Chapter 19

Kik’tik was finally back on her feet and in her bedroom after two days recovery. She couldn’t believe how badly she was hurt after the Messenger attacked her. To top things off, Zech and Sala had been using her room like their private penthouse. She didn’t mind since she told Sala to, after all. Still, she wished they’d wash her bedding. She hoped it wasn’t going to be stained now, seeing spots on it. She looked close at some of the stains, seeing they were blood stains. She threw the sheets into the cleaner, grossed out to no end. She could think of a number of places the blood could be from, wounds, scraps, and more, and didn’t want any part of that.

“It’s WRONG is what it is…” She growled, going into her wash room and washing her hands a couple times. “Bleeding all over my sheets and not cleaning them…last time I let you use my room…”

“Sorry…” Sala spoke from the doorway, actually trying to frighten Kik’tik as a joke, but she didn’t jump in the slightest. Sala used the opportunity to get a good look at Kik’tik. She was wearing a dark blue and black sports bra and khaki pants that were modified the way she told her in the shop, her tail poking out of the back. Kik’tik’s feet were bare, her talons clicking against the ground slightly as she walked.

“I told you that you had to clean up, Sala…” Kik’tik dried her hands. “I mean, this isn’t a hotel, and I’m not a maid…even if I have built-in feather dusters.”

“If they’re permanently stained, I’ll pay for them.” Sala turned around to give Kik’tik her privacy. Kik’tik had freckled all over her body. She felt bad for her, like she was horribly scarred. Zieke didn’t get freckles or any bad effects from being out in the sun for too long. “I owe you and Zech everything, after all…”

“Yeah, well, you have nothing I want.” Kik’tik walked out of the bathroom after her. She really didn’t need anything anyway. She was somewhat jealous of Sala for getting to have sex in her bed when she couldn’t. No man would look at her the way she was, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to inflict herself on them anyway. “Unless you want to manicure my talons, brush my hair, preen my feathers, that kind of thing…”

“…Your hair does need help…” Sala ran her fingers through it, looking at the ends. “Split ends, really brittle…are you washing it with the same soap you use on your feathers?”

“…is that…bad?” Kik’tik said with a shrug. Sala rolled her eyes and pulled on about three hairs effortlessly.

“See how brittle it is?” Sala groaned, dusting the hair off her hands by clapping them together briefly. “Next colony we get to, I’ll get you some shampoo to fix that. Your hair will look like spun gold by the time I’m done.” Kik’tik lowered her head. “What? Is that like…bad to Laumur or something?”

“Why bother?” Kik’tik wasn’t the type to cry. She hadn’t shed a single tear since she was a little girl. The Laumur were always surprisingly accepting of her, even willing to cook food for her. Still, they wouldn’t let her eat chicken, though she ate it for the taboo when she was off world. “No one would look at me and suddenly go ‘Wow, her hair’s perfect! I don’t even notice her hideous BIRD parts now!’ just because…”

Before Kik’tik could finish her complaint, sirens ripped through her sentence. Kik’tik groaned, running to the bridge where she left Zech in control of the ship. She had no idea why she did it, since he had no idea how to read the complicated parts of the controls. He knew enough to get away from the colony without too much trouble, but a lot of it was her ship’s own ‘survival instincts’. It knew it had to run the fastest way it could. As both Sala and Kik’tik ran to the bridge, the ship shook violently, throwing them against the wall.


Jessie had been waiting for Tasha to get up for a while to give her the very first birthday gift she would get today. It was early for her to get up, especially on a special day like today, but he never could wait. He remembered when Tasha was a little girl, sneaking her early gifts before Talia got up. He hadn’t done it in years, though. Of course, this would have to be the last time he did it. Tasha was a young woman now, not a girl.

He grabbed one gift, one of the cheaper ones she thought she could use. It was a silk robe, after all. She could put it on before and after she took a shower. He hoped it was long enough, buying one that should go down past her knees. He never could keep track of those things, though. Once again, that was another thing that Talia would be able to keep track of effortlessly. Jessie could hear her chewing him out for not remembering it.

“Knock-knock…” Jessie said as he rapped his knuckles on Tasha’s bedroom door. He didn’t get a response, opening the door. Tasha was still asleep in bed, with a sheet pulled up to her shoulders. Jessie could see most of her legs, and knew she hadn’t had a good night’s sleep. She always kicked her legs when she couldn’t sleep, and it was amplified for her cybernetic leg. He hadn’t gotten a good look at her cybernetic leg recently. It looked very real, but still had an almost rubber look to it. He finally saw how much of an off-set there was between her real leg and her cybernetic one. That meant he was going to have the fun of bugging her to get her leg replaced again. But that didn’t matter now. “Tasha…”

“Connie…” Tasha silently groaned and shook her head when she realized it was Jessie. “Dad, what is it…” She yawned, holding the sheet to her chest. She had panties on under the covers, but that was it. She hated sleeping with bras on. “Is something wrong? It’s so early…”

“It’s not THAT early…” Jessie’s statement made Tasha groan. She turned to see the clock and saw it was only a half-hour before she normally got up. She groaned. She went to bed early and still woke up completely exhausted. She hadn’t been able to sleep at all the last couple of days, having horrible nightmares.

“It isn’t…Crap…” Tasha rubbed her eyes and groaned, hoping her nightmares weren’t true. She hadn’t seen Constance for a couple of days, since she told her she was going to the shooting range and the gym. It made her more than a little paranoid, but she wasn’t going to tell Jessie that. “Anyway…What’s up?”

“I just thought I’d sneak my little girl one last present while I still had the chance.” He put the present on the bed next to her. “Happy Birthday, Tasha…I just wanted you to know, I’m proud of you.”

“I…” Tasha looked down at the wrapped box, wondering just how she could get it open without even the slightest risk of exposing herself to Jessie. “I love you, Dad.” Tasha hugged him with her free arm.

“I love you too, Tasha.” Jessie couldn’t believe how beautiful his little girl had become over the years. He thought she could have easily slid by on her looks, becoming a cheerleader then a model, but she didn’t. She worked hard and became an engineer. “You know, if your mom was still around…She would be really proud of you…being an engineer so young…”

Tasha looked over at a picture she had of herself with her mother. Talia was always finely dressed, though she always wore men’s clothes. It wasn’t that she didn’t have the body for women’s clothing, having a good, athletic figure. She just thought it made her look more professional. Talia’s hair was just as uncontrollably curly like hers. Talia’s face had beautiful curves in it, and she had magnificent green eyes. Her skin was a dark tan, but still lighter than Tasha’s. It was always perfectly smooth and almost glistened all of the time. On top of it, Talia never needed to wear makeup, having a natural beauty she didn’t need to cover or accentuate.

Talia was almost as tall as Tasha was now in the picture, wearing a white dress shirt with a black vest and tan slacks in the picture. She was carrying a young Tasha in her arms, looking like she was kidnapping her. Tasha remembered she was spending a lot of time with Zen and that made Jessie and Talia a little jealous, so Talia ‘stole’ her back. She had one hand in Tasha’s armpit, and one under a knee to carry her. Tasha remembered how surprisingly gentle Talia was with it. Talia was smiling as brightly as she always was. She was always radiantly happy, and Tasha desperately missed that.

“…how did Mom die?” Jessie cringed, backing away slightly. “You never told me how Mom died…about her life before you and her got married…”

“I…I never wanted to bug you with that…” Jessie got up, heading out of the room since he realized Tasha was topless under the sheet. “It’s not something Talia would want you to know anyway…”

“Dad, I need to know. I’m not a little girl anymore, I can handle it!” Tasha shouted a little, watching herself so she wasn’t flat-out yelling. She hated being in the dark. Not knowing was worse than anything that could have happened in real life. Jessie stopped in the doorway and rubbed his eyes. He hit his head against the doorframe.

“Finish sleeping, get cleaned up…and I’ll tell you over breakfast, alright?” Tasha nodded, pulling the sheet all the way up to her chin. Jessie left the room and closed the door. Both him and Tasha were shaking their heads that she didn’t lock the door, and were equally glad the sheet was over her chest when Jessie came in.

Tasha got up and ran over to the door, locking it so she didn’t have to worry anymore. She walked over to her present and opened it. She gasped, picking up the perfect violet-silk robe of the box. She rubbed it between her fingers, marveling at it. She was surprised by its quality, quickly slipping it on. It was incredibly comfortable. She rolled her shoulders against it.


Kelli woke with startle from her alarm. It was louder than she remembered setting it, waking up in the middle of a sex dream. She had been having them since her night with Hunter, making her hate it even more. ‘Why did she have to have her first time with such a low-life like him?’ she wondered to herself often. Now she’d never get to have her romantic first night with the man of her dreams. It only made her worry that she was going to devolve into a drooling slut like other girls she knew. She could only hope she didn’t. It took her a minute to come back to the real world, hearing the news from the TV.

“In a repeat of our top story, the Coalition of Terran Colonies chairman has declared a state of emergency after three more human colonies have dropped out of contact…” It was a male anchor on the set, wearing a plan grey suit. Kelli wondered for a split second where the usual newswoman was, but it didn’t matter. “The colonies are Valkyrie, Odin, and Banner. If you have any friends or relatives at the colonies, we ask that you please not try to contact them as it is vital to keep all channels clear for a military search and rescue mission. The areas have been quarantined and any vessel trying to break the quarantine will be seized and sent back. We understand what a hard and trying time this will be for us all.”

“Oh god…” Kelli gasped. She prayed she didn’t know anyone on any of the colonies. Worst, she knew it was Tasha’s birthday today and hated that it had to ruin her day. It made her feel shallow, but she wanted Tasha’s day to be perfect. She didn’t have long to worry about that, though.

“The Allied Military was kind enough to allow us to station Maria Ramirez on one of their vessels that should be arriving at Janius Colony shortly. We’ll now go live to Maria on the Ulysses…Maria>?”

The signal jumped to Maria on the Ulysses. She was standing so her back was to the view screen and she was face to face with the camera. Kelli had seen her many times, but never like this. Maria’s cheery tan-skin was sickly pale. Her hair was greasy and her skin had some pimples on it that were crudely hidden with makeup. Kelli could tell she hadn’t slept in a long time.

“Thanks, Ryan…” She shook her head slightly, like just speaking was draining all of the energy from her very soul. “I’m speaking to you from the bridge of the Ulysses…” Maria yawned slightly, breaking her sentence.

“Are you alright, Maria? You look tired…”

“…it’s nothing too serious, Ryan. I've just been having an unusual bout with insomnia…” Kelli groaned. Someone had to point out how bad Maria looked, as if it wasn’t obvious enough. Maria looked like she was on her last leg. “We’re just about to make the jump to the Janius Colony to finally get to the bottom of the mysterious communications stoppage from the colony…”

On the screen behind Maria, Kelli could see the hyperspace window open up in a brilliant flash and swirl of light and color. With the window open, the view behind Maria became the black void of space, speckled with stars. The planet was silhouetted against the bright flare of the star, a massive onyx sphere against the void of space. Kelli looked closely at the picture, trying to see if the space colonies around the planet were still there. They should still have been lit up if nothing else.

But that’s when Kelli noticed something far more important. The planet was pitch black, when it should have been speckled with flecks of light from the cities across its surface. Kelli could hear the clamor on the bridge as they realized the same absence. They were desperately trying to get any contact from any of the colonies on the planet or around it.

A shiver went up Kelli’s back, an indescribable feeling of terror. Her eyes quickly scanned the entire screen, trying to explain the terror. Suddenly, she spotted it, the object of her dread. It was a black silhouette against space, blocking out the stars behind it. It was the only reason Kelli could see it. No one on the ship seemed aware of it, so Kelly thought it might have just been a ghost in the screen or broadcast. Suddenly, a flick of light appeared on the tip of the ghost. A beam ripped from it and into the ship. It struck the crew, withering, twisting, and incinerating them one by one. Maria’s high, horrible shriek ripped through Kelli’s ears. Kelli screamed, covering her eyes.

“MARIA!?” Ryan bellowed from his end, though the screen was just dead, horrifying static. Ryan cleared his throat and tried to calm himself down as the camera cut back to him. He straightened his tie. “We…we appear to be having…technical difficulties…Please, please bear with us as we try to…try to sort out what happened…” He turned to a director off screen. “Can we…can we cut…please?”


Tasha took a long shower, making it as hot as she could stand. She was still trying to burn away the filth and putrid infection Paul had cursed her with. She had to look good, pure, and happy for her party, after all. She worked on getting her hair clean and nice. It had to shine perfectly for her friends. Her skin had to be flawless. It seemed to take forever. It’d give her time to think everything through so she could talk to Jessie as maturely and thoroughly as possible.

Finally, an eon passed, and she felt she could get out of the shower. She dried herself off, wishing Talia was there to help her with her hair. Talia always made it behave and do what she wanted. All Tasha could do was either get it to lay straight down or pull it back into a big, bushy ponytail. Talia had experience with keeping wild hair under control.

Tasha picked out a dress, knowing it was what Jessie would want her to wear. She didn’t mind. It was fine satin with a silk skirt. It was all pure black and perfectly smooth, though the satin had a slight sheen to it and the silk was a dull, flat black. She laid it down on her bed, sitting down and getting a pair of pantyhose on. She slipped them on, carefully pulling them up her legs. She got them on, sighing as there was a noticeable extra piece of fabric at the end of her toes. She knew she had to get her cybernetic leg replaced soon. That meant agonizing surgery and painful days of recovery. She decided to try to ignore it for now, even though it was already hurting her back. The constant rocking back and forth was going to eventually make her back hurt so much that she’d be crippled by it, and then she’d have to get it changed.

The last thing she put on was an ankle-high pair of socks and a comfortable pair of shoes. They weren’t anything fancy, just a pair of leather sneakers. She knew Jessie was going to complain about it and ask her to put on a pair of heals. She wouldn’t, as always, but still, she knew it was coming. She opened the door and walked out into the main room.

“Whoa…” Jessie gasped slightly, walking over to Tasha. “You’re gorgeous…”

“But I don’t even have my makeup on yet…” Tasha blushed slightly. Jessie put his hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eyes. She could feel he was going to complain about her shoes, she knew it was only a couple of seconds.

“I wish your mother was here to see you…” Tasha could see tears welling up in Jessie’s eyes. It had her a little worried. “I know she’d be really proud of you…and wouldn’t believe how beautiful you’ve become.”

“About Mom…” Tasha had to ask. “I want to know more about her…” Jessie huffed. “I’m sorry, I just…”

“No, it’s just…it’s just been a while since I thought about it…” Jessie sat down on the couch, Tasha sitting down on the other end. She kept her hands on her lap, turning herself so she faced him. Jessie took a deep breath. “I want you to know, everything I’m going to say is true…and please let me finish before you say anything, or I might not be able to…”

“Alright…” Tasha readied herself, holding her breath slightly.

“I met you mother when I was in the military, that’s true…” Jessie took a deep breath. “But I didn’t save her from a raider attack…per say…”

Jessie was one of the soldiers sent over to make sure the captured raider-ship’s crew surrendered without an incident. He was much younger at the time, and much more fit. He probably weighed almost as much as he did now, but it was all muscle. He was one of the few soldiers that didn’t have a hard suit on, not worrying about it. Sure, the captain was still on the loose somewhere in the ship, but his power was broken, and his crew was on its way out.

Jessie figured the best place to find the captain was his quarters. It was worth a shot, at least. He heard metal rattling as he got closer and closer to the captain’s quarters. He got his rifle ready, loading a battery into the end of it and locking it in place. He aimed into the room and opened the door.

“Nothing so far…” He groaned to himself as he walked in. As he got near the captain’s bedroom, he could hear the metal clanging and a woman screaming. He ran into the room with his rifle aimed at anything that seemed dangerous. All he saw was a beautiful woman, trapped in what looked a massive birdcage. It was clearly a prison cell, all of it made out of cold-roll steel. The woman was only wearing a transparent silk negligee that hung off her shoulders and left her body exposed completely despite the vale. Her dark tan skin was covered in beads of sweat, and she was panting for breath. Her wild, tightly curled black hair wasn’t laying down in any way, sticking out slightly from the side of her head.

As soon as Jessie and her eyes met, they seemed to be the only other person in the world for each other. They were silhouetted against the universe, just the two of them, Adam and Eve. Jessie lowered his rifle knowing she couldn’t and wouldn’t hurt him. Her arms had padded shackles chained together. She was grasping the cage, shaking and rattling it slightly. Her entire body was quivering, and he could tell it wasn’t just because she was nervous. He knew she was a Captain’s Woman, but didn’t want to call her on it and embarrass her.

“How…how do I know you’re name’s Natalia?” She shook her head.

“I don’t know…Jessie…” She said, gasping for breath. “I…I need you to have sex with me…”

“…uh…what?” Jessie stuttered slightly, thinking he couldn’t have possibly heard what he thought he did. Talia hung her head, hitting it against the bars. She cried, her tears pattering against the cage.

“Please don’t make me beg…” She gasped for breath. “It’s going to sound weird…but…I need it…they drugged me, I will actually die if I don’t…don’t…” Talia started crying again, hitting her head against the cage again.

“…stand away from the door.” Jessie readied his rifle, wincing his eyes slightly. Talia covered her face with her arms. Jessie shot the lock, sending sparks flying into the cell. He threw the cell door, walking in. He hung his rifle off his belt as he walked over to Talia. She laid down on her bed, spreading her legs slightly. “Don’t do that…”

“Please…you don’t understand…” Jessie took his coat off and put it over her.

“We’ll get you to the doc and get whatever they put in your system out…” Talia shook her head.

“It’s not…it’s not curable…” Talia sobbed. “I’m burning up because of ‘Captain’s Private Stock’, don’t you understand?”

“I guess I don…” A bolt of plasma struck Jessie in the back. He howled slightly, stumbling forward. Talia screamed as her captain laughed.

“That’ll teach you to…” Jessie turned and aimed his rifle without taking it off his belt. With the barrel pointed at the captain’s chest, Jessie let a stream of countless bolts rip through his target. The captain fell to the ground, stone dead. Jessie stood up.

“…AIM FOR THE HEAD!” Jessie yelled at him and wrapped his knuckles on his armored vest. Bullets and plasma would be stopped by it or at least slowed down, while his head was completely unprotected. Even without the vest, it was always smarter to aim for the head. “Now that captain’s taken care of…” he picked up Talia, grunting slightly, “…let’s get you down to the med bay.”

“His son’s still around…” Talia put her head against his shoulder, panting slightly. Sweat was pouring off every inch of her body. She knew she was close to burning out completely. She had horrible memories of her captain and his son using her endlessly for their own sick pleasures.

“Just get the gun off my belt if you see him and you can kill him yourself…”

“…Mom was a Captain’s Woman?” Tasha couldn’t believe it. Jessie took a deep breath and hung his head, telling her it was true. She couldn’t believe it.

“Her parents died when she was a couple years younger than Constance is now…She went into foster care. He dad beat her, so once she found a way out, she took it. Unfortunately, it was being a Captain’s Woman…She probably didn’t mind it at first, but then they doused her with what they called ‘Captain’s Private Stock’ and…and injected her with this chemical that…” Jessie turned to Tasha, putting his hand on her shoulder. “We wanted a kid…and…and she couldn’t have kids because of these burns…if you know about Constance’s past, then you know what happened to Talia…but we were never sad about it, because we had you…”

“You mean to tell me…my mother, your wife…was forced into prostitution…and when Constance was…was going to be sold back into PROSTITUTION…You stood aside and were going to let them take her back!?”

“I’m sorry, Tasha…I really am.” Jessie took a deep breath, rubbing his eyes.

“It’s a hard world, Mister Hunter! Those were your EXACT WORDS!”

“…I’m pathetic…I didn’t want to have someone reminding me of Talia every day…”

“…hrrr…” Tasha groaned and shook her head. She couldn’t believe he’d choose to ignore the problem rather than save someone from it. Tasha couldn’t get her mind around it. Not that she wanted Constance as a personal slave, though she came to understand that would have been the only option. Ariis buying her did keep her close without owning her, but it also kept her at arm’s length. Still, if buying Constance meant she’d be saved from prostitution and Ariis, Tasha would do it.

That’s when she realized it. She was going off a 20/20 hindsight look. Sure, Jessie would probably buy Constance now to give her the chance she deserved. She’d give anything to free Constance now, but back then, she couldn’t have been sure of what she would do.

“Constance is a real sweet heart…I have to say, if I could go back, I wouldn’t have let Ariis buy her. Really…I would have…liked…kidnapped her if I had to…” Tasha rubbed her temples slightly.

“You said they gave Mom ‘Captain’s Private Stock’?” Jessie nodded. “What does that mean?”

“First, you know I loved your mom with all of my heart. She was…literally my soul mate. We knew everything about each other from DAY ONE, without having to be told…” Tasha nodded, being told stories of it since she was a little girl. They really, truly did know each other. That wasn’t a lie, though it went beyond reason. “The ‘Captain’s Private Stock’ is a super ‘captain’s woman’ drug. It permanently and radically alters your brain chemistry so you’re addicted to your brain putting out…the stuff your brain puts out from pleasure, mostly from sex…” Jessie felt awkward for not knowing the right word, and going into it in detail like this in front of Tasha. “Endorphins…I think…Anyways…without them, she would go into withdraw and eventually die…It made her need sex pretty much every other day…and when I wasn’t here, she’d basically have to cheat on me…and I didn’t mind, it was true. She had no choice…”

“Oh…” Tasha looked up at Jessie. She remembered what she thought was a dream from when she was a kid. “I…I think I walked in on Mom and…Zen…having sex one day…”

“Yeah, Zen was…was on our list…” Jessie rubbed his eyes. “List of people we could trust with…you know, sleeping with your mom in necessary situations…”

“That must’ve been hard…” Tasha choked out. Jessie was worried he just destroyed Tasha’s view of Talia, but he only solidified it. Tasha realized how much Talia had to overcome to be where she was. Tasha knew that’d be what he was worrying about. “Mom was still perfect no matter what…”

“Yeah…” Jessie smiled. “If perfect could even begin to describe her…that’s what she’d be. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

“It’s alright…” Tasha kissed him on the cheek. “It really is, Dad…I mean, it all worked out for the best. I wouldn’t be here without it, after all…” Jessie hugged Tasha, rubbing her back. “I love you, Dad…”

“I love you, too…Kiddo…” Jessie let go of her and cleared his throat. “Now, come on, let’s make sure everything’s set up for your birthday party…”

“Alright…” Tasha smiled, standing up. She hadn’t been able to talk about what Paul made her do and almost do with Jessie. Jessie hadn’t brought it up either, making her wonder if she should. She figured she’d think about it more or maybe talk about it with Constance. She thought it might help to just talk about it.


Kik’tik got to the bridge in a flash, taking strides longer than Sala could ever dream of taking. She saw Zech sitting at the controls, with all sorts of alerts flashing on the screens. Of course, the alerts were in English, so it did Zech no good. At first, she worried that he had put the engines through too much stress, but then she saw it.

‘It’ was a truly massive Terran battleship. It had a simple design, looking vaguely like a kite against space. It was bristling with gigantic guns across its entire hull, mirrored on the bottom of the symmetrical hull. Along the back of it were six massive engines in a straight line, roaring through space. In the center of it was a massive command island and tower that had the crew’s quarters, with thick enough armor to protect it from any threat from outside of the ship. On both of the far ends of port and starboard, it had long rectangular shapes, flight decks and hangars for the ship. Kik’tik recognized the design instantly as a ship she didn’t want to be on the wrong side of. Of course, thanks to the sirens, she knew that’s exactly where she was.

“WHAT DID YOU DO!?” She yelled at Zech, pulling him out of the command chair. She quickly checked the weapons, making sure Zech didn’t fire at them, load the torpedoes or even touch the particle cannons. “What the hell did you do!?”

“Nothing!” Zech yelled back, grabbing the back of her chair and watching the screen. “They crossed our path as we were cruising, and nearest as I can tell, LOCKED THEIR WEAPONS ON US!” The alarms on the ship would escalate depending on the level of the threat. Naturally, because of the massive arrays of cannons, the sirens were removing any trace of silence from the ship.

“Well…” Kik’tik groaned. “I assume that’s what they’re HAILING us about!” She growled. Zech should have known what the hailing alert was. It was the same for every race. Kik’tik figured Zech should have been bright enough to figure out which button to open the comm line. His lover was a comm officer, after all. She punched the button to open the line, praying they didn’t open fire in the time it took her to speak. “This is Kik’tik of the Laumur hailing Terran vessel. I regret any actions that may be deemed as hostile that were committed by my…”

“This is Lieutenant Commander Mana Winslow of the Orion.” A strong woman’s voice came over the line. Kik’tik could tell she was lowering it to sound more threatening, but wasn’t about to say anything. “Your ship was recently involved with an incident at Eureka-9 and we’d like to question you about it.”

“I’m more than willing to file a full report…”

“Kik’tik…” Lieutenant Winslow perfectly said Kik’tik’s last name in Laumur, whistle, pitch, and tone ringing perfectly through it. “We are going to need more than a formal report…Turn your ship’s controls over to landing beacon four. When the hangar’s repressurized, you and the two Zieke onboard your ship will turn yourselves over to our security forces, UNARMED and OUT OF ARMOR, for questioning. If you have any weapons or armor on your person, you will be knocked unconscious and the armor and weapons will be forcibly removed…”

“Commander Winslow, I’ll turn myself over, but I ask that you please let me…” Kik’tik was about to plead with Winslow, asking for her armor as a mere disguise if nothing else. Winslow wasn’t about to hear it though.

“You have thirty seconds to comply before we attempt to disable your ship without completely destroying it and pull what’s left in.” Kik’tik ran her claws through her hair. Her entire life since the surgery had been devoted to hiding what she was from other humans. She didn’t want to see their awkward peeks and staring again. It took her only an instant to realize she had no other choice. The Orion dwarfed her hunter-ship. A full-fledged battleship, the Orion was at least two kilometers long, making her ship the most insignificant thing for light years in all directions.

“…Roger that, Commander. I’ll be turning over control of my ship to landing beacon four and my passengers and I will turn ourselves over peacefully and without incident…Over and out.” Kik’tik plugged in the commands to the ship’s computer, turning the chair around and snapping her claws at Zech. “You, coat, now.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t like only wearing a sports bra when I’m arrested.” Zech shrugged and took off the leather coat he had on. He had just bought it at the colony, and hoped Kik’tik’s claws or feathers didn’t mess it up somehow. He shook off the whiny little thought though. It didn’t matter either way. He handed it to Kik’tik. Kik’tik slipped it on, leading Zech and Sala down to the airlock. She took a deep breath as the hangar repressurized and the troops came over to the door. The ship automatically shutdown and opened the airlock door.

“Easy boys…” Kik’tik spoke calmly as soldiers rushed over to her, aiming their rifles straight at her neck. She knew they were horrified and disgusted by her appearance, gritting her teeth slightly.

“ON THE GROUND, FREAK!” One of the soldiers yelled at her. She shot a look at him to ask if he was serious, and he turned up the power on his rifle in response. She growled in refusal still, not wanting to her body to be against the cold steel deck.

“Platoon! STAND DOWN!” A familiar voice shouted to them. Kik’tik saw a woman she knew had to be Lieutenant Commander Mana Winslow. She had a dark blue uniform on, dark enough that most people would think it was black. She wore a knee-length skirt that was simple and plain. Kik’tik was impressed she was wearing her dress uniform and not fatigues. She could tell Mana was a professional military woman, too. Her long brown hair was back in a bun to keep it in regulation, and she had simple earrings and very little make-up on to further illustrate the point. “As far as any of you are concerned, Kik’tik is a Laumur ambassador, so holster those weapons, UNDERSTOOD?”

[“What are they saying?”] Zech said to Sala, not trying to hide that he was speaking at all. He didn’t speak any English at all, and it was putting him at a serious disadvantage now. Sala was a comm officer, so she understood perfectly well, aiming her mouth at him ever so slightly.

[“Just do your best to look friendly and not threatening…”] She whispered to him. He nodded once, standing at ease.

“I’m sorry about their reactions, Miss Kik’tik.” Winslow said calmly, bringing up a file on a small computer pad she had with her. It was no larger than a small notebook, and she was using a stylus to fly through all of the files on it to get the one she wanted. “They weren’t prepared for your appearance…”

“And you were, Lieutenant?”

“Nothing shocks me.” Winslow said with a slight smirk and cockiness in her voice. She looked back down at her computer pad, quickly going through everything on it to find the contract she need. “I think you have a sort of…eerie beauty…” She handed Kik’tik the computer pad, pointing to where she needed to sign. “You’ll need to sign this non-disclosure agreement and come with me.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then I’ll snap my fingers, these men will detain and we’ll get the information from you and make sure you can’t tell anyone.” Kik’tik growled and signed her name in calligraphy. It was in Laumur text naturally. Winslow took it from them, hitting a button to convert the text to Zieke. [“You both will need to sign this about what happened to you on the colony and come with me to the holding cells.”] Sala snickered slightly. [“What?”]

“You speak Zieke…with English pounds.” Sala said, knowing the meaning was lost between Zieke and English. Zieke had slight vocal upturns at the end of future clauses, much like questions in English. It made the dialect harder to learn.

“…And you barely speak English at all from the sound of it.” Winslow looked up at Zech. “What about you? Speak any English at all?” Zech didn’t like Winslow at all. He had an intense loathing of the entire Terran military. Being on a ship like this was almost like being in the pit of hell. [“You’re going to be escorted to a holding cell until you’re debriefed…and maybe for some time after.”]

[“And if I refuse?”]

[“You don’t get to refuse. NOT NOW.”] Zech looked around. He was completely unarmed, and surrounded by soldiers. It was rough odds to say the least. He nodded and signed the pad after Sala. Winslow gestured for them to follow her, leading them into the ship.


Tasha and Jessie were walking into the bar where Tasha’s party was being held. They were laughing and joking as they went until they broke the doorway. As soon as they were inside, Tasha saw Constance sitting at one of the just set up tables, all by herself. She was sitting up in a chair, her head cast down slightly as she seemingly slept. She didn’t have bandages around her neck and arms anymore, seemingly completely healed.

She was wearing the same black dress she always did, but it did have different parts to it now. It looked far more regal now, with curved armor at the shoulders. The armor was golden, with an intricate pattern etched into the surface. It was plated to allow free movement. She had an armored plate across her stomach and long armored bracelets that covered her forearms almost entirely. It was clear that Ariis was trying to make her look more Akyllisian, though it was impossible due to her short height and frail build.

“Stay here…” Tasha told Jessie. She rushed over to Constance as quietly as she could, seeing a large package in her arms. Tasha gently put her hand on Constance’s shoulder and shook her gently. Constance slowly opened her eyes, smiling when she saw Tasha. Tasha put her hand on the side of her face.

“G’morning…” Constance held her gift for Tasha close to her stomach.

“Good morning, sweetheart…” Tasha whispered back to her. “Where have you been the last couple of days?”

“…serve…” Constance turned her face away from Tasha. She could feel that Tasha knew what had happened to her, at least roughly. She didn’t want to burden her with it anymore. “I’m sorry I was asleep…” she yawned and stretched slightly, “I got away this morning when Master Ariis was with a couple soldiers and…and Karen, actually…”

“KAREN!?” Tasha shouted slightly. She knew what a mess Karen was, completely repulsed by her. Karen always looked like she had just woken up from laying in a pile of her own filth. For Ariis to degrade herself by sleeping with her seemed utterly insane to Tasha and Constance. “But…but she’s so…”

“I know…” Constance laughed. “But she was really into it…really passionate…Maybe Karen and Master Ariis will get married and Master Ariis will give me up for her…” Constance knew Akyllisian women weren’t allowed courtesans when they were married. Though it only applied to women with male concubines, she hoped Ariis would let her go free if she got married.

“In that case, Karen’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen…” Tasha managed to say all the way through without laughing. Still, once she finished it, both Tasha and Constance had a slight chuckle. “What’s in the box?”

“Oh, it’s my gift to you…” Constance looked over at Jessie and the workers setting up the party. A couple of the crewmen were already showing up for the party as well. “I would prefer if we could keep it a secret from the rest of the crew…I don’t want Master Ariis finding out how I got it.”

“Alright…” Tasha turned around and stood up. “Dad, I’m going to take Constance back to our quarters for a little bit, but we should be back before the party’s started…”

“Hey, don’t worry about it.” Jessie sat down on the bar. If anyone was going to worry about it, it was going to be him since he paid for it. Still, that sounded greedy and selfish, so he kept it in his head. He leaned against the bar. “Just remember, I can only stall the guests for so long…”

“Well, you can always tell them that joke you know.” Tasha knew he got what she was saying. To call Jessie’s humor lame would have been an understatement. Still, she couldn’t make a crack about it, getting distracted by Constance standing up. Constance grabbed her stomach, buckling in pain slightly. “Oh god, what’s wrong?”’

“Nothing…it’s nothing…” Constance was embarrassed by it. How could she tell anyone how Ariis hurt her so intimately? That Ariis seemingly meant to do it, ignoring her pleas. She wouldn’t burden Tasha with that, no matter what. “Can we please get going?”

“Sure, honey…” Tasha led Constance down the hallway. Constance’s steps were awkward, like an unsure fawn stumbling forward. Tasha put her arm out to her so she could support herself as she walked. Constance put her face against Tasha’s arm. She smelled like a sweet, special perfume to match her special day. Constance loved being so close to Tasha, wishing she could kiss her. “You look really nice…with the armor bits…You know, like…like Ariis always seemed like some fantasy perv’s dream, but you…you actually look like an honest to god princess…”

“I don’t feel like a princess right now…” Constance cast her eyes down, looking at herself and crying slightly. Her entire body ached, with specific appoints of agony across it. She was glad no one could see the embarrassing bruises and burns under her clothes, crying because she was still humiliated by them. Tasha turned to her, whispering in her ear.

“You’ll always be a princess to me…”


Sally got to Yu’lena’s temple first thing in the morning. She had been thinking about what she had read in Yu’lena’s bible. She had thought about it, and realized it was the first religion she could belong to. It was all about love and caring. It wouldn’t interfere with any scientific beliefs, because that wasn’t the point of their religion. It was all about being kind and caring and helping others. Truth was, she didn’t mind the possibility of becoming a priestess one day and helping children like Yu’lena did for Chase.

Sally wore the best clothes she had and made sure they were clean and wrinkle-free. She felt bad she didn’t have formal dresses to wear. Still, she wore the best clothing she could find in her closet, a black pleated dress, a white dress shirt, a tie, a suit coat she buttoned up. She really put a lot of effort into it. She still felt like she wasn’t dressed up enough. She rang the doorbell before she opened the door.

“Yu’lena?” Sally called into the temple. She waited to hear back.

“In here, Miss Sally.” Yu’lena called from the bedroom. Sally headed in and found Yu’lena standing behind Chase as she sat on a bench. Chase was still dewy from a bath, with just a towel around her waist and between her and the chair. “I am just giving little Chase her first maiden braid.”

“Tell her my nick!” Chase shouted slightly.

“…Nickname, dear…Remember what I told you…”

“Slow down…” Chase sighed and took a deep breath. “And honor your words…”

“Very good, dear…” Yu’lena patted her on the shoulder. “Chase’s nickname is Shae’lei…It means demon girl, in an honorable sense. It is a bit of a joke because she has two different colored eyes. For some reason, my people use to believe it to be a mark of madness and evil…”

“Then it’d be something like…Honorable demoness then, in the long run…” Sally said without thinking. She did have more experience with English than Yu’lena. Yu’lena bowed slightly.

“I suppose so, yes…” Yu’lena finished the braid so it would hang down in front of Chase’s right ear. She looked up at Sally while Chase played with it and smiled. “Is something wrong, Miss Sally?”

“You can just call me Sally, Priestess…” Sally bowed back to Yu’lena, trying to remember all of the little rituals she had read in Yu’lena’s book. “I guess I just get a little nervous when topless girls are around…”

“What?” Yu’lena had to ask, confused by what Sally was saying. Chase was a little girl, after all. Fortunately, Sally was just joking. Still, Chase got it, hoping up out of her towel and to the bathroom. Sally buried her face in her palm, shaking her head. “Sorry, she is so energetic…She often acts without thinking.”

“Nothing I haven’t seen before…” Sally said with a shrug. “How’s she doing?”

“She is very happy, and she is doing me a world of good…” Yu’lena picked up the towel Chase was sitting on so she could drop herself on the bench. She took a second to catch her breath before she continued. “She is smart…May the gods bless her, she is really trying to speak properly…”

“I did notice she didn’t sound quite so…” Sally stopped, knowing Yu’lena knew what she meant.

“She has learned to tie her own…panties now.” Sally remembered reading about how Rae panties were long fabric wrapped around their hips for coverage under their clothes. She was surprised Chase had the hang of it, since she didn’t know how she’d be able to do it and still be able to slide them off to go to the bathroom. “I only had to show her a couple times.”

“I hope I can still wear human panties when I’m a maiden…” Yu’lena got what Sally was saying, smiling. Yu’lena put her hand on Sally’s shoulder.

“I am glad you have decided to join my temple. I do have a somewhat awkward question, though…” Yu’lena cleared her throat slightly, making she that Chase couldn’t hear. “Are you a virgin?”

“Actually, yes…” Sally bit her lip and blushed slightly.

“It is nothing to be ashamed of, my child. After all, I am as well.” Sally chuckled slightly, but then felt bad for laughing at a Priestess.

“I don’t know if I ‘qualify’, though…” Sally cleared her throat. “I…I wanted to, and came close to a couple times, but I always chickened out at the last second…” She bit her lip again. “Last possible second one time…and I haven’t even tried for a long time…”

“It was not worth the trouble for such…‘simple pleasures’?” Sally reluctantly nodded. “That is good, because you realize it is a baser desire that does not require to be fed.”

“What about…if I…you know…” Sally was about to say the word when Yu’lena stopped her as Chase rushed into the room. She had cloth wrapped around her, holding it up on her body.

“Momma…” Chase whined slightly. “I can’t get this ‘round me…”

“You forgot your belt, honey…” Yu’lena quickly wrapped the fabric around Chase, giving the end to Chase. “Did you see how I did that?”

“Yes, momma…” Chase sighed. “Sorry I couldn’ remember…”

“It is alright, Chase…” Yu’lena gave her a little kiss on the forehead. “You are doing very well.”

“Wait…” Chase groaned. “I cannot get this around me…and…Sorry I could not remember, right?”

“Very good, dear!” Yu’lena smiled again and gave her another kiss on the forehead. Chase giggled and hopped up and down. “You are going to be speaking better than I am.”

“Oh, I could…not do that…” Chase was speaking far slower than she was use to, but still as fast as everyone else usually talked. Yu’lena picked up a belt that was laying around on the ground, putting it around Chase’s waist and fastening the piece of fabric she gave to her so the fabric would stay together. “I really like it when you kiss me, Momma…”

“Well then…” Yu’lena gave her a kiss on the forehead, then one on the cheek, making Chase giggle again. “We should leave for Tasha’s party very soon, so go get your present for Tasha and we will go.”

“Alright!” Chases cheered, running off to their bedroom. Yu’lena smiled.

“She is really affectionate…I swear, a couple times, I felt her kiss me on the cheek and forehead in my sleep. I hope I am not babying her too much.” Yu’lena turned to Sally. “About the…‘knowing yourself’ thing, shall we say?” Sally hung her head, feeling like a complete pervert. “Really, there is nothing about making love that is too wrong…It is just…there are different branches of being a priestess. Lal’halen Priestesses are suppose to be completely abstinent from…sexual pleasures. I am of that branch. There are Mei’le’ena Priestesses, which are equal to Lal’halen Priestesses, but only have intercourse to reproduce…Fal’halen Priestesses are…victims of rape…and it gets more complicated from there…”

“How will I know what’s right for me?” Sally ran her fingers through her hair. “I mean…”

“Well, unfortunately, you probably cannot be a Lal’halen Priestess, but it…” Yu’lena thought about Hunter. She couldn’t help but think about him, especially now. Despite what she knew he did, she couldn’t help her feelings for him. She had dreams about him making tender love to her. It was almost exactly like she saw him do to Tey’ena, except caring and gentle instead of hateful and violent. She felt like a complete hypocrite, preaching about being pure and secretly enjoying the dreams she was having. She even had a dream where Hunter tied her arms like he did Tey’ena’s and enjoyed every second of it. “I have actually started considering changing what I am…I have been having…shameful dreams and thoughts for my branch…”

“What branch will you go to then?” Sally asked, hearing Chase finally running back. She had the present up over her head. She was shaking it back and forth, making Sally worry about her breaking it. She didn’t worry about it since Yu’lena wasn’t.

“That is…the eternal question…” Yu’lena knelt down. “Hopefully my little Shae’lei priestess will be a kind leader since she will definitely be above me…” Chase giggled.

“I won’ ever be as good as you, Momma…” Chase said wrong just to make her point to Yu’lena and gave her a peck on the cheek. “Will you carry my gift for me?”

“Sure, though I will not be able to carry you…”

“I’ll carry her.” Sally chimed in, kneeling down next to Chase. “What do you say, ya little demon? Can I carry you?”

“As long as…you keep me…away from boys…” Chase put her arms around Sally’s neck. Sally put her arm under her and her other arm around her. Sally giggled slightly as Chase nuzzled up to her. “WAY away from boys…”

“Boys are icky anyway…” Sally groaned out as she stood up. Chase had put on a little weight since she carried her last time, but that wasn’t a bad thing. Chase looked down at Sally’s chest, then up at her again as they walked to the party. “…what?”

“Your boobies aren’t as big as Momma’s…”

“Chastity!” Yu’lena gasped, embarrassed beyond words at what she said about her and how she insulted Sally. Sally looked back at Yu’lena as she walked. She realized Chase was right, and was a little jealous now that she realized it. She shook her head as she thought it would have been easier to get dates with a body like Yu’lena’s.

“Maybe they aren’t…” She looked straight into Chase’s eyes. “But remember, you can always WALK.”

“Kay, kay!”


Tasha and Connie got back to her quarters, talking the whole way. Constance didn’t worry about Ariis finding her with Tasha, knowing Tasha could protect her. Tasha even helped her walk when she was feeling too weak to keep going. She was strong enough to carry them both when it came down to it.

Constance carefully sat down on Tasha’s bed, bouncing on it slightly. It was much softer and bouncier than her own bed, even when Ariis didn’t have the gravity turned up. Ariis had told her it was as fine a bed as she could get, but that’s when she realized it. It was the finest bed Ariis was willing to let Constance have. Still, she couldn’t focus on that now.

“Thank you for taking me all the way back here…” Constance said to Tasha as she locked the door. “You know how paranoid I am about Master Ariis…”

“You don’t have to call her that here…” Tasha sat next to her, putting her arm around her and holding her close. “She can never find out what happens in here.”

“Ariis…wouldn’t be happy with what I did to get this for you…I don’t think you would be, either, but I know you wouldn’t be mad at me for long…” She held up the heavy box to Tasha. Tasha took it, putting it down on the bed next to her.

“I hope it’s nothing too fancy or expensive…” Tasha knew it had to be something special since it was so heavy. She took off the ribbon and carefully opened the box. “Oh my god…” Tasha gasped when she saw the statue Constance had made for her. It was perfect and elegant. She instantly recognized Devi in her flirty pose. She was dressed like a tom boy, with short hair, though still feminine enough to prevent confusion. It was crystal clear, though the details in the statue weren’t hidden by it. “How did you afford this without Ariis’ money?”

“I…I sold my soul…” Constance sighed, knowing that Tasha knew what it meant. She didn’t read Tasha’s mind to know what she thought of how she got it. Tasha looked at the statue, thinking Constance should have spent the money on herself. “I really don’t mind…Though the thing with Shinobu and Glycon was horrible…”

“I would have been fine with you just showing up at my birthday party, Connie-honey…” She put the statue next to Frida so they were both looking at each other. Their identical bases were side by side and flat up against each other, though Frida was a couple inches taller than Devi. Constance trusted that Kev scaled them right, and he did. Frida was an Enhance Marine after all, making her much taller than Devi, who was a normal human. “I feel like I owe you something for this…I mean, it’s greater than I could have ever asked for…”

“You don’t owe me anything, Tasha…” Constance closed her eyes slightly, using it to build the courage she needed to finally come clean. It didn’t help as much as she hoped, knowing that Tasha was still in the room even though she was pretending she wasn’t. “I love you, Tasha…I love you with every bit of my heart, so much that it hurts a little…” Constance hung her head slightly, her chin resting on her neck. “Even after everything that happened to me to get it for you is fine…because, honestly, the worst part was feeling like…like I was cheating on you.”

“Really?” Tasha stood in front of Constance. Constance stared up at her beautiful face and nodded like an ashamed child.

“As long as I am near you, Ariis can never truly hurt me…” Constance spoke in a hushed voice. If she misspoke or stopped now, she would absolutely die. “…everything in my life up to now, all the pain and torment, is okay, because it brought me to you. All of it was worth it…just to see your sweet smile and brilliant eyes…And no matter what pain and humiliation Ariis puts me through, I’ll be fine as long as I’ve got you to help me through my pain…”

“I didn’t know you felt so…strongly…” Tasha was blushing, Constance could tell. Depending on what she said next would determine if Constance would live or die. “In that case, I have to give you something, and I mean absolutely ANYTHING, you want from me for this awesome gift…”

“Well…” Constance choked slightly. “If I c…could have a single kiss from you, I would be absolutely invincible from anything Ariis could throw at me…”

“Well then…” Tasha leaned in, peering into Constance’s gorgeous silver eyes. Constance was blushing brightly, feeling like she’d pass-out from the heat burning across her face. Tasha smiled, leaning in and kissing Constance on the lips. Constance couldn’t believe she was actually kissing her, putting her arms around the back of Tasha’s neck. Tasha put her hands gently on Constance’s sides, holding the kiss for as long as Constance wanted.

Constance finally ended the kiss, trembling for breath. She was blushing brightly. She felt like her breath was steam pouring out of her nose and mouth. She was sure she loved Tasha with every bit of her being. Every atom in her body sang ‘Tasha’ in perfect harmony.

“I love you…”