Galactic Slut Ch. 08

Chapter 8

The Fog of War

While Xylon was quite a way from the heart of the Federation, the prospect of a new trading partner and Federation member meant that independent merchants visited more often than one would expect. Brusjin had no trouble negotiating passage for us. The Captain of the Troubadour would give us passage for two nights with me. I wondered sometimes just how many people negotiated passage on ships like this. I suspect only the ship captains knew for sure.

The Troubadour was a fairly small vessel, built for taking light cargos across the Federation very quickly. The speed of transit, half the time as most freighters, was offset somewhat by the cramped quarters. We'd be sleeping in small spaces that were less than a half meter longer and wider than we were. The sleek, aerodynamic vessel was sitting on the ground with three figures carrying some small crates into the hold.

As we grew closer, we could make out snatches of their conversation as they worked. One particular piece caught our attention. "nth race attacked again. What do you think they want?" It sounded like the seventh race had attacked the Federation again, somewhere. When we'd left for Xylon, there'd still been nothing known about the mysterious new sentient species. It looked like interstellar war was coming, no matter how stupid it was.

The Captain was waiting for us at the top of the ramp. "Mr. and Mrs. Valenshenko, it's a pleasure to meet you. I trust everything is in order?"

"Yes, Captain Melnantz. It's a pleasure to be traveling on your ship," Brusjin answered.

As his hand reached out to shake mine, I had to force my stomach to control itself. Captain Melnantz was Jodalian. As such, his features seemed to be constantly melting into others. I'd met amorphous creatures before, but this was different. Jodalians are shape shifters. They could alter their form to that of any creature of about the same mass. Unless specially trained for it, their natural form couldn't hold a fixed shape without expanding a lot of effort. Most simply let their sympathetic nervous system do what it wished with their appearance. The difference between, say a Rax and a Jodalian is that you expected the Rax to have no set form.

"I'm looking forward to our trysts, Mrs. Valenshenko; may I call you Susan?"

"Of course. I'm looking forward as well. Tell me Captain, what can you tell us about the latest concerning the seventh race?"

"It's pretty bad. In the last two weeks, they've attacked the systems of Brolin, Gostarch, Zeta Prime and Yeltin."

"All four in two weeks? Those systems are hundred's of light years apart."

"I know. Unless these strangers have a vastly superior drive system, they've launched four attacks from different locations, all without having heard of the initial incident."

"Are you sure?"

"Very sure. Here, look on this monitor." We had entered the ship and were at the small bridge. He brought up a holographic image of the Federation star charts. While the four systems that were attacked weren't on opposite sides of known space, they were quite some distance apart. "These globes," he said, pointing to four amber glowing spheres in the display, "are the range of operations for the most efficient Dolman field the Federation knows of. Notice that they don't all overlap. There's no way that the five attacks could have been coordinated from one spot, unless they were timed somehow. But it gets worse. This new sphere is the radius of movement possible from the site of the original incident. It doesn't overlap any of the others. This means that the new attacks were made without knowledge of the first meeting."

The meaning of his information was hitting both Brusjin and I. I could only think of three possibilities to explain the data. One is that the attacks were truly random and the Federation was being attacked by several different political entities at the same time. Two is that the attacks were part of a coordinated assault planned long in advance of the attacks themselves. If this was the case, we were in deep trouble. There was no telling how thorough the plans would've been. There may well be numerous additional attacks that have yet to happen or be heard about. Three was that this seventh race had discovered true interstellar communication. If that was the case, the Federation may as well roll over and surrender. There was no way to compete with a race that knew the results of battles ten times (or more) as fast as we did. Counterattacks could be launched even before we knew if we'd won or lost.

The problem is that ships can't be intercepted while in a Dolman field. The field works by literally shrinking the ship to microscopic dimensions. The process, in a manner I don't understand, creates a bubble of space where the laws of the universe change in some fundamental way; making the speed of light increase geometrically. The shrinking is so profound that the ship passes through the spaces in the atoms of any solid matter in the way.

While the news was troublesome, there was little we could do about it. We settled into the common room for liftoff and entry into Dolman space. Other than the usual willies during the activation of the drive, we had no trouble at all. Shortly after that, the Captain joined us.

"Susan, I hope you don't mind the rush, but I'd like to take you now. I haven't had sexual release for over three months. You could say I'm anxious."

"Not at all, Captain. I assume you have a room?"

"Of course, one of the privileges of being Captain."

He led me through a short series of passages to a cabin. I've stayed in larger ones on many transits. Space was truly at a premium on this ship. There was barely room to stand between the bed and the small desk. As soon as the hatch closed, his hands were at my clothes, stripping me in short order. Realizing that he wanted a hard and fast start, I let him have his way and responded with aggression of my own. If I hadn't been wearing break-away clothing, he would've ripped them.

He didn't give but a passing glance at foreplay. One arm pulled me tightly towards him where our mouths met in a heated kiss. His tongue snaked into my mouth and I could feel it morphing as it explored me. I shuddered with a bit of squeamishness that was soon forgotten as his other hand probed my pussy. As his fingers entered me hard, I could feel them changing, elongating to fill my pussy. I started to hump his hand as my arousal shot through the roof. I could hear the pleased buzz of Crystal in my head as it reveled in the totally new sensations.

I could feel his cock throbbing against my belly. Moisture was there, no doubt his version of precum. I slipped one hand between us and ran my fingers across the tip, getting a dollop of the cool, slick liquid as well as the satisfaction of his groans. He thrust against my fingers and he changed somehow, I couldn't tell exactly how, and I found my hand fucking his cock without actually closing.

I hovered just short of cumming, moaning with desire and need. I felt something on his hand, and then found my clit pinched between two…things is the best word I could come up with. I tried to scream as my orgasm washed over me, but his tongue was still filling me. In fact, it had grown and was snaking down my throat. Surprisingly I could still breathe and I found my orgasm going on longer than it had ever before (except when Crystal was prolonging it).

When I came down from my high, I was still enveloped in his arm, which had grown to wrap around me several times. His other hand left my pussy and started to wrap around my legs, effectively trapping me as securely as my old slave bracelets. We had somehow fallen onto the bed with him on top of me. I was no stranger to bondage and, since I had no reason to distrust him, I went with the flow. I felt his cock pull away from my hand on its own and slither like a snake to the entrance of my pussy. It grew as it entered me, filling me and stretching my pussy to its widest.

I moaned in discomfort at the tight, and growing tighter, fit he was making for himself. Not only that, his cock was thrusting into me without the rest of his body moving. While all this was happening, I also felt a digit (I'd lost track of what body part was doing what) start probing at my ass. I suspect that if I'd had any ability to move at all, I'd have panicked about now. As it was, all I could do was lay there and absorb the triple fucking I was getting (his tongue was also thrusting now). I'd been in gang bangs that had seen less use of me than this one shape shifter was giving me. When those things once again pinched my clit (even though his hand was nowhere near, I think) I lost it and started cumming.

My orgasm didn't stop soon either. My body began to ache from the unending climax and still he thrust into me with three organs of some sort or another. His endurance seemed to be phenomenal for someone who'd been without sex for so long. It was only as I was approaching exhaustion that I felt him cum…in all three of my holes! The only warning, if you could call it that, was his tongue pulling most of the way out. He filled my mouth with something (can a tongue give cum?) while my ass and cunt were likewise flooded with whatever the fluid was.

I was used to cocks softening once a male had cum, but the Captain's entire body seemed to soften. He slid off me and I was able to see his entire body again. In spite of my post-orgasmic haze, I gasped. His body seemed shapeless, devoid of any skeletal structure. His flesh seemed to twitch and writhe as I watched. Slowly, however, he started to take form again. I swear I could see bones forming beneath his flesh before my eyes.

It took several minutes, but he finally opened his eyes and spoke to me. "Thank you, Susan. I'm sorry for coming apart on you like that, but it's normal for my species to go limp, as it were, when encountering extreme levels of sensation. It's supposed to be a defense mechanism against predators, but orgasms are enough similar to pain that it happens during sex as well."

I'd recovered from my shock in the few minutes I'd had to wait for him to reform. "I suspect that faking orgasms doesn't happen much with your females."

"Women don't have orgasms with our species. They lack the physical capability."

"Sex without climaxing? That sounds horrible."

"They don't seem to miss them. I have to say, however, that I prefer women who can cum. The sensations on me are extremely pleasant."

"I'll bet. I'm looking forward to our return engagement."

"As am I."

After a quick shower, I was back in our space (I wouldn't deign to call it a cabin). As pleasant as sex with the Captain was, I had other things worrying me. This war, if one could call it that, would interrupt our ability to carry out our mission. The threat of attack by an unknown alien menace would close down shipping by all but the most adventurous merchant captains. Those that would venture out would seek the most profit from the situation. It's doubtful that sex would be enough of an inducement, at least no sex I was willing to perform.

Captain Melnantz didn't have any trouble putting two and two together concerning the attacks. Clearly the seventh race had a technological advantage over the Federation. Brusjin must have been having the same worries as I was. He had my virtual room on and had projected the area of space affected by the attacks holographically. He had highlighted three other worlds.

"Susan, take a look at this? I think I've spotted a pattern to the attacks."

"A pattern? I thought it was pretty clear. They're making their way deeper into Federation space."

"Not exactly. Look at this." He was somewhat clumsy with the controls, not having used the room much in the past. "This is the border of the Federation in three dimensions. Do you see how the five worlds they've attacked haven't been progressively deeper into Federation space?" I did, at that. In two dimensions, the way most people thought of space, it would look like they had, because they've moved further into the plane of the galactic spiral. Yet, in that portion, the Federation was primarily vertical in orientation and spread. What they'd really done is to slice off a thin section, much like slicing cheese for a sandwich. "If I'm right, the next two worlds they'll attack will be these."

I saw the ones he'd highlighted and frowned. It didn't make much sense, though I'm not a military expert by any means. "What would that accomplish, Brusjin?"

"It would isolate this world, for all practical purposes."

I didn't recognize the world he'd indicated, but still didn't understand. "Brusjin, you can't isolate a world by surrounding it. You can fly directly from any world to any world; that's just the nature of interstellar flight."

"You'd be right, normally, but the goal isn't to isolate the world totally; just long enough to steal what they want." At my confused look, he added, "This world is Ralint, Susan."

"Brusjin, if they…oh my God! They know about the artifacts. How did they learn of them? There's been no time for the information to have traveled…" I stopped when it hit me. The seventh race had the ability to communicate faster than light, possibly instantaneously. "Crystals, they're using crystal slaves to communicate."

"Yes, that's my theory. It's potentially worse. The only way for them to have known about the artifacts was for someone with crystal slaves to have told them, and the only group in the Federation that uses Crystal slaves is the Hellfire Group. Hellfire either is, or controls the seventh race."

It was starting to make sense. The artifacts, especially if they were all working versions, would be well worth the expenditure of time and resources being used by Hellfire and the new race. The idea of the Hellfire group in possession of the Map of the Heavens was bad enough, but if the Sword of the Prophets was a working progenitor weapon, the results of that evil association's ownership of it would be catastrophic. We had to get to Ralint as soon as possible.

"Brusjin, we need…"

"I know. I'll talk with the Captain. Susan, the Captain is a Kroklin fan."

The word made me shudder in a combination of fear and disgust. I'd been subjected to Kroklin twice while I was a slave. This so called game involved whipping slaves with a whip of some kind for the sole reason of causing pain for the enjoyment of others. Most players thought of the game as humane because the armor the slaves wore protected them from real bodily damage. The armor, however, transmitted the pain directly. Some more advanced forms of the armor could actually increase the pain levels over and above what would be caused if the whips were used on the slave directly.

I've heard that there were free people who enjoyed, for whatever reason, being the victim in Kroklin. Apparently those rumors are true. Myself, I couldn't imagine why anyone would do so. Now I may be forced to submit to such abuse to get us to where we needed to go.

"Try to avoid it, but if it's absolutely necessary, I'll agree. I'm assuming he has his own armor. If he insists on Kroklin, no more sex."

"Have I mentioned how much I love you, Susan?"

"Yes, but you can never hear that too much."

Brusjin was gone quite a while and I was starting to get worried. When I felt us coming out of the Dolman field, I breathed a tentative sigh of relief. You can't change course inside the field, so dropping out early meant we were changing our course. Now I just needed to know what the price was going to be. Brusjin returned a few minutes later. The look on his face said it all.

"I'm sorry Susan, he was adamant about Kroklin. He also insists on a good game. If Crystal blocks your pain, he'll change course again." At my worried look, he hastened to add, "No, he doesn't know about Crystal, I just know that you'll be tempted to block."

"When?"

"Tomorrow. I guess he needs to get his armor out of storage."

The rest of the day saw me on pins and needles. The Captain's demand had reminded me of my days as a slave in the worst possible way. The game of Kroklin was evidence of the evil that slavery was. If free people wanted to subject themselves to intense pain for the fun of it, they had every right to do so. But Kroklin was the direct result of slavery and the callousness towards sentient life that the institution breeds. There'd been moves in the past, I'd discovered, to outlaw the game. The problem was that the game was the symptom, not the problem. Until slavery was abolished everywhere, Kroklin, or things as bad or worse, would always exist because slavery as an institution bred out of intelligent creatures a respect for life and dignity. I was convinced that if slavery were outlawed, colony status for new planets would soon follow.

I was only able to sleep because Crystal put me to sleep. I skipped breakfast for fear of throwing up in the pain. The Kroklin helmet was pretty confining and I didn't relish inhaling my meal. Before I was ready (as if I'd ever be ready for this), the Captain had shown up for me. I had no qualms about letting him see the disappointment with him in my face.

"Susan," he started, "I don't Kroklin with slaves; only with willing free people."

"Not any more, you don't. I'm certainly not what anyone would call willing. Demanding this as payment for something important is coercion."

He didn't seem to have a response to that. The space he led me to was clearly a cargo hold with the cargo hastily restacked to give us room. I donned the armor as quickly as I could, figuring the sooner the better to get this over with. His armor looked more technologically advanced than the system that Brusjin had purchased on Branchet more than a year ago. He used the cargo tractor web system to hold me immobile. When the first lash fell, I screamed.

Never in my life had I experienced such agonizing pain; not even from the old slave collar's direct neural induction. Clearly this armor was the type to amplify the pain impulses far beyond normal levels. The pain seemed to last for far longer as well, but I never knew if that was a side effect of the increased levels or a deliberate action on the part of the armor. All I knew was that I was in hell and there was no end in sight.

In retrospect, I suspect the armor had a function to prevent my passing out, as I couldn't believe that anyone could stay conscious under this assault. My nerves were on fire and I was soon convinced that my skin was being flayed from my bones while I hung there.

A moment out of time, suspended between one pain impulse and another.

[CAN YOU UNDERSTAND US?]

There was a multitude of voices in my head, all speaking in unison. I recognized the voices as Crystal's voice, yet different. [Crystal? Is that you?]

[YES. NO. WE ARE THE CRYSTALS]

[How did I get more crystals in me?]

[NOT IN YOU. BASE COLLECTIVE SPEAKS DIRECTLY.]

[I'm talking to the base collective? Why? How?]

[YES. SOLO BUD IN DANGER. INTENSE, PROLONGED SENSATION ALLOWS CONTACT.]

[Ah, like when I first talked to Crystal. What's a solo bud and how is it in danger?]

[SOLO BUD IS UNJOINED BUD SEPARATE FROM BASE. STABALIZING ENERGY FIELD DAMAGED. BUD IS USING RESERVES AT EXTREME RATE.]

[How can I help?]

[JOIN WITH BUD]

{I'm already joined. Won't that be a problem?]

[NO. COJOINING NORMALLY FOR REPRODUCTION]

[Where is the solo bud?]

[YOU CALL THE PLANET RALINT.]

Oh my God! I'd been right. The Jewel of Peace was an unjoined Crystal. [It's the crystal in the museum, isn't it?]

[REFERENCE UNDERSTOOD. YES, THAT IS THE SOLO BUD.]

[We're on our way now. Do you know what happened? How much time does the bud have?]

[STABALIZING ENERGY FIELD IS NO LONGER PRESENT. ACTIONS BY HOSTILES REPSONSIBLE. 37 MICROSPANS SUN ARC.]