what to expect, while Sean followed him and the others checked to see if the beast was really dead. Reaching the prone figure, Viggo kneeled and urged Sean to do the same. He was shocked to see that the creature looked indeed human. Too human. It lay sprawled on its back, head to the side, its features obscured by a curtain of shiny brown hair. It was a male, a very attractive male, Viggo noted, wearing what seemed to be a leather loin cloth. A leather strap clung from his neck on his bare chest. From the strap hung several precious stones, obviously charms. The beast had left its claw marks on the fair skin of the boy’s chest. The gashes bleeded profusely and one claw had grazed a nipple. The boy was unconscious but seemed to be still breathing. Viggo reached out to brush away the hair on the boy’s face. He had barely touched his cheek when he was stopped short by an arrow pointed straight at his face. He slowly looked up into steel-blue eyes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The whole situation was eerily familiar and he was instantly transported into the past. >>Flashback<< He was in one of the command center gyms and had just finished an exhausting workout. Swords were old-fashioned weapons indeed but he had always loved the feel of the steel in his hand as he slashed at the air and then blocked, attacked and then swiftly withdrawn. It made no difference he had no opponent today. The practice had been exhilarating and had released the tension that had been building up for days. Sweat was glistening on his bare chest as he picked up the water bottle from a nearby bench and poured the contents on his head and torso. Viggo then bent down on one knee to pick up the sheath and put the sword away when he was startled by the glint of steel and the sharp tip of a sword was pressed to his throat. At the other end of the blade was an ironic smile and the most amazing pair of chocolate eyes he had ever seen. They glinted dangerously, sharper than the blade itself. The smile grew wider as a voice singsonged: “You should never let your guard down. There’s no telling who could surprise you.” Viggo froze for a moment, desperately searching for something to say, something that wouldn’t sound completely inane, while the sparkling eyes softened in a curious gaze. “I thought I was alone”, he finally managed to stutter. The boy, he seemed to be a boy but the eyes spoke of strength and wisdom, emitted a musical laugh and withdrew the blade. Viggo finally released the breath he didn’t know he had been holding and rose to shake the proffered hand. “Commander Bloom” the boy stated matter-of-factly. The eyes still shone slightly in amusement but the voice and posture were serious and professional. Commander, Viggo thought puzzled, so young? But he knew the boy’s reputation. Top of his class at the Academy, weapons and tactics specialist, computers expert. His file was extensive and impressive. He might have had his own command, something unheard of at age 23, had it not been for his incessive pranks and stunts that had driven his superiors crazy. Smearing superglue on the High-Council chairs had definitely made some of the councilors cranky. Now that he finally met the daredevil boy-wonder, he had to admit he looked every bit like his reputation and more. What his file didn’t mention but the rumors mentioned nonetheless was the effect he had on all those who met him. There was a magnetic pull that ensnared you once you laid eyes on him, an allure that made him almost impossible to resist. He hadn’t had any known romances yet, in the face of reality, Viggo found that hard to believe. The feel of shaking his hand sent shivers down Viggo’s back and he suddenly realized he hadn’t answered. “Commander Viggo Mortensen” he said quickly and finally released the trapped hand from his own. “I know” came the amused reply, while the enthralling eyes appeared to map his every feature. “I heard you were training here and thought I’d introduce myself. You have quite a reputation, cmd. Mortensen.” “Call me Viggo, please. “ “Then you can call me Orli. All my friends do” he smiled. And so it began. >>End fashback<<