Chapter 21

Eliza got Zen back to the Gears of War. Zen was depressed slightly, crying ever so slightly as she went. Eliza and Zen both didn’t want her crew seeing her like this, Zen guiding her through a number of emergency passages in the ship. Very few of the crew knew they were there, kept secret in case of mutiny. Zen didn’t like using them, but she couldn’t look weak to her crew.

Finally, Eliza got Zen back to her quarters. Zen punched in the door code and they stumbled in. Eliza looked around as she closed the door after them. Everything in Zen’s quarters seemed to be a mixture of feminine and masculine items, with nothing matching anything else.

“You’re actually the first woman I’ve had in my quarters in months, beautiful…” Zen sighed, pointing over at her bedroom. “In there…”

Zen’s bedroom was a mess, even by Eliza’s lack standards. There were dirty clothes across the entire floor, with a mixture of panties, bras, and thongs mixed in. Eliza groaned, setting Zen carefully down on her bed. She thought about making a remark about how her quarters were almost as big of a mess as her, but she stifled the thought. “Do you want me to see if I can find some oxy-pills for you?”

“You won’t find them here…” Zen sighed, unbuttoning her shirt slightly. She felt embarrassed and hot in front of Eliza all at once.

“God, why do you do this to yourself…” Eliza sat down next to her. She put her hand on Zen’s closest shoulder, not wanting to put an arm around her in case she had to run to the bathroom.

“Today…Today it’s because…because I can’t stop thinking about how Talia should be here to see her beautiful daughter become a woman…” Zen ran her fingers through her hair. “I’ve always dranked a lot…”

“Dranked?” Eliza bit her lip. Improper English annoyed her enough that a complaint slipped out just beyond her control.

“…a lot, but recently…on top of all the other shit I carry around…God help me, I…I mean, have you seen Tasha? She’s GORGEOUS!” Zen covered her eyes, trying to hide the tears trickling from her eyes. “God help me, she’s the daughter of the only lover that I really felt…connected to, but I just can’t help it…I’m such a slut…”

“Now, don’t go…”

“I am!” Zen snapped. “I haven’t brought them back here, but I’ve…I’ve been fucking my way through my crew and whenever we go to a planet…Because…because there’s just this hole no one can fill since Talia was murdered…” She put her hand on her forehead as she stared at the ground. “Jessie doesn’t know how much I loved her…that…that I never thought he was good enough for her, and the only reason I was so willing to handle…her ‘attacks’ when he was gone was just so…just so I could make love to her…Maybe I…I just want to be with Tasha so I can be with Talia in a way again…”

“I know how you feel, actually…” Eliza looked at the ceiling, not believing she was telling this story at all. “…When my Sarah was killed, I tried to seduce her younger sister at her funeral…because she looked so much like Sarah…”

“How did that go?”

“She…slapped me…Sarah’s family hasn’t talked to me since.” Eliza shook her head. “Her mom…who used to love me and said I was the best thing to happen to Sarah, spat in my face…”

“Well, at least she was actually a ‘girlfriend’…” Eliza whispered that Sarah was her fiancé under her breath, not wanting to interrupt Zen again. “I was just like…I might as well have been a nurse, like…giving her CPR or something when she needed it…”

“Did she love you?”

“You always say ‘I love you’ to the woman you’re fucking…” Zen shook her head. “I’d like to think she loved me, but…”

“If she was letting you have sex with her, for any reason, she loved you…” Eliza tried to comfort her, using the same logic she used for hope with Kristin. Zen looked up at her with her big beautiful eyes. Zen was thinking about saying something, but decided actions spoke louder than words. She put her arms around the back of Eliza’s neck and kissed her deeply. “What are you doing?”

“…I don’t know…” Zen kissed her again. “I need someone and so do you, so I thought…”

“Zen…” Eliza couldn’t believe she was stopping someone as gorgeous as Zen, but she was. Zen had her shirt unbuttoned all the way down to her belt. Her breasts were heaving up and down slightly with every breath. “I can’t deny I like you, and good god, you’re easily one of the most gorgeous women I’ve ever been hit on by…”

“No, no…” Zen ignored her, kissing her chin and trying to pull up her shirt up, but Eliza stopped her again. “We both have holes other people have left in our hearts…”

“I don’t want to rush things between us, but I still…” Zen took her shirt off completely, tempting Eliza further with the glowing spots that traced the edges of her chest and hips. “I still think you’re gorgeous…”

“I think you’re gorgeous, too…” Zen kissed her again. “I can almost fill the pain in your heart…”

“Zen, because I want to be with you, I don’t want to rush this…” Eliza say down next to her, putting her hand on her thigh. “I don’t want the only thing we have in common to be that we like fucking each other…” Eliza laughed. “I don’t even know how old you are…”

“…Thirty…four…ish…”

“Ish?”

“…I’m turning thirty-eight in three months, alright? I’m thirty-eight in human years, god knows how old in Rae years…”

“Whoa…” Eliza looked her over. She couldn’t believe Zen was as old as she said she was. “…Thirty-eight?”

“Yeah…” Zen smiled. “I know I probably look about thirty-two at the most, I think that’s how old I am in Rae years…How old are you?”

“…Twenty-seven.” Eliza was shy to say, since Zen was so much older than her. Zen smiled.

“That explains why you’re so gorgeous and cut…” Zen pulled Eliza’s shirt up slightly, running her hands across her stomach, “though that pregnancy is showing already…” Zen stretched arms over her head, leaving her shirt off to tempt Eliza. “What do you think of me?”

“I…uh…” Eliza had tried to not think of just how perfect Zen’s body was. She had to be in great shape, and had just the right definition to make her a goddess. Every curve on her body was highlighted by her glowing spots. Her spots even shone through the thinner parts of her red, lacy bra. Zen sat down on the bed, unbuckling her belt and unzipping her pants. “What are you doing?”

“I remembered that I told you about my tattoo…and I want to show it to you…” Zen slid her pants off completely, a move that seemed excessive to Eliza. She could have just slid them down to her knees to show the tattoo, not talk them off completely. “See?” Zen held her legs open, pointing at her tattoo.

Eliza stared at it slightly, thought she was ashamed she was. Zen’s tattoo was perfect, the dark purple shapes traced with a pale purple. The tattoos were complicated and the tracing made it obvious that they were interlinked. Zen got up and swaggered over to Eliza.

“You never did say what you thought of my body…” Zen stretched slightly. “I think it’s a shame yours got…marred like it did, but you’re so great…it doesn’t matter. You’ll always be a goddess to me…”

“I…I think you’re…” Eliza cleared her throat. She closed her eyes and turned her face away from Zen slightly. She was ashamed of her thoughts on how beautiful and gorgeous Zen was.

“Come on, you can say it…”

“…You’re…you’re a delicious Rae babe…” Eliza spoke quietly, but Zen heard and chuckled slightly at what she said. Eliza finally decided she had to tell Zen the truth. “The first time I saw you in my hospital room…I thought ‘she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen’. I mean…your hips are strong and curvy…Your breasts and butt are firm and round, and…and then Paul took control…” Eliza looked down into Zen’s eyes. “He heard all of my thoughts about you…He wanted me to take you to him so he could have you like he had me…and…Honestly, I don’t know how, but I managed to resist him…though it made me throw you across the room…” Eliza ran her fingers through Zen’s long, flowing hair slightly. “I knew he was going to make me do to make up for not bringing you to him, but I’d rather suffer it than make you go through it. He even sliced my face every time he…violated me, which I could never let him do to the…masterpiece of your face. And if he made you pregnant too…I don’t know what I would have done…”

“Wait…he put one of those scars across your face every time he…” Eliza nodded. “So, he…when you didn’t bring me to him…” Eliza nodded again. “Which one…”

“This one…” Eliza traced the scar that went horizontally across her face and nose. “He did this really horrible thing to me, too…But I would have done anything to keep you out of his reach…” Zen got up on her tip toes, putting her hands on Eliza’s shoulders to guide her. She leaned in and kissed Eliza across her scar over and over again, across her entire face. Eliza blushed, trying not to glance down at Zen’s chest.

“It’s alright to look…” Zen smiled. “I’ve got to thank you somehow…” She lowered herself back down and kissed Eliza deeply, rolling their lips together. Eliza tried to resist what she knew Zen was trying to do. Still, she couldn’t find the strength to stop Zen from unbuckling her belt and letting her pants fall to the ground. As Zen kissed her neck and shoulders and slid her hands under her panties, Eliza didn’t know what to do.

“Zen…please stop…” Eliza heard herself say it, and the immoral side of her was already kicking her for complaining about it already. Still, she pushed Zen away slightly. “How drunk are you?”

“Not too drunk…” Zen unhooked her bra and slid it off. Eliza couldn’t resist her bare heaven shinning just in front of her. She let Zen pull her close and start caressing her again. Zen kissed her deeply again as she slowly slid off her panties.

“Oh god…”


Constance walked back into the party with Tasha. She wanted to kiss Tasha with every bit of her heart, but she knew it would only make things with Jessie incredibly tense. So, she decided she’d settle for holding her hand as they walked.

“You look much better in that jumpsuit than you did in that dress…” Constance realized what she said, stumbling slightly. She quickly tried to recover from her non-insulting mistake. “I mean, Tasha, you look so much more natural in that jumpsuit than that dress…Though you were absolutely GORGEOUS in that dress…”

“Connie…” Tasha whispered to her. “Don’t worry…I’m glad you like me better in my new jumpsuit than that dress…”

“Oh, I do.” Constance smiled, still resisting the urge to kiss Tasha and declare her love to the entire room. Her heart was singing with it, and she just didn’t know if she could contain it much longer. “Purple’s definitely your color…You’re absolutely stunning…” Tasha smiled.

“What happened to her dress…” Chase whispered in a loud voice to Yu’lena as they walked over. Tasha smiled, thinking it was adorable how Chase didn’t know how to whisper. She couldn’t help but think Yu’lena looked so good carrying Chase, like a perfect mother.

“I am sorry to interrupt, Tasha, but little Chase here would like a dance and she is very tired…”

“Alright, I’d be glad to give you a dance, little lady.” Chase cheered and practically jumped out of Yu’lena’s arms to be with Tasha. Fortunately, it was a slow song, because Chase barely had any energy left. Chase wrapped her arms around Tasha, putting her ear flat up against Tasha’s stomach. Constance could hear Chase’s cute little thoughts, trying not to eavesdrop on her. She didn’t have to worry about it too long, though, as she was quickly distracted by Jessie walking up.

“Constance,” Jessie looked down into her eyes, though she could see his eyes drifting down occasionally. She didn’t mind in the long run, knowing he didn’t mean anything by it. “I was hoping I could talk to you.”

“Alright…” Constance walked away from Yu’lena with Jessie so she could watch Chase and Tasha dance uninterrupted. “What did you want to talk to me about, Captain Jack?”

“I got talking with Tasha earlier…and…well, I wanted to apologize for the way I treated you when you first came aboard,” Jessie was ashamed of himself at staring at someone who was younger than his daughter, finally just casting his wandering gaze straight at the floor, “talking about giving you back to the police and putting you back into prostitution…”

“Oh, that’s fine, Captain…” Constance smiled slightly. “Things worked out, and you did try to buy me, so I’m not too worried about that…”

“I still feel bad about you ending up with Ariis…” Jessie looked up into Constance’s eyes. “I noticed you limping slightly…Did Ariis hurt you?”

“That’s…really rather awkward…” Constance put her hand on her stomach. She still hurt from everything Ariis had done to her over the last couple of days. She didn’t feel comfortable talking about such injuries, even with Patch, and he was just a robot. “…Ariis has liked it…really rough recently, that’s all I can say…”

“Well…do you hurt too much that you can’t dance?” Constance turned around and shook her head. In reality, she felt barely able to move. Still, she bit her lip slightly and didn’t hesitate, dancing slowly with Jessie. Jessie was surprising light on his feet, so at least Constance didn’t have to worry about him stepping on her feet and adding to her pain.


Helena and Geoff were both at the bar. Helena seemed to be drinking a little heavily to Geoff, but he wrote it off as Helena trying to celebrate Tasha’s birthday. He couldn’t begin to guess the real reason she was drinking, but she was keeping it secret. Kristin walked over with a drink in her hand, sitting at the barstool next to Helena.

“What are you all talking about that’s so important that you’re both just drinking at the bar instead of joining in the dancing?” Kristin sipped at her martini.

“Uh…Well, this is going to sound weird, but we were talking about how Ariis is…”

“Well, a lot of the crew, actually…” Geoff covered up so Helena didn’t say what he knew was coming. He didn’t want to look like some sort of pervert to Kristin, still hoping to get her to date him. She was gorgeous, after all. “They’re acting kind of creepy…Guys who usually hate each other hanging out, and not even really talking, just like…grunting and growling…”

“So, usual dumb guy shit?” Kristin stirred her martini with the olive on its toothpick. She took the olive out, biting it ever so slightly and sliding it off the toothpick.

“It’s not just that…” Helena groaned. “Ariis has been fucking everyone she can get her hands on like a bitch in heat…Regardless of gender…”

“She didn’t grab you, did she?” Geoff whispered to her, but she shook her head.

“I guess because I’m a runt…” Helena sighed and looked down into her beer. “I’m already pretty hammered, and I’m not even through my second beer yet…” She shook her head. “Sorry, I get a little…angst-y when I’m drinking.”

“Yeah, but no matter how hammered she gets, she always knows what she’s doing.” Geoff smiled and put his arm around Helena. “A guy tried to pick up Helena as an ‘easy-lay’ at her eighteenth birthday party…He started hitting on her and trying to feel her up and WHAM! She knocked him out with ONE PUNCH! And he was EASILY a foot and a half taller than her! I swear, she had to jump up to do it, but ONE PUNCH!”

“Hey…” Helena growled at Geoff, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him close. “If I knocked him out, I certainly can knock you out, can’t I? I’ve only gotten stronger since then…”

“Alright, alright…” Geoff chuckled, knowing full well Helena could probably at least mess him up if nothing else. She had a black belt in karate, though he didn’t know the specific name of the fighting style she practiced. Helena still held him close.

“Now…” she whispered so only he could hear, “…Ask Kristin to dance…I mean, if you faun over her anymore, I might throw-up…”

“Alright, seriously!” Helena finally let go of him, Geoff acting like she was still threatening him. He turned to Kristin, straightening his clothes slightly. “…Kristin, I know we got off on the wrong foot, but…I was hoping you’d let me have a slow dance with you here while Helena calms down…”

“Well,” Kristin looked Geoff over briefly. He was buff, but it was obvious to her that that wasn’t the only thing her ever worried about. She hated muscle-bound idiots that only did things between work-outs. He was rather handsome, too, but that could have been the alcohol talking. He did frustrate her when he was hitting on her within minutes of meeting her, but it was kind of funny now that she looked back at it. If nothing else, she could always end the relationship, move on, and hope he was mature enough to do the same. “…Alright, but it has to be a slow dance. These damn heals weren’t made for anything too athletic.”

“I’ll go at whatever speed you want, Kristin…” Kristin shook her head.

“Okay, two things…” Helena could barely hear them over the party as they walked on to the dance floor. “One more joke that could be followed by a frat-boy high-five, and I will have to hurt you…and two, call me Krissy.”


Helena couldn’t watch them dance, getting up and seeing if anyone else in the party was as bored and alone as she was. Finally, she saw Sally sitting at a table by herself. She walked over and sat down with her.

“Hey, Sally, what’s up?”

“Just watching little Chase there dance with Tasha…” Sally smiled. Chase was obviously fighting to stay awake while she was dancing with Tasha. She noticed that Chase seemed to be keeping her hands right on Tasha’s butt, and Tasha clearly didn’t know how to handle it. “She’s like the little sister I never had, though I think she’s kind of a perv…or is going to be…whatever…”

“Yeah…” Helena looked over at them dancing. “She definitely has her hands full of Tasha there…” She chuckled.

“I’m hoping she doesn’t realize what she’s doing to Tasha and her hands just slid down a little…” Sally looked down at the table, shaking her head. She knew what the signs meant, but was trying not to think like that about little Chase. “Look there…” Sally gestured slightly over to Hal and Kelli dancing. Helena’s jaw dropped when she saw it.

“A nerd like him…dancing with a TOTAL BABE like Kelli? Miracles do happen…” Helena finished her second beer. “Hey, this may sound weird, but do you want to dance?”

“…How drunk are you?” Sally had to ask. Helena shook her head.

“I don’t mean like a slow dance…I mean, just like…two friends dancing when a song they like’s on…” Helena put her beer mug on the table upside-down. She’d keep ordering more if she left it right side up, and she didn’t want to look like a complete idiot in front of Sally.

“Can we just stay here and talk or something?”

“Sure…” Helena looked over at Geoff and Kristin. “What do you think of that…Kristin science-babe?”

“She’s REALLY smart. I’ll give her that…Though she seems a little full of herself.”

“If I was that smart and hot…I’d be more than a little full of myself…”


Kelli looked up into Hal’s eyes while they were dancing. She smiled, seeing that he was looking down into her eyes and not staring at her breasts. Hal was more than a little shy, worried about where to put his hands. She grabbed them, putting them on her waist.

“It’s okay to touch my hips, Hal. I don’t mind…” She smiled, putting her hands up on his shoulders. “…don’t you like them?”

“There’s nothing I don’t like about you, Kelli…” Hal managed to summon up the courage to say. “Dancing with you so close like this is great.”

“I was just about to say the same thing…” Kelli put her ear against Hal’s chest. He was a little thinner than she usually liked, but she liked him enough to get past it. She didn’t have to fake a smile with him. “What are you thinking about?”

“I’m worried, to be honest…” Hal looked at the ceiling slightly. “I mean, I’m not exactly buff, and when you find out how geeky I really am…”

“Don’t worry about it…” Kelli tried to reassure him. “I mean, we weren’t really friends, but we were acquaintances. I know about most of the stuff you’re into…” She looked up into his eyes again. “Why are you so worried? Relax…”

“Sorry, it’s…” He took a breath. “I don’t know if I can tell you…”

“I’ll tell you what…” Kelli smiled. “If you tell me your secret, I’ll tell you one of mine…”

“Alright, but don’t tell anyone, okay?” Kelli nodded, assuming he’d do the same with her secret. “I’m OCD and have…what’s called high-functioning autism…I obsessed over books and read them over and over, and because of my autism, math and everything just click together…It helped out with math and science, but it makes me really awkward…”

“I don’t mind…It makes you kind of cute…” Kelli kissed him on the lips, giggling slightly when he blushed because of it. “Anyway, want to know my deep, dark secret?”

“Sure, if you want to tell it…” Kelli pulled Hal down a little bit and got up on her toes ever so slightly so she could whisper in his ear. It was the one thing she was really shy about and absolutely no one could know about.

“I…I have inverted nipples…” Kelli blushed brightly when she said it, making Hal’s blush look positively pale in comparison. “It’s kinda like inny-belly buttons. They’re inside, you can still see them, and they’ll still poke out…at the usual times, but they look kinda weird…and sorta disgusting, I guess…”

“I’m sure they’re not disgusting…” Hal tried to comfort her. “I mean, everything about you is great…er…even…perfect.”

“You only say that because you haven’t seen them…” Kelli turned her face away from him. She wasn’t even going into her days stripping and in pornography, how self-conscious and worried she was about them. She had to constantly toy and mess with them to keep them looking ‘normal’ for the videos and clients. It was the one thing she wanted to change about herself, even with her past. The worst thing was it seemed to be because of what her parents made her do to make her look ‘better’. “Do you want to see them?”

“…I want to say yes, but not sound like a pervert…” Kelli giggled and kissed him again. She held herself close to him as they danced, thinking she finally found the someone she could be happy with. Then, she started to cry again, realizing she wasn’t going to get to have her first time with Hal. She hoped it wouldn’t drive Hal away when he found out.


After her dance with Tasha, Chase finally started falling asleep, so Yu’lena took her back to their quarters. She was starting to get tired herself, so she didn’t mind. One of Tasha’s friends at the party that was recording the party for Jessie said she’d send her the footage of Tasha and Chase dancing together. She hoped Sally or Chase knew what to do with it and could show her how to play it since she had no idea how to even play it.

She opened the door to her temple and found half-a-dozen Zieke soldiers praying in it. She had no idea what to make of it, holding Chase tight and close in case she needed to run. Yu’lena had only heard rumors and stories about Ziekes before this. Mostly, she heard they were easily angered and to watch what she said, making sure to NEVER insult their strength.

“We are sorry for…intrusion, Princess…” The leader of the Zieke soldiers spoke broken English as she walked over to her. She was short, five-feet tall, maybe. She looked to be roughly the same age as Yu’lena, maybe a little older, with a few more grey hairs and wrinkles. Her eyes were a rich, leafy green, with the fire of military focus behind them. Her uniform, while obviously older, was perfectly maintained and sharply ironed. “Those of us who still have…souls are praying for their safety…”

“Priestess, not princess…” Chase roused from her sleep to say, quickly drifting back to sleep. Yu’lena sighed, making a note to teach Chase a lesson about manners tomorrow.

“What do you mean…‘still have souls’?” Yu’lena loosened her grip on Chase.

“…perhaps the child shouldn’t be in the room when I explain to you…” Yu’lena nodded, carrying Chase over to their bedrooms. She looked back and forth for a moment, wondering which would be best for Chase. She really wanted Chase to be able to sleep on her own, though there were certain teachings on her planet that said you should never sleep alone, always having someone with you. Either way, she didn’t want Chase waking up alone in a strange bed after falling asleep in her arms.

“One more night…at least…” Yu’lena kissed Chase on the forehead and put her down on the bed. She’d see if she could wake her up so she wouldn’t sleep in her fancy clothes later. Yu’lena walked back out to the main room with the Ziekes. “Now, what do you mean, ‘still have souls’, Matron?”

“Half my men have…consorted with that whore Akyllisian…” The matron coughed and rubbed her eyes. “Not always…one at a time…My men here have resisted that whore, and are praying for the strength to continue to do so…”

“I see…” Yu’lena walked over to the soldiers. “I…do not speak Zieke…do they speak Rae?”

“No, and…unfortunately, they are even less fluent in English than I am…” Yu’lena took a deep breath.

“I am afraid I do not know your name…”

“Matron Kez Jerek, ma’am. What is yours?” Matron Kez put her hands out face up in front of Yu’lena. Yu’lena remembered that you were suppose to grab the other person’s wrists with your hands face down.

“Yu’lena, we give up our sir-names when we become Priestesses…” Matron Kez shook her arms. “Uh…tell your men that they are welcome to pray here whenever they want, but to try to be quiet and not disturb my daughter…”

“You have my word we will be silent.” Kez looked around the room. “And that we will protect or avenge you of vandalism…”

“…Thank you, Matron…” Yu’lena bowed to her slightly. Kez knelt down to her to show her honor for her.

“I need to ask something…” Kez stood back up, putting her hand on Yu’lena’s elbow and walking them both over to a corner. “We…need a new religion. All of our race’s religions are being corrupted and turned…at us…” Kez pointed at herself and her men. “Pure bloods…They call us Karak because of it…We cannot go to church or get married without hordes of people demonstrating against us…”

“All of us are equals in my religion. No one has any innate superiority to anyone else due purely to genetics.” Yu’lena could tell she would already like Kez. She was proud, strong, and protective, everything she prided herself on. “You never really get truly ‘higher’ than anyone in a sense, though you can make yourself lower through evil things and you can either raise yourself back up or…or raise others up…”

Yu’lena couldn’t help but think about Hunter as she spoke. He was lowering himself into the pit of hell, and when he raped Tey’ena, she used a special incantation to make sure he was damned there. It was a dangerous prayer to say the least. If he wasn’t truly evil or redeemed himself out of hell, she could be damned in his place. She hoped Hunter had redeemed himself, but didn’t want Tey’ena to go to hell either. She knew what she had to do, though it required a great sacrifice on her part.

“It is very difficult to raise yourself back up, depending on what you did.” Yu’lena wiped a tear away from her eye, trying to hide it from Kez. “It is still a very kind religion. Soldiers are held in high regard for protecting the innocent and banishing evil.”

“Do you have a…Zieke language bible that I may read and approve for my men?” Kez asked, looking at the English and Rae copies of the bible. Yu’lena blushed slightly, feeling more improperly prepared for her role on the ship.

“I only have the two there, unfortunately…”

“Would it be against code for me to scan English one into computer for translation?” Yu’lena couldn’t get frustrated at Kez’s broken English, knowing the only reason she spoke English at all was an accidental gift from Constance. She thought Constance might be able to gift all of them with the same gift.

“I suppose not, but I do have to ask that if you are going to print it…handwrite it out instead. It is mostly for tradition…” Yu’lena realized she was oversimplifying things, but it was true. Rae didn’t have access to printers. Printing something wasn’t necessarily bad, it was just something of a grey area in her religion. “I know it is a task, but consider it as you doing me a…great favor.”

“Ah, it will be favor-back for you saving my men here.” Kez patted her on the arm and smiled. “Don’t worry. I will take the best care of your English bible and make you a fine copy in Zieke.”

“Oh, that is not…” Kez laughed again as Yu’lena tried to discourage her good deed, patting her on the arm again.

“I like you. You don’t even ask for things that are given.” Kez smiled. “I think you and I are…going to be very best friends.”

“I hope so.” Yu’lena said with her usual kindness in her voice. She really wouldn’t mind having more friends her age, knowing she was the oldest person on the ship. Kez was at least close to her age, finally someone she could talk to about the pains of getting old.


Patch was hovering around Hunter, checking on his progress. He was still in his coma, with no sign of waking up any time soon. It had Patch stumped, despite his almost endless knowledge. He was beginning to run deep, more complicated scans on him to try to solve it. As Patch hovered around him, he heard a noise and decided to go respond to it.

The crash was in a room that had patients’ personal effects. He hovered in and found Karen throwing things around. His camera immediately recognized her appearance being massively different. Her hair was back and many elegant curls in it. His sensors detected a gentle perfume of roses and a slight hint of wine to it, though he knew it was part of the perfume. She had on red nylons under her plaid skirt, and a white dress shirt that was unbuttoned to her bellybutton. Under the shirt, she was wearing a bronze breastplate that stretched down and covered her stomach. Combined with one on her back that it was belted to, it made almost an armored bra and corset combination. Literally on top of everything else, instead of her big frumpy glasses, she was wearing contacts.

“Karen,” Patch was programmed to recognize drastic appearance changes, as it could be a signal of serious problems, “is there something wrong?”

“Nothing at all, Patch.” Karen’s voice was smooth as silk and pleasant even to Patch. He didn’t have time to focus on that, recognizing Hunter’s special grenades in her hands.

“That is Mister Hunter’s property. I am going to have to ask you put those down…”

“You’re going to have to do more than ask…” Suddenly, Patch was sent flying off into the room by a powerful attack. Karen walked over to Ariis, who was smirking at her attack on Patch. She stretched up and kissed Ariis. “Here’s what you’re looking for, Master…”

“Are you sure you can modify these to do what I require?” Ariis put one hand on Karen’s stolen items, and one hand on her breastplate under her shirt.

“For you, Master? Anything…”

Eliza woke up with Zen clinging to her slightly. Zen would occasionally rub up against her and sigh almost like a cat purring. Eliza knew she wanted to be furious at Zen, but she just couldn’t muster it. Zen had seduced her even when she asked her to stop, but something about laying next to her in bed felt right. Yelling at Zen could wait until morning.

Eliza saw a lot of herself in Zen. She thought maybe that was why she was so reluctant to be with her. Zen was in just as damaged as her, if not more so. Eliza could lose herself in the job when she lost Sarah, devote every waking minute to finding the ones that killed Sarah, but Zen couldn’t. She was guessing whoever killed Zen’s loved-one was caught rather quickly. A quick, painless death for one that had caused such agony in her life left her feeling just as hollow as Eliza after the act. Now they had to both deal with the loss of someone they loved, but the fact that nothing could bring them back or at the very least make the pain go away.

It did Eliza some good to know that Zen couldn’t deal with the pain perfectly too. Eliza thought her Enhance Marine training had drained all of her emotions away, all the knowledge of how to handle it going with it. She didn’t know if she could tell Zen every horrible little thing that she went through in her life. Would a normal person know if she could tell a lover everything she went through?

More and more, the Enhance Marine parts of her seemed to clash with the real living parts of her. It stole her last month with Sarah away from her, though it was the reason she met Sarah in the first place. Once again, her feet were hanging off the end of her lover’s bed, her legs stretching well past Zen’s feet, even though Zen’s head was resting on her chest. Sarah was much smaller than Zen, and these things, these size-differences, would have never come up with her. Why did it bother her with Zen?

Maybe it was better to get the argument going. Get this out in the opening and get away from this alien feeling. It was harassing her, not letting her have a moment’s peace. That’s when it came, a small kiss on her chest from Zen in her sleep, a slight caress from her hand. Eliza was always so much warmer than Sarah’s small, cool body. Zen wasn’t quite as warm as her, but much warmer than Sarah. Her body was firm and tone instead of the ‘perfect princess’ body Sarah had. Maybe that’s why the size difference bothered her. Eliza was Sarah’s White Knight, while Zen needed no one to protect her. Eliza wasn’t sure how to handle that, but figured she might be able to accept it with a little work.


Kik’tik was sitting in the bar on the Orion. She hated leaving herself exposed like this, but Mana said she was going to meet her for drinks. It was the first possible date Kik’tik had in months, if not years, and she had to hope Mana would show up, even if it meant getting her hopes up for nothing. She felt like an idiot, sitting alone at the bar and ordering grape soda after grape soda as people just gawked at her and snapped photos. She realized it was an old, repeating truth in her life coming up again; No one wanted to get close to the bird-girl. It appeared even Mana fell into it.

“God damn it…” Kik’tik ran her fingers through her hair. Not even Zech and Sala had shown up, though she expected them to be getting to know each other better in their quarters. She was the only one alone on the ship as far as she was concerned. She signaled for the bar tender. “Get me your strongest beer, and make damn sure I don’t have an empty mug in front of me and I’ll give you a giant tip.”

“You got it…” The bartender said as he got out a frosted mug. He looked over the selection of beer before choosing the most expensive one. Kik’tik didn’t care how much it cost as long as it got her drunk. She wanted to try to forget the fact that she had been putting on a free freak show for the crew for the last few hours. The bartender filled a mug and plopped it down in front of Kik’tik. She stared at it briefly, knowing the agony it was going to cause her for the temporary relief. As she started to reach for it, a hand snatched it away at the last second.

“Jack Richards Premium Draft?” Mana whistled and took a drink from the mug. “You sure now how to treat a girl right.”

“You…” Kik’tik turned and faced Mana as she sat down on her stool. Mana took off her uniform coat and threw it around the back of her chair. She loosened her tie and unbuttoned her collar. “You actually came…”

“Sorry I wasn’t here sooner. Things didn’t go as smoothly with your two friends.” She took another drink of beer. “They wanted a room together, and the higher-ups thought they’d turn into a bomb when put together, I guess…So, I spent the last hour…” She looked at her watch. “Sorry, two hours, arguing that they’re more than likely to spend all their time fucking and not conspiring to destroy the ship from the inside.”

“That…” Kik’tik almost felt compelled to it was nice of Mana to do, but didn’t want to sound lame. “…was a problem on my ship. I finally let them have my quarters and they didn’t even change the sheets!”

“Oh god, and I hear Zieke sex gets pretty nasty…” Mana took a drink of beer. “Actually, I know it gets pretty nasty.”

“You know?” Kik’tik chuckled. “Oh, there’s a story there…”

“A Zieke guy I meet in a bar starts trying to seduce me…And he was ripped and I was drunk, so it worked, right? Not one of my prouder moments, but everyone’s telling me to loosen the hell up all the time, so I figure, why not? I get him back to my quarters, things are getting all hot and heavy…until he drops his pants…”

“So, it’s true?!” Kik’tik laughed again, leaning over to her. “They have those little…”

“Uh-huh…” Mana shook her head and took another drink of beer. “And he’s still trying to sell me on it! ‘Don’t worry, baby, you’ll DIG THE PAIN!’ Can you believe that shit? I swear I kicked him out of my room so fast that he tripped and stumbled and…well, he got stuck to the other wall like a DART…” Mana and Kik’tik both had a hearty laugh. “I’m sure…living on one of the Laumur’s worlds, you’ve got wilder stories than that…”

“Well…There was this time with this Tel-Kek…”


Tasha stayed late after the party ‘ended’ so Constance could get a chance to dance with her. Constance wanted a nice, romantic slow dance and Tasha was willing to oblige. Constance had her ear flat against Tasha’s chest, closing her eyes as they danced. She smiled as she felt Tasha’s hand glide gently through her hair.

“Connie…” Tasha whispered, knowing how tired Constance was feeling. She wanted to be sure Constance wasn’t asleep on her feet. Constance sighed, looking up at her with loving but completely exhausted eyes. “Maybe it’s time we called it quits, dear…”

“I think you’re right…” Constance groaned ever so slightly, frustrated that her body was betraying her like this. She straightened her dress and looked up into Tasha’s brilliant green eyes. Tasha’s eyes could always take her breath away. “Do you…do you mind if I kiss you one last time before I go?”

“You don’t have to ‘go’. I’m sure my dad wouldn’t mind if we granted you asylum from that lunatic Ariis…” Tasha straightened Constance’s hair for her slightly. She knew Ariis would want her to look perfect.

“No, she would come to get me…” Constance looked at the ground. “I want to keep her as far away from you as possible…I’d love to stay with you, believe me…”

“I know, Connie…” Tasha put her hands on her shoulders. “And you can, beautiful. We’ll tell my dad everything…I’m sure he won’t like it, but he’ll save you from Ariis, I know it.”

“I don’t want to tell your dad everything…” Constance looked away from her. “I wasn’t comfortable with you knowing, but showing your dad the bruises and…”

“Look.” Tasha said sharply, but still tried to sound tender and kind to Constance. “I know it’s embarrassing, but…” Constance embraced her, putting her mouth next to her ear.

“Ariis would take me from you…” Constance looked into Tasha’s eyes. “She would punish me for staying with you and you for thinking to take me…”

“I’m willing to take that chance…”

“Tasha…” Constance put her hand on the side of Tasha’s face. She stared into Tasha’s green eyes again. She felt such a deep connection with Tasha that it was almost like they shared the same soul. She didn’t know why. Constance just hoped Tasha felt it too. “…please, you’re making this harder than it has to be…”

“I just want to protect you, Connie…” Constance leaned in and kissed Tasha.

“I know, thank you…” Constance took Tasha’s hands into hers. “Do me a favor…let me walk back to Ariis alone, go back to your quarters, and try to enjoy the rest of your birthday…”

“I can’t promise that…”


Sally and Helena left the party at about the same time. Sally wanted to be sure no one took advantage of Helena while she was drunk. Still, Helena wasn’t as drunk as she started off as, burning off all the alcohol remarkably fast. She might have been a light-weight when it came to drinking, but her metabolism wouldn’t let her stay drunk long, a problem when it came to drinking to forget her problems. They saw Kristin and Geoff leave together, which worried Helena.

“You think Geoff and Kristin are…you know, right now?” Helena shook her head and rubbed her eyes. “Hell, Geoff’s probably going to tell me all about her in the morning…”

“I don’t think so…” Sally pointed to Kristin heading the opposite way down the hallway. Kristin smiled as she passed them, stopping and heading back towards them.

“Helena and Sally, right?” Kristin pointed to them to make sure she got their names right. “Can you tell me where your ship’s astrologic lab is?”

“Why do you want to go there?” Helena had to ask.

“Star gazing always helps clear my head…” Kristin up her hands on her elbows, rubbing her arms to calm herself down. “Digging up that old ‘surviving my own death’ story was a bad idea…plus with the drinking…and you never know when you find something new. You both are free to join me if you want. I’ll let you both name a star if we find anything.”

“Oh, what the hell, I was just going to go wallow in self-pity in my quarters anyway…” Helena smiled. “What about you, Sally?”

“I’m going to pass, girls.” Sally looked at her watch. “It’s late, and…I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I have to go home and study my bible…” Sally chuckled slightly. “I’m trying to decide what type of Priestess to become…”

“Oh, in that case…” Kristin bowed to her slightly, folding her hands in a prayer position. “Congratulations, Sally.”

“Thank you.” Sally bowed back. “I’ll see you both later…”

“Okay, see you later…” Helena knew she had to talk to Sally the next day. Sally could be one of her best friends, one of the few friends she’d have outside of Geoff. Plus, it had the bonus of Sally not always trying to see her breasts or anything else.

Geoff and Helena had been friends for a long time, going back to high school. Geoff had always been an annoying pervert, but she had learned to deal with it for the most part. Since they graduated high school and became pilots, they had been going from job to job together. Geoff was even her cover when they had to take a job on a ‘ship of amazons’, as Geoff put it. They spent about a year on that ship, ending up being temporary lovers on the ship, for lack of any other options. So, she put up with his antics since. She wondered if she should warn Kristin about some of his stranger quirks, deciding she’d decide later.

“Well, come on, show me the way to the lab and we can see if my probes have found anything.”

“Probes?” Helena started walking, leading the way to the lab. Kristin followed her without complaint.

“You don’t think I haven’t been using all my travels to my advantage?” Kristin chuckled slightly. “Well, don’t tell the Coalition, but I planted bugs on the ships of theirs I’ve been on so I can tap into their sensor feeds without being noticed. Same with most other ships I’ve been on, transports, mercenary ships like yours…And I’ve been dropping probes and satellites of my own as I go. So, I’ve got something like…fifty-to-seventy-five ‘eyes’ floating around both galaxies. I even have a picture of Earth, its great ring and all.”

“So that’s true? Earth has a ring?”

“…You’ve never seen it before?” Kristin smiled and put her arm around Helena as she shook her head no. “Then have I got a treat for you.”

Earth had become somewhat of a legend since the Crash. Not much was known about it, other than it being the pre-crash home of humanity. It had a ring world around it which couldn’t be explain, as most records had pictures of it before the ring and after. Most didn’t both going to Earth, as it was a prime spot for slavers and raiders. With the population kept with very primitive technology, it was the richest ground for them and made it almost impossible for the Coalition to remove them. Kristin hated it, knowing Earth was humanity’s home world. Someday, she was going to do something about it, though she didn’t know when or how.


Constance got back to Ariis’ quarters shortly after she said goodbye to Tasha. She walked up to the door and got ready to open it, hoping Ariis was still having sex with any random idiot at the time. Unfortunately, she didn’t hear the same ecstasy crazed thoughts she usually heard from Ariis’ mind. Instead, there was just silence, though she could feel Ariis’ presence. She was definitely awake and waiting for Constance. She decided not to put it off anymore, opening the door. Ariis was standing in the middle of the room, staring at the door.

“Oh, Master Ariis…” Constance did her best to hide how much her injuries really bothered her. She knew Ariis wouldn’t let her have a moment’s peace if she thought she was injured. “…Miss Tasha wondered where you were during her party, but I told her you sent me as an emissary…”

Ariis remained eerily silent, staring at Constance. Constance thought she was furious because she had sneaked off to be with Tasha at her party. She knew she was going to have to deal with it sooner or later, quickly and gingerly walking over to Ariis. She got up on her tip toes and kissed her, getting ready to make up an excuse, but Ariis didn’t let her talk, grabbing her by the neck.

“I can smell her on you…” Ariis growled, lifting her into the air. Constance gasped for breath, kicking her legs and fighting Ariis’ grip to try to get free, but it was no use. Ariis’ hand was a vice slowly closing on her throat. “You DARED to touch MY WOMAN!?”

“Muh…Master Ariis…” Constance wheezed out as tears poured down her cheeks and over Ariis’ hand. She couldn’t beg or plead with her long, the world slowly snuffing out around her as Ariis’ strangled her. Once her body went limp, Ariis threw her across the room, whistling to Karen.

“Drag her off to the dungeon and chain her up…” Ariis snarled.

“Yes, Master Ariis…” Karen didn’t question Ariis in the slightest, dragging Constance’s unconscious body off to the room she called the dungeon. She knew Ariis’ plans for Constance, hoping she would let her watch for the sick thrill of it all.