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Author's Note

Here is a short excerpt from Chapter 1 of Another Realm, Terminus. It has been posted on this site, there will be a link below this and at the bottom of the page. Massive thanks to the Blocked Writer who has consented to be my beta reader for the sequel. He was also able to help me clean up the first act of Arrival, bringing it more in line with the quality of the later chapters.

And again, massive thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed my stories. Hopefully everyone will enjoy the sequel as much as they enjoyed this story.

To follow the link, copy the below and add it to fanfiction's base address.

Thanks, Kat

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Preview of Another Realm: Terminus

Date: 04-5-2181

I let out a very long groan, trying not to slump into the couch.

There was an amused little chuckle at my sound of pain, a smooth voice nearly echoing in the spacious living room. "Come now Harath'krem, this morning was hardly that rough on you."

Turning slightly, I gave Nynsi Shaaryak a mild glare. My Batarian girlfriend, boss, and Tarath'shan merely gave me a small smile. She was already dressed for the day in a brown suit that contemplated her teal skin very well, and it was slim enough to cling very nicely to her tall, muscled frame.

Seeing that I wasn't about to respond verbally, she continued speaking. "Aethyta had you run, what, a mere few kilometers?"

"Five. And then she let Chen 'teach' me some more boxing, and then she made me go through shooting drills. And then another kilometer."

Her arms crossed, but her tone remained amused. "Which is hardly as bad as some of the days where she had us both working."

I grimaced, "Less the running, more Chen. Apparently he wanted revenge for our last training exercise and she felt like letting him beat on me."

Aethyta wasn't training me every day anymore, neither she nor I had the time to continue that relentless schedule, so she was doing her best to make up for my days off by severely putting me through my paces. Initially the focus had been entirely on bulking my stamina up further, along with improving my marginal weapons skills.

After a good two months of that, she'd started adding in close combat sessions, which had quickly become my least favorite part. Rather than train me herself, which would have been terrifying enough, she'd drafted Chen. The former sniper turned squad leader was shorter than me, but like most Batarian males he was literally bulging with muscles and had a good forty pounds on me.

Which meant he spent as much time giving me black eyes as he did actually teaching me Thondurian boxing. Thankfully he'd yet to break my nose, which I was convinced was more luck than any skill on my part.

Nyn sighed quietly, her arms unfolding so that she could adjust her shirt a bit. "You did rather humiliate him in front of the other squad leaders."

I rolled my eyes, "He's got to learn to react to surprises somehow. We've done it to all four squads, it isn't like we're singling him out."

She tilted her head minutely to the left to accept the point. "But can you honestly say that you are surprised at his reaction?"

A frown grew on my face as I stared at her. "Aren't you supposed to be on my side about this?"

That earned me an honest chuckle before she glided across the distance between us. "I am always on your side, but there are some things that even your eyes should be able to see coming. And besides, there will be plenty of time for me to help you feel better later tonight."

I had the good grace to blush slightly, even as I rolled my single pair of eyes at the first comment. "Assuming you're in the mood after dealing with the Executive Board."

"Yes." She admitted with a sigh, a hand reaching down to run across my cheek. "Assuming that."

Leaning into her touch a bit, my head turned enough that I could brush my lips against her wrist. "Still finding ways to drag out any idea of lessening the embargo?"

"We have an agreement on paper," fingers slid up and into my short cropped hair, a sad little sigh marking exactly what she thought of its new length, "But they insist on arguing every single line of the contract. That the Council is hardly in favor of the concept is not helping my arguments."

"You'd expect quid pro quo to go farther. We did save them from a having a war happen right under their upturned noses." It was a bit weird throwing the Latin phrase into my otherwise Asari dialect, but they didn't really have a saying that worked as well. Well, they did, but it referenced sexual favors, and I wasn't quite ready to go that far in casual conversation.

She grunted before pulling her hand back. "That was six months ago, and their memories are apparently short. Unlike their speeches. I would much rather be on your particular mission today."

"You want to go on a stake-out run?" I shook my head, "I had no idea that they were that bad."

"They are." There was a sigh. "Are you going to stand up and bid me a proper farewell or not?"

"Of course Tarath'shan." Rising to my feet with only a small wince, I politely took her left hand brought the back of it to my lips. "May you have a good and profitable day, with the Pillars themselves supporting your efforts."

"Thank you, my Harath'krem." she tilted her head politely to the right as I reciprocated to the left. Respect shown and given between a lady and her vassal. The moment ended when her lips curled into a smirk. "And now an improper farewell, if you would."

My own curled for a brief moment before my arms shot out to wrap around her waist, dragging her body against mine. She had time for a quietly pleased sound before our lips met, her earthy taste filling me as our mouths moved against one another. Regretfully the kiss lasted for only a few moments before I had to let her go, her lower eyes opening to meet mine even as her upper set was lazily lidded.

"I do adore you, Cieran."

"And I you, Nynsi." Leaning in I brushed our lips together one more time before stepping back. "I would say dinner tonight but somehow I doubt I'll be back."

A hand waved dismissively as she turned to leave, "Then it will be a late dinner, I will alert the cooks."

I sighed, but knew when not to protest. I wasn't exactly comfortable with the perks that my title granted me, as much as Nyn kept edging for me to enjoy some of them. I'd pushed back as best I could during the few disagreements we'd had on the subject, and we'd eventually compromised. I wouldn't actively seek to use my technical status as a highborn, but in turn I wasn't allowed to protest when she did it on my behalf.

"Nothing complicated then."

There was a short pause as she mulled that over before nodding, "Agreed, but regretfully I have to be going. Try not to become too bored today my dear."

"The same, Tarath'shan."

Another Realm: Terminus has now been posted.

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