Ecstasy of Gold - Ch. 6

“There was an unfortunate planet, a planet just like yours. It was a happy planet, with many types of animals, more than the stars in the sky…Everyone on the planet lived long, happy lives. They were fruitful and multiplied, singing songs and painting beautiful pictures…But then, it came…riding light and energy. A brilliant, shining comet struck its southern hemisphere…A massive fireball could be scene across the entire planet. It stretched into the sky, spreading ash and death with a horrible scream…”

“The people on the planet were devastated. Their crops died in the field, birds choked on the air and fell out of the sky. Fish died in the ocean, clogging the rivers…Years of hell followed on the planet, until the crater finally cooled enough for a few brave souls to enter it. What they found was horrible beyond words…

“It is darkness. It is terror. It is the physical manifestation of madness itself…A massive, horrible demon. It is indescribable…a massive, horrible demon, half sunk into the ground…In finding it, they disturbed it from its slumber. It rose from its tomb, spreading its evil across the planet.

“It reached up into the sky, draining the life from the planet’s star. It choked the life from its star, making it glow a dull red. The sky itself was a dull crimson-black. The forests across the planet dried out and withered but refused to die…Their dry leaves chime a bitter song in the wind. The flowers…”

“I’ve had enough!” A raider struck the priestess who was telling the story, throwing her to the side. She hit the floor, her book flying out of her arms. Tears dripped from her eyes, raining onto the floor as she tried to pick herself up.

She was an older woman from a race simply known as the Rae. Like the rest of her race, she had long, smooth triangular ears and a cat like nose. Their hair was thicker, but the hairs themselves were narrower. The most interesting thing about her race was a shimmering pattern of intricate spots along the sides of her neck, arms, legs and body. They glowed gently under her clothes. She had gentle wrinkles across her face. She was garbed in old robes. They were well weathered and almost as old as she was. They hadn’t been washed in days, the raiders that captured her not letting her have anything but sips of water and scraps of food.

As she tried to pick herself back up, kneeling on all fours, the raider kicked her in the ribs, knocking her back over. She coughed, spitting up a mouthful of blue blood.

“All your constant talking…Do you ever shut up, bitch?”

“Valas…vashan midroni!” The priestess shouted at him in her language. She tried to get up, but she had sharp stabbing pain in her side. She fell back to the ground.

“HEY!” The other raider in the room shoved the man who kicked her. Their clothes were both as ragged as the priestess’, stitched back together where they had torn. “I was ENJOYING the story!”

“She doesn’t speak our fuckin’ language, dip shit!” The first one in the leather coat shouted, punching the second one in the stomach. “She’s in your fuckin’ retarded mind! She could be slowly mind controlling you!”

“She’s a priestess! She wouldn’t do that!”

“Like fuck she wouldn’t!”

“You and all your ‘fucks’! Jesus, man! Get another word!” He helped the priestess sit up. “I think you broke her ribs, dickweed!”

“Who gives a shit? She’s too old to fuck, and she’s just using up resources, so why haven’t we spaced her yet?”

“Because…” The second raider stood between him and the Priestess. “I said we’re not!”

“Oh…I’m sooo scared!” the first raider laughed, shaking as a joke. “We’ve fucked all the other maidens that came with her, why not…”

“What?” The priestess had learned what ‘fuck’ meant over the days she had been captured. She had been kidnapped with a small group of maidens from her temple. She was their leader, a High Priestess, and they had gone out to spread the word of their religion’s tolerance and love and also do whatever good they could for people. Essentially hitchhiking to get around, they relied on ships for protection and care. “You did not…foul my maidens…”

“The fuck did she say?”

“I don’t know. I don’t speak her language!”

“They cannot become high priestesses if you violated them! They would only be debauched priestesses!” She grabbed the man’s arm, shaking him slightly. She knew he didn’t understand what she was saying, but she had to try to plead with him. Debauched priestess had equal, if not higher, standing to high priestesses like her, but being a Debauched Priestess meant that everyone on their planet would know what happened to them. Absolutely every one of them would know, even children. She couldn’t bear failing them like that. “If you have so much as touched a hair on their heads…”

“Shut up!” The first man punched her in the jaw, knocking out a pair of her teeth. The priestess cried out in pain. “We’ll do whatever the fuck we want to you and those bitches we found with you, and there’s not a god damn thing you can do about it!”

“You…you beasts…” The Priestess stretched out her arm at the soldiers. “You will all die for this! EVERY ONE OF YOU! The Gods’ vengeance will see to it! MI’YAN’S WRATH WILL FIND YOU!”


Ariis was dreaming about when she was young, back on Akyllis. She was running with a friend through the fields of long, tall grass under the red sky with a bright white star high in the sky above them. It was a training exercise on Akyllis, following someone of matched strength and catching them. The chase went on for a seemingly endless amount of time, more of a game between lovers than a battle. Finally, Ariis tackled the girl and threw her arms around her, sending them tumbling through the tall grass. They came to a stop in the shade of a twisted and gnarled tree. Ariis looked into the girl’s deep green eyes, running her fingers through the girl’s long blonde hair and caressing her face with her palm. They both had loose fitting togas that had fallen open in their tussle. Both were pure white, a sign of their virginity.

“Lyxena…” They gasped for breath, shoulders heaving up and down. Ariis kissed her deeply, gently fondling with her breasts while she straddled her across the waist. She sighed as she felt Lyxena’s tongue play with hers. She pulled back from her slightly, blushing brightly. “I…I’m getting my first period soon…I can feel it…”

“Have you found your chosen yet?” Lyxena’s back arched slightly, telling Ariis she was on the right path. Ariis ran her hand along the inside of Lyxena’s thighs, smiling as she saw Lyxena’s face quiver with pleasure. “Your Agoge will be soon after your first period…” Ariis ignored her slightly, kissing her neck. “You…you can’t be a virgin then…or you’ll…Ah!” Ariis bit Lyxena’s earlobe slightly, knowing she liked it.

“You are my Chosen…” She kissed Lyxena’s ear where she bit it. “My virginity’s yours to take, Lyxena…” Lyxena turned her head away from Ariis, staring off into the distance. Ariis ran her palm along the side of her face, trying to get her to look back. “What’s wrong? With the vi’kana, I can take your virginity, and you can take mine…It will be glorious…”

“I…I promised my brother that my virginity would be his to take…” Ariis cringed slightly, forgetting Lyxena’s heritage. Lyxena’s father was killed in a war with a rival tribe, and so was her brother’s mother. As a sign of mending of the tribe, Lyxena’s mother married her brother’s father. Lyxena had grown very close to her new step brother, Artem, with every bit of her being.

“After all we’ve done? We’ve had sex, Lyxena! I’ve loved every bit of your body…” Ariis stood up, Lyxena staying on the ground, putting her hands on her waist line.

“But my maidenhead is still intact…”

“Our…our souls were intertwined…our…our shi’shonei…” Shi’shonei was a word that meant ‘sacred temple’. “We’ve had our shi’shonei…together…until we…”

“Ariis, I would die for you…” Lyxena stood up, fixing her clothes. “But this will be our tribe’s true reconciliation…We need this…” She turned away from Ariis, facing the field. “We’ve been on the brink of war since the last one stopped. If we don’t do something, he will be taken away from me, and I owe him my very soul…”

“So I’m left with the shell!?”

“I…I’m sorry, Ariis…I’m…” Lyxena put her hand on Ariis’ arm, but Ariis pulled her arm away. “Ariis, listen to me! I…” Ariis swung her arm, slapping Lyxena and knocking her over.

“Get out of my sight!” Lyxena picked herself up, crying and rubbing her cheek. Blood trickled down a small knick that came from Ariis’ brutal attack. She cried slightly, holding the slice on the side of her face. She ran away, disappearing into the distance. Ariis clenched her fists, going back to her home. She decided what she was going to do.


Lyxena was asleep at her home. Her room was done well, with large, hanging veils in every corner and a bed with a hanging canopy. Large ornate mirror hung on the wall, reflecting gentle moonlight into the room. It still had the same statuaries the rest of the buildings had, though she had made it more gentle and feminine. She sat up in bed when she heard a thump at one of the windows.

“Who’s there!?” She shouted, grabbing a short sword from a display over her bed. Ariis grabbed her arm as she swung at her. “Ariis? Get out of here…I NEVER want to see you again…”

“Lyxena…Shhh…” Ariis caressed the side of her face with her palm. “I’m sorry about earlier…you know how I get when I don’t get my way…I love you so much…” Lyxena sighed, her anger slipping away as her lover caressed her. Ariis moved behind her, caressing her breasts. “When are you and your brother going to have your first fuck?”

“Da…” She gasped as Ariis slid her hand under her skirt. “Don’t call it that…” Her entire body started to tremble as Ariis ran her tongue along the back of her neck. She pulled off Lyxena’s light robe, throwing it across the room. “We…we’re going to…make love when the three moons are full…in a matter of days…”

“Then I’m not too late…” Ariis moved so that she was on top of Lyxena, kissing her deeply and passionately. Ariis pushed her leg between Lyxena’s, rubbing it back and forth slightly. Lyxena’s back arched and she cried out.

“Ariis…I…I love you…”

“I love you, too. That’s why I have to do this…” Ariis pulled Lyxena’s legs apart, sliding in between them. Suddenly, Lyxena felt something strange, gasping and looking at Ariis.

“The vi’kana!?” She tried pushing Ariis away, but Ariis was much stronger than her. Ariis’ father was forcing her to train as a warrior, while Lyxena was going to become a scribe. “Ariis, I can’t! My brother…My promise!”

“If it meant anything to you, you’d be able to stop me…” Ariis bucked her hips, sending pain ripping through Lyxena’s body. She screamed, squirming and fighting, but Ariis pinned her legs up at her shoulders, ignoring her cries of pain. She was in the same pain, but she didn’t make any fuss about it. She kissed Lyxena again to muffle her cries. Ariis knew this dream well. She had seduced Lyxena well, and eventually her cries of pain became screams of ecstasy. Lyxena’s step-brother found them in their throws of passion, something Ariis always taunted him about later. But, instead of the usual transition to ecstasy, suddenly, she seemed to switch places with Lyxena.

Agony ripped through her body as a man abused and used her, slapping her as she screamed. She looked up and saw a woman pinning her arms with her legs, keeping her from getting free. She squirmed as she felt a vile intrusion in her body. Before she could catch her breath, another man was on her, using her for his depraved purposes. She cried and pled for them to stop, but it just made them laugh and continue with more vigor.

Before the man that was already using her finished, another man was on her, and another. Soon, it was just a horrible blur of pain and vile intrusions. She couldn’t take it any more, feeling like a balloon was inflating in her chest, getting bigger and big, pushing against her ribs and heart. She couldn’t take it anymore, like it was going to pop and split her open.

Ariis screamed, sitting up in bed and knocking Constance off her. Constance WAS sleeping peacefully, resting her head on Ariis’ ample bosom. Constance was slightly agitated until she saw how disturbed she was. She put her arms around Ariis.

“What’s wrong, Master Ariis?”

“I…I had a horrible nightmare…” She shook her head. She couldn’t believe she was sweating so much over a dream, no matter what it was. She rubbed her temples, not sure what caused it. That was when she realized what it was. “The nightmare…You were gang raped, weren’t you?”

“You…you saw that?” Ariis nodded, her eyes wide. “Oh dear…I’m sorry…I’m a telepath, you know, and I…I haven’t had pleasant dreams in a long while…and sleeping with me…having such…intimate contact, you must be getting my dreams in yours…”

Ariis looked at Constance in a different light now. She wanted to be mad at her, wanted to yell at her for ruining one of her favorite dreams, but she couldn’t. She knew it wasn’t her fault, though she wished Constance would have told her earlier about her telepathy. She had a new perspective on the inner turmoil that plagued Constance.

“I…the gang groups…” Constance couldn’t look at Ariis while she spoke. She was far too ashamed to look at anyone while she spoke. “They were pure, blinding agony, but afterwards…It…well, it got enough money for my owner…like, three or four weeks worth of regular clients…so I…I would get a week to recuperate…”

“Why would he put you through that?” Ariis rubbed her eyes.

“I don’t know…” Constance put her hair over her shoulder, running her fingers through it. “Since I look like a little girl, I guess…I guess customers liked to put me in pain, and that…that…” Constance shook her head. She didn’t want to think of it anymore. “I think I got your dreams, too. Did you…did you rape your girlfriend?”

“I didn’t rape her, I seduced her…” Constance looked at Ariis, casting a look of guilt on Ariis. Ariis knew it was questionable, but she had convinced herself it was all in fun. It did have serious repercussions though. Lyxena’s brother tried to kill Ariis on more than one occasion. “I…I’m sorry I forced you to…use the vi’kana last night…”

“I…” Constance didn’t know what to make of Ariis apologizing. “It’s okay…It wasn’t…as bad as sleeping with men…and didn’t have any of the…unpleasantries that go with them…”

“Do you want to go again?”

“I…I don’t know…” Constance was hesitant as Ariis played with her legs, resting her hands on her knees and swinging her legs back and forth. “I…I’d like a break…Every night I’ve been with you, we’ve been making love like crazy…and before that…”

“Come on…” She kissed Constance’s neck, kissing down the side of it. She kissed her chest. “You know you want to…”

“I…I…” Ariis didn’t wait for her to say the no she knew was coming, bucking her hips. Constance cried out in pain, biting her lips. “Master Ariis, I…I…AH!” Constance’s muscles gave out, and she couldn’t resist anymore. Ariis was hurting her, but she couldn’t stop her. She just gasped for breath, trying to get through it without passing out. “Oh god…”


Tasha woke up, showered, and got dressed all in a hurry. She wanted to get to the cafeteria to meet Constance for breakfast and spend as much time as possible with her before she had to go about her tasks of maintaining the ship. Her tattoo still hurt her, but it was just a dull pain now. She was filled with a new happiness now that she had gotten it. She still couldn’t believe she had. She wanted to show it off to everyone.

As soon as she was dressed, she left for the cafeteria. She was still doing her hair as she went, pulling it back into a ponytail. She was glad she didn’t usually wear makeup so she didn’t have to worry about it. She didn’t need it anyway, having almost perfect complexion most of the time. An out break now and then would momentarily mar her face from time to time, but she’d always go back to normal.

She finally got to the cafeteria, but Constance was no where to be found. She was instantly worried, knowing that meant she was probably with Ariis. Horrible images of Ariis raping her flashed into her mind, but she shook them out. She couldn’t think like that. She didn’t know how close to the truth she actually was. As she got her food and looked around the room, she saw Kelli sitting at a table, bent over it and sobbing. She had her face buried in her arms, and her hair was hanging over her arms in every direction. The strangest thing was that she had her jumpsuit on and zipped all the way up. Tasha had to see what was wrong. She walked over to Kelli, putting her hand on her back. Kelli didn’t bother looking up before he snapped at her.

“LEAVE ME ALONE!” She screamed, her voice somewhat muffled by the table. “I don’t want you bugging me!”

“I’m sorry, Kelli. I…” Kelli raised her head in a flash, turning to Tasha. Even though she had been crying rivers, her makeup hadn’t run. Kelli was still as gorgeous as ever to everyone in the room, though her eyes were bloodshot. “…am so fucking jealous of you…”

“Wow…I think that’s the first time I’ve heard you say the f-word…” Kelli sniffed, rubbing her eyes. “Go away, please…I don’t want anyone seeing me like this…”

“You kind of picked a bad place to be then, Kelli…” Tasha sat down next to her. “What’s got you so down?”

“Last night, I…I had sex with Hunter…” Kelli put her head against the table. “How could I be so stupid?”

“You’re not pregnant…are you?”

“NO,” Kelli snapped again. She wasn’t an idiot. It was impossible to get pregnant if you didn’t want to anymore. All STDs had been wiped out as well. “But…but I…I still…”

“He used you, didn’t he?” Tasha hit her hand against the table. “Damn it, that bas…”

“He did, but that’s not the worst part…” Kelli looked up at Tasha. “I…I was saving myself for marriage…” She didn’t bother whispering. She had nothing to be ashamed of with her admittance.

“You mean…”

“Until he used me and kicked me to the curb, I was a virgin, Tasha.” She could see the look of disbelief on Tasha’s face. It was a look she had seen time and time again, and she was tired of it. “God damn it, I’m not a slut! Or…I guess I wasn’t a slut…”

“You’re not a slut just because you had sex…”

“Like you can say that!” Kelli sobbed. “You’re still a virgin!”

“I’m sorry…” Tasha apologized, hoping it would calm Kelli down. “You know, it’s rare that the first person anyone’s slept with is actually who they’re married to anymore…”

“I know, that’s why I was saving myself! But what does Hunter do? Gets me drunk, fucks me and runs off while I’m asleep…” She hit her fist against the table. “He might as well have raped me! Next time I see him, I’m…I’m going to hit him over the head with my wrench!”

“Kelli…” Tasha was going to try to calm her down, but it was no use. Kelli had every reason to be furious. She couldn’t say she blamed her. If Hunter had gotten her drunk and taken advantage of her, he deserved everything Kelli did to him.

About the time Tasha had thought of something to calm her down, she saw Hunter in the room. He had a tray with the usual breakfast items on it; eggs, juice, toast, and a few other things. He had gotten some new clothes, but they still looked mostly the same. As he was going to his table, one of the men he had fought in the gym rushed him from the side. He swung his fist, hitting him across the jaw. The man stumbled and fell, getting knocked out as his head slammed into a table. Another man ran towards him, stabbing at him with a long powerful strike. Hunter turned, grabbing his arm by the wrist and flipping him without spilling his food. He sat down at the table, starting to eat.

“…Kelli…” Tasha finished her thought, “…I don’t think trying to hit him in the head with your wrench is such a good idea.”

“Somebody needs to give him needs to kick the crap out of him…” Tasha was about to try to say something to calm her down, but she was distracted by Constance walking up. She could tell Constance was in some amount of pain just from how she was walking. Constance gasped in pain, holding her stomach as she sat down.

“What’s wrong, Constance?” Constance was going to ask why she wasn’t calling her Connie, then remembered it was suppose to be their secret.

“You remember how I said Ariis was remarkable gentle for her size?” Constance gasped in pain, holding her stomach. “Turns out…not so much…”

“What happened?” Tasha put her hand on Constance’s hand.

“Ever hear of a vi’kana?” Constance fidgeted, trying to get comfortable. “It…”

“Hey!” Kelli yelled, hitting her fist against the table. “This is about how Hunter threw my virginity into the trashcan!”

“I’m sure he…he didn’t…” Constance couldn’t talk. As much as she idolized him, she knew he was unscrupulous. “Would you like me to talk to him?”

“I’d like you to kick his ass!” Kelli sobbed, running her fingers through her long hair. “You have no idea how much my life now sucks because of him! What it’s like to loose your virginity to some bastard who just wants to fuck you…”

Constance looked over at Tasha. She read Tasha’s mind and knew Kelli hadn’t heard she was a prostitute. Most of the crew hadn’t heard, actually, and assumed she was just a servant. She decided she had to tell Kelli, hoping it would make her feel better about herself.

“I…I lost my virginity to Jeremiah…when I was twelve or thirteen…”

“Jeremiah?” Kelli asked, confused by everything. It was almost like she didn’t understand sex was possible before a certain age. Tasha was waving her hands, worried that Kelli would spread the news across the ship like a flood.

“He was my pimp…” Constance bit her thumb nail. “He…He tied me up, and hung me from this…hook from the ceiling and…and he raped me. He was slow and methodical about it…taking me in every possible way over a day or so…” Constance flattened out her dress. “He was seeing how best I could serve my customers, and he…he decided that I could do…pretty much whatever they wanted, and forced me to do a lot of…nasty things…”

“Constance…” Tasha couldn’t take it anymore, having to say something. Still, Constance had to finish.

“I know…loosing your virginity…is one of the most painful things you’ll ever go through, but if you call it rape…I…I won’t be able to be around you anymore, because I see it in your mind, and calling THAT rape is an insult to the pain I and countless other women have suffered…” Constance said with all the anger she could muster. It wasn’t like she was yelling. She couldn’t yell, but she knew it got her point across. “I’ve been through the daily pains enough that it doesn’t matter to me anymore, but you…”

“I…I’m sorry, but I…” Kelli started crying again, weeping and shaking as she did. “I just…I wanted my first time to be…”

“You have no idea how jealous I am that he made love to you…” Constance whispered, looking over to Hunter. Kelli looked up. Tasha hung her head, knowing that she was going to spread word of Constance’s crush across the entire ship. “Kelli…I want you to do me a favor…”

“What, Constance?” Constance looked deep into her eyes, her piercing glaze going straight to her soul.

“…forget.” Kelli’s eyes widened and her pupils dilated. She stared off into the distance for a minute, but shook her head and groaned in pain slightly.

“What were we talking about?”

“You apologized for calling last night with Hunter rape, and I said I would talk to him, get him to apologize for using you as a one-night stand so carelessly.”

“Oh, yeah…alright…” Kelli shook her head again. “That’s really nice of you…”

“Don’t mention it.” Constance gasped in pain slightly as she stood up. Tasha couldn’t believe that Constance might have just altered Kelli’s memories. It seemed like a complete and total violation of privacy.


Hunter was trying to eat as fast as he could so he could get out of the cafeteria. Since the fight, he could hear mumbles from the others planning on how to take him down. He knew he could protect himself, but he just wanted a full meal. Constance came over and sat down at his table.

“Why are you sitting alone?”

“Why not?” He faced Constance as he ate, acknowledging she was there. She knew it was a big gesture for him.

“You knew that attack was coming, didn’t you?”

“Yeah…” He finished off his juice, putting the glass on the table upside down. He took out one of the small cigars Constance gave him and lit it. It had a rich smell to it that Constance liked. She breathed deeply until she gasped in pain. “What’s wrong?”

“I…I think Ariis…hurt something in side of me…or cracked a rib…or something…”

“She must have fucked you pretty hard…” Hunter realized he must not have come off as being too sympathetic. He squinted his eyes and put away his lighter, knowing Constance had to get what he meant.

“I don’t like to talk about it…” Constance cleared her throat. “That fight was pretty intense…”

“Yeah…” He puffed on the cigar. “Idiots will keep coming, and coming, and coming…Then, defending myself, I’ll accidentally kill one of them, and then, finally, it will stop.”

“You…you’re going to kill one of them?” Constance bit her thumb. Hunter shook his head.

“It’ll be a pure accident. One will choose the wrong time to attack me. Either when I’m passing an air lock, or…” He hit rapped his knuckles against the metal table. “Right here. One of these metal corners to the throat or the head and they’ll bleed out.”

“…I see…” Constance was distracted enough by her conversation that the dull pain in her stomach. “You know…Kelli’s really upset that you used her for a one night stand.”

“I wouldn’t have if I knew she was a virgin, believe me.” He looked to Constance’s side, making sure there was no one nearby. He didn’t care how he sounded, but he didn’t want to be broadcasting Constance’s history. “She knew some moves, you know, rocks and gyrations that she…wouldn’t have been familiar with unless she’s fucked someone else in the past.”

“But she said she was…Oh…” Constance shook her head. “I always…and WILL always…hate doing that.”

“Yeah, so while she may have been a technical virgin, she wouldn’t be the natives’ first choice to sacrifice to the volcano…” Constance laughed at the joke, smiling as she looked at Hunter. She couldn’t help but stare at him, wondering how she couldn’t hear his thoughts.

“You know, I can’t hear your thoughts…”

“I know. I like it that way.” He finished eating and stood up. “My mind’s not a nice place to be…” Constance watched him walk off, realizing she hadn’t really resolved things for Kelli. She jumped to her feet.

“What about Kelli!”

“Tell her I’m sorry and that’s all…” He said calmly, leaving the cafeteria. As he left the room, another man rushed him. He punched him in the stomach, taking out his lighter and lighting the man’s shirt on fire. The man ran away from him, running off to put his shirt out. Hunter walked out of the room, ignoring the laughter he caused.


Karen woke up at the crack of noon like she usually did. She had no reason to get up earlier, after all. She was essentially self-employed on the ship and guaranteed food and a room for as long as she was on the ship. So, she set her own schedule.

She was walking to the observatory, heading down the length of the ship. It was essentially the nerve center of the entire ship. Every sensor on it fed into the single room, giving it the ability to produce 3D holographic images and give every possible read out she would want on anything. She often camped out in a large supply closet behind it, using a sleeping bag for some comfort.

As she went, the ship shook and shimmied briefly, hitting a patch of turbulence. She was used to it. Ships hit gravity pockets in hyperspace for any number of reasons, catching the inertia dampers off guard briefly. It took a second to reset and recalibrate everything, taking out the shakes. Strangely, this time, the ship kept shaking. And shaking. And shaking. She ran to the observatory, quickly running every scan she could. She knew what she was checking for, the only thing that could cause it. She ran over and hit the comm button.

“FRANK!” She shouted, fixing her glasses. Her voice cracked. She rubbed her throat and cleared her throat. “Are you at the helm of the ship?”

“Yes, Karen…” He groaned. She knew he was rolling his eyes and mocking her in other ways.

“You’re running the ship through the gravity wake for a super massive object!” There was a silence. “I’m not kidding! It could be a black hole or a magnetar…OR…It could really screw us up if we stay in hyperspace!”

“What do you want me to do? It’s uncharted, and we got to get past it to get to where we’re going!”

“DROP OUT OF HYPERSPACE NOW, DAMN IT!”

“Alright, alright, but if we get sucked into a black hole, I’m kicking your ass to hell before we get to the pearly gates, because…” Karen hung up the communicator, knowing he was going to swear and curse at her more. She could feel the ship drop to normal space.


The kinder raider was just sitting aside while the other raider slowly beat the Priestess to death. Rae were fragile by nature, and the Priestess’ old age had made her even more so. She was flat on the ground, gasping for breath and coughing up mouthfuls of blue blood. Her spots had visibly dimmed, a sign of what bad shape she was in. One of her eyes had swollen shut, she had lost a number of teeth, her lips was fat and so was one of her ears. The raider lifted her up by her hair, spitting on her face.

“This is good…” He punched her in the stomach, letting her buckle over his arm. “Really helping me out with my anger issues…”

“Death…” She coughed, wheezing for breath. “Death comes for you now…”