Gateway to the Stars

Lia punches the intercom, broadcasting throughout the ship. "We've got hostiles, and it looks like they are planning to board. Arven, stay with Esiar, make sure she's safe. Chet, keep working on that power grid. I'm going to get my hands on an attenuator."

She unlatches a compartment above the throttle and withdraws a single, ray-gun looking pistol, which she loops to her slim waist. She turns to you.

"Brenna - I don't know who we are about to meet but I'm going to assume they are hostile - and often more when it comes to women. You should find a place to hide and stay there until things are over, okay?"

You crouch in a dim corridor, listening to the clank clank clank of heavy footfalls on the deck above.

Peeking out of the recessed alcove, you see feet coming down the ladder above at the end of the hallway. Wide, scaly green feet.

A creature - broad of shoulder like a giant lizard like-ape, lumbers passed, it's clawed feet curling to grip the grates of the Silent Leopard. Behind this behemoth, follows a thin reedy man in a long leather workjacket, open to the chest and black pants.

"What do you mean, prickly? I'm a very easy going guy!" The lizard man rumbled, a chuffing, strange little noise. The man scoffed. As they stride past your hiding spot.

You tighten your grip on the ReelNet, the casing vibrating faintly in your hands.

BOWwowowossssss. You snap your hands forward and a glowing yellow electrical net leaps from the tip of the devices, reverberating towards the couple. The man dives underneath, but the lizard creature is snared -His torso covered in the sticky mesh.

You snap the ReelNet back but the man is back on his feet, a blaster in his hand.

TSEEWWW, TSEW TSEW! Orange lazer beams blow a smoking hole in the bulkhead where your head was moments ago. You are running, charging at him.

BOWwowowssss, you snap the ReelNet but he shoves the barrel up towards the ceiling, sending the net crackling into the wiring. Stars explode behind your eyes as the butt of his lazer pistol collides with the side of your head but you keep charging forwards and tackle him to the ground. The two of you go clattering, limbs twisted.

He scrambles to his hands and knees but you are faster. BOWwowosssss the net wraps around his hands, pinning him to the floor of the ship.

He aims one ill-tempered kick your way but you roll clear, ReelNet still gripped firmly in your hand.

"How many others?" You demand. The man laughs.

"Names Lazerbee." He says, "and you aren't much for small talk, are you?"

"Fuck you, how many people borded my ship?" You shake the ReelNet at him.

"Oh loads and loads. We've got so many people here, we'll have you stripped down to," he made sure to leer at you extra hard,"the 'bare essentials' in just a few minutes." He pulls himself to a better sitting position, his hands still firmly attached to the floor.

"But by all means, tie us up some more, that's clearly what you want to do." He gives you a cocky smirk.

You blast his legs with a net, sticking him solid and then take off down the corridor, listening for other sounds of movement. CLANG, thud thud.

There, in engineering.

Moving as softly as you can, you creep along the twisting hallways till you reach the double blast doors connecting engineering, jammed half-open with a I-beam shoved in place.

Peeking through, you see a man. No, not quite a man - he's skin is completely white and his body entirely hairless and muscular. He wears a simple cloak, drawn around his form but his features are instantly recognizable.

Kalchik. The alien you encountered back on Earth at the Hotel Murano.

Or someone who looks exactly like him. The being was standing in front of the silent, sleeping bulk of the gyroengine, it's wide metal hoops completely still. He turns, peering into the darkness and you hear a voice, thick and heavy, in the back of your head.

Where ARE you little machine man? I know you are in here. I can hear your thoughts, your delicious, lustful thoughts. They call to me, like a pure siren on a still night.

There's a clatter of something, like a tool bouncing off some panels, off to the right and the being swooops in that direction, his feet never quite touching the ground. You see a flash of white as Chet scrambles on the opposite side of the engine, hauling on a big lever.

DOOOT DOOT DOOT DOOT! The metal hoops hum to life and begin to slowly rotate in on themselves. The Kalchik being whirls, hand extended, pointing at Chet. Chet freezes, as if pinned by some invisible beam, his whole body going stiff, his jumpsuit suddenly straining around the waist.

Chet pitches over, his body stiff as a statue, falling face first into the metal deck.

You leap forward, the ReelNet humming in your hand as you release a volley of electric nets in the alien's direction.

Your shot goes wide, sending a stack of crates clattering to the ground. The creature turns, his long black cloak seeming to move independent of him.

Ah yes. Another. Perfect. He extends a hand and you feel a wave of intense arousal sweep over your body. Not the fiery eroticism of the Calidum Corpora, but a magnetic draw deep in your loins. You are suddenly very wet.

The creature gives an aristocratic smirk and waves you towards Chet. It has been far too long since I fed, you two will do nicely. He waves you towards Chet and before you have a moment to think about it, you find yourself jogging over to where he is held, still frozen in place.

"Brenna, what... it... happening?!" He says through gritted teeth, his erection straining the front of workman's clothes. "Jeez, get out of here while you still can!" He shouts in your face as he lurches forward, seizing you by your arms.

"Chet, Chet! It's okay. It's going to be okay." You say soothingly, reaching up and finding the zipper on his jump suit and pulling it down, revealing his broad shoulders and toned chest.

You feel the creature's eyes hot on your back, like an unseen spotlight, silhouetting you and Chet's bodies in a hushed theater.

"What are you doing?" Chet says in alarm as you pull his arms free from his jumpsuit, letting it bunch around his waist. You lean in, wrapping your arms around his hot body and whispering into his ear.

"I've seen this species before." You purr, softly nibbling his neck.

"Yeah, they're GhostHeads. I've seen them around Malkenier drydock." He whispers back. "They are creepy as fuck. They never eat or drink or sleep. If you see one, best stay out of their way because they can turn your guts inside out or something with a wave of their hands."

Chet is now pulling urgently at the hem of your shirt, threatening to rip it apart. You smoothly pull it over your head, revealing full breasts - your pale nipples looking dark in the orange glow of the emergency lights.

"You're wrong. They do eat. They feast on sex energy. Well, other types of emotional distress too but mainly sex."

You reach into his jumpsuit and find his cock - a steel bar coated in velvet. You give it a few strokes, feeling its weight in your hand, it's thickness. You lick your other palm and start massaging the head while the other hand forms and O and slowly works the shaft. Chet groans in frustration.

"Fuck, Brenna. What does that mean?" He grunts. You lean in and purr in his ear.

"That means you fuck the hell out of me and maybe he will be all fed and happy and we will have a moment to escape." You nibble on his earlobe. "Haven't you always wanted to fuck me Chet?"

"Are you serious?" he asks. "I've wanted nothing else since I first saw you." He glances over at the creature, his head pulled back deep into the hood of the cloak, floating there impassively.

"Let's do this," he says.

His hands go to your breasts, pulling roughly at your nipples. You throw your head back in ecstasy as his lips meet your throat, your shoulders, your chest.

He grabs your skirt and panties and in one smooth motion, pulls them to the floor.

"Get on your back." He says pushing away the rest of his jumpsuit, revealing the rest of his narrow but muscular body.

You lay back and he climbs between your legs, his lips descending to your lower lips. You feels his warm breath on your sex, your desire sharpening like a knife in anticipation.

"AH!" His tongue delves into your warm cleft, tracing the lips and then swirls around your clit, making you moan and jump and writhe. You grab your breasts, pulling at them roughly, as he sucks and licks, his fingers joining in the assault. You pound your fists against the metal of the deck and arch your back as the orgasm sweeps through your body.

"More!" You hiss, demanding, grabbing his face and pulling him up into a kiss, your tongues tangling in sweaty passion. You feel him down below, his thick cock slapping against your thigh as the two of you rub your naked bodies together.

Distantly, you feel that sensation of being watched by a silent crowd intensify.

"Oh I've got more." Chet says and slides his cock inside you. You moan, savoring the sensations as he pushes deep inside you. You reach up and rake his back with your nails as he saws in and out of you. His thrusts get more and more frantic, your hips slapping against the deck floor.

"Yes Yes YES!" You meet him thrust for thrust, pushing up against him while you cling to his broad shoulders, a leaf shuddering in a massive windstorm.

He takes a pause, a thick sheen of sweat coating his chest as he pulls out of you. You give him a playful grin.

"Is that all you've got? Fuck me from behind." You roll over on your hands and knees as he presses your chest to the floor. He grabs your hips and, groaning, slides inside you.

"Fuck." You moan in satisfaction, reaching out into your pile of clothes, fumbling for the device. Chet grabs your hips with both hands and begins thrusting, hard and fast. His hips become a blur, as he fucks you.

"Ohhh fuucccckkkk" you groan, tightening around him. He gives one more deep thrust and then reaches around, frantically fingering your clit, catching you by surprise. You gasp, open-mouthed as he shoots thick ropes of cum deep inside your pussy and then squeeze your eyes shut as your second orgasm hits you, in all its blinding glory.

You look back and see the Kalchik creature, head thrown back, mouth open in wordless ecstasy, floating a few feet off the ground. You snap your wrist, flicking the ReelNet out of the pile of clothes.

BOWwowowowohissssss. The net wraps him up, ensnaring his chest and body. His eyes snap open in alarm, as he shouts some sort of hissing profanity that the bugs in your brainstem refused to translate.

Chet slumps forward, trying to find his bearings as he slides out of you. You turn, pressing your naked body against his and give him a soft kiss.

"Are you okay?' He gives a wry laugh.

"Am I okay? I just had the best sex of my life and you're asking if I'm okay?"

"What the fuck happened here?" Lia stands at the blast doors to engineering, a strange, toaster-sized device in her hands. Chet scrambles to his feet.

"Oh gods, I...jeez...." He grapples for his jumpsuit. You ignore him, unconcerned with your temporary state of undress.

"Everything okay?" You ask. Lia glances at your prisoner.

"I think so. We need to get these guys back on their own ship and then let's get out of here. I don't think these people are the only ones watching this trap."

With that, you pull on your clothes and get to work.

The holocron crackles to life, creating a floating three dimensional image in the middle of your quarters. A glowing, vaguely pastoral looking scene of grasslands next to an ocean floats in front of you while cheesy, horn-heavy music plays distantly in the background.

"Have you ever wanted to sail.. amongst the stars?"

"Thanks to the hardworking craftsmen of the Abhaile cluster, now you are able to chart your own path amongst the stars with our new Silencio Model Solar Skiff."

"Discover the leisure and limitless possibilities with your own solar skiff today."

The holocron flashes to a simple animation.

"Many years ago, a large comet struck the original planet of Abhaile - shattering it and forming the Abhaile Cluster. Thanks to the sustained gravity, the cluster maintains the original atmosphere, flora and fauna now adapted to its new environment."

It flashes through a series of picturesque scenes. "Easily sail amongst our many moons and islands or take a twilight fishing expedition among the great Cintra reefs. All these adventures and more are available with a purchase of your Silencio Solar Skiff."

The holocron continues with a brief tutorial on how to fly, working the tiller and trimming the sails before closing with a reminder to place your deposit.

"Whether you are looking for a leisurely cruise through the cascading nebula or a peaceful retreat from the cares of the universe, the Abhaile Cluster has what you need."

Your door chimes and Arven's voice calls through the speaker. "Brenna, may I come in?"

You thumb the holocron closed and hit the button. "Yes Arven, I'm here, come in."

He climbs down the ladder, his metal arm whirring softly.

"Are you alright?" He asks simply.

"Yes, a little shaken but fine." He nods.

"We just finished cutting their ship loose. Lia says that they should have enough air and power to last for a week out here." He shrugs. "Maybe someone will come by, maybe not."

He idly rubs his pants with his human hand.

"Uh... I heard Chet talking about what happened." Arven's voice was odd, a little clipped. Was he angry? You search his features but don't see any indication.

"Did you enjoy it?" Arven asks.

You blush and look down, feeling guilty. "Arven, I don't know what to say."

"Chet says it is the best sexual experience of his life."

"That is sweet." You answer. You take a deep breath. "Yes, Arven, I enjoyed it."

Arven nods, satisfied. "This is good. You were very resourceful in beating that Ghosthead. I do not know if others would have been able to disable him in that manner."

"I've actually encountered those creatures before." You say. "On my home planet, one of them held several of my friends captive for a time, feeding on their energies."

"Foul creatures, with strange sorcery and their own agenda." Arven balls his fist. "My people called them 'the ones that feed on your terrors' until we drove them from our world. With great effort I might add."

"So you aren't upset?" You ask cautiously. Arven shakes his head, his face serious.

"I found the telling of the experience very arousing. I have always thought Chet would make a satisfactory lover and while I do not wish to share his bed myself, this does seem to answer that call."

"Oh." You reply, startled. "That is...not upset."

"No. Far from it." He steps forward and sweeps you into a full kiss. You melt against his chest as he cradles your cheek in his hand. You feel his cock straining through his pants.

"Do you plan to fuck any others on the ship? Lia? Esiar?" He whispers in your ear, his hand tracing the curves of your hips.

"Maybe, if they are interested." You say playfully.

"I would very much like that. Do you think I would be able to watch?"

"If they don't mind, then yes!" You flash him a sinful smile as he pulls you in for a long deep kiss.

###

CRACKLE! BZAP!! Pssszzzzzzzz. Distantly, you hear the hiss of... something, gas maybe? Distorted. Everything is coming in bits and flashes. Your lip is wet and the world is sideways. POP cssshhh! A shower of sparks explodes somewhere in your field of vision - a torn bulkhead? You lick your lips. Not wet. Bloody.

You are lying on the gangplank of the second floor corridor, the smoking billowing from the mess hall behind you. Alarms - roaring sirens coming in and out of focus. You sit up and suck in several deep breaths, trying to collect yourself.

You were on the bridge. Lia was there... she was excited. Waving her hands all around - leaping back and forth from panel to instrument to panel. The Silent Leopard was orbiting a young star, recharging our gyrosphere before the last jump and she had been working the whole time. The wreckage, yes. She was trying to recreate the anomaly and it had gone wrong.

You pull yourself up on shaky feet as another bout of sparks shoots out of the smashed conduit ahead of you.

It had gone very wrong. She had been all worked up, something about TransQuantum particles and attunement to the polarity. The Dialectapeedes did the best they could but you expect it would have been difficult even for a native speaker. Lia's delight at scientific discovery, however, required no translation.

You remember the flickering light within the containment field. A pulsing light - so bright it left black streaks in your vision. It felt like a thousand voices all calling out - voices familiar and urgent.

You found yourself lurching forward, the containment field fluttering between yourself and the light but then a sound. Esiar, climbing up the ladder to the cockpit. In her hands, something round and metal.

The sharp jabbing pain in your gut. You look down at the burned remains of your shirt; charged, ripped and blasted like so much tissue paper.

A jagged bolt of lighting had jumped from the anomaly to Esiar - right through you. The world exploded in fire, lights and sparks. The ship wrends apart around you.

You lurch forward. You've got to get to the bridge. If that anomaly is still there - unguarded. If Lia or Esiar is hurt?

No gaping holes in the hull between the second deck and the first- but no sign of your shipmates either. Pushing aside the shrapnel on the ladder, you start to climb up towards the cockpit when you see a pair of boots coming down. You step aside, ducking into the recess leading to Lia's quarters.

Just in time for Brenna to land on the deck with graceful spring.

It's you. Exactly like you. You clap your hand to your mouth to keep from shouting.

Except it is not quite you. For one, her shirt is still intact. Her hair is a little shorter but not much, and she's wearing a bit of eye makeup. Not enough that anyone could really notice in the emergency lighting but you can tell.

The you that is not a you glances down the hallway and then calls up to the cockpit.

"I'm seeing some mess here but nothing is on fire. I'm going to find Chet and see how the Gyrosphere is." Despite years of hearing your voice echoed back to you on the radio, it is still jarring to hear what you sound like outside your head. Confident? When you say things, it never sounds that confident to you.

"Good! If you see Arven along the way, let him know what happened." Lia calls back, but the Brenna that is not a Brenna is already swishing along down the hallway.

With quick steps, you scale the ladder into the cockpit. There is blast marks over half the consoles but Lia is working like a madwoman; pulling out wires, frantically reconnecting things and plugging them back in. In the middle of the room, the singular anomaly pulses faintly, winking in and out of existence - with nothing between it and you other than the smoky air of the bridge.

"Lia, we need to talk." You announce.

"FUCKSTICKS!" Lia shouts in alarm, dropping the clamp-like device in her hand. "That was fast."

"Lia, I just got here, you were talking to the duplicate Brenna."

Lia stops dead in her tracks and looks you up and down. "Duplicate Brenna? Yes, I can see it now - your shirt, your arms..."

"What about my arms?" You say self-consciously. Lia waves away your question.

"The lightning, yes." She glares at the anomaly. "What have you done, you little abomination?"

Lia is at your side at once, jabbing you with a sharp screwdriver shaped device.

"Ow!" you wince.

"Sorry. Got a sample now." She plugs that into one of the non-burned panels before giving a battery crate a well-placed kick, causing it, and the containment field around the anomaly, to sputter to life.