Pilot 05: Obscured by Clouds

The Pret seemed to have fought and lost different kinds of battles on this side of the wall. They had attempted to clear it of all vegetation, but the moon had struck back. Something similar to concrete was broken up and overgrown by sturdy trees and shrubs. There were pieces of technology scattered around, broken and also partially overgrown. We passed another burned-out spacecraft looking like an enormous metallic carcass in the dwindling yellow light of Dawnmaker. Ahead of us was a well-lit encampment of the Pret.

"This is as far as we can accompany you. We are not capable of making ourselves invisible as you are. We will wait for you here."

"I'm not sure I understand what I am supposed to do?"

"You will carry on to the Crystal Lake. All your questions will be answered there. We will wait here for your return."

"Won't they be scanning for deflectors? They have pretty neat automatic defence systems. This isn't my first run-in with them, you know."

"They won't, as they don't expect technology here at all. They have tailored their defences against Dawnmaker's animals and primitives."

She rolled her eyes, which was their equivalent of a grin.

"Meaning us by that, of course."

"But we have used energy weapons."

"Well enough to be sure they couldn't communicate that. There are weapon discharges here all the time. You are in no danger of being discovered, unless something unforeseen happens."

I saw no reason to distrust her judgement. We switched on our deflectors and left the Guardians behind, slowly approaching the encampment.



Chapter four – Emergence

Invisible or not, I was feeling anything but safe when we reached the Pret compound. The octamer-shaped houses appeared to be of a light plastic-like substance that was interlaced with what looked like metal bands. N'ella was right, there were thousands of them. And judging from the sounds coming out of those houses, they were busy increasing their numbers. Some didn't bother to recline into a more private setting for that. They apparently didn't need much encouragement either, or maybe it was the effect of Life – in any case, I saw two Pret pass each other, then suddenly stopping and a few seconds later I saw one massive dick disappearing in the other's hole below it.

Everywhere were small translucent containers, surrounded by rather bright light-panels. What was inside looked like leathery eggs.

"Alpha, scan those things, please. We can get invaluable information here."

"I already have Jon. Those are eggs. The Pret are clearly oviparous creatures, as I am detecting Pret DNA."

"Fascinating."

We had to change our position as it was difficult to get out of the way of the Pret passing us, some stopping to watch their comrades fuck and, apparently being turned on by the spectacle, getting busy themselves. Okay, I admit it, this was our enemy and all that, but I had a really hard time not feeling aroused by what I saw. I was about to ask Beta for a quick invisible hand or blowjob when I first heard the voice in my head.

'No. Come closer. I need you closer.'

'Who are you?'

'I am that which the Guardians call Life.'

'And you call yourself?'

'I don't. Come to me. I need you closer to communicate everything you need to know.'

"Yes Jon, let us go closer."

"You too can hear it too? That is impossible."

"I know Jon. And yet it is true."

In any case it was time to leave what by then had become a full-blown orgy. I wondered if Life had increased its influence to distract the Pret and make it easier for us to approach. They weren't the only ones, though, who suffered from that energy engulfing us. While we were using the antigravs to hover above hordes of shagging Pret, Alpha quickly flew up to me and provided me with instant relief just by rubbing a few times on my aching dick. I came into my combat suit, a sticky wetness spreading up to my belly-button, but my cock didn't flag down. Fuck, this could definitely be a prime vacation spot in peaceful times.

We went up a bit higher as we approached a larger structure, where burned metal and destroyed parts indicated that the Pret had kept technology in there that didn't respond well to Life. Behind it, eerily illuminated by the blindingly bright light of the Crystal Lake was what looked like a gigantic hosepipe around it, just with bits and pieces missing in between – this must have been the construction site the Guardians were talking about. I replaced the visor which enabled me to see Emma's hands with one making the light more bearable.

'Come right into my centre.'

'What is that the Pret are building? Something to fence you in?'

'No, worse. Much worse. Come closer. Do not concern yourself with this now.'

It was like flying into a viscous liquid lapping around me, fondling my body in the process. Without anyone touching me besides this energy I came again.

'Do you hear me? Is there anything I can do against this arousal? Not that I mind coming for no apparent reason, but sooner or later it might get a tad too wet in my combat suit.'

'You will be safe in my centre. You are almost there. Ten yards to the left. Now switch off your levitation devices. Trust me. You will not be harmed.'

We were flying at a height of approximately nine feet and the prospect of falling onto what looked like rather sharpish crystals wasn't overly appealing. But as strange as that might sound, I trusted that entity implicitly. I wanted to tell Emma's hands to do the same, but they had already plummeted into the crystals long before me. I was awaiting the impact, yet there was none. It was as if the crystals were immaterial, a mirage. The antigrav unit was definitely switched off, but I felt like I was hovering.

I felt pleasantly relaxed and peaceful, even my aching dick now bowed down in a wash of positive and rather pure energy that I appeared to be immersed in. I noticed that I could see Alpha and Beta, and was wondering why they had switched off their deflectors.

'You are Jon, the pilot.'

'You still have me at a disadvantage. You say you don't have a name other than the one the Guardians gave you?'

'It is a little bit more complicated than that. A part of me was corporeal once and then I had a name. I was known as Dfor. You are most likely familiar with the species of that part. I was what you know as a Salarmorn.'

'I actually never met anyone of your species, nor did they provide me with engrams about your lot.'

'That is not important now. Suffice it to say I once came here to investigate the unique energy properties of this moon on a request of the then still young Darian civilisation. I discovered that this Crystal Lake was something of a nexus or dimensional gateway. It would take too long to explain this in detail to you. All you need to know is that when investigating it, I got entangled and transformed by the energy converging here. I lost my physical body and evolved into something different.'

'And the Darians terra-formed the moon to keep you company?'

'The Darians did nothing of the sort. It was I who transformed it. In essence, this moon is me. All Life except for the Guardians is me.'

'And except for the Pret of course.'

'The Pret ... you have no idea how dangerous they really are. It is no coincidence they started their invasion in this sector, and no coincidence they want to get their hands on this moon. They are here for a reason. They want to use the gateway to bring their dark master into this dimension.'

'The entity their religion is based on?'

'Yes, the Ta'baka'ta. I have been battling it for millennia. It is inconceivable what powers it will have when entering this dimension. If the Pret are allowed to complete the dimensional lens they are building here, this galaxy will fall. That cannot, that must not happen.'

'The hosepipe around the lake? But isn't that technology you can influence?'

'Not that kind of technology. The Ta'baka'ta knows about my weaknesses and advised them accordingly. The Pret must not complete the lens. I am doing everything I can to disrupt their building efforts, but they are close to completion despite that. I am not powerful enough to withstand the Ta'baka'ta. I need your help. And to save us time I have transferred all additional information you require into your androids. You only need to focus on the decision whether you wish to help me or not.'

'What do you want me to do?'

'You have to get into your ship and destroy the lens.'

'I see.'

The ramifications were as plain as a pikestaff to me. First of all, I needed to uncloak to fire upon the building site. That would alert the Pret not only to Emma, but probably Mother and the kids also. I wasn't certain I could hit just the lens and not injure or kill the Life entity in the process. There was also a good chance the Pret would simply rebuild what they had started here.

'You have an agile mind. You understand the problem in its entirety. A lasting solution will not be found here today. That is why I gave your androids a block of encrypted data you will have to bring to what used to be my people. But you don't have to worry about my well-being, I can partially retreat into a dimensional fold, so you could at best injure but not kill me. It is your choice, but I cannot emphasize enough how important this is.'

'I understand. I will do what you ask.'

'Good. They are bringing an additional piece of the construction down in a few hours. Return to the Guardians, who will guide you to your ship.'

'Okay. By the way, nice touch with the affirmation of Life stuff and so on.'

'I don't understand what you are trying to say.'

'Getting everything on this planet horny and all that.'

'Ah, I see what you mean. Well, I was a Salarmorn once after all.'

Apparently Life thought that would suffice as an explanation, as it fell silent.

'Go now and find the Guardians. I have told them what needs to be done. Your ship awaits you. It is quite an extraordinary being and it feels deeply for you.'

'I know.'

'I hope to see both of you again some time. You are always welcome on this moon. Good luck and goodbye.'

Before I could form another thought, I felt lifted up and almost spit out of the energy domain I had been floating in. The familiar night-sky of Dawnmaker appeared before my eyes again, but there was nascent twilight on the horizon already. It was time to return to the Guardians and complete my mission.



Chapter five – Chariot of Fire

I found my group where I left them, and as horny as I had left them, as Life's swell personality resumed its analogous effect just after I got out of the lake. The Pret really were going for it when I flew over them, I saw full-blown orgies in the street. Four hands procured decent group-sex possibilities apparently and being hermaphrodites did seem to open up a few interesting options too. Nevertheless, more or less everything in me wished I could drop just a little photon grenade into that heap of ugly flesh as a befitting climax for their romp.

This time it was me who didn't have to explain a thing to the Guardians. Apparently their contact to Life was constant and much stronger than what I had experienced. In a fashion they were part of Life, while still being independent individuals. We crossed the wall further to the west and made our way through dense jungle again. There were hardly any Pret patrols here, mainly because they were being picked off one by one by the wildlife alone already.

The tempo the Guardians developed was actually quite murderous and I thanked my instructors on Talagon for preparing me so well for my missions. I even found enough breath to keep on philandering with N'ella. It might have been just another six hours that passed. However, when the night fell again and the Guardians announced that we should stop for a couple of hours I was grateful, sore and tired, despite the regenerative properties of the Scnrgsis' implant. I thought these weird rotations and night-falls would be something I could never get used to.

"Are you feeling all right, Jon? You look exhausted."

"Yes, Alpha, I am fine. Is it still far? Are you in direct contact again?"

"Yes Jon, the link has been re-established. I am currently uploading all data Life has placed into us into the mainframe."

"Good. Send a coded message to Mother, informing the strategic team what we will have to do. Tell them to get out of the system and hide somewhere outside, just in case things get a little sketchy down here. Tell the kids to come in and assume an orbital cover formation. We will fly the attack ourselves, but we will probably need all of them to get out of this system alive."

"Yes Jon. The kids are converging. Mother acknowledges our transmission. The strategic team informs me that they will only retreat to the outer limits of the system, on stand-by for a possible rescue attempt."

"Let's hope we won't need them. Emma, we have to succeed here, no matter what the cost."

"I understand the gravity of the situation. Jon, I promise you to carry out our mission even if you should become incapacitated. Life is precious. We will protect it."

"I expected nothing less of you, sweetie."

"Am I interrupting something important?"

N'ella sat down beside me and Alpha. I wondered where Beta was, a few minutes before I saw her standing close to the small fires the Guardians had lit, reassuring me that the Pret wouldn't dare sending any troops into this part of the jungle.

"No, we were actually done. Just preparing everything for our attack."

"You will succeed, Jon. I knew it once I saw you and the way you have integrated with your technology."

"Emma is more than just technology."

"Yes, he loves me. He said it. Many times. So there."

N'ella quickly rolled her eyes.

"That is what I meant, android. Oddly enough, this is something the Darians down below have never accomplished."

"Sweetie, please ... Where is Beta, by the way? I haven't seen her for a while yet."

"She is looking for Ntk. Life told her she would see him again. We never had a chance to say ... oh, she found him!"

"Well, then, go and join them. I have a few things I hadn't had a chance to do yet either. We will leave in another hour. Don't stray from the camp too far."

"Acknowledged, Jon."

They way she said it sounded a wee snippy.

"Your technology is a little possessive. You should be careful about that."

"Jealousy is not part of her programming."

"Your Emma is much more than the sum of her programming. Life told us that. Do not underestimate the strength of the bond you have formed."

"I will keep that in mind. Which reminds me, weren't we scheduled for some bonding also? As you can see, Life is still having a rather profound effect on me ..."

"I noticed that with great pleasure and I am ready to affirm Life with you."

"As much as I enjoyed the group session the last time, would you mind if we indulge in a somewhat more private session this time?"

"As you wish. Let us go a little deeper into the jungle."

We quickly informed another Guardian of our plans and took off.

"Look. Night leaves."

We had reached a small clearing. The plants she was referring to were about two foot high, glowing in an amazing purple fluorescent light. When we got closer I saw that it was the veins and stems glowing rather than the fleshy leaves.

"Magnificent. I am starting to be the one who is jealous now, this moon is truly amazing. And it will be a lot nicer, once the Pret are gone. May I ask you a very personal question?"

"Yes?"

"We humans usually bond with someone for life. I know that the Darians on the planet itself have similar concepts. How about you? Is being immortal not a definite incentive to find someone with whom you can be together with?"

"We all here have bonded with Life. It is more than any relationship could ever accomplish. Whenever we affirm Life, we are affirming it with Life rather than with our partner. Do you understand? We don't have a long time, by the way. Kindly take off your uniform, please."

"I am not sure, but I recall what it felt like when I was together with Alpha and Beta."

"Yeah, there you were part of Life. And now place that wonderful swollen thing right into my receiver here."

This was the first time I heard a female talking about her cunt as a receiver, but it did seem to fit well. So did my dick, even if it was a little tight. N'ella blew out the air violently and fast in a strange but fitting counterpoint to our slow movements. She had simply bent over and presented her rear to me. Her "receiver" was located where other humanoids have their anus. With us moved the night leaves, an undulating wave of light and passion. This was different. Yes, we were engaged in fucking, but it had something of a holy union, beyond feeling even, more primal and more pure than anything I had ever experienced before. It was so sweet, so beautiful and pure, so elevating. And despite us making sure we used the entire hour at our disposal, it was still way too short.

---

"Hi honey, I'm home."

"Welcome back, Jon. I am glad we are reunited again."

We had reached Emma after another two hours of a brisk walk. It was difficult to say goodbye to all that I had felt so intimately connected to, and that was not just referring to the Guardians and Life. However, there was no place like home and even that could not compare to the pilot seat I sank into now.

"Tactical display of the Pret deployment patterns please. I see. Superimpose current position of the kids. Extrapolate range of planetary defence systems and suggest escape routes. Okay, now let me think. Do you have any suggestions, sweetie?"

"Displaying potential escape routes. I'd say the yellow one, Jon."

"Agreed. Okay sweetie, let's go. Lock in on the coordinates of the dimensional lens. Power up forward missile and pulse launchers."

"Powered and ready."

"Switch to photon diffusion mode."

We re-entered the atmosphere, having flown an orbital loop to get the optimal attack vector. The lush green of the moon whooshed past below us and soon we arrived at the encampment of the Pret.

'Life, if you can hear me, you better get out of the way now.'

"Emma, drop the cloak."

As we became visible, I fired a barrage of missiles onto the dimensional lens, where a group of Pret was just about to lower in a new piece with some antigravs. Ten heavy explosions shook the moon, fireballs were colouring the grey-yellow skies red.

"Did we get it? Re-cloak, sweetie, we will go for another pass to make sure."

"Scanning. Sixty-two percent destroyed. Missile launchers ready. Two Pret ships leaving the surface to intercept."

"They can't see us yet. Distance?"

"Twelve miles. Closing in on target. Target acquired."

Without my tactical screen I wouldn't have been able to see what I had to shoot at in this inferno of fire and smoke.

"Pret contingent leaving Daria. More ships coming in from the system's outer rim."

"Damn, they are quick to respond. Drop cloak. Activate back torpedo launchers. We're going to stop them breeding down there for the time being too."

Whilst hitting the remains of the building site with our missiles, I strafed the encampment with a torpedo spread. The two Pret ships didn't get a chance to attack us, but exploded by themselves. Life was helping – that meant we hadn't hurt it too bad in our attack, as I concluded with some relief.

"Target destroyed. Incoming Pret vessels astern."

I had to decide in a split second whether to raise shields or the cloak. If they extrapolated our flight path and just fired, irrespective of being able to see us or not, we would be seriously fucked.