What Happens in Orbit Pt. 02

[Shit.]

Cora wheezed a quiet laugh. "I know that word."

He pushed himself up, flopping into a seated position. "Probably.. we should not... have done that."

"You're just now realizing that?" Cora shook her head, extricating herself from the puddle beneath her. Tor started wiping her off with a soft cloth. "Oh- thank you. I had no idea how I was getting that off."

"You go. I'll clean this up and get back out there."

Cora got dressed and began crawling back, trying not to think about what she'd just done. As she got closer to her room, she got progressively more anxious. What if they can smell me? Her room was dark when she got back. Cautiously, she poked her head down and checked her surroundings before falling out of the hole in the ceiling. Well, the falling was accidental. Her heart was in her throat as the hard metal floor crossed her mind. But with a fwump, she landed on her bed. I'd say thank God if I thought he could hear me from up here. She laid on her bed for a while, feeling her heart rate go back to normal. Every time she thought about what she'd just done, her heart rate spiked. Clearly not a good idea, Cora. Just. Just don't think about it. Don't think about what's drip- now that's not helping. Fuck. It took longer than she wanted, but finally, she drifted off.

Cora had slept for a while. As she was blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she started to pick up on the voices in the common area. It sounded like arguing. Uh oh. Procrastinating, Cora picked up the plate with her breakfast, leaving the syringe. Today, it was a sliced hard-boiled egg, a pile of starchy spheres, and two meat patties. She had no idea what the potato-like vegetables were called, if they were even vegetables. But they were tasty.

Alright, Cora, time to be brave and face consequences. She opened her door, taking care to keep it silent. Nobody turned to her. The monitor was on a call, with Ray fussing about something to the caller. It looked like the Director. Tor was out there, as well as Mar. Tor was scrunched up in his seat, gaze pointed firmly at the floor. Mar had his head down at his desk.

Cora wanted to close the door.

Instead, she grabbed her daily syringe and hopped into an empty seat. She'd gotten good at it, as they sat much higher than human chairs. There's so much weird tension today. Ray was shaking slightly, as was Mar. Tor glanced up at her, quickly tapping something on his tablet. Hers pinged quietly with a message.

<bad idea to come out here. dangerous today. i was right.>

Ray whipped around at the ping, causing Cora to accidentally breathe in her medicine.

He looked just like he had when the crew had stolen his suppression meds. Except, this time, he had what looked like a black eye. His nose was bleeding, too. His voice was full of unbridled hostility.

"You need to return to your quarters."

She held a hand up, trying to breathe through the burning of inhaling the syringe contents. Mar peeked up at her. His knuckles were purple and scraped up. They were fighting? All four of his fists were balled up so tightly that they had gone a grey-white. Through her watery eyes, she could see that he was also in a bad way, probably worse off than Ray. His eyes were dark red, almost black at this point.

Both of them were in heat. Cora had come to realize that this tended to bring out the worst in them, making them tetchy and volatile.

"I- ah, fuck! I'm sorry, I accidentally breathed it in-"

The Director watched, nervous.

"I- I'm go-" She froze.

Mar had slowly sat up to stare at her, eyes narrowed. There was something predatory in his movements. He took a deep breath through his nose, eyes darting from her to Tor, then back again. He shifted in his seat, taking another breath. Then, he lunged for the Engineer. Well, he tried. Something hit him, hard, from Cora's direction, knocking him to the floor.

She was standing over him, furious. "Get. Back. In. Your. Seat."

Ray, shocked, took a step back as Mar obediently returned to his chair.

"I'm not dealing with this bullshit anymore. Ray, you're going to tell the Director exactly what you did. Tor, if he lies, tell me. I don't give a shit that he's in charge. There's no way in Hell that you idiots are making it out of orbit, much less back to your home planet. And if I'm gonna die, someone is going to pay for it."

Ray was less than cooperative with her newfound rebellion. "I- excuse you. No. We have permission to use force-"

Scaring even herself, Cora let out a snarl. "You have permission to start fucking talking, now." He shrank back.

Tor sidled up to her, whispering a translation as Ray started rambling in the direction of the screen. Cora watched as the Director turned a pale shade of yellow. That was new.

[I... I have to go speak with the Council.]

He spoke weakly, then immediately hung up.

"Ray?"

He wouldn't look at her. "...Yes?"

"You threaten me with 'force' again, and I'll make this place look like Mission 7. Do you understand me? You turned me into this and you're going to deal with the consequences."

He shuddered a sigh. "No. I'm sorry. That was immature of me."

Cora wasn't sure when exactly it had happened, but she'd gotten really strong, and really fast. It would have been exciting, except that the situation was actually really bad. No scary teeth, though. That's my silver lining. Now let me see if I can fix this situation.

"Tor, you should probably go."

She didn't even get to finish her sentence before he sprinted past her. Casting one last biting glance at Ray, Cora turned to Mar. With an unsettling coolness, he met her gaze and spoke.

"From my understanding, there's a reason that the Engineer is just fine and we are not."

He sounds pissed.

Cora took a shaky breath. "Why do you think that is?"

"Probably has something to do with his semen leaking out of you."

There was a surprised yelp from behind Cora. Ray was still standing there, dumbfounded. "You- you're not serious."

She turned, preparing a scathing remark. But before she could, Cora found herself rising. Mar had picked her up.

"Oh, hey, what are you doing?" She asked, but she already knew.

"Let me take these off." He tugged at the waistband on her sweatpants. She obediently wiggled out of them as he pulled them off. Keeping a firm grip on her, Mar sat back in his chair. Now, Cora sat in his lap, facing Ray. Two of his hands went to her thighs, spreading her legs. One hand went to her throat, holding her down. His remaining hand went down to her exposed pussy, spreading it. "Oh, hey, that's not-" Mar spoke over her.

"When I couldn't find the Engineer, I asked our little human for help."

He plunged two fingers into her, making her gasp loudly.

"I didn't know she was going to go fuck him." Cora had turned a dark shade of red, avoiding Ray's eyes. When he removed his fingers, they were covered in a stringy mess. "Apparently, she was still feeling needy even after I had just helped her out." It was obvious that he wasn't just talking to Ray.

Ray had clamped his eyes shut. "So what I'm hearing is that everyone on this ship was directly disobeying the only solid rule we had, don't fuck the human."

"Oh, no, I haven't fucked her!"

Ray sighed.

"Yet." Mar stopped fingering her to undo his belt.

Cora whimpered. Meanwhile, the Scientist had frozen in place. As twitchy as he could be, he had impressive self control. She felt bad.

"Mar, he's got a mate already. It's not nice to harass him."

"Harass him?" He gripped her waist and thighs, picking her up. When Cora tried to reply, he slammed her down onto his waiting cock. She tried to cry out, but the only noise from her was an obscene squish from her already abused pussy. "He's the one watching." When her eyes finally uncrossed, Cora realized that Ray was indeed watching. Through one squinted eye. She would have laughed were she not currently being impaled. It didn't hurt, but it was still overwhelming. Reclining against his desk, Mar began moving her faster. "Oh, damn-" She managed to gasp out. Cora was quickly losing the single shred of dignity she'd held on to for Ray's sake.

"Hm, I think I know an easier way to do this." He pulled her off him, standing up. Before she could form a complaint about being empty, he bent her over his desk, swiftly replacing his member. From where she was, her head nearly hung off the other end of his desk. This would have been good if she needed to hold on to something. But Mar had her firmly pinned with just one hand. Every thrust made her eyes cross, while the liquid dripping down her thighs started to form a puddle on the floor. She wasn't going to last long like this.

A finger brushed against her lips and she heard Ray whisper to her. "Could I-"

Dignity, pride, and decency had all left the building. She struggled against Mar until he understood to flip her on her back.

Her head now dangled off the desk. Cora opened her mouth, sticking her tongue out slightly as an invitation.

"No, that'll hurt your neck." He tucked something soft under her head.

"Oh, thank y-" Ray was mercifully smaller than Mar, and easily buried his cock in her throat. He pulled out, giving her just enough time to breathe, then resumed facefucking her.

Mar's pace became much rougher, every thrust pushing her further down Ray's cock. Cora should probably have been struggling to breathe, but all she did was feverishly moan. She didn't seem to need air as much. Saliva was trickling down her face now, too. Ray, for all his heat, was careful not to hurt her. Two of his hands supported him on the desk, while the remaining two cradled her head. When Mar would pound into her, Ray saved her neck from being bent into a very bad angle. Mar's breath hitched and Cora could tell that he was close. He began going deeper.

She reached down to touch herself, but when her hand grazed her lower stomach, she realized that Mar was, indeed, too big for her. With every thrust, she felt her stomach distend. That's... that's hot. Her common sense would be screaming right now, if she had any left. Even after she felt him cum in her, he didn't stop. Oh, shit. I'm done for.

She heard Ray say something with an astonished tone and another hand rested on her stomach. Mar laughed. It was all faint, as the blood flow to her head was getting excessive. She felt Ray's rhythm change, just before he came. Like the others, it was excessive, pouring down her face. After a second, he pulled out of her mouth.

"Oh, no. You're a mess." Ray moved to start wiping her face, but Mar stopped him.

[She's not done yet.]

Cora softly cried out in surprise when she was picked up again.

I like this, she thought hazily.

Mar, not caring about the state of her face, held her up, resting her against the desk. His eyes had lightened considerably.

Delirious was too light a word for Cora's current state. She was not happy to be empty again. Mar could hear her murmuring something under her breath, the two same words, over and over again.

"What?"

She haphazardly wiped the mess out of her eyes.

"I said fuck me. Fuck. Me."

Mar blinked at her before looking up at Ray, who was already leaving the room.

"Cora." His member pressed against her opening.

She whined in response. "Just fuck me."

"Cora, I'm not sure that you can handle any more."

Cora huffed a sigh. "You're worrying now?"

He contemplated the nail marks left by Tor on her thighs and the fluid dripping out of her, then pulled her closer. "I suppose I shouldn't." A faint smile crossed his features. "What was it that you told Ray?"

"That I was going to kill everyone?"

"Agh, no. Nevermind." He pulled her closer. "It doesn't matter now. Can we take this to my quarters?"

Cora was waiting in his bed. The Officer had left to grab something, leaving her to wonder. She'd definitely lost some steam. The stiffness in her neck was starting to bug her. And the mess covering her was gross, to say the least. She groaned, slumping over, just as Mar returned, a cloth in hand.

"I knew you were worn out, Miss 'Fuck Me'."

Cora looked up at him. "Aren't you still-"

Mar shook his head. His eyes still had a tinge to them, but he seemed calm otherwise. "For now. I'm sure it'll get bad again. For Ray, especially. That's what he was talking to the Director about." He crept into bed, wiping at her face. "You managed to trigger a suppressant-proof heat in our entire crew. Agh, hold on." Hopping off the bed, Mar shimmied out of his clothes. They'd been doused earlier. In the dim light, Cora noticed that he had a tail. It was the same color as him and long enough to brush the floor.

"Wait a minute."

Mar froze, one leg still in his pants. "Do you... want me to keep these on?"

"No, no." Sleepily, Cora laughed. "I'm sorry, I just never noticed that you have a tail."

"Oh-" He freed his leg and turned to look back at it. "Yeah, I've had it this whole time."

"How did I not notice?"

Mar shrugged. "We don't really wave them around. Other than that, maybe you were distracted?" He retrieved the cloth and slid next to her. "You've been dealing with a lot lately."

Cora was already asleep by the time he got her thighs clean. Mar wasn't far behind her. Tossing the washcloth at his clothes, he flopped over next to her.

Cora opened her eyes to find herself back in her own bed. It was freezing. When she moved to get up, she didn't feel as sore as she expected. But she was horribly hungry. It wasn't time for the lights to come up yet, so she went to the kitchen. There she found Mar, squinting at his tablet as he poked a spatula at a sizzling pan. Cora was surprised at how much of their ship she could recognize as things she knew back on Earth. He was cooking over a heating element, a glowing coil of metal. He muttered to himself in a mixture of English and notes of his own language.

"Whatcha making?"

Mar turned to look at her.

"I think it's- fried rice? You're up early."

She shivered, sitting down at the counter. "Ooh! Fancy."

He frowned. "How are you cold? You're wearing the warmest clothes you have."

Cora looked down at her thick gray sweatsuit, then shrugged. Still frowning, Mar set a steaming bowl in front of her. It was indeed fried rice. As he sat next to her with his own bowl, he leaned close. "Don't mention the temperature to Ray, please."

On cue, Ray stalked in. "This smells good." Cora stiffened, trying to hide her shivers. "It is! Mar did a really good job." On her right, Tor was already sitting next to her. His eyes kept darting over. Maybe he can tell how cold I am. Confirming her suspicion, he used a single finger to brush at the goosebumps on her wrist. When Ray turned back to them with his own bowl, Tor quickly pulled his hand back and moved to start eating. Cora had already finished her bowl. Before she could even think of how to politely ask for more, Tor had already switched their bowls and was refilling the empty bowl. He gave her a sharp look, silencing her when she tried to thank him. Weird. When he sat back down, Ray had already finished eating and left the kitchen. "We have a call with the Council today," he shouted from the common area.

Cora was the last to sit with them, in a chair between Mar and Tor in front of the main display. Ray took a deep breath, shaking his head. It suddenly occurred to Cora that, after the Director had seen two crew members in heat yesterday, he would see them all today and know too much. She chewed her lip, wondering what would happen to them.

After only a single beep, Ray answered their call. It was still the Director, but the camera was further back this time. Cora could see that he was at a large table, with figures on either side of him. The view warped slightly, like a fish-eye lens. When he began speaking, Mar leaned close and began translating for her.

"Okay, Mission 12."

He squinted slightly at them, then cringed. Crap. Mar saw this, too, one of his hands tensing up into a fist.

"I, uh, let's just get right into this. We've called back all the other missions, with the exception of 4 and 10. They had no results, so they're cleaning up the terminated missions."

Ray frowned. "So none of the other missions were successful?"

The Director grimaced. "No. You have the closest thing to what we're willing to call a successful mission. And only time will tell if that remains true. The Council is here, along with a few consulting biologists. They have a few questions. Some might be for the human." Without waiting for a response, the Director reached out and turned the camera. Dizzyingly, the view panned over several of their kind and rested on a bronze humanoid. They had all the same features as the creatures Cora had been living with, but were more muscular, with small tusks.

"Hello, I'm from our-" Mar had to pause and rapidly type something into his translator. "Sorry, Cora. She's from our bio, bioarchaeology department. Wow. Your language makes that such a difficult word." He continued.

A female? "I've been reviewing the data from your mission and just wanted to clarify some details I got from the Director." After a pause, she continued. "I know that there were a few incidents where your crew members found themselves- well, making uncharacteristically impulsive decisions, culminating in ah, yesterday's events."

Ray's hands were clasped behind his back. Upon hearing her mention yesterday, his knuckles went pure white.

He coughed. "The call?"

She nodded brightly. "Yes, the call and the resulting activities after. We've got quite a bit of video data from after the call as well." The room went completely silent. Cora buried her face in her hands, while Tor and Mar looked in opposite directions. Ray turned yellow, ducking to the floor, out of view of the camera.

"I told you! I told you!" He hissed loudly at Cora, smacking the ground with one hand.

Cora hissed back, "Told me what, motherfucker? This is not the time! Get! Up!" She was still in view of the caller, who was understandably bewildered. She raised her voice and gestured at him. "Come on, up! You're making a fool of yourself!" Indignant, he stood back up and apologized to the bioarchaeologist. She smiled, showing a formidable row of fangs.

"Hey, there's no reason to be embarrassed. That's just your biology. Most of our kind doesn't know what colony behavior looks like." She stopped, looking down at her tablet and swiping furiously. "If I remember correctly, only one of you was actually raised in a colony and would know. Oh, yes, your Engineer!"

Tor had been slowly trying to scoot himself off-screen and had almost succeeded when she mentioned him. Ray gave him a sour glare and gestured for him to come back. Sheepishly, he obeyed.

"For those of you that don't know," she began, looking up to address the table as well, "in a colony, the pheromones of the female dictate the male heat cycles. Most of us living in cities are used to them happening maybe twice a year. However, suppressants are useless in a colony setting, which is what we've got here." Mar paused, thinking about something.

"Cora, I'm having no luck coming up with a phonetic match for our species name. I'm going to start saying it when she says it and see if you can't come up with something. You're losing a lot of context right now, because it's also the name of our planet." She nodded.

"It's my hope that none of you will be held accountable for what's been happening on your ship, because there's no way we could have known that the effects would be that rapid. Aside from a miscalculation due to the complexity of Earth units, no mistakes have really been made. And judging by the fact that your human looks alive and well, and not pregnant, it seems that no harm was done."