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Expect lots of aliens and space stuff here!", "count": "5", "submission_left_submission_id": "3289995", "submission_left_file_name": "4974752_XPAuthor_cbs_-_a_dose_of_breed.doc", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/4974/4974752_XPAuthor_cbs_-_a_dose_of_breed.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/4974/4974752_XPAuthor_cbs_-_a_dose_of_breed.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/4974/4974752_XPAuthor_cbs_-_a_dose_of_breed.jpg", "submission_left_thumb_huge_x": "300", "submission_left_thumb_huge_y": "225", "submission_left_thumb_large_x": "200", "submission_left_thumb_large_y": "150", "submission_left_thumb_medium_x": "120", "submission_left_thumb_medium_y": "90", "submission_right_submission_id": "3637936", "submission_right_file_name": "5597227_XPAuthor_the_farstrider.doc", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/5597/5597227_XPAuthor_the_farstrider.jpg", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/5597/5597227_XPAuthor_the_farstrider.jpg", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/5597/5597227_XPAuthor_the_farstrider.jpg", "submission_right_thumb_huge_x": "300", "submission_right_thumb_huge_y": "225", "submission_right_thumb_large_x": "200", "submission_right_thumb_large_y": "150", "submission_right_thumb_medium_x": "120", "submission_right_thumb_medium_y": "90" } ], "description": "I've been writing quite a few shorter stories lately. This... is NOT one of them! haha\nBit longer, light on sex, more story heavy. But there is a fight scene I had some real fun with. I might do a sequel to this someday.\n\nSet within my Sci-Fi Astraverse setting, we follow the crew of the small exploratory ship, the Gothound... as it needs to crash onto a habitable moon in uncharted space. The survivors need to get away from the crash to get a distress signal out, but they aren't sure if this moon is inhabited or not... and they will find out soon enough.\n\n- - - - -\n\nA massive thank you to my top tier subscribers:\nSedyna | [fa]jafferroshak[/fa] | RoleplayCentral | [fa]akinkyyfox[/fa] | [iconname]Karmandel[/iconname]\n\nIf you would like early access to my stories, weekly previews and updates, access to my private discord, chance to have your character become part of the lore, and other bonus content, please consider subscribing to my [url=https://subscribestar.adult/xp_author]SubscribeStar[/url]", "description_bbcode_parsed": "I've been writing quite a few shorter stories lately. This... is NOT one of them! haha
Bit longer, light on sex, more story heavy. But there is a fight scene I had some real fun with. I might do a sequel to this someday.

Set within my Sci-Fi Astraverse setting, we follow the crew of the small exploratory ship, the Gothound... as it needs to crash onto a habitable moon in uncharted space. The survivors need to get away from the crash to get a distress signal out, but they aren't sure if this moon is inhabited or not... and they will find out soon enough.

- - - - -

A massive thank you to my top tier subscribers:
Sedyna | \n\t\t\t\t\tjafferroshak | RoleplayCentral | \n\t\t\t\t\takinkyyfox | \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKarmandel\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t		\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKarmandel\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t


If you would like early access to my stories, weekly previews and updates, access to my private discord, chance to have your character become part of the lore, and other bonus content, please consider subscribing to my SubscribeStar", "writing": "[center][b]Savage Mayday[/b][/center]\n[center]By XP Author[/center]\n\nAlarms started blaring through the small ship, lights flashing on all the consoles. The two occupants of the cockpit were already trying to figure out what was happening when the other two on board arrived. The commander of the four, Lieutenant Colonel Parnigantalokori, often just shortened to Colonel Parn, gripped the wall as the whole ship started to shake violently. \"Lieutenant Mar, report!\" She was a member of the Talshani race, specifically the long-necked reptilian Talshasa variant, her scales a pale green, her wispy blue hair slowly fading to silver in a few places from age.\n\nLieutenant JG Mar Mira's nimble fingers were flying across the controls as she tried desperately to stabilize the craft. \"I'm sorry, Ma'am. I'm not sure what happened. I'm trying to compensate and stabilize us!\" The lieutenant was the youngest of the small crew, only having just graduated from the academy one galactic year ago. A Rattan, a rat-like race with coarse brown fur and short, pointed ears. She was one of only a small handful of Rattan within the Alliance, as her people were not on the friendliest of terms with the Alliance of Planets.\n\nCaptain Rashel 'Rash' Soranski, a terran canine, black labrador, was working on the diagnostics. \"It seems we hit a cloud of unstable gasses near the edge of a nebula. They reacted with the charged dark matter and overloaded the engines. Engine 2 is reporting critical damage, working at only 10%. Engine 1 nearly overloaded from some kind of energy spike and is only at 48% efficiency. We have been ejected out of FTL.\"\n\n\"Great job, kid. You broke the ship!\" Major Impal was another member of the Pii'Athan race, often described like a cross between a terran ferrat and goat, she had short, brick red fur, small horns poking through short purple hair. She was the tactical officer of the crew, though that meant little on a ship with barely any weapons. The muscular woman was there more for ground security. Like Mar, she was one of only a small handful of her race serving in the Alliance.\n\nMar let out a whimper. \"I'm sorry, Ma'am. I didn't think we were close enough to the nebula to effect us.\"\n\nParn frowned. \"We do not want excuses, Lieutenant! We want solutions!\" Like all Talshani, Parn spoke in the plural.\n\nThe rattan whimpered again. \"I'm having trouble stabilizing the engines.\" The whole ship started to shake even more violently. \"We're leaking coolant. We need to land, or our engines could overload and detonate.\"\n\nRashel spoke up. \"Ma'am, records show there a yellow giant star, designated KL-2182. Its fourth planet is a gas giant that has a Class-M moon. It is the only habitable location within several dozen light years. However, it is uncharted. It was only probed and marked for future study. We have no idea what could be down there, or if it's inhabited.\"\n\nParn nodded. \"Can we handle an FTL jump long enough to get there?\"\n\nMar spoke up. \"I don't know, ma'am. Engines are trying to shake themselves apart right now. Even if we made it there, it would completely overload the DMD, probably burn it out. We'd need more than repairs at that point.\"\n\nThe Talshani nodded. \"Well, it's that or stay stranded in deep space. Make it so, Lieutenant. Just try not to blow us up before we get there.\"\n\n\"Yes, ma'am.\" She entered the coordinates into the navigation. \"Activating DMD in three... two... one... Now!\" The moment she activated the dark matter drive, the whole ship lurched with pseudo-motion as it entered FTL speeds. The ship started to violently shake around them, forcing everyone to take seats and strap in. \"Arriving at the KL-2182 system in twelves sec-\" The whole ship suddenly lurched violently, even more alarms blaring within the cockpit.\n\nRashel shouted, \"Engine 2 has overloaded and is venting coolant and fuel! Reading a plasma fire! Engine 1 is at critical! Overload is imminent! We're losing DMD field stability!\"\n\nMar grit her teeth. \"I'm trying to keep her steady! 3 seconds!\" The rapidly shifting view of space outside the view port blurred as the ship dropped out of FTL again. It showed the view of a bright green and blew planet-sized moon orbiting a massive orange gas giant. \"We're within range of the moon!\" The view shifted as the craft rotated and spun. \"Dammit. I have no control! Engine 1 just shut down! I only have navigation thrusters!\" Her hands flew across the controls. \"We're in the moon's gravity, and it's pulling us in. We're going in. Brace for crash landing!\"\n\nImpal grunted as she felt like the ship was trying to shake itself to pieces around them. \"Just try not to burn us up in the atmosphere!\"\n\n\"I'm trying!\" The ship turned and spun, the air around it suddenly turning red fiery as it hit the atmosphere. Mar worked hard to try and keep the ship at the right angle that it would penetrate into the air and not completely burn up. It lurched again as the muffled sound of an explosion vibrated through the hull. \"Engine 2 has detonated! We're in atmosphere, but controls aren't responding anymore! Brace for impact!\" Everyone did just that, bracing as the ground rapidly approached. The vast green below became more obviously trees, a jungle stretching out for hundred kilometers in all directions. There was another explosion, but no one had the time to check what it was this time as only a second later, the ship hit the ground, crashing through trees and kicking dirt and mud in all directions. Mar let out a shout as she was thrown forward, bashing her head onto the controls and blacking out.\n\n[center]* * *[/center]\n\n\"-ake up, ki-\" The voice faded out, overpowered by a ringing in Mar's ears. Her head throbbed, her chest ached, and her arm... she couldn't feel her left arm... or maybe it felt cold. Or was it warm? \"Kid!\" She groaned as the voice of... someone... shouted at her. It was urgent and familiar. She wanted to just go back to sleep. Why couldn't Impal just leave her alone? Impal...? \"Lieutenant! Wake up!\" Her consciousness finally swam back to the surface. She could smell smoke and burning plastic and wires. She opened her eyes, seeing the deactivated control console in front of her, the screen cracked. A splatter of blood was right on the biggest crack. She realized it was her blood, which was still leaking from a cut on her head.\n\nShe let out another groan as she finally forced herself to focus. \"M-major?\" She coughed. \"Wh-wha-\"\n\nImpal shook her head. \"No time for that, kid. We gotta get you outta here! This whole wreck is on fire! It's gonna blow any second!\"\n\nMar nodded, reaching down to pull the emergency release on her restraints. She realized she couldn't move one arm. She tried the other. That one worked. She fell forward the moment the restraint was released, gravity at a very odd angle. She was caught by the muscular arms of the Pii'Athan. From the odd angle, she saw the vacant seat beside her. \"W-whare is... Rah... Capta...\" She couldn't think straight enough to even remember the name or rank of her friend.\n\n\"Cap's fine. She's already outside. Now c'mon!\" Impal half-dragged. \"We gotta go!\"\n\nAs she was pulled free and forced to move, Mar saw Parn. The reptilian was still strapped into her seat, leaning to the side. Her long neck was bent in a very strange way, and some red liquid drooling out of her mouth and nose. There was also something strange coming out of her chest, like she was growing a metal spike from her collarbone. It was also wet, the same red color as the stuff coming out of her mouth. \"W-wait... C-col... P-Parn!\"\n\n\"She's gone, kid!\"\n\n\"N-no! W-we ne-need... need t-to!\" She tried to pull away from Impal, to go over to the Colonel, knowing something was wrong, but she couldn't think straight enough to put words to what she was seeing. But it was wrong. They couldn't leave her! \"S-she n-needs h-hel- he... help!\"\n\nImpal forced the Rattan to move. \"No! We gotta move!\" She crouched down and scooped Mar up, carrying her bodily over her shoulder and dragging her out of the smoking, burning wreck. Outside, Rashel was waiting, checking a large pack of some kind. \"I got her. She's pretty out of it. Banged her head.\"\n\nRashel nodded. \"I'll examine her once we are safe.\" The canine also had blood on her face, flowing from a cut on the side of her forehead. \"We need to move. Power cells have been cracked and are leaking. The whole thing is about to go critical. Can she walk?\"\n\n\"Doubt it. I'll carry her.\" She pointed at the pack. \"Grab that stuff and hoof it!\" The canine nodded, picking up the pack and throwing it over her shoulder, then turned to follow Impal's hasty pace away from the wreck.\n\nMar was still not fully aware of what was going on. \"N-no! W-we have t-to... to go back!\" She tried to struggle, but she was having enough trouble just staying awake. \"W-we need t-to get Col... Colon... P-Parn! Ma'am! S-she's still in there!\"\n\nImpal frowned, not slowing at all. \"She's dead, kid! There's nothing we can d-\" They were all thrown to the ground as the ship violently exploded behind them, sending a cloud of bright blue flames and smoke into the sky, high above the tops of the trees. Mar saw the cloud as she landed on her back, though her vision was blurry. Was she crying? Maybe it was just the smoke. She closed her eyes, and the darkness took her again, giving her an escape from the pain she hadn't fully registered she was in.\n\nUnfortunately, the escape was only temporary. She groaned as it returned. Her head still throbbed, but not as bad. Her chest still ached, and she felt like she wanted to throw up, but there was nothing in her stomach to bring up. Her right arm ached, but her left felt very strange. Hot, cold, numb, and tingling all at the same time, and strangely tight. She let out another groan as she opened her eyes slowly, only to wince at the bright orange light. \"Easy, kid. Take it easy.\" A hand very gently rested on her right shoulder. \"Take your time.\" Something was brought up to touch her lips. \"Here. Water. Take a sip.\"\n\nMar let the major pour some of it into her mouth, the cool liquid helping her. She hadn't realized how dry her mouth had been. \"W-what... happened?\" Her head still throbbed and ached.\n\nRashel spoke. \"We crash landed on the moon. We managed to escape the Gothound before the power cells detonated, but this does mean we're stranded here until rescue can come. But it may be some time until then...\"\n\n\"R-rescue?\" She groaned, realizing she was leaned against a tree. She tried to move, only to find it difficult. She finally opened her eyes, blinking several times. \"W-where is... Colonel Parn?\" Both women were silent for a long moment, exchanging a look to one another.\n\nImpal shook her head. \"I'm sorry. The colonel was killed in the crash. When one of the engines exploded, it sent shrapnel into the ship. Pierced through her chest. And even if she had survived that, her neck was broken in two places during the crash.\"\n\nMar closed her eyes, remembering now how the Telshani looked as she was being dragged away. The 'red liquid' was blood. There was a lot of it. \"W-we should... at least bury her...\"\n\nRashel shook her head. \"The colonel was still inside the Gothound when it exploded. There is nothing left to bury.\"\n\nThe rattan sighed. \"Oh...\" She tried to move again, only to cry out as pain suddenly lanced through her left side. She finally looked down to see her arm. It was covered in tightly wrapped cloth. By the blue color, it was the torn remains of her uniform's jacket. She hadn't realized she was only in her black undershirt until then. Two pieces of straight plastic had been tied to her arm, keeping it still. \"W-what...\"\n\nRashel explained. \"Your arm has been broken in five places, and you have a severe laceration along the upper portion. Several of the muscles are torn.\"\n\nImpal scratched the back of her head. \"It was the best I could do with our medkit. Didn't have a full arm splint.\"\n\nThe canine continued in her typical analytical tone. \"You also suffered a concussion.\"\n\nMar grunted. \"That explains the... dizziness... and words... not quite working...\"\n\nRashel nodded. \"Yes. Thankfully, it was not as severe as I had initially thought. I administered a painkiller and something to reduce the swelling while you were unconscious. The dizziness should pass in a few hours. I'm afraid there is not much I can do for your arm, however. We'll have to wait until rescue comes and we can get you to a more proper medical facility. We'll need to make sure to watch for infect-\"\n\n\"Rescue... y-you said that the... the Gothound blew up. We're in uncharted space. A-and we weren't scheduled to return to Spacebase 87 for another nineteen days...\"\n\nImpal hooked a thumb to the side. \"We managed to salvage the emergency transponder from the ship. We'll use it to send a mayday. Hopefully, it'll reach a nearby ship and they'll come pick us up.\"\n\nRashel frowned. \"Unfortuantely, the radiation from the ship's explosion seems to have reacted with something in the atmosphere and ionized the local area. Nothing harmful to biological life as far as I can tell, but it is making signals break up quickly. The emergency unit doesn't have enough power to punch through it. So we'll need to get some distance away before we can send a message out.\"\n\n\"H-how... how far?\" Mar cleared her throat. \"How far do we need to go?\"\n\nRashel shook her head. \"Hard to tell, I'm afraid. At least a few kilometers. Possibly farther.\" Mar growned.\n\nImpal chuckled. \"A day's hike, maybe two. C'mon, skinny things like you could use the workout!\" She helped Mar to get another sip of water. \"We'll start tomorrow. You rest for now, get some strength. We don't know what's out here in this jungle. Don't want you getting snapped up by some wild beastie because you were a little sleepy.\"\n\nThe rattan grunted. \"Yeah... rest sounds... good.\" She closed her eyes and leaned against the tree. \"Just... just a... a little...\" She fell asleep before she could finish her sentence.\n\nImpal grunted. \"Rest well, kid. I really don't want to drag your ass through these trees.\" She looked at Rashel. \"You two, Captain. I'll keep first watch.\" The canine nodded, finishing her last check on the equipment before finding somewhere suitable to have herself a nap.\n\n[center]* * *[/center]\n\nThe trio made their way through the jungle the next day, if one could classify anything on this moon a day. When the rotation turned them away from the gas giant's orange light, the sun was high in the sky. By the time the sun was dipping over the horizon, the planet was in view again. It was only dim light for under an hour during the cycle. Impal was in the lead of the three, apparently in her element in the wild. Her hooves easily moved over the large branches, and didn't seem to sink into the soft dirt as much as the other two's booted feet. The Pii'Athan looked over her shoulder at the two, specifically Mar. \"You doing okay back there, Kid?\" She had taken her uniform jacket off, tying it around her waist. It left her in just a tight black tank top that showed off her muscular physique and doing nothing to hide her ample chest. The security red color of the jacket and the similarly colored stripes on the side of her otherwise black pants stood out among the yellow-green foliage around them. Her brick red fur also stood out, seemingly made more vibrant in the gas giant's orange light.\n\nMar was breathing heavily, but doing her best to keep up. \"Yes, Major. I'm... still here!\" The rodent let out a breath. Her own uniform was in blue and black, blue being the color for navigation and helm. However, what was left of her uniform jacket had been cut into strips, some of them still on her broken arm keeping the split in place. \"Though this humidity is intense. It's hot...\"\n\n\"We are currently in what could be considered a long summer for the moon.\" Rashel chimed up. She was moving just beside Mar, her science green jacket still on, but she had opened it to allow her body to breath a little. \"The moon's rotational day cycle is roughly 25.6 hours, but its orbit around the gas giant is much slower. It is impossible to have exact numbers without my equipment, but for a naturally formed Class-M moon, I'd estimate a planetary orbit around the gas giant would take approximately 130 to 150 galactic standard days.\" She climbed over a large root, then helped Mar over, while still explaining. \"The gas giant's orbit is significantly longer, by orders of magnitude. Likely several galactic standard years for a single solar orbit. We seem to be within the 'summer' section of that orbit right now. But eventually it would enter a winter orbit, and the temperatures would drop significantly. I suspect most of the local flora and fauna would enter a prolonged hibernation period during that time.\"\n\nImpal laughed. \"Bet it reminds you of home, Cap.\"\n\nRashel shook her head. \"No really.\"\n\nMar was confused. \"Home? I thought you were Terran.\"\n\nThe canine nodded. \"I am, yes, but I was born in Britani Nova, the capital city on Europa.\" She saw the confused look from the Rattan. \"Ah, Europa is one of the large planetoid moons around the gas giant Jupiter within the Sol System. It was terraformed just before the extrasolar explorations began. The shipyard in orbit was the launching point for the ship that first discovered the Tal system.\" Mar nodded. \"However, it is not nearly as lush as this moon, as the environment was artificially created.\"\n\nImpal pushed a fallen branch out of the way. \"Probably not as heavy, too. This place feels heavier than my own world.\" Pii'Ath had a gravity 1.3 times Earth's standard, making Impal's increased strength typical of her race. Though she still worked to develop the muscles to her current level. \"What about you, kid?\"\n\nMar tilted her head. \"Why the sudden interest, Major? You never asked before...\"\n\nImpal laughed. \"Making conversation while we walk. And trying to keep you distracted from your arm.\" Mar grunted. \"Now c'mon. How did a Rattan end up in the Alliance? Most of your people are pretty unfriendly. Warrior types, right? So how'd a Rattan end up in the alliance, as a pilot on an explorer ship no less.\"\n\nMar grunted. \"I... was found in the remains of a colony on Rem'dina III. Evidence was that the Daxiks had destroyed the colony.\"\n\nImpal flinched. \"Daxiks? Are the Rattan allied with the Daxi?\"\n\nMar shook her head. \"I guess not...\"\n\nRashel spoke up. \"No one is truly allied with the Daxiks. It is more accurate to say some are conquered or hired. The Daxiks think the notion of an alliance is a great sign of weakness, that lesser races band together in an attempt to show a force they do not possess individually. It is the reason why they hold such great animosity towards the Alliance of Planets.\"\n\n\"And they think that all races are lesser, right.\" She called back to Mar. \"Anyway, you were saying that you survived the attack?\"\n\nMar nodded. \"Y-yes. I was hidden with a few other survivors, but I was only a pup, not even one year old. The ship that rescued us was Alliance, and took us in as refugees. I was adopted by a couple from Earth, Terran rats, and my fathers raised me on the Salema Venture.\"\n\nImpal quirked an eyebrow. \"That's a city ship, right?\"\n\nMar nodded. \"Yeah. Though nothing as big as the Astra Ferro. But I loved all the Alliance stuff, and joined the academy as soon as I was able. I really loved to fly, so I went into the navigation branch pretty easily. I... never liked fighting. I know that's pretty unusual for a Rattan. We're all supposed to be big scary warriors that shoot first and pick through what's left, but I wanted to explore...\" She sighed. \"Colonel Parn recruited me right out of the academy for the Gothound...\" She sniffled as she felt some tears starting. \"And now I killed her...\"\n\nImpal stopped, turning to look at the younger woman. \"Lieutenant, you didn't kill them.\"\n\nMar couldn't stop the emotions now that she'd touched them. They all boiled up from wherever she had been keeping them hidden. \"I did! I'm the reason we got too close to that nebula! I-I couldn't keep the ship together in the jump, I crashed us onto this moon!\"\n\nThe other two officers looked at each other, Rashel shaking her head. She was not good with emotions. Impal stepped closer, putting a hand on Mar's good shoulder. \"Hey. You made a mistake, but an easy one to make. Nebula gasses are hard to predict. And you kept that ship stable enough that three of us still made it out of that crash. Three out of Four is pretty good for anyone, especially flying with thrusters only.\" She smirked. \"Trust me, if I was at the helm, I'd probably have buried us into the rocks.\"\n\nMar couldn't fight the tears as they blurred her vision. \"But now we're stranded here! We don't even know if there's anything edible, or if the water is clean! W-we're going to die here before someone finds us!\"\n\n\"[i]Lieutenant Mar Mira![/i]\" Mar flinched as Impal shouted her whole name and rank. \"You signed up for an exploration ship! What is our mission?\"\n\nThe Rattan sniffled. \"T-to... find new worlds and systems... to explore the unknown...\"\n\n\"Exactly. Well, we're on an unexplored moon. Yes, our situation may not be ideal, but that's the risks of the job!\" She reached up and gently brushed a finger against Mar's cheek. \"Now, wipe these tears up. You're an officer for the Alliance of Planets. You need to look your best if we meet any indigenous people.\"\n\nMar managed a soft laugh, thinking how messed up she must look with her uniform shredded to make a splint on her arm. \"Thank you, Major.\" She sniffled and cleared her throat. \"I'll... do my best.\"\n\n\"Good.\" She pat her shoulder again, then looked at Rashel. \"How much farther until we can get a signal out, Captain?\"\n\nRashel pulled the pack off of her shoulder and set it down, touching the controls on the transponder. \"Still far too much atmospheric interference here. The signal wouldn't make it out of the solar system before degrading. But it is reduced from before, so my hypothesis is holding. If we get more distance from the crash, we should be able to get a signal out.\" She looked up and around, not at anything in particular. \"The ionization may also be dissipating on its own, as well. So the time it is taking to get the distance is not wasted.\" She closed everything back up and slung the equipment over her shoulder once more. \"Whenever you are ready, Major, we can continue on.\"\n\n\"Yes, ma'am.\" She looked at Mar. \"You ready to keep moving?\"\n\nMar nodded. \"Y-yes...\" She cleared her throat. \"Yes, Ma'am.\"\n\n\"Good.\" She pat the woman's shoulder again, and turned. \"Don't worry, kid. We'll make it out of this. You survived a Daxiks attack. You can survive a simple crash.\"\n\n[center]* * *[/center]\n\nImpal came back to the spot they had decided to rest for the 'night.' Mar was once more leaning against a tree. She had started shaking, and they decided to take a break to let her rest. At least she had stopped shaking for now. Impal looked at the canine. \"How is she, Captain?\"\n\nThe dog looked up from the equipment, giving a look at the dozing woman beside her. \"It could be better. I changed the bandages and splint wrappings, but I think an infection is starting to set in. I've already given her all the painkillers we have. It's incredible she hasn't been complaining about the pain more.\"\n\nThe Pii'Athan smiled, then nodded to the equipment. \"How about the transponder. Were you able to get a signal out?\"\n\nRashel shook her head. \"Hard to tell. There's a signal going out now, but I'm not sure how far it's going to reach. Hopefully far enough for someone to come investigate, at least. But we were already outside of Alliance space before we encountered the nebula. It will take time for anyone to get here.\" She looked at Mar again. \"Hopefully not too long. I'm worried about how long the Lieutenant will be able to keep her strength up.\"\n\nImpal chuckled. \"She's a lot stronger than she thinks. She's come this far while in pain. She's a fighter.\"\n\n\"Kind... of you to... say, Major.\" Mar grunted as she forced herself to sit up, wincing as pain lanced through her arm.\n\n\"You feeling okay, kid?\"\n\nMar nodded. \"Better... for now...\" She took several deep breaths. \"But I don't want to... keep slowing you down...\"\n\nImpal shook her head, moving over to crouch down next to the young woman. \"Ah, no. None of that talk. We're not leaving you behind just to save our hides.\"\n\nMar sighed. \"Major... Ma'am... my arm is either numb or in agony, and it's spreading. I... know I have a fever... We have almost no food or water. You're only wasting it on me...\"\n\nRashel spoke up. \"The Major is correct. We will not leave you behind while you can still move under your own power. I have been doing some surveys on the local flora. It should be edible for...\" She looked at Impal. \"Two of us.\" Pii'Athans were pure carnivores, so the chances of Impal surviving on plants was minimal. \"I've seen some small, arboreal fauna, which could be used for meat if we need.\"\n\nImpal patted the energy pistol at her side. \"I'm a crack shot, so I can hit a space squirrel scurrying up a tree if I need to. And I can go a long time without food.\"\n\nRashel continued. \"As for water, while my equipment is notably basic, the current scan for what I collected from the stream hasn't shown anything that would immediately harm any of us. The purifier flask should filter out any microbes that might disagree with us. We all might need to spend a day or two in a medlab for stomach cramps once we're rescued, but we won't die of thirst.\"\n\nThe major nodded. \"There you have it. So none of this talk about leaving you behind anymore, got it? That's an order!\"\n\nMar nodded. \"Understood, ma'am.\"\n\n\"Good, now keep resting. We'll keep moving once you have your strength back.\" She pat the woman's shoulder gently, then moved over to Rashel. \"I found something interesting while I was scouting ahead. Markings on a tree. Too complex to be a wild animal's markings.\"\n\nThat got the canine's attention. \"Markings? Recent?\"\n\n\"Hard to say. The bark had started to cover it a little, but the carvings were pretty distinct still.\" She grunted. \"Problem is, I don't know if it's marking territory, or if it's just a couple of lovebirds carving their names together.\"\n\n\"Either way, it suggests there is an indigenous population not far from our current location.\"\n\n\"And we don't know if they'll be friendly to a trio of aliens suddenly strolling into their settlement.\" She glanced at Mar. \"Options? You have more experience with this sort of thing.\"\n\nRashel frowned. \"I'm not sure... Colonel Parn was a better judge of this situations. He... She would know what to do.\" The canine had served with Parn for a long time, since the reptile was male. Talshasa often changed genders a few times over the course of their lives, usually for breeding, though the process took some time.\n\n\"Well, I know she valued your opinion. So I'll tell you what I think, and you can correct me if you think it's wrong.\"\n\nRashel nodded. \"Understood, Major.\"\n\nImpal looked at Mar again. \"I think we should try to make contact. We should be cautious, see if we can judge how they will react to outsiders, but they could have food and medical supplies. Even tribal medicine is better than nothing.\"\n\nThe Captain nodded. \"I think that makes the most sense. She was not wrong about our supplies being low. I have nothing to treat her infection with, and it will only get worse the longer it goes untreated.\"\n\nImpal nodded. \"Right. Then we'll see if we can determine the direction of the settlement and make our way towards it. Just be ready to turn and run the other way if we discover they're not exactly friendly.\" She nodded at the pistol at the Captain's side. \"You gotten any better with that thing?\"\n\nRashel shook her head. \"I'm afraid not. But hopefully just firing a few burst of concentrated energy at someone will be enough to convince them not to continue any pursuit.\"\n\nThe Pii'Athan chuckled. \"Let's hope you are right. I'd rather not end in a pitched battle with the locals. Save that kind of behavior for the Daxiks.\"\n\n[center]* * *[/center]\n\nImpal grunted as she crouched down to examine what was before her. \"Well... I think we can determine that the locals might not be friendly.\"\n\nRashal nodded slowly. \"Indeed.\" The three women were standing before a skeleton, likely of one of the local species. What they could determine for certain was that they were bipedal, tall at around two meters, with long legs and four arms. The skull had a long jaw full of sharp teeth. A long arrow of some kind had pierced whoever the unfortunate soul was, pinning them to the tree. Though now with no flesh but some hardened connective tissue left, the bones had mostly fallen to the ground around it. Rashel was examining the bones. \"Signs of teeth marks. They were left out here for the wildlife to consume.\" She looked up and at the other four skeletons similarly strewn about the area. \"No weapons or signs of a battle.\"\n\nThe Pii'Athan nodded. \"Yeah, I noticed that, too. They were hunted, or possibly executed.\" She pointed at the trees each skeleton was near, each one with an arrow or two in them. \"Line them up, face the tree, then fire a kill shot.\"\n\nMar looked very uncomfortable. \"I... think we should leave...\"\n\nRashel nodded. \"I agree. These people are likely primitive and extremely territorial. Even if we could find a way to communicate with them, I don't think they'll be willing to listen, let alone share supplies with us.\" She stood back up and pointed the way they came. \"We passed the markings on the trees only a half klick back. I suspect those mark the edge of their territory. We should head that way.\"\n\n\"Yeah.\" Impal stood up and pulled her pistol to check its power was working, just in case. \"Let's just hope we don't stumble into someone else's territory in the process.\"\n\nRashel turned to look at Mar. The Rattan was leaning her good arm against a tree, panting a little from the pain she was still in. \"Come, Lieutenant. Let's start mov-\" The canine's words were cut off as her body suddenly lurched forward, as if she was suddenly shoved from behind. Crimson erupted from her chest, as well as the tip and several centimeters of a heavy arrow. Her body slammed into the tree she had been standing in front of, and only then did her eyes go wide as she realized what happened. She looked down to see the projectile sticking out of her chest.\n\n\"RASH!\" Impal shouted, instinctively pulling her pistol. Before she could move, a horrible, multi-tonal howling echoed through the air, like someone had hit several keys on an organ. Several more howls joined in, though it was impossible to tell where exactly it was coming from.\n\nRashel grit her teeth, blood drooling from the corners of her mouth. \"...Run...\" Her voice was shaky and wet. She turned to look at the other two. \"RU-\" Her head slammed against the tree as another arrow struck, piercing straight through her skull and pinning it to the tree. Her body jerked and trembled as blood splattered from both sides of the wound. Her eyes went wide, then seemed to drift in different directions as they lost focus.\n\nMar panted heavily as she watched her friend, shock and panic fully gripping her. She couldn't hear anything as a ringing dominated any other sound. She stared at Rashel's body as it trembled and shook in death throes. Her mind struggled to process the obvious scene in front of her. One of the smartest people she'd ever known killed right in front of her. The second time in only a few days she had seen one of her crewmates bloody and dead. On this planet. That she crashed onto. This was all her fault. All her fault. All her-\n\n\"DOWN!\" Impal tackled into Mar, bodily dragging her down to the dirt, and not a moment too soon. An arrow slammed into the tree just above where Mar's own head had been a fraction of a second earlier. She hit the ground hard, crying out as she landed on her already injured arm, sending blinding pain shooting through her. But the pain was enough to snap her mostly back to reality. \"Stay down! And draw your weapon!\" The Pii'Athan started to fire her own, sending blasts of orange energy in the direction the arrows had come from. There were more of the multi-tonal sounds, but higher pitched and, if Mar didn't know any better, they sounded panicked. There was movement at the edge of the area they were in. \"I'm not sure how many there are. At least three.\"\n\nMar looked at Rashel again, tears in her eyes. \"No... Captain...\"\n\nImpal grabbed her jaw and forced the Rattan to look at her. \"LIEUTENANT! She's gone! We can grieve later. Right now, we have multiple hostiles around us! Now draw your weapon if you plan to survive this long enough to properly mourn her!\"\n\nMar nodded quickly, forcing herself to move through the pain in her side. \"Y-yes, ma'am.\" She blinked away her tears, though they didn't really stop flowing, and pulled her own pistol.\n\n\"Good. Stay low. They know this territory. But maybe a few of us shooting magical beams of death at them will encourage them to flee.\" They would get the chance to test that theory quickly. Two beings suddenly emerged from the distance, howling in their multi-tonal way. They were tall, just over two meters in height, with four arms, just like the skeletons. The species resembled dragons, but covered in green, moss-like fur. Powerful muscles rippled as they held their arms up or thumped broad chests in aggressive posturing. Both beings held heavy war bows in one set of arms on the left, while the right held sturdy wooden poles with long, crudely edged blades on the tip. They wore a collection of leathers draped over their powerful bodies, but not for any kind of protection or warmth, as they hung more like a cloak or scarf, leaving their chests, arms, and legs totally exposed.\n\nWhen one of them started to charge forward, Impal shot at the ground in front of them, to try to encourage them to leave. They hopped back, only to howl and charge again, brandishing the spear-like weapon aggressively. He cried out as the next shot hit him center mass, the energy boring a hole straight through his chest, where a heart would be on most beings. When he only faltered but kept moving, she fired again, a second hole boring through the being. He tried to keep moving, but a third shot that vaporized a part of his skull finally made him fall. For good. Impal turned her pistol to the second one when it howled and started to charge. She didn't waste time with the other shots, and just shot for the head. It fell hard next to the first one, both with part of their skulls missing and smoking, dull yellowish blood leaking onto the dirt.\n\nImpal grunted. \"Tough fuckers. Guess warning shots won't work.\" She looked at Mar. The woman was panting and staring ahead at the two dead aliens, her pistol held out but shaking in her hand. \"Stay alert, Lieutenant. I doubt these are the only two that are out there.\" Mar nodded quickly, still panting heavily, tears still in her eyes. This was the first time she had ever seen combat outside of training drills. She had never really liked fighting, but had always wondered if some instinctive Rattan violence might surface if she found herself in a real fight since her people were somewhat violent by nature. Turns out, she didn't share their love of battle at all. It was probably a good thing she hadn't had much in the way of food in the last few days, or she would be depositing what was left on the ground right now. She wasn't sure from which side.\n\nMar jumped when the howls started again. Impal frowned. \"Shit. I had hoped they'd take the hint.\" She checked her pistol, though it would take a few hundred shots to fully deplete the charge. She pointed it up as she caught movement at the corner of her eye. Five more of the beings emerged from the distance, all dressed similarly with the same weapons in their hands. But they were moving slower, more cautiously, like they were stalking. \"Be ready, Lieutenant. They might just be here for the bodies.\" She shifted how she crouched, ready to either fight, or grab the Rattan and hoof it if she had to. \"They can take their fallen and leave, but if they want to fight, we'll have to run.\" Mar just nodded quickly, her eyes wide and panicky, but she at least still had the pistol up and ready.\n\nThe two watched the five aliens moving slowly. Mar was sure one of the ones on the side was trying to flank, but he could just be scouting to see if there were more of them. She made a mental note to keep that one in mind if they moved in. She made a point to look at the two bodies, then back at the alien in the center, nodding slowly and hoping he understood body language. The others seemed to move according to his movements, so she assumed he was the leader of this pack. For a brief moment, it looked like this conflict might be resolved peacefully.\n\nThen the alien circling around made his flanking move. Impal saw him coming and turned to fire on him, catching him in the shoulder with the first shot. The second two hit center mass, all burning holes through his body. He made some kind of noise and collapsed onto the ground, his weapons and arrows scattering around him. She turned as the other four started to move, taking advantage of the opening. She fired several more shots, catching another of the aliens and burning a pair of holes into him, sending him crashing to the dirt, but the others closed in fast. She pushed up and swung out, catching one across the face with her fist. With her enhanced strength from a heavier world, she sent the man flying to the side, only to crash into a tree and crumple into a heap, gasping as his yellowish blood trickled from his mouth and nose.\n\nOne of the two remaining swung their weapon at her, aimed high. She ducked under and dove forward, rolling over her shoulder. She grabbed one of the spears that had been dropped as she rolled, coming up with it in her hand. It had a good balance to it, the shaft made of a hard wood. When the alien tried to swing again, she deflected the blow and turned, slamming the blunt end into his chest and pushing him back. She followed up with another blow, smacking the back of his head and slamming his face into the ground. She quickly slid away, holding the spear at the ready. \"Fourth level An'aki-Sa master, bitch. Bring it!\" She did spare a glance to the side at Mar, the rodent watching with her wide eyes, frozen in panic. She wouldn't be able to rely on her for help.\n\nThe alien that remained, the one she suspected was the leader, threw his bow to the ground and gripped his spear with all four hands. He kept his distance, making some kind of guttural sound that could be words. The two she had knocked down managed to get themselves up, grabbing their own spears and holding them at the ready. \"Three on one? Good, I like a fair fight.\" The three started to move around her, but she kept her hooves planted as she watched. The moment one of them moved, she moved with him, bringing the spear up to block his slice, batting it away. She didn't have time to counter as she had to bring the staff around to block another from the other side. She became a blur of movement as she started to deflect or dodge their quick attacks. She parried, ducked under a slice, blocked a kick, and shifted to avoid punches.\n\nOne of the punches managed to get through. She was not used to dealing with species that had four limbs, so when one of them swung both fists, she could only manage to block one, the other hitting her gut. The momentary opening let another swing and catch her with the blade, cutting across her side. She managed to shift out of the way, but it still left her top torn, blood drooling from the fresh cut. She deflected another swing and spun the shaft in her hands. Typically, it would be enough to completely disarm an opponent, but with his extra limbs, he was able to keep a hold on his weapon and bring it around to bash the blunt end against her jaw. Another came around, slicing at her belly, but she managed to avoid getting gutted by grabbing the shaft and yanking the alien in to slam her knee against his belly. He fell to the ground, but she had to move away to avoid another attack before she could do more.\n\nImpal tried to use the trees to her advantage, ducking around one, but the aliens seemed to know that trick. She was nearly caught by a blade as she came around, turning to avoid it, only for another to slash across her chest, cutting into the top of her breasts and further ripping the now blood soaked top. She grunted, but brought her own blade to bare, slashing down across the alien's body. Her blow was far more solid, catching him near the shoulder and carving down almost to his hip. Yellowish blood burst from the wound as he fell to the side. Her hoof crashed into his skull in a hard kick, stopping his cries as she knocked him out... or killed him, she didn't know which, and didn't have time to find out.\n\nWhen Mar let out a fearful shout, Impal swore under her breath, turning back to see another two aliens had emerged, both brandishing spears and bows. They both suddenly dove to the side as a series of panicked, unaimed shots rang out as Mar fired wildly in front of herself. \"Keep doing that, kid!\" She turned her attention back at the two she was fighting, only to taste wood as the shaft of a spear struck her face, making her stumble back a step. She only half-blocked the follow up, a fresh cut opening across her right thigh. She grit her teeth, baring the pain. \"How many of you fuckers do I need to kill for you to back the fuck off!?\"\n\nShe went on the offensive this time, feinting high, only to shift and swing low, catching one of the aliens across the leg with the blade and cutting deep. He cried out, but she silenced it by swinging up, then stabbing forward, carving a line up his torso before ramming the blade into his neck. She moved forward and kicked him in the chest to dislodge the weapon, sending him flying back to collapse against a tree and bleed out. He wouldn't get back up. Then pain lanced across her back as one of the new arrivals slashed at her, opening a wide gash. She turned and found him practically on top of her. He grabbed at her shirt, making a bouncing noise that was probably laughter. She stopped it by slamming her forehead against his jaw. Blood erupted from his nose as he rocked backwards, ripping her tattered shirt as he fell. She slammed the blade of her spear into his gut, the tip of the blade emerging from his back. She shoved him back, and like the other, he collapsed to the ground to bleed out in agony.\n\nImpal panted heavily, gripping the tattered remains of her shirt and tearing it off entirely to reveal her chest and muscles, and all the cuts upon her. She let out an almost feral scream, enough to make the alien nearest her flinch. She held up the weapon in her hand, the blade dripping with yellow alien blood as she pointed it at the man. \"You want to be next!? Back off and leave!\" The alien seemed to hesitate, taking a tentative step to the side, but her glare bored into him like it was shooting blasts from her pistol. A pistol she realized she had dropped onto the ground at some point.\n\nAnother of the aliens suddenly launched at her from the side. She turned to try and counter him, but the fatigue and wounds slowed her. She brought the spear around to deflect, but he got under the guard as he brought his own down. His blade struck at her wrist, and proved how sharp it was as it carved through both flesh and bone. Impal screamed as her hand fell away, no longer attached. Blood poured out of her severed wrist as she stumbled back as fast as she could. She gripped at the stump, clutching it to her chest as her back hit a tree.\n\nHer eyes darted around, and something caught her gaze. A familiar glinting. Her dropped pistol, near two of the fallen aliens near Mar. She grit her teeth and shoved away from the tree, diving to avoid another swing aimed at her head. She rolled over her shoulder, ignoring the burning pain along her back as she skidded across the ground. She snatched the pistol in her remaining hand, then rolled to the side to avoid a downward slash. She got to her knee and raised the gun, only to freeze as something hit her chest, and she suddenly tasted blood in her mouth. One of the aliens was right in front of her, and she looked down to see he had rammed his spear into her, the blade vanishing somewhere between her breasts. The tip was probably sticking out of her back. Somehow, the wound itself didn't hurt, even as blood was flowing out around the blade at an alarming rate.\n\nHe looked back up as the alien made the bouncing laughing sound at her. \"Fuck you, prick.\" She brought the gun up, pressed it right up under his chin, and pulled the trigger. The front of his head vaporized in an instant, leaving charred, bloody bits of meat, bone, and brain exposed, and a horrible scent. His body slumped to the side, dead before it had even begun moving, and leaving the spear buried in her chest. She coughed, blood splattering out. Looking to the side, she saw Mar. The woman was staring at her with those same wide eyes, full of panic and fear. \"Kid...\" She tried to speak, but her voice was weak. She tried again. \"Kid! Don't... just sit there... RUN!\"\n\nMar didn't run. She couldn't. She couldn't move, her whole body shaking. All she could do was watch as two more of the aliens approached Impal. The Major tried to raise her gun again, but it was bashed out of her hand, sent clattering to the side. Impal looked up at the two, grunting. \"Took... how many to... take just me down?\" She chuckled. \"Fucking savage pricks.\" The gave her the courtesy to finish insulting them, at least. But she would say no more words. One of the aliens brought his spear up and swung it hard. The blade caught Impal in the neck, slicing clean through and removing her head. Her body jerked, and her head rolled to the side, thumping to the ground hard. Her body fell to the side a moment later, blood draining rapidly from her severed neck, splashing out onto the dirt, turning it into crimson mud.\n\nThe remaining aliens turned to look at Mar. She held her pistol up, but it shook in her hand. She gasped for breath, as if she had been running for miles. First, the Colonel, the bravest person she had ever known. Then, the Captain, the smartest. And now, the Major, the strongest person. All dead. All because she made one mistake and forced them to crash here. Tears blurred her vision as she started to sob. Pain exploded in her hand as one of the aliens used the blunt side of the spear to bash the pistol to the side. She cried out in a panic, wanting to scramble away, to flee from herself. She never got the chance as a blow struck the side of her head, sending her crashing to the ground. But it didn't send her blissfully unconscious.\n\nSeveral pairs of hands grabbed her. She cried out in pain as they dragged her by her arms, her broken arm in agony from the tugging, but they ignored her. Several more aliens emerged, most retrieving the bodies of their fallen, but two of them moved to get Rashel and Impal's bodies. She was dragged away before she could see what they planned. She whimpered and sobbed, doing nothing to resist anymore. Impal couldn't beat them all, how could someone like her possibly stand a chance? She slumped her head and let the tears flow, her feet dragging on the ground behind her as they carried her back to their settlement. Why couldn't they just kill her and put her out of her misery?\n\n[center]* * *[/center]\n\nSettlement was not the right term. The place Mar was taken was more like some kind of underground temple. It wasn't a natural cave, either, as the aliens had carved out the rock and put up squared stones as walls. Some kind of naturally glowing substance was used to paint across the walls, leaving a low, yellow-orange glow to illuminate everything. A part of her thought that Captain Rashel would probably have a field day examining all of this... that was, if her lifeless corpse wasn't being dragged by the aliens that killed her.\n\nMar had stopped leaving herself limp, and was walking under her own power, but still tugged or pushed along. She eventually was taken to some kind of large room. The ceiling was high, maybe five or sex meters up. At the far end was a raised platform, stairs leading up to it, with some kind of table or altar at the center, all in reddish stone. A large pit of fire was behind the altar itself, the smoke rising up and taken away by small ventilation shoots in the ceiling. Though it did nothing for the heat, the room swelteringly hot. Three figures were already on the platform. One was laying on the altar, the first female Mar had seen of the species. Just as tall, but not as muscular, and lacking the leather adornments. One was standing before her, his back to the door, and the third was beside the two. He must have been important, as the clothing draped over his back and head was more ornate, with colorful threads sewn into it in some kind of pattern.\n\nA quartet of hands suddenly shoved her down, forcing her to her knees hard enough that it sent a shock of numbness through her legs when she hit the stone. She nearly doubled over, but a painfully hard grip on her shoulders kept her upright. The alien holding her said something, at least she assumed the noises were speaking. She had no way to ever know. Two more passed her, and she saw they were carrying the bodies of Impal and Rashel. \"W-what are you-\" She stopped herself. They couldn't understand her anymore than she could understand them. And it wasn't like she could stop whatever was going to happen.\n\nOn the platform, the woman on the altar closed her eyes, laying flat on her back and opening all four arms wide. Her legs were opened as well, the purpose clear as the male in front of her moved forward. With seemingly no build up, he suddenly grabbed her and started to move his hips. Mar realized quickly what was happening. Was this some kind of mating ritual? Did they want to use her like that? The aliens had nothing covering their genitals, and she could tell there was no way she would be able to take someone their size without a lot of pain.\n\nBoth aliens on the platform started grunting and moaning as the fucking continued. Mar was very confused why she was brought to see this, and felt more than a little embarrassed that she was watching at all. The important male stepped away, picking something up, and walking back to the couple. When he held the object out, Mar saw it was some kind of knife, the blade thin and curved, ending in a sharp point. The priest, she assumed, put it into the waiting hand of the man. He then held the blade up high, while the female moaned louder still.\n\nSuddenly, the male plunged the knife down, piercing deep into the female's chest. Mar flinched, turning away. A set of hands grabbed her head and forced her to look back. \"I-I don't want to see!\" She was forced to watch as the male pulled the hooked blade down, cutting open the female's chest and belly, her blood flowing freely out and down the stones. But she was not in agony, instead seemed to be in some kind of bliss, as if she was enjoying being gutted. The male rammed one of his other hands into the gaping wound, rooting around inside for a second before ripping something out. Several of the woman's intestines spilled free, but she made a noise like she was experiencing the height of pleasure, her whole body undulating on the altar, her hips humping up at the male. He held the organ he had pulled out high, and Mar recognized it was a heart... probably. She guessed it was by how it pulsed and thumped in his bloody hand. Though its movements slowed quickly. The woman's movements also started to slow, her head falling back once more. She was at least alive long enough to see the man bring the heart to his mouth and take a massive bite out of it.\n\nMar tried to look away, but the hands holding her head were firm. The male on the platform let out a howl that echoed around the room, his hips slamming forward. Probably cumming into the female's body. He then ate the rest of the heart in his hand in only two more bites. When he pulled out and stepped back, the woman on the altar was dead, arms hanging over the sides limp. Something thick and vaguely greenish leaked out of the hole between her legs. The priest nodded, putting one of his many hands on the male's shoulder and saying something. The male nodded, then moved to the side and lifted the female's body with all four arms. He held it up high, spoke something loud, turned, and threw her body into the pit of fire. Mar couldn't see any more than that, but the flames suddenly grew more intense, briefly shifting from red-orange to green and blue before returning to normal.\n\nHer breath started to come in heavy panting again. \"You're going to do that to me, aren't you?\" She whimpered, shaking her head. \"No... no, just kill me, don't do that!\" The alien holding her ignored her. She gasped as Rashel's body was carried up onto the platform and laid out onto the altar next. The knife, once more in the hands of the priest, was used to carve open the clothing covering her body. It was stripped away, though they were not careful to keep from cutting the flesh in the process. Soon, she was laid out naked, black fur in stark contrast to the yellow blood and green fuzz of the aliens. The alien that carried the body up moved into position. But he seemed confused as he shoved the legs apart, not sure what to do with two holes. He looked at the priest and they exchanged words.\n\nThe conversation ended, and the male picked one of the holes, ramming himself into the dead canine's ass. He let out a noise, as it was probably much smaller than he had expected. He still managed to move his hips, thrusting into the dead body quickly. He spoke, and the knife was handed to him. He jammed it into Rashel's chest, right between her breasts, and carved down to her hips. Another hand jammed into her guts, spilling crimson all over the stones. He moved around and seemed confused again, pulling out different organs, only to throw them to the ground. Stomach, liver, a kidney. Then he finally thought to search higher, finally finding her heart in her chest. With a hard yank, he pulled it free, holding it high. Like the male before, he took a bite out of it, but didn't seem to like the taste. He still forced himself to eat the whole thing before gripping Rashel's body and hammering away at it. He came, Mar assumed that was what was happening, a moment later with a howl. When he pulled out and walked to the side, she saw the same thick, greenish liquid oozing out of Rashel's gaped ass. She squeezed her eyes shut as the body was lifted up, but she still heard when the flames burst high as she was cast into the pit. Tears ran freely from her eyes. She wished they would just get this over with.\n\nOne of the males walked in front of her, and she assumed it was her turn. Instead, something was moved in front of her face. She flinched as an overpowering smoke billowed around her, filling her nose with a scent like burnt flowers. She tried to turn away, but the hands held her head firm. She coughed, unable to stop herself breathing the smoke in. As soon as she did, her head started to swim. Her thoughts slowed and blurred, like her brain had been dunked in Trendani Honey-Syrup. She coughed again, but she still breathed more in. Every breath made her thoughts feel heavy, and her body feel light. The pain in her broken arm seemed to fade away. All feeling seemed to fade away, leaving her numb, feeling like she was floating on clouds.\n\nWhen the bowl of whatever it was got moved away, her hazy vision was still forward, on the altar. Impal's headless body was already being used by another male, her torso torn wide open and his hand rooting around inside. The heart was torn free a moment later, and the male took a large bite. By some of the cuts on the male's body, he was probably one of the ones that she had been fighting in the forest. He seemed to get great pleasure eating the heart, and showed it by howling a moment later, filling the dead Pii'Athan with his alien cum. Or whatever it was he was depositing in her. When he pulled out and moved to the side, it seems he picked a different hole, the green stuff oozing out of Impal's pussy. He lifted her body high, crying his words out louder than the other two had. He then threw her body into the pit. Another male walked up and threw her severed head into the fire, both stoking the flames high.\n\nIt seems it was finally her turn. The hands holding her dragged her up to her feet. She was forced to move, but her head was still swimming. She had to be practically dragged up the stairs, as she couldn't manage to even take a step on her own without almost falling over her own feet. Then she was shoved down onto her back, laying on the bloody altar. She stared up at the ceiling, finally noticing the little shoots above to let the smoke flow out. She wondered where the smoke came out on the surface. Maybe it was visible, or maybe it was somehow masked. It was a pretty good way to stay hidden. A piece of what Rashel told her came to mind, that the moon would enter phases of hot and cold periods, with mostly day, and little to none. They must live underground to withstand the shifting temperatures. It was kind of clever.\n\nShe realized the knife was already being used to strip her clothing away while she was lost in thought. Looking down at herself, she saw several thin lines of blood where they had cut through her skin, though not deep. She hadn't even felt it. Her small breasts were on full display as her clothing was ripped away. Soon, her legs were the same as her pants were torn to shreds, leaving her fully exposed. The male that was holding her down then motioned to her broken arm, the priest giving some reply. The spoke for a few moments, then the priest nodded. Her arm was grabbed by the wrist, pulled straight out to the side. It was amazing, her arm had been in horrible pain for days, and now she barely felt anything. The hooked blade was brought down, and used to carve through her flesh just by her shoulder. She watched with an unusual fascination as they cut into her. She felt none of it. It was like she was outside of her own body, watching as they mutilated her.\n\nSoon, her arm was fully cut through, and with a few hard yanks, it was ripped from the socket entirely. Blood was pouring from the wound, but she looked at the limp arm in the man's grip. Her arm. She should feel horrified, she knew that, but she couldn't feel anything. The arm was thrown away. Apparently, a broken and infected arm was not suitable for their fire. A hand slammed down on her chest, pinning her down. She looked, and saw the male had gotten close. He lined his cock up, then shoved forward. She felt as he spread her pussy wide enough to tear the flesh, but there was no pain. There wasn't much pleasure, either, just an odd feeling of fullness. He shoved deeper, not stopping when he got to the back, and soon plunged his way through and into her womb. Her stomach bulged a little from the massive thing stuffed into her. She hadn't seen this part before.\n\nThe humping lasted only a few minutes, then the knife was brought down. She watched with the same dazed fascination as the tip pierced into her chest, right between her breasts, and then easily slid down, splitting her flesh open like a knife through jelly. She saw her own intestines as her belly was cut open. Her breath came in short gasps, and she realized it was all she could manage with her guts spilling free. Even that was robbed of her when the hand shoved into her. She felt fingers grabbing, squeezing, pushing, and searching inside of her torso. It was not comfortable, and it should be the worst pain she had ever felt. Then those fingers found what they were looking for. A pressure gripped her heart, which struggled to keep beating in the grip. She did feel the pain when the vital organ was torn from its place, ripped out of her chest in a fountain of blood. Her already foggy head started to get even more clouded as she watched him hold her heart up. Then he took a large bite, ripping more than half of it away.\n\nShe laid her head back, fatigue starting to take over. The tears came again, and she wanted to cry, to sob, to do something, but she was so tired. She just stared up at the ceiling, at those little holes that took the smoke away. She felt like she was being taken away through them, too. Even as the man was blowing his load deep inside of her, she only felt like she was floating upwards. She was going to be free and in the air. She'd go back to space, float freely forever. No more pain. Maybe she'd meet Rashel, Impal, and Parn up there... She could pilot them all around the galaxy again... \n\nThe male pulled himself out of the dead Rattan a moment later, then moved to lift her body up. He made the triumphant call that he had consumed the essence of the female, that her blood would make him strong. He turned, and cast her body into the pit of flames. It was consumed in an instant, denying any other using her blood for power. It would be his power now. None of the crew of the Gothound would ever know this ritual. But the People of Redstone would be strong because of them. The man that had survived and consumed the power of the female warrior would be made master warrior. Surely, with the power of such a fierce fighter now his, the rival tribes of Sleki would never win the war for Warmwood. The People of Redstone would remain strong thanks to the blood god they worshiped, that taught them this ritual. They would be masters of the world they called Renkek. No matter who challenged them.\n\n[center]* * *[/center]\n\n\"Sir, We're picking up... something.\"\n\nThe terran lion, Colonel Edward Rithegard, leaned forward, looking to the avian Talshakri communications officer. \"Explain, Lieutenant.\"\n\nThe bright yellow avian tilted his head. \"We... can't, sir. It's a signal, but very weak and distorted. I can't tell what it was, or its exact point of origin. Just a general location. But it is an Alliance signal... I think.\"\n\nThe first officer of the Deltarow, the terran rabbit Major Rojar Briece, spoke up. \"It could be a distress signal.\"\n\nEdward nodded. \"Can you confirm, Yesh?\"\n\nThe avian shook his head again. \"I'm sorry, I can't. I'm trying to clean it up, but it's too degraded. It seems like it came from... sector 883.\"\n\n\"883?\" Rojar looked at his commander. \"That's out in an uncharted part of the galaxy. Do we have any ships out in that sector?\"\n\nEdward shook his head. \"I don't know. But it's too far for us to go looking. Lieutenant Yesh, forward it to Alliance command. Let them figure out what to do with it.\"\n\n\"Aye, Sir.\"\n\nRojar leaned closer. \"If it is a distress signal? They could need our help.\"\n\nThe lion shook his head. \"It would take us over two weeks to get to Sector 883 at maximum Drive. That signal is probably weeks old, as well. We wouldn't be going to a rescue. We'd be doing corpse retrieval. Our crew and ship is banged up enough from that last Daxiks fight. No. We'll continue on to station 32 for repairs.\" He pat the rabbit's shoulder. \"Don't worry, the Alliance will probably send someone. If there's people that managed to survive, someone will rescue them.\" He then looked at his own pilot. \"Mr. Wenshi. Station 32. Drive 2, please.\"\n\n[center]* * *[/center]", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "
Savage Mayday

By XP Author


Alarms started blaring through the small ship, lights flashing on all the consoles. The two occupants of the cockpit were already trying to figure out what was happening when the other two on board arrived. The commander of the four, Lieutenant Colonel Parnigantalokori, often just shortened to Colonel Parn, gripped the wall as the whole ship started to shake violently. "Lieutenant Mar, report!" She was a member of the Talshani race, specifically the long-necked reptilian Talshasa variant, her scales a pale green, her wispy blue hair slowly fading to silver in a few places from age.

Lieutenant JG Mar Mira's nimble fingers were flying across the controls as she tried desperately to stabilize the craft. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. I'm not sure what happened. I'm trying to compensate and stabilize us!" The lieutenant was the youngest of the small crew, only having just graduated from the academy one galactic year ago. A Rattan, a rat-like race with coarse brown fur and short, pointed ears. She was one of only a small handful of Rattan within the Alliance, as her people were not on the friendliest of terms with the Alliance of Planets.

Captain Rashel 'Rash' Soranski, a terran canine, black labrador, was working on the diagnostics. "It seems we hit a cloud of unstable gasses near the edge of a nebula. They reacted with the charged dark matter and overloaded the engines. Engine 2 is reporting critical damage, working at only 10%. Engine 1 nearly overloaded from some kind of energy spike and is only at 48% efficiency. We have been ejected out of FTL."

"Great job, kid. You broke the ship!" Major Impal was another member of the Pii'Athan race, often described like a cross between a terran ferrat and goat, she had short, brick red fur, small horns poking through short purple hair. She was the tactical officer of the crew, though that meant little on a ship with barely any weapons. The muscular woman was there more for ground security. Like Mar, she was one of only a small handful of her race serving in the Alliance.

Mar let out a whimper. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. I didn't think we were close enough to the nebula to effect us."

Parn frowned. "We do not want excuses, Lieutenant! We want solutions!" Like all Talshani, Parn spoke in the plural.

The rattan whimpered again. "I'm having trouble stabilizing the engines." The whole ship started to shake even more violently. "We're leaking coolant. We need to land, or our engines could overload and detonate."

Rashel spoke up. "Ma'am, records show there a yellow giant star, designated KL-2182. Its fourth planet is a gas giant that has a Class-M moon. It is the only habitable location within several dozen light years. However, it is uncharted. It was only probed and marked for future study. We have no idea what could be down there, or if it's inhabited."

Parn nodded. "Can we handle an FTL jump long enough to get there?"

Mar spoke up. "I don't know, ma'am. Engines are trying to shake themselves apart right now. Even if we made it there, it would completely overload the DMD, probably burn it out. We'd need more than repairs at that point."

The Talshani nodded. "Well, it's that or stay stranded in deep space. Make it so, Lieutenant. Just try not to blow us up before we get there."

"Yes, ma'am." She entered the coordinates into the navigation. "Activating DMD in three... two... one... Now!" The moment she activated the dark matter drive, the whole ship lurched with pseudo-motion as it entered FTL speeds. The ship started to violently shake around them, forcing everyone to take seats and strap in. "Arriving at the KL-2182 system in twelves sec-" The whole ship suddenly lurched violently, even more alarms blaring within the cockpit.

Rashel shouted, "Engine 2 has overloaded and is venting coolant and fuel! Reading a plasma fire! Engine 1 is at critical! Overload is imminent! We're losing DMD field stability!"

Mar grit her teeth. "I'm trying to keep her steady! 3 seconds!" The rapidly shifting view of space outside the view port blurred as the ship dropped out of FTL again. It showed the view of a bright green and blew planet-sized moon orbiting a massive orange gas giant. "We're within range of the moon!" The view shifted as the craft rotated and spun. "Dammit. I have no control! Engine 1 just shut down! I only have navigation thrusters!" Her hands flew across the controls. "We're in the moon's gravity, and it's pulling us in. We're going in. Brace for crash landing!"

Impal grunted as she felt like the ship was trying to shake itself to pieces around them. "Just try not to burn us up in the atmosphere!"

"I'm trying!" The ship turned and spun, the air around it suddenly turning red fiery as it hit the atmosphere. Mar worked hard to try and keep the ship at the right angle that it would penetrate into the air and not completely burn up. It lurched again as the muffled sound of an explosion vibrated through the hull. "Engine 2 has detonated! We're in atmosphere, but controls aren't responding anymore! Brace for impact!" Everyone did just that, bracing as the ground rapidly approached. The vast green below became more obviously trees, a jungle stretching out for hundred kilometers in all directions. There was another explosion, but no one had the time to check what it was this time as only a second later, the ship hit the ground, crashing through trees and kicking dirt and mud in all directions. Mar let out a shout as she was thrown forward, bashing her head onto the controls and blacking out.

*     *     *


"-ake up, ki-" The voice faded out, overpowered by a ringing in Mar's ears. Her head throbbed, her chest ached, and her arm... she couldn't feel her left arm... or maybe it felt cold. Or was it warm? "Kid!" She groaned as the voice of... someone... shouted at her. It was urgent and familiar. She wanted to just go back to sleep. Why couldn't Impal just leave her alone? Impal...? "Lieutenant! Wake up!" Her consciousness finally swam back to the surface. She could smell smoke and burning plastic and wires. She opened her eyes, seeing the deactivated control console in front of her, the screen cracked. A splatter of blood was right on the biggest crack. She realized it was her blood, which was still leaking from a cut on her head.

She let out another groan as she finally forced herself to focus. "M-major?" She coughed. "Wh-wha-"

Impal shook her head. "No time for that, kid. We gotta get you outta here! This whole wreck is on fire! It's gonna blow any second!"

Mar nodded, reaching down to pull the emergency release on her restraints. She realized she couldn't move one arm. She tried the other. That one worked. She fell forward the moment the restraint was released, gravity at a very odd angle. She was caught by the muscular arms of the Pii'Athan. From the odd angle, she saw the vacant seat beside her. "W-whare is... Rah... Capta..." She couldn't think straight enough to even remember the name or rank of her friend.

"Cap's fine. She's already outside. Now c'mon!" Impal half-dragged. "We gotta go!"

As she was pulled free and forced to move, Mar saw Parn. The reptilian was still strapped into her seat, leaning to the side. Her long neck was bent in a very strange way, and some red liquid drooling out of her mouth and nose. There was also something strange coming out of her chest, like she was growing a metal spike from her collarbone. It was also wet, the same red color as the stuff coming out of her mouth. "W-wait... C-col... P-Parn!"

"She's gone, kid!"

"N-no! W-we ne-need... need t-to!" She tried to pull away from Impal, to go over to the Colonel, knowing something was wrong, but she couldn't think straight enough to put words to what she was seeing. But it was wrong. They couldn't leave her! "S-she n-needs h-hel- he... help!"

Impal forced the Rattan to move. "No! We gotta move!" She crouched down and scooped Mar up, carrying her bodily over her shoulder and dragging her out of the smoking, burning wreck. Outside, Rashel was waiting, checking a large pack of some kind. "I got her. She's pretty out of it. Banged her head."

Rashel nodded. "I'll examine her once we are safe." The canine also had blood on her face, flowing from a cut on the side of her forehead. "We need to move. Power cells have been cracked and are leaking. The whole thing is about to go critical. Can she walk?"

"Doubt it. I'll carry her." She pointed at the pack. "Grab that stuff and hoof it!" The canine nodded, picking up the pack and throwing it over her shoulder, then turned to follow Impal's hasty pace away from the wreck.

Mar was still not fully aware of what was going on. "N-no! W-we have t-to... to go back!" She tried to struggle, but she was having enough trouble just staying awake. "W-we need t-to get Col... Colon... P-Parn! Ma'am! S-she's still in there!"

Impal frowned, not slowing at all. "She's dead, kid! There's nothing we can d-" They were all thrown to the ground as the ship violently exploded behind them, sending a cloud of bright blue flames and smoke into the sky, high above the tops of the trees. Mar saw the cloud as she landed on her back, though her vision was blurry. Was she crying? Maybe it was just the smoke. She closed her eyes, and the darkness took her again, giving her an escape from the pain she hadn't fully registered she was in.

Unfortunately, the escape was only temporary. She groaned as it returned. Her head still throbbed, but not as bad. Her chest still ached, and she felt like she wanted to throw up, but there was nothing in her stomach to bring up. Her right arm ached, but her left felt very strange. Hot, cold, numb, and tingling all at the same time, and strangely tight. She let out another groan as she opened her eyes slowly, only to wince at the bright orange light. "Easy, kid. Take it easy." A hand very gently rested on her right shoulder. "Take your time." Something was brought up to touch her lips. "Here. Water. Take a sip."

Mar let the major pour some of it into her mouth, the cool liquid helping her. She hadn't realized how dry her mouth had been. "W-what... happened?" Her head still throbbed and ached.

Rashel spoke. "We crash landed on the moon. We managed to escape the Gothound before the power cells detonated, but this does mean we're stranded here until rescue can come. But it may be some time until then..."

"R-rescue?" She groaned, realizing she was leaned against a tree. She tried to move, only to find it difficult. She finally opened her eyes, blinking several times. "W-where is... Colonel Parn?" Both women were silent for a long moment, exchanging a look to one another.

Impal shook her head. "I'm sorry. The colonel was killed in the crash. When one of the engines exploded, it sent shrapnel into the ship. Pierced through her chest. And even if she had survived that, her neck was broken in two places during the crash."

Mar closed her eyes, remembering now how the Telshani looked as she was being dragged away. The 'red liquid' was blood. There was a lot of it. "W-we should... at least bury her..."

Rashel shook her head. "The colonel was still inside the Gothound when it exploded. There is nothing left to bury."

The rattan sighed. "Oh..." She tried to move again, only to cry out as pain suddenly lanced through her left side. She finally looked down to see her arm. It was covered in tightly wrapped cloth. By the blue color, it was the torn remains of her uniform's jacket. She hadn't realized she was only in her black undershirt until then. Two pieces of straight plastic had been tied to her arm, keeping it still. "W-what..."

Rashel explained. "Your arm has been broken in five places, and you have a severe laceration along the upper portion. Several of the muscles are torn."

Impal scratched the back of her head. "It was the best I could do with our medkit. Didn't have a full arm splint."

The canine continued in her typical analytical tone. "You also suffered a concussion."

Mar grunted. "That explains the... dizziness... and words... not quite working..."

Rashel nodded. "Yes. Thankfully, it was not as severe as I had initially thought. I administered a painkiller and something to reduce the swelling while you were unconscious. The dizziness should pass in a few hours. I'm afraid there is not much I can do for your arm, however. We'll have to wait until rescue comes and we can get you to a more proper medical facility. We'll need to make sure to watch for infect-"

"Rescue... y-you said that the... the Gothound blew up. We're in uncharted space. A-and we weren't scheduled to return to Spacebase 87 for another nineteen days..."

Impal hooked a thumb to the side. "We managed to salvage the emergency transponder from the ship. We'll use it to send a mayday. Hopefully, it'll reach a nearby ship and they'll come pick us up."

Rashel frowned. "Unfortuantely, the radiation from the ship's explosion seems to have reacted with something in the atmosphere and ionized the local area. Nothing harmful to biological life as far as I can tell, but it is making signals break up quickly. The emergency unit doesn't have enough power to punch through it. So we'll need to get some distance away before we can send a message out."

"H-how... how far?" Mar cleared her throat. "How far do we need to go?"

Rashel shook her head. "Hard to tell, I'm afraid. At least a few kilometers. Possibly farther." Mar growned.

Impal chuckled. "A day's hike, maybe two. C'mon, skinny things like you could use the workout!" She helped Mar to get another sip of water. "We'll start tomorrow. You rest for now, get some strength. We don't know what's out here in this jungle. Don't want you getting snapped up by some wild beastie because you were a little sleepy."

The rattan grunted. "Yeah... rest sounds... good." She closed her eyes and leaned against the tree. "Just... just a... a little..." She fell asleep before she could finish her sentence.

Impal grunted. "Rest well, kid. I really don't want to drag your ass through these trees." She looked at Rashel. "You two, Captain. I'll keep first watch." The canine nodded, finishing her last check on the equipment before finding somewhere suitable to have herself a nap.

*     *     *


The trio made their way through the jungle the next day, if one could classify anything on this moon a day. When the rotation turned them away from the gas giant's orange light, the sun was high in the sky. By the time the sun was dipping over the horizon, the planet was in view again. It was only dim light for under an hour during the cycle. Impal was in the lead of the three, apparently in her element in the wild. Her hooves easily moved over the large branches, and didn't seem to sink into the soft dirt as much as the other two's booted feet. The Pii'Athan looked over her shoulder at the two, specifically Mar. "You doing okay back there, Kid?" She had taken her uniform jacket off, tying it around her waist. It left her in just a tight black tank top that showed off her muscular physique and doing nothing to hide her ample chest. The security red color of the jacket and the similarly colored stripes on the side of her otherwise black pants stood out among the yellow-green foliage around them. Her brick red fur also stood out, seemingly made more vibrant in the gas giant's orange light.

Mar was breathing heavily, but doing her best to keep up. "Yes, Major. I'm... still here!" The rodent let out a breath. Her own uniform was in blue and black, blue being the color for navigation and helm. However, what was left of her uniform jacket had been cut into strips, some of them still on her broken arm keeping the split in place. "Though this humidity is intense. It's hot..."

"We are currently in what could be considered a long summer for the moon." Rashel chimed up. She was moving just beside Mar, her science green jacket still on, but she had opened it to allow her body to breath a little. "The moon's rotational day cycle is roughly 25.6 hours, but its orbit around the gas giant is much slower. It is impossible to have exact numbers without my equipment, but for a naturally formed Class-M moon, I'd estimate a planetary orbit around the gas giant would take approximately 130 to 150 galactic standard days." She climbed over a large root, then helped Mar over, while still explaining. "The gas giant's orbit is significantly longer, by orders of magnitude. Likely several galactic standard years for a single solar orbit. We seem to be within the 'summer' section of that orbit right now. But eventually it would enter a winter orbit, and the temperatures would drop significantly. I suspect most of the local flora and fauna would enter a prolonged hibernation period during that time."

Impal laughed. "Bet it reminds you of home, Cap."

Rashel shook her head. "No really."

Mar was confused. "Home? I thought you were Terran."

The canine nodded. "I am, yes, but I was born in Britani Nova, the capital city on Europa." She saw the confused look from the Rattan. "Ah, Europa is one of the large planetoid moons around the gas giant Jupiter within the Sol System. It was terraformed just before the extrasolar explorations began. The shipyard in orbit was the launching point for the ship that first discovered the Tal system." Mar nodded. "However, it is not nearly as lush as this moon, as the environment was artificially created."

Impal pushed a fallen branch out of the way. "Probably not as heavy, too. This place feels heavier than my own world." Pii'Ath had a gravity 1.3 times Earth's standard, making Impal's increased strength typical of her race. Though she still worked to develop the muscles to her current level. "What about you, kid?"

Mar tilted her head. "Why the sudden interest, Major? You never asked before..."

Impal laughed. "Making conversation while we walk. And trying to keep you distracted from your arm." Mar grunted. "Now c'mon. How did a Rattan end up in the Alliance? Most of your people are pretty unfriendly. Warrior types, right? So how'd a Rattan end up in the alliance, as a pilot on an explorer ship no less."

Mar grunted. "I... was found in the remains of a colony on Rem'dina III. Evidence was that the Daxiks had destroyed the colony."

Impal flinched. "Daxiks? Are the Rattan allied with the Daxi?"

Mar shook her head. "I guess not..."

Rashel spoke up. "No one is truly allied with the Daxiks. It is more accurate to say some are conquered or hired. The Daxiks think the notion of an alliance is a great sign of weakness, that lesser races band together in an attempt to show a force they do not possess individually. It is the reason why they hold such great animosity towards the Alliance of Planets."

"And they think that all races are lesser, right." She called back to Mar. "Anyway, you were saying that you survived the attack?"

Mar nodded. "Y-yes. I was hidden with a few other survivors, but I was only a pup, not even one year old. The ship that rescued us was Alliance, and took us in as refugees. I was adopted by a couple from Earth, Terran rats, and my fathers raised me on the Salema Venture."

Impal quirked an eyebrow. "That's a city ship, right?"

Mar nodded. "Yeah. Though nothing as big as the Astra Ferro. But I loved all the Alliance stuff, and joined the academy as soon as I was able. I really loved to fly, so I went into the navigation branch pretty easily. I... never liked fighting. I know that's pretty unusual for a Rattan. We're all supposed to be big scary warriors that shoot first and pick through what's left, but I wanted to explore..." She sighed. "Colonel Parn recruited me right out of the academy for the Gothound..." She sniffled as she felt some tears starting. "And now I killed her..."

Impal stopped, turning to look at the younger woman. "Lieutenant, you didn't kill them."

Mar couldn't stop the emotions now that she'd touched them. They all boiled up from wherever she had been keeping them hidden. "I did! I'm the reason we got too close to that nebula! I-I couldn't keep the ship together in the jump, I crashed us onto this moon!"

The other two officers looked at each other, Rashel shaking her head. She was not good with emotions. Impal stepped closer, putting a hand on Mar's good shoulder. "Hey. You made a mistake, but an easy one to make. Nebula gasses are hard to predict. And you kept that ship stable enough that three of us still made it out of that crash. Three out of Four is pretty good for anyone, especially flying with thrusters only." She smirked. "Trust me, if I was at the helm, I'd probably have buried us into the rocks."

Mar couldn't fight the tears as they blurred her vision. "But now we're stranded here! We don't even know if there's anything edible, or if the water is clean! W-we're going to die here before someone finds us!"

"Lieutenant Mar Mira!" Mar flinched as Impal shouted her whole name and rank. "You signed up for an exploration ship! What is our mission?"

The Rattan sniffled. "T-to... find new worlds and systems... to explore the unknown..."

"Exactly. Well, we're on an unexplored moon. Yes, our situation may not be ideal, but that's the risks of the job!" She reached up and gently brushed a finger against Mar's cheek. "Now, wipe these tears up. You're an officer for the Alliance of Planets. You need to look your best if we meet any indigenous people."

Mar managed a soft laugh, thinking how messed up she must look with her uniform shredded to make a splint on her arm. "Thank you, Major." She sniffled and cleared her throat. "I'll... do my best."

"Good." She pat her shoulder again, then looked at Rashel. "How much farther until we can get a signal out, Captain?"

Rashel pulled the pack off of her shoulder and set it down, touching the controls on the transponder. "Still far too much atmospheric interference here. The signal wouldn't make it out of the solar system before degrading. But it is reduced from before, so my hypothesis is holding. If we get more distance from the crash, we should be able to get a signal out." She looked up and around, not at anything in particular. "The ionization may also be dissipating on its own, as well. So the time it is taking to get the distance is not wasted." She closed everything back up and slung the equipment over her shoulder once more. "Whenever you are ready, Major, we can continue on."

"Yes, ma'am." She looked at Mar. "You ready to keep moving?"

Mar nodded. "Y-yes..." She cleared her throat. "Yes, Ma'am."

"Good." She pat the woman's shoulder again, and turned. "Don't worry, kid. We'll make it out of this. You survived a Daxiks attack. You can survive a simple crash."

*     *     *


Impal came back to the spot they had decided to rest for the 'night.' Mar was once more leaning against a tree. She had started shaking, and they decided to take a break to let her rest. At least she had stopped shaking for now. Impal looked at the canine. "How is she, Captain?"

The dog looked up from the equipment, giving a look at the dozing woman beside her. "It could be better. I changed the bandages and splint wrappings, but I think an infection is starting to set in. I've already given her all the painkillers we have. It's incredible she hasn't been complaining about the pain more."

The Pii'Athan smiled, then nodded to the equipment. "How about the transponder. Were you able to get a signal out?"

Rashel shook her head. "Hard to tell. There's a signal going out now, but I'm not sure how far it's going to reach. Hopefully far enough for someone to come investigate, at least. But we were already outside of Alliance space before we encountered the nebula. It will take time for anyone to get here." She looked at Mar again. "Hopefully not too long. I'm worried about how long the Lieutenant will be able to keep her strength up."

Impal chuckled. "She's a lot stronger than she thinks. She's come this far while in pain. She's a fighter."

"Kind... of you to... say, Major." Mar grunted as she forced herself to sit up, wincing as pain lanced through her arm.

"You feeling okay, kid?"

Mar nodded. "Better... for now..." She took several deep breaths. "But I don't want to... keep slowing you down..."

Impal shook her head, moving over to crouch down next to the young woman. "Ah, no. None of that talk. We're not leaving you behind just to save our hides."

Mar sighed. "Major... Ma'am... my arm is either numb or in agony, and it's spreading. I... know I have a fever... We have almost no food or water. You're only wasting it on me..."

Rashel spoke up. "The Major is correct. We will not leave you behind while you can still move under your own power. I have been doing some surveys on the local flora. It should be edible for..." She looked at Impal. "Two of us." Pii'Athans were pure carnivores, so the chances of Impal surviving on plants was minimal. "I've seen some small, arboreal fauna, which could be used for meat if we need."

Impal patted the energy pistol at her side. "I'm a crack shot, so I can hit a space squirrel scurrying up a tree if I need to. And I can go a long time without food."

Rashel continued. "As for water, while my equipment is notably basic, the current scan for what I collected from the stream hasn't shown anything that would immediately harm any of us. The purifier flask should filter out any microbes that might disagree with us. We all might need to spend a day or two in a medlab for stomach cramps once we're rescued, but we won't die of thirst."

The major nodded. "There you have it. So none of this talk about leaving you behind anymore, got it? That's an order!"

Mar nodded. "Understood, ma'am."

"Good, now keep resting. We'll keep moving once you have your strength back." She pat the woman's shoulder gently, then moved over to Rashel. "I found something interesting while I was scouting ahead. Markings on a tree. Too complex to be a wild animal's markings."

That got the canine's attention. "Markings? Recent?"

"Hard to say. The bark had started to cover it a little, but the carvings were pretty distinct still." She grunted. "Problem is, I don't know if it's marking territory, or if it's just a couple of lovebirds carving their names together."

"Either way, it suggests there is an indigenous population not far from our current location."

"And we don't know if they'll be friendly to a trio of aliens suddenly strolling into their settlement." She glanced at Mar. "Options? You have more experience with this sort of thing."

Rashel frowned. "I'm not sure... Colonel Parn was a better judge of this situations. He... She would know what to do." The canine had served with Parn for a long time, since the reptile was male. Talshasa often changed genders a few times over the course of their lives, usually for breeding, though the process took some time.

"Well, I know she valued your opinion. So I'll tell you what I think, and you can correct me if you think it's wrong."

Rashel nodded. "Understood, Major."

Impal looked at Mar again. "I think we should try to make contact. We should be cautious, see if we can judge how they will react to outsiders, but they could have food and medical supplies. Even tribal medicine is better than nothing."

The Captain nodded. "I think that makes the most sense. She was not wrong about our supplies being low. I have nothing to treat her infection with, and it will only get worse the longer it goes untreated."

Impal nodded. "Right. Then we'll see if we can determine the direction of the settlement and make our way towards it. Just be ready to turn and run the other way if we discover they're not exactly friendly." She nodded at the pistol at the Captain's side. "You gotten any better with that thing?"

Rashel shook her head. "I'm afraid not. But hopefully just firing a few burst of concentrated energy at someone will be enough to convince them not to continue any pursuit."

The Pii'Athan chuckled. "Let's hope you are right. I'd rather not end in a pitched battle with the locals. Save that kind of behavior for the Daxiks."

*     *     *


Impal grunted as she crouched down to examine what was before her. "Well... I think we can determine that the locals might not be friendly."

Rashal nodded slowly. "Indeed." The three women were standing before a skeleton, likely of one of the local species. What they could determine for certain was that they were bipedal, tall at around two meters, with long legs and four arms. The skull had a long jaw full of sharp teeth. A long arrow of some kind had pierced whoever the unfortunate soul was, pinning them to the tree. Though now with no flesh but some hardened connective tissue left, the bones had mostly fallen to the ground around it. Rashel was examining the bones. "Signs of teeth marks. They were left out here for the wildlife to consume." She looked up and at the other four skeletons similarly strewn about the area. "No weapons or signs of a battle."

The Pii'Athan nodded. "Yeah, I noticed that, too. They were hunted, or possibly executed." She pointed at the trees each skeleton was near, each one with an arrow or two in them. "Line them up, face the tree, then fire a kill shot."

Mar looked very uncomfortable. "I... think we should leave..."

Rashel nodded. "I agree. These people are likely primitive and extremely territorial. Even if we could find a way to communicate with them, I don't think they'll be willing to listen, let alone share supplies with us." She stood back up and pointed the way they came. "We passed the markings on the trees only a half klick back. I suspect those mark the edge of their territory. We should head that way."

"Yeah." Impal stood up and pulled her pistol to check its power was working, just in case. "Let's just hope we don't stumble into someone else's territory in the process."

Rashel turned to look at Mar. The Rattan was leaning her good arm against a tree, panting a little from the pain she was still in. "Come, Lieutenant. Let's start mov-" The canine's words were cut off as her body suddenly lurched forward, as if she was suddenly shoved from behind. Crimson erupted from her chest, as well as the tip and several centimeters of a heavy arrow. Her body slammed into the tree she had been standing in front of, and only then did her eyes go wide as she realized what happened. She looked down to see the projectile sticking out of her chest.

"RASH!" Impal shouted, instinctively pulling her pistol. Before she could move, a horrible, multi-tonal howling echoed through the air, like someone had hit several keys on an organ. Several more howls joined in, though it was impossible to tell where exactly it was coming from.

Rashel grit her teeth, blood drooling from the corners of her mouth. "...Run..." Her voice was shaky and wet. She turned to look at the other two. "RU-" Her head slammed against the tree as another arrow struck, piercing straight through her skull and pinning it to the tree. Her body jerked and trembled as blood splattered from both sides of the wound. Her eyes went wide, then seemed to drift in different directions as they lost focus.

Mar panted heavily as she watched her friend, shock and panic fully gripping her. She couldn't hear anything as a ringing dominated any other sound. She stared at Rashel's body as it trembled and shook in death throes. Her mind struggled to process the obvious scene in front of her. One of the smartest people she'd ever known killed right in front of her. The second time in only a few days she had seen one of her crewmates bloody and dead. On this planet. That she crashed onto. This was all her fault. All her fault. All her-

"DOWN!" Impal tackled into Mar, bodily dragging her down to the dirt, and not a moment too soon. An arrow slammed into the tree just above where Mar's own head had been a fraction of a second earlier. She hit the ground hard, crying out as she landed on her already injured arm, sending blinding pain shooting through her. But the pain was enough to snap her mostly back to reality. "Stay down! And draw your weapon!" The Pii'Athan started to fire her own, sending blasts of orange energy in the direction the arrows had come from. There were more of the multi-tonal sounds, but higher pitched and, if Mar didn't know any better, they sounded panicked. There was movement at the edge of the area they were in. "I'm not sure how many there are. At least three."

Mar looked at Rashel again, tears in her eyes. "No... Captain..."

Impal grabbed her jaw and forced the Rattan to look at her. "LIEUTENANT! She's gone! We can grieve later. Right now, we have multiple hostiles around us! Now draw your weapon if you plan to survive this long enough to properly mourn her!"

Mar nodded quickly, forcing herself to move through the pain in her side. "Y-yes, ma'am." She blinked away her tears, though they didn't really stop flowing, and pulled her own pistol.

"Good. Stay low. They know this territory. But maybe a few of us shooting magical beams of death at them will encourage them to flee." They would get the chance to test that theory quickly. Two beings suddenly emerged from the distance, howling in their multi-tonal way. They were tall, just over two meters in height, with four arms, just like the skeletons. The species resembled dragons, but covered in green, moss-like fur. Powerful muscles rippled as they held their arms up or thumped broad chests in aggressive posturing. Both beings held heavy war bows in one set of arms on the left, while the right held sturdy wooden poles with long, crudely edged blades on the tip. They wore a collection of leathers draped over their powerful bodies, but not for any kind of protection or warmth, as they hung more like a cloak or scarf, leaving their chests, arms, and legs totally exposed.

When one of them started to charge forward, Impal shot at the ground in front of them, to try to encourage them to leave. They hopped back, only to howl and charge again, brandishing the spear-like weapon aggressively. He cried out as the next shot hit him center mass, the energy boring a hole straight through his chest, where a heart would be on most beings. When he only faltered but kept moving, she fired again, a second hole boring through the being. He tried to keep moving, but a third shot that vaporized a part of his skull finally made him fall. For good. Impal turned her pistol to the second one when it howled and started to charge. She didn't waste time with the other shots, and just shot for the head. It fell hard next to the first one, both with part of their skulls missing and smoking, dull yellowish blood leaking onto the dirt.

Impal grunted. "Tough fuckers. Guess warning shots won't work." She looked at Mar. The woman was panting and staring ahead at the two dead aliens, her pistol held out but shaking in her hand. "Stay alert, Lieutenant. I doubt these are the only two that are out there." Mar nodded quickly, still panting heavily, tears still in her eyes. This was the first time she had ever seen combat outside of training drills. She had never really liked fighting, but had always wondered if some instinctive Rattan violence might surface if she found herself in a real fight since her people were somewhat violent by nature. Turns out, she didn't share their love of battle at all. It was probably a good thing she hadn't had much in the way of food in the last few days, or she would be depositing what was left on the ground right now. She wasn't sure from which side.

Mar jumped when the howls started again. Impal frowned. "Shit. I had hoped they'd take the hint." She checked her pistol, though it would take a few hundred shots to fully deplete the charge. She pointed it up as she caught movement at the corner of her eye. Five more of the beings emerged from the distance, all dressed similarly with the same weapons in their hands. But they were moving slower, more cautiously, like they were stalking. "Be ready, Lieutenant. They might just be here for the bodies." She shifted how she crouched, ready to either fight, or grab the Rattan and hoof it if she had to. "They can take their fallen and leave, but if they want to fight, we'll have to run." Mar just nodded quickly, her eyes wide and panicky, but she at least still had the pistol up and ready.

The two watched the five aliens moving slowly. Mar was sure one of the ones on the side was trying to flank, but he could just be scouting to see if there were more of them. She made a mental note to keep that one in mind if they moved in. She made a point to look at the two bodies, then back at the alien in the center, nodding slowly and hoping he understood body language. The others seemed to move according to his movements, so she assumed he was the leader of this pack. For a brief moment, it looked like this conflict might be resolved peacefully.

Then the alien circling around made his flanking move. Impal saw him coming and turned to fire on him, catching him in the shoulder with the first shot. The second two hit center mass, all burning holes through his body. He made some kind of noise and collapsed onto the ground, his weapons and arrows scattering around him. She turned as the other four started to move, taking advantage of the opening. She fired several more shots, catching another of the aliens and burning a pair of holes into him, sending him crashing to the dirt, but the others closed in fast. She pushed up and swung out, catching one across the face with her fist. With her enhanced strength from a heavier world, she sent the man flying to the side, only to crash into a tree and crumple into a heap, gasping as his yellowish blood trickled from his mouth and nose.

One of the two remaining swung their weapon at her, aimed high. She ducked under and dove forward, rolling over her shoulder. She grabbed one of the spears that had been dropped as she rolled, coming up with it in her hand. It had a good balance to it, the shaft made of a hard wood. When the alien tried to swing again, she deflected the blow and turned, slamming the blunt end into his chest and pushing him back. She followed up with another blow, smacking the back of his head and slamming his face into the ground. She quickly slid away, holding the spear at the ready. "Fourth level An'aki-Sa master, bitch. Bring it!" She did spare a glance to the side at Mar, the rodent watching with her wide eyes, frozen in panic. She wouldn't be able to rely on her for help.

The alien that remained, the one she suspected was the leader, threw his bow to the ground and gripped his spear with all four hands. He kept his distance, making some kind of guttural sound that could be words. The two she had knocked down managed to get themselves up, grabbing their own spears and holding them at the ready. "Three on one? Good, I like a fair fight." The three started to move around her, but she kept her hooves planted as she watched. The moment one of them moved, she moved with him, bringing the spear up to block his slice, batting it away. She didn't have time to counter as she had to bring the staff around to block another from the other side. She became a blur of movement as she started to deflect or dodge their quick attacks. She parried, ducked under a slice, blocked a kick, and shifted to avoid punches.

One of the punches managed to get through. She was not used to dealing with species that had four limbs, so when one of them swung both fists, she could only manage to block one, the other hitting her gut. The momentary opening let another swing and catch her with the blade, cutting across her side. She managed to shift out of the way, but it still left her top torn, blood drooling from the fresh cut. She deflected another swing and spun the shaft in her hands. Typically, it would be enough to completely disarm an opponent, but with his extra limbs, he was able to keep a hold on his weapon and bring it around to bash the blunt end against her jaw. Another came around, slicing at her belly, but she managed to avoid getting gutted by grabbing the shaft and yanking the alien in to slam her knee against his belly. He fell to the ground, but she had to move away to avoid another attack before she could do more.

Impal tried to use the trees to her advantage, ducking around one, but the aliens seemed to know that trick. She was nearly caught by a blade as she came around, turning to avoid it, only for another to slash across her chest, cutting into the top of her breasts and further ripping the now blood soaked top. She grunted, but brought her own blade to bare, slashing down across the alien's body. Her blow was far more solid, catching him near the shoulder and carving down almost to his hip. Yellowish blood burst from the wound as he fell to the side. Her hoof crashed into his skull in a hard kick, stopping his cries as she knocked him out... or killed him, she didn't know which, and didn't have time to find out.

When Mar let out a fearful shout, Impal swore under her breath, turning back to see another two aliens had emerged, both brandishing spears and bows. They both suddenly dove to the side as a series of panicked, unaimed shots rang out as Mar fired wildly in front of herself. "Keep doing that, kid!" She turned her attention back at the two she was fighting, only to taste wood as the shaft of a spear struck her face, making her stumble back a step. She only half-blocked the follow up, a fresh cut opening across her right thigh. She grit her teeth, baring the pain. "How many of you fuckers do I need to kill for you to back the fuck off!?"

She went on the offensive this time, feinting high, only to shift and swing low, catching one of the aliens across the leg with the blade and cutting deep. He cried out, but she silenced it by swinging up, then stabbing forward, carving a line up his torso before ramming the blade into his neck. She moved forward and kicked him in the chest to dislodge the weapon, sending him flying back to collapse against a tree and bleed out. He wouldn't get back up. Then pain lanced across her back as one of the new arrivals slashed at her, opening a wide gash. She turned and found him practically on top of her. He grabbed at her shirt, making a bouncing noise that was probably laughter. She stopped it by slamming her forehead against his jaw. Blood erupted from his nose as he rocked backwards, ripping her tattered shirt as he fell. She slammed the blade of her spear into his gut, the tip of the blade emerging from his back. She shoved him back, and like the other, he collapsed to the ground to bleed out in agony.

Impal panted heavily, gripping the tattered remains of her shirt and tearing it off entirely to reveal her chest and muscles, and all the cuts upon her. She let out an almost feral scream, enough to make the alien nearest her flinch. She held up the weapon in her hand, the blade dripping with yellow alien blood as she pointed it at the man. "You want to be next!? Back off and leave!" The alien seemed to hesitate, taking a tentative step to the side, but her glare bored into him like it was shooting blasts from her pistol. A pistol she realized she had dropped onto the ground at some point.

Another of the aliens suddenly launched at her from the side. She turned to try and counter him, but the fatigue and wounds slowed her. She brought the spear around to deflect, but he got under the guard as he brought his own down. His blade struck at her wrist, and proved how sharp it was as it carved through both flesh and bone. Impal screamed as her hand fell away, no longer attached. Blood poured out of her severed wrist as she stumbled back as fast as she could. She gripped at the stump, clutching it to her chest as her back hit a tree.

Her eyes darted around, and something caught her gaze. A familiar glinting. Her dropped pistol, near two of the fallen aliens near Mar. She grit her teeth and shoved away from the tree, diving to avoid another swing aimed at her head. She rolled over her shoulder, ignoring the burning pain along her back as she skidded across the ground. She snatched the pistol in her remaining hand, then rolled to the side to avoid a downward slash. She got to her knee and raised the gun, only to freeze as something hit her chest, and she suddenly tasted blood in her mouth. One of the aliens was right in front of her, and she looked down to see he had rammed his spear into her, the blade vanishing somewhere between her breasts. The tip was probably sticking out of her back. Somehow, the wound itself didn't hurt, even as blood was flowing out around the blade at an alarming rate.

He looked back up as the alien made the bouncing laughing sound at her. "Fuck you, prick." She brought the gun up, pressed it right up under his chin, and pulled the trigger. The front of his head vaporized in an instant, leaving charred, bloody bits of meat, bone, and brain exposed, and a horrible scent. His body slumped to the side, dead before it had even begun moving, and leaving the spear buried in her chest. She coughed, blood splattering out. Looking to the side, she saw Mar. The woman was staring at her with those same wide eyes, full of panic and fear. "Kid..." She tried to speak, but her voice was weak. She tried again. "Kid! Don't... just sit there... RUN!"

Mar didn't run. She couldn't. She couldn't move, her whole body shaking. All she could do was watch as two more of the aliens approached Impal. The Major tried to raise her gun again, but it was bashed out of her hand, sent clattering to the side. Impal looked up at the two, grunting. "Took... how many to... take just me down?" She chuckled. "Fucking savage pricks." The gave her the courtesy to finish insulting them, at least. But she would say no more words. One of the aliens brought his spear up and swung it hard. The blade caught Impal in the neck, slicing clean through and removing her head. Her body jerked, and her head rolled to the side, thumping to the ground hard. Her body fell to the side a moment later, blood draining rapidly from her severed neck, splashing out onto the dirt, turning it into crimson mud.

The remaining aliens turned to look at Mar. She held her pistol up, but it shook in her hand. She gasped for breath, as if she had been running for miles. First, the Colonel, the bravest person she had ever known. Then, the Captain, the smartest. And now, the Major, the strongest person. All dead. All because she made one mistake and forced them to crash here. Tears blurred her vision as she started to sob. Pain exploded in her hand as one of the aliens used the blunt side of the spear to bash the pistol to the side. She cried out in a panic, wanting to scramble away, to flee from herself. She never got the chance as a blow struck the side of her head, sending her crashing to the ground. But it didn't send her blissfully unconscious.

Several pairs of hands grabbed her. She cried out in pain as they dragged her by her arms, her broken arm in agony from the tugging, but they ignored her. Several more aliens emerged, most retrieving the bodies of their fallen, but two of them moved to get Rashel and Impal's bodies. She was dragged away before she could see what they planned. She whimpered and sobbed, doing nothing to resist anymore. Impal couldn't beat them all, how could someone like her possibly stand a chance? She slumped her head and let the tears flow, her feet dragging on the ground behind her as they carried her back to their settlement. Why couldn't they just kill her and put her out of her misery?

*      *     *


Settlement was not the right term. The place Mar was taken was more like some kind of underground temple. It wasn't a natural cave, either, as the aliens had carved out the rock and put up squared stones as walls. Some kind of naturally glowing substance was used to paint across the walls, leaving a low, yellow-orange glow to illuminate everything. A part of her thought that Captain Rashel would probably have a field day examining all of this... that was, if her lifeless corpse wasn't being dragged by the aliens that killed her.

Mar had stopped leaving herself limp, and was walking under her own power, but still tugged or pushed along. She eventually was taken to some kind of large room. The ceiling was high, maybe five or sex meters up. At the far end was a raised platform, stairs leading up to it, with some kind of table or altar at the center, all in reddish stone. A large pit of fire was behind the altar itself, the smoke rising up and taken away by small ventilation shoots in the ceiling. Though it did nothing for the heat, the room swelteringly hot. Three figures were already on the platform. One was laying on the altar, the first female Mar had seen of the species. Just as tall, but not as muscular, and lacking the leather adornments. One was standing before her, his back to the door, and the third was beside the two. He must have been important, as the clothing draped over his back and head was more ornate, with colorful threads sewn into it in some kind of pattern.

A quartet of hands suddenly shoved her down, forcing her to her knees hard enough that it sent a shock of numbness through her legs when she hit the stone. She nearly doubled over, but a painfully hard grip on her shoulders kept her upright. The alien holding her said something, at least she assumed the noises were speaking. She had no way to ever know. Two more passed her, and she saw they were carrying the bodies of Impal and Rashel. "W-what are you-" She stopped herself. They couldn't understand her anymore than she could understand them. And it wasn't like she could stop whatever was going to happen.

On the platform, the woman on the altar closed her eyes, laying flat on her back and opening all four arms wide. Her legs were opened as well, the purpose clear as the male in front of her moved forward. With seemingly no build up, he suddenly grabbed her and started to move his hips. Mar realized quickly what was happening. Was this some kind of mating ritual? Did they want to use her like that? The aliens had nothing covering their genitals, and she could tell there was no way she would be able to take someone their size without a lot of pain.

Both aliens on the platform started grunting and moaning as the fucking continued. Mar was very confused why she was brought to see this, and felt more than a little embarrassed that she was watching at all. The important male stepped away, picking something up, and walking back to the couple. When he held the object out, Mar saw it was some kind of knife, the blade thin and curved, ending in a sharp point. The priest, she assumed, put it into the waiting hand of the man. He then held the blade up high, while the female moaned louder still.

Suddenly, the male plunged the knife down, piercing deep into the female's chest. Mar flinched, turning away. A set of hands grabbed her head and forced her to look back. "I-I don't want to see!" She was forced to watch as the male pulled the hooked blade down, cutting open the female's chest and belly, her blood flowing freely out and down the stones. But she was not in agony, instead seemed to be in some kind of bliss, as if she was enjoying being gutted. The male rammed one of his other hands into the gaping wound, rooting around inside for a second before ripping something out. Several of the woman's intestines spilled free, but she made a noise like she was experiencing the height of pleasure, her whole body undulating on the altar, her hips humping up at the male. He held the organ he had pulled out high, and Mar recognized it was a heart... probably. She guessed it was by how it pulsed and thumped in his bloody hand. Though its movements slowed quickly. The woman's movements also started to slow, her head falling back once more. She was at least alive long enough to see the man bring the heart to his mouth and take a massive bite out of it.

Mar tried to look away, but the hands holding her head were firm. The male on the platform let out a howl that echoed around the room, his hips slamming forward. Probably cumming into the female's body. He then ate the rest of the heart in his hand in only two more bites. When he pulled out and stepped back, the woman on the altar was dead, arms hanging over the sides limp. Something thick and vaguely greenish leaked out of the hole between her legs. The priest nodded, putting one of his many hands on the male's shoulder and saying something. The male nodded, then moved to the side and lifted the female's body with all four arms. He held it up high, spoke something loud, turned, and threw her body into the pit of fire. Mar couldn't see any more than that, but the flames suddenly grew more intense, briefly shifting from red-orange to green and blue before returning to normal.

Her breath started to come in heavy panting again. "You're going to do that to me, aren't you?" She whimpered, shaking her head. "No... no, just kill me, don't do that!" The alien holding her ignored her. She gasped as Rashel's body was carried up onto the platform and laid out onto the altar next. The knife, once more in the hands of the priest, was used to carve open the clothing covering her body. It was stripped away, though they were not careful to keep from cutting the flesh in the process. Soon, she was laid out naked, black fur in stark contrast to the yellow blood and green fuzz of the aliens. The alien that carried the body up moved into position. But he seemed confused as he shoved the legs apart, not sure what to do with two holes. He looked at the priest and they exchanged words.

The conversation ended, and the male picked one of the holes, ramming himself into the dead canine's ass. He let out a noise, as it was probably much smaller than he had expected. He still managed to move his hips, thrusting into the dead body quickly. He spoke, and the knife was handed to him. He jammed it into Rashel's chest, right between her breasts, and carved down to her hips. Another hand jammed into her guts, spilling crimson all over the stones. He moved around and seemed confused again, pulling out different organs, only to throw them to the ground. Stomach, liver, a kidney. Then he finally thought to search higher, finally finding her heart in her chest. With a hard yank, he pulled it free, holding it high. Like the male before, he took a bite out of it, but didn't seem to like the taste. He still forced himself to eat the whole thing before gripping Rashel's body and hammering away at it. He came, Mar assumed that was what was happening, a moment later with a howl. When he pulled out and walked to the side, she saw the same thick, greenish liquid oozing out of Rashel's gaped ass. She squeezed her eyes shut as the body was lifted up, but she still heard when the flames burst high as she was cast into the pit. Tears ran freely from her eyes. She wished they would just get this over with.

One of the males walked in front of her, and she assumed it was her turn. Instead, something was moved in front of her face. She flinched as an overpowering smoke billowed around her, filling her nose with a scent like burnt flowers. She tried to turn away, but the hands held her head firm. She coughed, unable to stop herself breathing the smoke in. As soon as she did, her head started to swim. Her thoughts slowed and blurred, like her brain had been dunked in Trendani Honey-Syrup. She coughed again, but she still breathed more in. Every breath made her thoughts feel heavy, and her body feel light. The pain in her broken arm seemed to fade away. All feeling seemed to fade away, leaving her numb, feeling like she was floating on clouds.

When the bowl of whatever it was got moved away, her hazy vision was still forward, on the altar. Impal's headless body was already being used by another male, her torso torn wide open and his hand rooting around inside. The heart was torn free a moment later, and the male took a large bite. By some of the cuts on the male's body, he was probably one of the ones that she had been fighting in the forest. He seemed to get great pleasure eating the heart, and showed it by howling a moment later, filling the dead Pii'Athan with his alien cum. Or whatever it was he was depositing in her. When he pulled out and moved to the side, it seems he picked a different hole, the green stuff oozing out of Impal's pussy. He lifted her body high, crying his words out louder than the other two had. He then threw her body into the pit. Another male walked up and threw her severed head into the fire, both stoking the flames high.

It seems it was finally her turn. The hands holding her dragged her up to her feet. She was forced to move, but her head was still swimming. She had to be practically dragged up the stairs, as she couldn't manage to even take a step on her own without almost falling over her own feet. Then she was shoved down onto her back, laying on the bloody altar. She stared up at the ceiling, finally noticing the little shoots above to let the smoke flow out. She wondered where the smoke came out on the surface. Maybe it was visible, or maybe it was somehow masked. It was a pretty good way to stay hidden. A piece of what Rashel told her came to mind, that the moon would enter phases of hot and cold periods, with mostly day, and little to none. They must live underground to withstand the shifting temperatures. It was kind of clever.

She realized the knife was already being used to strip her clothing away while she was lost in thought. Looking down at herself, she saw several thin lines of blood where they had cut through her skin, though not deep. She hadn't even felt it. Her small breasts were on full display as her clothing was ripped away. Soon, her legs were the same as her pants were torn to shreds, leaving her fully exposed. The male that was holding her down then motioned to her broken arm, the priest giving some reply. The spoke for a few moments, then the priest nodded. Her arm was grabbed by the wrist, pulled straight out to the side. It was amazing, her arm had been in horrible pain for days, and now she barely felt anything. The hooked blade was brought down, and used to carve through her flesh just by her shoulder. She watched with an unusual fascination as they cut into her. She felt none of it. It was like she was outside of her own body, watching as they mutilated her.

Soon, her arm was fully cut through, and with a few hard yanks, it was ripped from the socket entirely. Blood was pouring from the wound, but she looked at the limp arm in the man's grip. Her arm. She should feel horrified, she knew that, but she couldn't feel anything. The arm was thrown away. Apparently, a broken and infected arm was not suitable for their fire. A hand slammed down on her chest, pinning her down. She looked, and saw the male had gotten close. He lined his cock up, then shoved forward. She felt as he spread her pussy wide enough to tear the flesh, but there was no pain. There wasn't much pleasure, either, just an odd feeling of fullness. He shoved deeper, not stopping when he got to the back, and soon plunged his way through and into her womb. Her stomach bulged a little from the massive thing stuffed into her. She hadn't seen this part before.

The humping lasted only a few minutes, then the knife was brought down. She watched with the same dazed fascination as the tip pierced into her chest, right between her breasts, and then easily slid down, splitting her flesh open like a knife through jelly. She saw her own intestines as her belly was cut open. Her breath came in short gasps, and she realized it was all she could manage with her guts spilling free. Even that was robbed of her when the hand shoved into her. She felt fingers grabbing, squeezing, pushing, and searching inside of her torso. It was not comfortable, and it should be the worst pain she had ever felt. Then those fingers found what they were looking for. A pressure gripped her heart, which struggled to keep beating in the grip. She did feel the pain when the vital organ was torn from its place, ripped out of her chest in a fountain of blood. Her already foggy head started to get even more clouded as she watched him hold her heart up. Then he took a large bite, ripping more than half of it away.

She laid her head back, fatigue starting to take over. The tears came again, and she wanted to cry, to sob, to do something, but she was so tired. She just stared up at the ceiling, at those little holes that took the smoke away. She felt like she was being taken away through them, too. Even as the man was blowing his load deep inside of her, she only felt like she was floating upwards. She was going to be free and in the air. She'd go back to space, float freely forever. No more pain. Maybe she'd meet Rashel, Impal, and Parn up there... She could pilot them all around the galaxy again...

The male pulled himself out of the dead Rattan a moment later, then moved to lift her body up. He made the triumphant call that he had consumed the essence of the female, that her blood would make him strong. He turned, and cast her body into the pit of flames. It was consumed in an instant, denying any other using her blood for power. It would be his power now. None of the crew of the Gothound would ever know this ritual. But the People of Redstone would be strong because of them. The man that had survived and consumed the power of the female warrior would be made master warrior. Surely, with the power of such a fierce fighter now his, the rival tribes of Sleki would never win the war for Warmwood. The People of Redstone would remain strong thanks to the blood god they worshiped, that taught them this ritual. They would be masters of the world they called Renkek. No matter who challenged them.

*     *     *


"Sir, We're picking up... something."

The terran lion, Colonel Edward Rithegard, leaned forward, looking to the avian Talshakri communications officer. "Explain, Lieutenant."

The bright yellow avian tilted his head. "We... can't, sir. It's a signal, but very weak and distorted. I can't tell what it was, or its exact point of origin. Just a general location. But it is an Alliance signal... I think."

The first officer of the Deltarow, the terran rabbit Major Rojar Briece, spoke up. "It could be a distress signal."

Edward nodded. "Can you confirm, Yesh?"

The avian shook his head again. "I'm sorry, I can't. I'm trying to clean it up, but it's too degraded. It seems like it came from... sector 883."

"883?" Rojar looked at his commander. "That's out in an uncharted part of the galaxy. Do we have any ships out in that sector?"

Edward shook his head. "I don't know. But it's too far for us to go looking. Lieutenant Yesh, forward it to Alliance command. Let them figure out what to do with it."

"Aye, Sir."

Rojar leaned closer. "If it is a distress signal? They could need our help."

The lion shook his head. "It would take us over two weeks to get to Sector 883 at maximum Drive. That signal is probably weeks old, as well. We wouldn't be going to a rescue. We'd be doing corpse retrieval. Our crew and ship is banged up enough from that last Daxiks fight. No. We'll continue on to station 32 for repairs." He pat the rabbit's shoulder. "Don't worry, the Alliance will probably send someone. If there's people that managed to survive, someone will rescue them." He then looked at his own pilot. "Mr. Wenshi. Station 32. Drive 2, please."

*     *     *
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