1 comments/ 7801 views/ 1 favorites Pilot 04: Meddle By: past_perfect Author's note: We have finally arrived at the "true" format of the series – one longer adventure that could be read without the benefit of knowing the previous ones. Nevertheless, I will summarise what has happened thus far: Jon was an English RAF pilot during WWII. In 1943 a race called Scnrgsis recruited him for the forces of the galactic community, which was facing an extra-galactic enemy called the Pret. Sixty-six years later Jon crashed on Earth following a battle with the Pret, having aged just about seven years due to a medical implant of the Scnrgsis. He hijacked a space shuttle to get to a station of the Scnrgsis on the dark side of the moon. Whilst waiting for his "Mother"-ship Snay together with Emma's "hand", the last remaining android from his destroyed ship Emma, he recounted his training on Talagon. The Pret were contained by a barrier the most advanced race in our galaxy – the Salarmorn – had erected. What went on behind this barrier was virtually unknown, until the first missions of the Snay ... Chapter one – Aboard the Snay "Good morning Jon. I made you tea and toast. Did you sleep well?" "Morning, sweetie. Yes, I did indeed. Any new transmissions from the Snay?" "Sorry Jon, there are no updates. Would you like me to contact them for you?" "No sweetie, they are busy with their repairs. Your toast is much better today. Well done." "I am pleased to hear that Jon. Jon, are you alright? We have not had sex for a long time now." "Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie. No, I am fine. Just in a bit of a pensive mood lately." "Is there anything I can do to help?" "No, Emma, not really. I will fuck you a little later though." "Thank you Jon, I am looking forward to that. Would you like another cup of tea?" "Yes please. And turn on the galactic news network for me please." My little Emma - always eager to please me. I wondered how much of her original personality could be restored when the hand re-integrated with a ship. Naturally there were back-ups for Emma stored on Mother too. I missed Mother. Mother was my home. Emma was my darling. --- The last days on Talagon were a drag. I was pleased to hear that a few more of my friends and comrades would also be posted on the Snay. Quila and Anjiran, with whom I shared a special friendship after our survival training; Tufte, a Mofat that was to become the Snay's weapons officer and Sinjin, a Soreila. I had met Tufte at the firing range on Talagon. Mofats have the reputation of being ill-mannered, volatile and vested with an acidic tongue. They were just three feet tall, with an almost spherical romp that is covered in green fur. Some Mofats' fur streaks with white upon killing their first enemy. They have two legs with disproportionally large feet and seven-digit hands. Their heads and extremities are hairless and covered by a leathery grey skin. They can rotate their domed heads one hundred and eighty degrees, which can be a little unsettling at times. The mouth is filled with several rows of razor-sharp teeth, the brain with the corresponding wit. All I know about handheld weapons I learned from Tufte, rather than my instructors. I have never seen him miss a target. Well, I came to think to him as a "he". In truth, they have four different genders and amazingly complicated mating rituals. Soreil had been a blooming civilisation once. They had colonised their largest moon after discovering sub-light space travel. A sizeable amount of Soreila moved there and were soon constituting an independent race, called the Soqul. The resources on the moon were limited and many Soreila made decent profits by exporting their goods to the Soqul. Some overdid it though, and soon the Soqul were more or less bankrupt. They decided to revive an ancient tool of appropriation to rid themselves of their predicament: war. Unfortunately, the war did not end well for either race. They more or less annihilated themselves in a nuclear holocaust. That was more than one hundred thousand years ago. Some of the Soreila survived in the vast underground of the planet, lived and flourished as cave dwellers. The suction cups on their hands and feet as well as their skin and eyes that could see in the dark were an evolutionary response to that environment. Their civilisation was more advanced than ours, despite de-evolving quickly after the holocaust and re-evolving slowly again. Just when they were finally accepted into the galactic community, the Pret appeared, and their planet was amongst the first to fall into Pret hands. Sinjin was the daughter of a high-ranking diplomat of the Soreila. She had escaped the fate of her people as she had accompanied her on a diplomatic mission in a different sector at the time their system was annexed by the Pret. She was six back then, when I met her she was eighty-one. With eighty-one you are a youngster on Soreil. They have a natural life-span of six hundred years. With eighty-one you are old enough to leave your parents though. Sinjin immediately volunteered for the galactic forces. And occupied the quarters next to mine on Talagon. She used to wear white uniforms - a shade of white that corresponded exactly to her skin colour and fitted so tightly that absolutely nothing was left to the imagination. Sinjin was always wearing visor-like blue shades, as her albino eyes were extremely sensitive to light. Sinjin became my best friend, maybe because the Soreila were so similar to us, without being of human descent, not only physically, but also in our way of thinking and feeling. We talked for ages, I told her many stories about home, as she did about Soreil and the planets they had spent their exile on. Although she didn't have many memories of Soreil and mainly recounted stories she had heard from her mother, she dreamt of returning there and freeing it from the Pret. She thought it likely that a great deal of their civilisation might still have been undiscovered by them, as they had developed a rather complicated access infrastructure, which would appear like a labyrinth to most off-worlders who needed Soreila guides to get through. Sin told me that the Soreila did not have sex or mate outside their species, and that was probably the only reason why we became friends rather than lovers back then. Not that this was easy for either of us. She was one of the most alluring females I have ever encountered and she was going through the most intense phase of her reaching sexual maturity – with no suitable partners around to help her relieve her tension. I think part of the reason why she wanted to go to Soreil was just that. She insisted on getting the quarters next to mine on the Snay also. During our time on Talagon, I once walked in on her while she masturbated hanging from the ceiling, three suction cups firmly attached to it, the fourth to her clit. "Oops, sorry Sin, I should have buzzed before getting in." "It's all right. You can stay. I am almost done." I had never before seen a female masturbating. As awkward as the situation was, I enjoyed every minute of it, watched her white hair cascading in the air as she noisily finished herself off. The whole room smelled of her pussy, a scent that made you feel privileged and absolutely certain that you'd never ever forget it. "See, done already." "Good for you." Sinjin made sure I got a good look of her cunt when coming down, even presenting it to me when bending over to get her uniform. "Do you think it is funny to torture me like that? Or have you finally decided to drop your alien embargo?" "Sorry, I can't. I told you that. That is why I have to play with myself so much. You were bound to witness that sooner or later. After all, you are my friend." "A friend with a hard-on, mind you." "Get it out and relieve yourself too. Or go fuck someone else. There are lots of females here who would find you attractive." "I'm aware of that. And no thanks, I don't really want to masturbate now. As for fucking – I do have a date later on. Just a shame that lucky Tlla will get what was meant for you." "The C'zora? Jon, you really shouldn't. They drink a lot of their mate's blood, or so I was told." "Details, mere details. Who needs all his blood anyway?" "Well, don't say I didn't warn you. After all, that is what friends are for." We were really close friends. And despite all the sexual tension and banter, we both knew how lost and lonely we were feeling at times and how much the presence of the other took the edge off it. We were sharing wonderful moments of silence together also. Someone you can be silent with for hours without feeling uncomfortable - that is either your perfect partner or an excellent friend. --- I took all of them and the Daugalan twins to the Snay. The Snay had the shape of a rather fat saucer and a diameter of two hundred and eighty yards. It had a crew complement of three hundred and ten, including us. It harboured Emma and the kids, as well as four larger runabouts that also served as troop carriers. Two hundred and fifty of the crew were soldiers of one kind or another. Specialists, all of them. The barrier the Salarmorn had erected still held them off at that time. Our first priorities were to gather as much information about the Pret as we possibly could. Land on occupied planets within their domain. Find out what they were doing down there. And who the fuck they were. The Snay had what no other vessel in the fleet had yet been fitted with – a new and improved cloaking device. The Pret had picked up stray emissions from the previous versions and all ships were lost on their reconnaissance missions, along with their crews and the invaluable information they carried. All information available to us at the time came from the few survivors fleeing the domain in small, manoeuvrable ships, before the Salarmorn's barrier made that impossible too. For about four years the Pret had not advanced either, because of the psionic wall. We crossed the barrier without being detected by the patrolling Pret cruisers. Our strategic team had decided to fly alongside it first to gather data on the Pret's fleet strength and probable movements, before venturing deeper into their territory. Sneaking around like that was against my nature; I was condemned to watch our approach and the large contingents of Pret ships passing us inside of Emma - still sitting in our bay, as we had been put on alert, just in case the new cloaking device wasn't doing the trick. "How many Pret ships have we passed so far, sweetie?" "Three thousand seven hundred and forty-five, Jon." "Fuck, that is a lot." "And we have just covered about twenty-seven percent of the area around the barrier." "Any scans that show details of the insides of their ships?" "No, Mother is not actively scanning. Our scans might be detected, Jon. Mother told me to switch off all sensors too. We are just working with resonance fields to detect them." "Yeah, that makes sense." "We are shifting again. Eyleenois wants to talk to you." "Put her through." "Jon, we will complete the pass. You can stay down combat alert now and return to your quarters. They are not detecting us." "Are we going deeper inside?" "Not right now, Jon. We will return to base when we have the full picture of their deployment patterns along the border. Get some rest Jon; you've been on alert for seventy-six hours now." "Don't really feel like resting. When will you be off-duty?" "I told you many times Jon, I don't fancy species with only a single dick." "It is not the number that counts, but what you can do with it." "You keep saying that as if it were a fact. Go sleep Jon, we will need you in your best shape soon enough." "With 'we' I hope you mean yourself and both your pussies." "You are persistent, I'll give you that. What a waste of precious energy though." "Ah, but that is where you are wrong. Give me twenty years and you will consider it. I am a very patient man also, you know." She smiled when she turned off the channel. It took me less than two months actually. Chapter two – And into the fray That wasn't quite the excitement I was hoping for. In war you never get what you expect. I expected to have Sinjin along my side for a long time, for instance. But our very first target in the Pret domain was Soreil. She was delirious with joy when she heard the orders. I was glad for her also, but apart from this being an extremely dangerous mission, there was a good chance I could lose her there for other reasons too. I have to admit, that stung more than just a little. "Emma, we are going for a swim. We will take several of our friends and specialists along." "A swim?" "Yes, Mother will drop us off on the far side of Soreil, where there are no landmasses supporting life yet. We will cross the ocean like a submarine and enter the underworld of the Soreila far away from the Pret installations. Sinjin will lead us in. We hope to be able to find some of her people that managed to escape the Pret thus far." "Oh, I haven't experienced water yet. I am looking forward to that. And to seeing Sinjin again. She is a very nice girl." "A girl of eighty-one. And utterly unavailable." "I can see how frustrating that must be for you Jon. How many others will join us?" Apart from Sinjin, there were six others coming along. Tufte, Anjiran and the Daugalan twins. One Turran male called Alo and a Fiotr called Llft. The Daugalan twins looked like four feet beavers without fur and walking erectly. Xrrr was the older one by twenty-two seconds. Xrro was reminded of that fact constantly by her sister. Only twins develop the special ability those two had, and it only works when they are both together. They can lock other beings in a different reality. I have experienced it myself many times, it is actually quite amazing. You feel transported to another world. You feel, see and act in there. But in reality you never leave the place they caught you at. Llft was a gifted telepath. Fiotrs are amongst the most exotic creatures I have ever encountered. They look like an oversized amoeba or pieces of translucent rubber with stuff enclosed in it. They have thousands of little arms and legs and can move their two feet body at incredible speeds. I usually have a bit of a problem with telepaths to be honest, but Llft was one of the few exceptions. He was always very polite and respectful, and never got into my head any deeper than absolutely necessary. "I am receiving the orders now, Jon. Oh, the Daugalan twins. Do you want me to arrange separate quarters for them this time?" "That won't be necessary. We should cross the ocean in less than four hours." "A Turran and Tufte? Sometimes I question the wisdom of the strategic team." I shared Emma's misgivings. I would have my work cut out for me with them and the squabbling sisters. One of Emma's hands would also join us. She complained a lot about me ordering her to put on a uniform. Alo and Llft were they only seasoned fighters in our group, the rest of us were coming straight from Talagon. You can always tell. Seasoned fighters are not excited about a mission any more. Alo had killed several Pret in close combat I saw in his file. He was the first one I got to know that had actually seen the Pret. I made sure I scowled at him, when he boarded Emma, which he acknowledged with a grunt and spitting at my feet. Tufte sneered and bowed into my direction. "That epitome of charm and manners is called Alo. You are familiar with the Turran? Good. That prevents me from using foul language. May I introduce Llft to you?" 'You are the pilot Jon. I am Llft. Prosperity and many children to you.' 'Long life and good thoughts to you, Llft. I am honoured to welcome you aboard." We had received engrams about the Fiotrs and their mannerisms of course. I gathered that Llft would be the leader of our group, although in the community there were no clear hierarchical structures. Whoever had something to contribute did it. Whoever had experience or knowledge that elevated him above others was respected for that in the given situation, but not on a permanent basis. For as long as they were on my ship, they were under my command. On an away-mission someone else would take charge. 'Odd, I cannot read your companion there.' 'She is an android, one of two belonging to this ship. Her name is Emma.' 'An artificial life-form? Interesting. I can sense the ship. It is biological too?' 'Yes.' 'I am confused. She thinks of herself as Emma also.' 'Yes, the androids are her hands.' 'My people do not have a lot of experience with technology. But I am sure we will get along just fine. I won't be able to communicate with your android though, as I cannot speak.' 'That is not a problem - she will do what I tell her to do. Just give me your instructions.' 'Good, Jon.' "Launch bay open, Jon. Ready to depart." "Let's go then, sweetie." We just needed one quick thrusting push, then we were clear of Mother and ready to follow our descent vector, which was actually quite steep. Emma's shields briefly flared up when we entered Soreil's atmosphere. We couldn't see much of the landmasses, as we entered a more or less oceanic region, littered only with a few forsaken and uninhabitable islands. What could have looked like a spectacular crash was in fact a well timed dive, but hopefully there weren't any onlookers around, when we submerged in Soreil's vast ocean. I brought Emma on course and was about to follow Sinjin to my private quarters, when the Daugalan twins stopped us. "Excuse us. Are you going to have a sexual encounter now?" "One can only hope. Why would you want to know that?" "We like observing realities people feel good in." "You want to watch us having sex?" "Only if you don't mind. We would be very quiet." "Sorry to have to disappoint you, but I don't think we are going to have any. Sinjin and I are just friends." "Actually, I wanted to give you a hand-job for being such a good friend to me." "Oh?" "That qualifies, doesn't it Xrrr? I want to see that." "Yes, me too." "You want to give me a hand-job?" "That's what she said. So, can we see that please?" "Yeah, that's what I said. Why, is that idea not appealing to you?" "Appealing? There are just about two or three other things on this world I would like to do more." "Excellent, yeah, do him. And we will watch." "That depends how serious you are about the quiet bit." I couldn't believe what Sinjin was offering me and them there. "You will only hear us lick our lips." My cock didn't seem to have any trouble believing it. We withdrew from the bridge and got to my quarters. As soon as the matter sluice reconstituted I felt her hands all over my body, opening each organic connector, which is something not unlike Velcro, just a little more sophisticated. "Is it ok, if we take off our uniforms too?" "Well, I don't mind ..." "Yeah, if you want, but then shut up, will you?" "Not a word." "Now we just observe ..." "... what you do ..." "... with his ... oh ... big ..." "... big ... hard cock." I was curious about that myself as I stepped out of my uniform. She apparently didn't want to be the only one dressed there, and followed suit. There it was again - the sweet, mind-blowing scent of her pussy. The twins weaselled around us, sniffing us everywhere. Far from being annoying, I think the fact that they wanted to watch everything from up close actually turned Sin and myself on even more, if that was at all possible. I was rock-hard when Sin first touched my dick with her magical hands. The sensation was indescribable, incredible. It was as if my dick was becoming enveloped in very thick honey, which pulled each millimetre of my skin in a different direction. Then suddenly she applied pressure, massaging my cock gently, which felt as though it was in a different gravity zone completely. I am usually the more quiet type when it comes to sex, but this action got me groaning and moaning in no time. Xrrr got so close to my dick that she almost touched it. Xrro mirrored her twin's behaviour when Xrrr began to play with herself. They don't have tits, but six very pretty teats. Xrrr lunged between her legs with one hand whilst stimulating each of her teats alternately with the other. Pilot 04: Meddle Sinjin changed her hand position again and now it felt like rubbing against a wet soft fruit. She really had a go at it now; her hands were flying up and down my shaft. Xrro went behind me all of a sudden, and seconds later I felt her long rough tongue licking and dipping into my arsehole. That wasn't quite what we had agreed upon, but I for one saw no reason to complain, quite the contrary. Xrrr instead came up from under me and began sucking at my balls. I don't know why I didn't come right then and there; it would have been all too easy for me to. Xrro massaged my buttocks while her tongue went in an inch or two into my rear, tongue-fucking me expertly. Sin switched back to the thick honey stimulation and, out of nowhere, I came suddenly. My cum splattered on Sin's small tits, slowly dripping down to her belly almost invisibly, as I noticed why her skin colour had looked so familiar to me. Xrrr first sniffed at it, then licked a little off her, soon joined by her sister. Sin was much too turned on to complain or resist. I felt like I had to repay her somehow for the incredible experience she had provided for me. She had been kneeling on my left, so I pulled her down on her shoulders and pushed her onto her back. Before she could protest, I opened her legs and buried my face between them. The Daugalans giggled and circled her nipples with their amazing tongues. Sinjin's expression was somewhere between agony and rapture when I slowly parted her slick labia with my tongue. Her clit was very large and shaped like an almond, but just as sensitive as an Earth woman's. The Daugalan twins were curious about Sinjin's hands and how they would feel like on their genitals. And Sin did them the favour of letting them find out. Soon the room was filled with the cooing sounds of the Daugalans and the hoarse moans of Sin, the scent of their sexes mingled to something so soul-piercing and overwhelming, it almost made me feel weightless. Xrrr was the first to come; Xrro followed perhaps again twenty-two seconds later. Sinjin was not far behind. My cock had not exactly been unaffected by this spectacle and risen from the dead. I straightened up to show Sin her options. She smiled and slowly shook her head. Okay, so this still wasn't to be. "So, looks like I will be the one watching this time." "You mean we can fuck him? That is most kind of you, sister. Selfless acts like this will get rewarded in many realities." "I fuck him first and you lick her, okay Xrrr?" "No, I am the older one. I fuck him first." She quickly straddled Sin and presented her pear-shaped arse to me in order to end the argument there and then. I was about to mention that it really wouldn't make that much of difference to me, since they looked virtually identical, when I realised that my dick got arrested in a fashion I had not experienced before. Daugalan women clench your dick once you are inside, and then their juices congeal into an adhesive, which also narrows their passages a lot. You still have the ability to move, but only within a limited range. Once that bond is accomplished they are letting it fly. On their world, they are supposed to do the movements, which they do beautifully and very, very fast. Sinjin was coming for a second time as Xrro's rough tongue seemed to be an excellent match for her clit. The only way to get a Daugalan off your dick is to make her come. That's not a joke: the only way to get off that adhesive body fluid of theirs is indeed an orgasm – during which they release a few enzymes acting as solvents that are liquefying the adhesive again. Nature has gone to a lot of trouble not only to ensure conception, but also their pleasure. Apparently their men don't have a lot of stamina, because she did come really, really quickly. As soon as my cock was free to leave, her sister took over and I was trapped again in no time. However, I had felt a bit self-indulgent and lazy when I let Xrrr do all the work, so this time I pounded her sister as fast and hard as I possibly could. Xrrr was not letting Sinjin rest either, whose clit appeared to be becoming more and more sensitive all the time, as she really screamed out her pleasure and orgasms now. Xrro was coming quickly too, but despite being free to move, I saw no reason leaving that little glory hole of hers. As a matter of fact I was just warming up and soon my cock was relishing the welding sensation of her cunt again, which I started enjoying more and more too. After she came another couple of times, I was doing the same to her sister, to avoid giving them any reason for jealousy and squabbling later. Actually, they didn't squabble during the entire mission after this. --- "Emma, you stay here on the ocean floor and play dead. The entrance to the underworld is just two hundred yards above us under the promontory. Are you all ready, boys and girls?" "Wait Jon, I am detecting two Pret patrol vessels flying above us. Cutting main power. You better wait until they are gone, Jon." "K, sweetie, we are going to the matter sluice now anyway. You tell me when the coast is clear." "Promise me to be careful, Jon. I don't want another pilot." "Don't worry, dear. Are we being scanned?" "No, Jon. The Pret ships have passed us without scanning. I think it is safe to activate the sluice now." For a brief moment I panicked when I suddenly found myself in dark, cold water without any sort of diving suit, just my oxygenated shields. But that moment passed quickly enough and I followed the Daugalan twins, who turned out to be our best divers apart from Llft, whom I couldn't make out in the darkness, towards the surface. The water got somewhat brighter soon enough and we emerged in a dark white cave. Tufte released two light drones. The cave looked like a naturally ornamented dome, really quite exquisite. Several dark spots appeared to point towards entrances or other caves. Sinjin pointed to the one farthest on the left. "This is where we have to go." "Did you memorise any maps of the area, or how do you know that?" "As a Soreila you simply do. There are no maps. We feel our planet." 'It is true, Jon. She knows exactly where we have to go.' Alo and Tufte had drawn their weapons and led the way. Apparently they had a physical altercation while the girls and I had one of a much more agreeable kind. However, it seemed to have cleared the air a bit. Tufte hadn't commented on Alo's intelligence for over ten minutes now. Alo was missing a tooth. Emma's hand scanned the tunnels and compartments ahead of us for any unwelcome visitors. Nothing. Miles and miles of tunnels, branching out like a three-dimensional spider's web. Whenever we reached a bifurcation, Sinjin would point to the tunnel we had to take. "You all need to trust me now." With those words she disappeared in a wet shimmering opening in the ground. Neither of us hesitated for a second to follow her. The chute didn't look natural, more like an ancient aqueduct. In any case, we were sliding down that thing for miles. I switched on my antigrav quickly enough when I noticed that the ride made my buttocks feel raw after a while. "I have three energy sources ahead of me, Jon." 'Yes, I can sense them too. We need to stop now.' Tufte was in front and used his massive feet to break by pressing them against the rims of the chute. The rest of us simply used him as a stopping ball. "Fucking Turran, get your boot out of my face, or I will bite it off!" 'Silence, all of you. There are three Pret in the cave below. They are scanning the area. They are looking for two Soreila they have hunted for hours in this labyrinth. Switch off any devices you don't need at the moment.' 'Aren't we going to take them out?' 'You haven't fought the Pret yet, Jon. They are extremely fast, acting out of a finely honed instinct, with no interfering thoughts when fighting. Let us try to reach the balcony over there. From there we should be able to see them.' Easy for Llft to say or think. He went up the perpendicular, almost featureless wall as if it were stairs. Actually, Alo and myself were the only ones for whom climbing without our antigravs appeared to be a real challenge. Emma's hand provided holds for us, where there weren't any. Occasionally, Sin gave me a hand (no pun intended). Llft and Anjiran were the first to reach the enclosed ledge. Tufte immediately acquired a target, but waited for Llft's signal. I stared at the three dark figures around sixty yards below us. So these were the Pret. I couldn't make out details from this distance, but I felt the hairs on my neck stand up. 'The twins want to send them elsewhere. But I don't think they would get all of them at the same time, they are too far apart for that. Besides, we do not know yet if their gift will work on them. Look, they found one of the Soreila.' An energy beam hit the ceiling opposite our location, where a Soreila female barely managed to get away. Large pieces of rock crashed down with a deafening sound, for a minute it looked as if the whole ceiling would follow. The Pret were concentrating on the fleeing Soreila, whose escape route was made visible by further weapon's hits. This was our chance to switch on our antigravs and go at them. 'Yes, let us spread out. Jon, tell your android too.' Tufte didn't even use his antigrav. He curled up to a ball and rolled down the steep incline, unfurling about ten yards away from the Pret closest to us. And I immediately got the meaning of Llft's warning. Despite the loud blasts of their weapons and crashing rocks, he must have sensed Tufte and swivelled around. Tufte's shot was a direct hit, but they had energy shields too, pretty good ones actually. The Pret didn't even move and tried to shoot the moving green white ball that had attacked it so unexpectedly. The other two Pret also reacted and turned around, when we were closing in on them. Anjiran had found good cover and pounded the two with the massive blaster she carried. The first Pret suddenly froze and stopped firing. The Daugalan sisters were standing quietly in a corner concentrating on the world they kept it in. Tufte's and Alo's barrage collapsed its shields. Alo's next hit took the Pret's ugly head off. The other two had also found cover and fired constantly into this inferno of falling rocks, dust and energy beams. I managed to get a couple of shots out, before I was buried under a large slab of stone, which would have crushed me had it not been for the antigrav acting as a buffer and repellent. Seconds later Emma's hand lifted the slab, which must have weighed a ton, off me. "Jon, are you all right?" "Yes, sweetie." It took me a while to make out the positions of the two remaining Pret. One was coming straight at us, the other was suddenly faced with two Soreila in its back. I had seen from the corner of my eye that Sinjin had been walking on the ceiling rather than using her antigrav. She overloaded the Pret's shields and the other Soreila finished him off with a round metal disc she threw almost twenty yards, cutting the top half of his head off. Suddenly the last Pret was in front of me. All his four weapons were pointing at me and Emma's hand, spitting heat and destruction. Despite her shields flickering already, Emma's hand tried to get between me and the Pret to take the brunt of his fire. That proved to be unnecessary though, as Anjiran appeared behind him and pounded him with her massive blaster until only his legs were still standing, which did look ghastly and oddly comical at the same time. We regrouped at the body of the Pret the two Soreila had killed. "Look, it got brains, who would have thought that." Tufte seemed quite pleased with himself and the turn of events. The Soreila looked into our round, before addressing Sinjin. "Who are you? I have never seen you or any of your friends before. My name is Fina." "I am Sinjin. These are my friends. But I don't think we have time for lengthy introductions here." 'She is right, I am sensing more Pret approaching. The weapons' fire has registered on their scanners. They are sending large contingents into this area.' "True. Follow me. We need to get to the inner rings." I took a last good look at the enemy sprawled like a dead insect on the floor. The Pret had comparatively short legs, a V-shaped romp that ended in rounded shoulders, which had two pairs of long arms each. The way they were assembled reminded me of the wings of some of earth's insects, maybe that was how they had developed also. Their bodies were enclosed in a dark brown uniform, their ugly faces were unprotected, if you disregard their filthy olive to brown facial hair that stood into all directions. It appeared to be stained with clotted blood. Not its own though. Alo quietly cut off a strand of the Pret's hair and tied it to his ammunition belt, before leaving. "What are you doing Turran? Souvenirs? How predictably primitive of you." "The one I shot didn't have a head anymore." "The one we shot together, you mean?" "Considering where we sent him, he might have found dying a relief." 'Stop bickering, all of you. And try to keep up with Fina. We need to get out of here as quickly as possible.' "Please turn off all your technology. The Pret have very sophisticated scanners. We have eluded them thus far because we have adapted, and are constantly on the move. Your android's emission-masking is impressive though; I don't think it will be a problem." She led us to another system of chutes. All off a sudden there was light in a distance. Chapter three – Needle in the hay The Soreila habitation was close to an active volcano. It was hot and humid, maybe that was the reason why they all ran around naked. Sinjin took off her uniform too to blend in. Anjiran was presumably suffering a lot again, as her fur was covered with that pungent white foam. Poor thing. Soon Sinjin was exchanging pleasantries with a young Soreila male. The Daugalan twins excitedly whizzed around me. "We are certain she is going to fuck this one. Do you think she will let us watch?" "Ask her, not me." "Aren't you going to join us?" "No, sorry, that would be a tad weird for me I guess." "We understand. You are always welcome to share pleasant realities with us though, Jon." "Thank you, girls. I might take you up on that. Anyway, looks like you need to get your consent quickly there, they look pretty determined to me." While the girls ran off to have fun, Anjiran and we men talked to the leaders of the community to get as much information as possible about the current situation on Soreil. The Pret had only managed to enslave about twenty percent of the Soreila population thus far, namely the ones that had been living close to and on the few stretches of habitable surface. The others had become nomads in their vast underworld, occasionally engaging the Pret in minor skirmishes, but mainly attempting to get away from them as best as they could. The stories they were telling us about the fate of the unfortunate ones living under the Pret occupation were chilling. Apart from killing, torturing and assigning slave labour tasks to them, they were subjected to sexual assaults. In case of the unfortunate Soreila men for instance, Pret would blow their dicks hard to bite them off afterwards, preferably with the poor fellow coming at the same time. Pret have two sexes, are hermaphrodites and apparently fuck everything that moves. The Soreila women learned that the hard way, also what damage donkey sized dicks can do. On top the Pret shot them drugs that made them horny and begging for it constantly. It was reputedly part of a religion or cult they subscribed to. They appeared to communicate with some sort of dark entity. Similar reports were gathered from other species in the Pret domain. There were quite a few off-worlders hiding out together with the Soreila. The system was well known in this region of space for its vast underworld. It had become a haven, but also a graveyard for many. The Pret enjoyed killing and fucking. A lot. I had trouble concentrating on the other ghastly details. I was thinking about Sin of course. I was happy for her, certainly. But on the other hand it felt like now it was obvious I would lose her. And I didn't even want to think about what would happen to her, if she fell into Pret hands. I walked off the meeting place and strolled around the dimly lit habitation, followed by the curious but friendly eyes of the Soreila. Quite a few stopped and invited me for a drink or something to eat. I declined, not really fancying company right then. I had almost left the centre area of the caves; the tunnels ahead were barely eight feet high. "Hello stranger. You are one of the off-worlders that just arrived, aren't you?" The Soreila female leisurely followed me on the ceiling. Each of her movements was charged with the awareness of her sexual allure. I was sweating buckets as it was, but it seemed to get just a little hotter when she appeared. My suit contained an air-conditioning unit of course. But we had agreed not to use our technology. The fabric absorbed the sweat immediately; still I was feeling somewhat clammy. "Yes, my name is Jon. I come from a planet we call Earth. My race is known as Human or Terran." "Jon. That is a nice name. Mine is Leojin. You are perspiring a lot, Jon. You need to replenish your fluids. Come into my cave and I will see to your needs." "Leojin. That is a beautiful name, too. Thank you for your kind offer, but I am in a strange mood and would prefer to be alone right now, I think." "It is about your Soreila friend, isn't it? I saw the way you looked at her earlier." "Well ... yes. And the stupid rules about interspecies sex." "What are you talking about? You are not allowed to have sex with other species?" "No, I thought it was you that isn't allowed?" "Who told you that? Your little friend? I know of no such rules." "But why would she make up something like that?" "Maybe that is what her mother told her to prevent her from becoming the Soreila mattress everyone is talking about. When we reach sexual maturity our appetite can be a little overwhelming." "Oh ... I see. Yeah, that would make sense. Fuck. Beaten to it by a bloody parenting trick." "I am sorry if that has caused you any inconvenience. Let me make up for it. My offer still stands. You would not regret it." She had come down the ceiling now and joined me walking. Darn she did look amazing. Her hair was longer than Sinjin's, the tips bounced sprightly from her swinging buttocks. Her tits were larger than Sinjin's also. "So how about it? Ever been with a woman of two hundred and fifty-eight?" "Not that I'm aware of. I surmise it would be a very interesting precedent." "I will make sure of that. We have to turn back then. I live behind that water repository over there." That sounded like the place to be, as I really felt a bit dehydrated by then. And intrigued by her offer of course too. Her cave was lit by what looked like crystals burning in an amber colour from the inside. The place was littered with fascinating little sculptures. She beamed when I commented on their beauty. "I made them. I am an artist. I like to touch and feel things to shape them. Take off your uniform and I show you what I mean." That sounded like a heartfelt invitation and I could not come up with a single reason why I should decline. Besides, it was hot in there. Boy, could she shape things. Apparently the honey turns into a somewhat more viscid goo with progressing years, but you would not find that to be of any disadvantage. She remembered my other need and scooped some water in a small bowl for me. Instead of putting it to my lips she emptying it onto my face and I opened my mouth to receive the life-giving liquid. Pilot 04: Meddle "It would be too hot for you to exert yourself. So why don't you lean up against this wall and let me take care of everything?" "You are such a fabulous hostess. You really make me feel welcome. Oh my God ..." She reclined on her backside and moved her feet up my legs. I had almost forgotten that they had suction cups on there too. Very strong ones as it turned out. I held my breath when they reached my dick where my entire blood seemed to converge and released it with a moan of sheer ecstasy. However, they travelled on up to my chest and then she turned them sideways, attaching herself to the wall and very slowly pulling herself on top of me. Her scent was a sensual assault that left each inch of my skin tingling and burning. She positioned her hands above my head and released her feet from the wall, opening her legs wider and wider, stretching them completely to reconnect with the wall again. She lowered her pelvis and impaled herself of my raging hard-on. The body temperature of a Soreila is about a hundred and two. Being inside that incredibly tight hot wet miracle of hers made me gasp for breath, not least because she swung on and off me like a gymnast. "Do you like that, Jon?" "Oh yes, that feels great. Fuck, you are hot. And so fucking tight." "Your cock is so much bigger than the ones of most of our males. I have never sat on something that large. You really fill me out. I am going to come in no time." She slowed down a little just lightly heaving her pelvis and getting my dick inside of her as deeply as possible. "Yeah ... that's it. Now fuck me again. Harder. Come for me. Show me how you like it." Her moans and groans were announcing that pretty well as it was, but the blissful expression on her face changed to even greater dissolution and abandonment, as she rode me to heaven, coming and coming again and yet increasing her speed, trying very hard to drive me up there too. 'Jon, where are you? We need to leave. What are you doing? Oh ... sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. Well ... can you finish that soon though? We are at the meeting place. Everyone is here already, except the Daugalan twins and Sinjin. Your Emma is getting restless too.' 'Tell someone to tell her I am going to come ... soon. Fuck ... very soon.' Actually, I came that very instant. And then I had a really hard time getting away from her. --- I arrived a little later than the girls. Sinjin avoided looking at me. I wondered whether I should tell her what I had learned from Leojin, but in any case this was definitely not the right moment. 'Good, I believe that's everyone. The Soreila were kind enough to provide us with whatever information they got on the Pret and their installations. There are roughly two hundred thousand Pret on the planet. Since we used energy weapons there is a good chance that the Pret will scan the planet for new arrivals – that is why we have to cut our visit here short. However, we should not let the opportunity pass to learn more about the Pret. I am therefore suggesting that we pay one of their installations a visit. We need to get some samples of their technology and maybe we can tap into their computer systems also. Yes Alo, more souvenirs, but instead of hair-locks we need some of their weapons, shield generators, whatever will help us in our next engagements.' 'I guess you have picked a place for us to pay them our respects?' 'Yes Jon, I have. The Pret have taken over a mining and ore processing complex roughly twenty miles from here. The complement there is just a few hundred Pret and thousands of Soreila slaves. Fina will lead us there and from it to a meeting point with Emma, as we are about to say good-bye to one of our friends here ...' "Sin, is that true? You are staying here?" "Yes Jon, I am staying. I am sorry. This is where I belong. My people need me. All that I learned on Talagon will benefit them and our struggle here. I believe I can accomplish more from here. I think most if not all of you would do the same if you were in my shoes." Well, I was not surprised and she was probably right. We all would have done exactly the same. She and I exchanged a long, very quiet and intimate hug. I hoped I would see her again one day, and Soreil's current status did make that not altogether unlikely. Two tall grey furry creatures approached us. "We are Kaspari merchants. This is Twenx and my name is Silta. We have been hiding out with the Soreila for two years now. We were wondering if we could negotiate passage on your ship." Tufte's disdainful sneer showed clearly that he was familiar with the species. I found nothing in my memory about the Kaspari. "Merchants? That is an interesting way of putting it. These shaggy monsters managed to get half of my planet addicted to all sorts of chemicals." "Mofat, that is a matter of perspective. There was a demand and we supplied. Don't listen to him ... I don't recognise your species." "I am human. I don't know what Tufte is talking about, but I don't mind if you tag along. Do you have weapons?" "No, we don't fight. But we promise to stay out of your way. You would hardly notice us." I hoped that Llft would help me with this decision, but he didn't contribute any thoughts of his. "Okay then, come along, but remember that we aren't your body guards. We won't stop or slow down for you." "Excellent. We are carrying quite a selection of enhancers that should work on your species. We will of course share whatever we have once we are on your ship." I shrugged my shoulders and followed Fina into a labyrinth of tunnels and caves, which irritatingly seemed to lead down rather than up. 'Don't worry Jon, she is leading us the right way. We will ascend soon enough.' He was right. She led us to a dead volcano. The chemical torches we carried didn't illuminate the area enough to see how far up it went. We desisted from using our light drones. Fina and Anjiran took the lead and climbed up the steep bold rock-face. Emma's hand trailed behind me, helping me through passages I would never have managed on my own, even catching me once when I slipped. The Kaspari were good climbers and did not slow us down at all. They giggled a lot though - maybe they had sampled their own merchandise. Fina stopped on a tiny ledge. "I need some help here." Invisible to the naked eye, there was an access tunnel ahead of us, which was blocked by a large slab. She attached her hands and feet to the featureless rock. "Now pull me." Emma and Alo carefully pulled her back inch by inch. The slab was at least seven inches thick. Just when it toppled over, Fina detached herself from it and still she herself would have fallen down the Volcano had it not been for Emma's quick strong hand. The slab fell straight into nothingness. Almost a minute later, we heard it crash and shatter. The tunnel ahead of us was eerily illuminated. "You can put out the torches now. This tunnel contains Zerod, a metal that reacts which oxygen and glows for centuries. It is quite precious and we have been mining and trading it for a long time. The Pret are fond of it too." "Groovy stuff. We are carrying a couple of kilos of it also." Twenx pointed to one of their bags, which almost looked like backpacks. "Yes, it has a variety of uses. This mine is abandoned, but it will lead us straight to our target." "Why did you abandon it, if there is still so much of that stuff in there?" "Because of the Mil. The Mil are predators living in this area. They are attracted to Zerod. Remember: no use of energy weapons. The Pret are also close by." We had to go on all fours for several hundred yards, before we reached a larger tunnel. The greenish light emanating from the strange metal only dimly illuminated the passage. I noticed a movement ahead of us. 'Danger. There are ten creatures ahead of us. They are changing positions now. They are not thinking, but I don't believe they are particularly fond of intruders.' Fina stopped and listened into the silence. I hardly dared to breathe. Then they came at us. Spider-like six legged creatures, with an enormous heads and fangs that would make any big cat jealous. The first one lost its head to the metal disc Fina threw, but that didn't stop the others for a second. Tufte killed the next with a dagger he quickly produced. That seemed to incense another one, which landed on his shoulder and took a big bite before anyone of us could react. However, Alo ripped the animal off him and smashed it against the wall, over and over again, until its head was but a lump of green flesh. Emma's hand kicked the next one through the air. Then they were gone again. "Silta? Silta!" One of the Kaspari was also gone. "Sorry Twenx, they've got him. We need to move. There will be more of them. Tufte, come here." Fina pressed her hand onto his bleeding wound. Tufte was a tough Mofat, but that made him whimper. "Sorry Tufte, if you want to live, I need to get the poison out. Their fangs are poisoned and our hand secretions neutralise it. Twenx, are you carrying any more Zerod? If so, now is the time to dispose of it." "No ... Silta is carrying it." "Was carrying it. Forget about him. He is ..." 'Yes. He is dead. We need to go on. Tufte are you all right?' Tufte was shaking from one side to the other. Emma's hand volunteered. "I will carry him." "That'd be the day. I'm all right." Tufte marched on bravely, but after about thirty minutes he collapsed. Emma and Alo took him in their midst and carried him along. Another Mil awaiting us in the darkness lost its head to Fina's quick blade. It was so bloody frustrating to carry all these fabulous weapons with us and not being able to use them. --- Tufte insisted to walk again by himself when we were closing in on the mine we had chosen. He had a brief chat with Twenx and a few minutes later he seemed to be okay again. Better than okay as a matter of fact. "Twenx, what did you give him?" "A mild painkiller. Nothing serious. Nothing to worry about." Tufte rolled on the floor giggling. "Well ... nothing grotesque. He might experience minor hallucinations." 'Silence! There are Pret above us in the large tunnel next to this one. They are driving some sort of vehicle.' "Ore containers. They are bringing them to the surface. The Pret are using our old transport monorail system." "Can we board those trains anywhere and maybe hide in one of the ore containers? Emma, stay with Tufte. Looks like he is attempting to eat those rocks." "Gurr, gurr, gurr." 'His mind is confused. He is seeing little winged creatures and thinks they are delicious.' "We can board the trains if we get close enough to a landing station. They are guarding them pretty well." "Just get us ..." "... close enough ..." "... and we will send the Pret ..." " ... elsewhere." The Daugalan sisters were our best option to get by without using our weapons. 'You can try it. Fina, lead the way. Oh dear ...' 'What is it, Llft?' 'Nothing too important, Jon. I just listened in to the thoughts of one of the Prets. I never encountered creatures like this. They are seriously ... twisted. I am picking up several Soreila slaves ahead of us too.' Fina pointed to an opening in the tunnel ahead of us. "This is it. Unfortunately, there is no chute leading down. The cave down there is vast and full of nooks and crannies. I suggest Llft and I go first to see whether it is safe for you to belay down. You do have ropes on you?" I had to grin when all of us simultaneously touched the clasps of our utility belt. There was a metal thread contained inside, no thicker than sewing cotton, but made of an alloy that would hold up to a ton. Emma and Twenx didn't have one, not that Emma would have needed it, but we decided to leave those two behind together with Tufte, who had just managed to entangle himself with his thread and a boulder so well that he couldn't move an inch. Under the influence of the painkillers, he was probably better off that way. Fina and Llft disappeared in the hole and seconds later I heard Llft's voice in my head. 'You can come down. There are four Pret ahead of us, but you would be outside their field of view.' I followed Anjiran and the twins, Alo was the last one having to deal with Tufte first, who had been freed of his entanglement, but was overwhelmed by the urge to hug and kiss the Turran. The cave was lit by massive light panels. That wasn't the only bit of impressive technology. The "old" monorail system turned out to be an impressive maglev train, with carriages bigger than houses. The loading station had four converging rails and hundreds of Soreila rolling smaller containers into the large carriages. I found it weird that they weren't using any sort of robots for that. 'Yes, that is peculiar. Fina told me that they had rather sophisticated robots to do the work – I suspect it has to do with the religion of the Pret, or simply their need to torture the Soreila.' We hid behind a large boulder and observed the scene for a while. One of the Pret grabbed a female Soreila and dragged her into our direction. 'It's not what you think. It wants to kill and eat her.' The Pret suddenly stopped about forty yards away from us. The Soreila female was surprised, but used the opportunity to get away quickly enough, when the Pret suddenly opened its grip. I didn't even have to look at the twins to know that they were responsible. This wasn't good timing though. The Pret just stood in the middle of nowhere, frozen in whatever reality they had sent it to. It looked more than just a little suspicious. On the other hand I could of course understand their wish to save the Soreila. 'The others will think it is feeding, which they apparently do in private. If we are quick, we can take it down.' Fina didn't need more encouragement. Her disc cleanly shaved the Pret's head off. We advanced swiftly to hide it behind some rocks, where we found the shivering and confused Soreila as well. Fina urged her to get away and flee the scene, but she seemed incapable of moving. Her body was full of gashes and dark discolorations. No doubt she had been brutalised by the Pret frequently. Anjiran collected the Pret weapon and whatever technology we could find on it. One piece was blinking with a yellow light. "That could be a communicator. They might be trying to contact it. Fuck. We have to do something." Fina pointed to the carriage closest to us being loaded by the Soreila slaves. "Get the others down and try to board this carriage. The Soreila will help you. I will keep the Pret busy." "No Fina, there must be a better way." Not that I could think of one at that moment. Not that she would have cared. She simply took off, speeding along the cave's walls, drawing not only the Pret's attention, but also their weapons' fire almost instantly. 'I have told Twenx to come down with Emma and Tufte. Tufte is asleep now. Twenx has given him a sedative after Tufte tried to hump his leg repeatedly.' Shame I missed that. Alo shouldered his weapon and lifted the Soreila. I wasn't sure whether this was such a good idea either, as she would certainly slow us down, our combat unit was in bad shape already as it was. One injured and passed out, one drug dealer tagging along and now this pitiful Soreila. Yet there was no time for lengthy discussions. We ran to the open carriage, while the Pret seemed to enjoy the target practice Fina provided them with. The slaves were following that spectacle too, until we were almost amongst them. They understood without any explanations and guided us into the carriage, building a hollow with the containers for us. Emma carrying Tufte and Twenx just arrived on time before we were completely closed in. The weapons' fire had stopped. 'I regret to inform you that Fina didn't survive her brave and selfless act. She has killed another one of the Pret, before she was shot down. The Pret have asked for reinforcements. No-one has used the opportunity to flee though. I don't understand. Maybe they were simply too weak for that.' That was quite a blow and everyone in our group was visibly shaken by it. However, there was no time for grieving. Anjiran tried to dress the Soreila's wounds with materials from her medical kit, but the Soreila shirked away and fled into a corner. 'She is very confused and scared. Let Alo do it, for some reasons, she trusts him.' "It's because he's such a charming ... sorry, I'm going to be sick ..." Tufte was with us again. Anjiran took care of him rather, whilst Alo did indeed manage to help the Soreila. The vibrations in the carriage increased; then we felt it moving. Chapter four – Light of day "So, what's the plan now? Can we finally use our weapons again?" 'That would not be prudent, Tufte. I am glad you are clear again though. The train is going to be unloaded at a processing station soon. I am sensing several Pret and a lot of Soreila slaves.' That fact that we had lost Fina and her knowledge of the area was overthrowing whatever plans we had. The Soreila we had rescued had calmed down a little, but sat there impassively with a vacant look in her eyes. I seriously doubted she could help us. Alo was sitting next to her, actually putting his arm around her and letting her head rest on his massive chest. "Excuse me ... I know you have been through a lot, but we have lost our guide Fina, as you might have gathered. Are you at all familiar with this installation? My name is Jon, by the way." For a moment it looked like she wasn't going to react at all. The she appeared to rip herself out of whatever nightmare she was trapped in. "Tatjin ... my name is Tatjin. I'm quite familiar with it. We are being kept in the habitation behind the processing station. The caves are close to the surface. There is a space port above us, where I have worked before the Pret came." 'I am probing her memory Jon. The space port she is talking about is heavily fortified and guarded. Fina wanted to lead us through the habitation to another exit leading to the open sea. I don't want to frighten her more as she already is with my telepathic abilities. Please ask her if she knows the way.' "Fina wanted to lead us to an exit tunnel leading to the open sea from your habitation. Do you know where that is?" "Yes, but you can't go there." "Why not?" "The Pret have secured it and all others with shields to keep us from escaping that way." Tufte pointed at the weapons on his utility belt. "No problem dear, we simply blast our way through. How many Pret are in the habitation? Are there any command centres?" "I don't know. There might be fifty or sixty. They all look alike. Do you have ... food?" "Sure." Alo rummaged in his bag and gave her one of our concentrated rations, no bigger than a thumb but containing everything you'd need for several days. We heard the door of the carriage opening. "Command centres?" "Their temple. They do everything in there." 'Oh ... no ... this is ... too much ... don't ask ... please, for your own sake. We need to be quiet now, there are Soreila unloading the carriage – one Pret guarding them. Xrrr, Xrro, do you feel it?' Xrrr nodded. 'It wants to come into the carriage to ... to do things ... to the slaves.' Tatjin wanted to say something, but Alo swiftly placed his finger on her lips. She understood. One container after the next was removed by the Soreila. Soon they would uncover our hideout. 'The Pret is here. Please Xrrr, you have to be fast, it is already ... acting.' Pilot 04: Meddle "We've got it. It is no longer a threat." That very second the Soreila removed the first container of our hideout. Down below the light had been dim, but in here it was reasonably bright. They didn't even see us first. But we saw what the Pret had been up to before it was stopped by the Daugalans. Two Soreila were attached to the walls, one of them impaled by the Pret, which wasn't moving anymore. To our surprise, the Soreila did though, was fucking the Pret out of her own volition. 'It's the drug they have told us about. But she is in so much pain ... Please, do something ...' "Emma, take out the Pret, please." Emma left our hideout, went up to the Pret and slung her arms around it. Its spine snapped audibly. Then it collapsed. The Soreila stopped for a moment, trying to see what was going on. Then they carried on unloading as if nothing had happened. The two Soreila on the wall turned their heads to Emma for a moment, but then faced the wall again, waiting for their ordeal to continue. It was bizarre. We didn't have time to be puzzled by all this though. 'Jon, we have to try and get into their temple to obtain more of their technology. There is a troop carrier landing on the space port. They are considering that there are off-worlders responsible for the incidents down below. Ten Pret are being ordered to converge on this train. They are trying to contact the guard we have just killed. We will have to fight our way to the tunnel. Tell your android to contact the ship to meet us close to the exit of the tunnel. She should be able to home in on the signal.' 'Won't that alert the Pret to her?' 'Jon, this is our last and only chance to get out. We have underestimated them. If we don't act now, we will pay the price for that mistake.' "Emma quick, contact the ship and tell it to meet us at the exit of the tunnel. Everyone, Llft says the sneaking around bit is over. There are Pret approaching. We are discovered and have to fight our way to the tunnel." "Finally ..." Tufte seemed genuinely pleased. Alo gently helped Tatjin on her feet. "We cannot ask you to help us. If you wish to remain here, just think about how we can get to the tunnel best. Our friend Llft here will read your thoughts." "I will show you the way, if I can come with you. Give me a weapon and I will fight." 'Five Pret close to the train now. Anjiran, Tufte, Alo and Jon – use your deflectors and antigravs, it won't be an advantage for long, but it might give us an element of surprise.' Alo looked unwilling to let go of Tatjin for a moment, but then he grunted and turned his deflector on, becoming invisible to the startled Soreila. Twenx took something out of his bag and swallowed it. "Fuck it, give me a weapon too." We handed him and Tatjin a couple of the Pret weapons we had acquired, before our invisible vanguard got out of the carriage first, hovering above our small group when they also left the shelter. The Soreila we passed hardly looked at them. The processing complex was to our left, the tunnel leading to the habitation was right next to it. A small screen we attached to our eyebrows made the others visible to us. The Pret had spotted our group, but instead of firing immediately took cover and attempted to ambush us. Since they had visible targets, they weren't scanning for invisible ones. We wanted to keep it that way and found good cover in their rear, where we switched off the deflectors and attacked one of them at a time, to collapse their shields quicker. We had just finished off the second one, when our group approached on the ground and joined the fight. 'Jon, we will take care of them now, there are more coming from the installation and the habitation. Their carrier has landed also – we have to be really quick. You four go ahead and secure our route as best as you can.' I saw one of the Pret freezing. The Daugalan twins were busy little bees. We switched on the deflectors again and pressed on to the tunnel, which was almost twenty yards high and reaching several hundred into the rock. It appeared to be empty, but we soon discovered that another unit of Pret was providing an ambush for us there too. We passed them unnoticed to get a full picture of what was awaiting us in the actual habitation first. There were several units leaving a large metal dome in the midst of it. No doubt this was the temple and command centre. I was foolish enough to fly close to it. The ground troops hadn't been scanning for invisible enemies – the dome apparently had automatic defence systems. All of a sudden little protrusions appeared in the smooth surface and I was hit by a massive blast, nearly overloading my shields and sending me hurtling through the air. My deflector generator was failing also and I became visible. I just about managed to land before the weapons' fire of their ground troops ended me. The habitation was like a labyrinth of artificial caves and passageways. I switched off the antigrav quickly too. Now the ground troops were scanning for my emissions and were no doubt already converging on my position. 'Hold your position there and try to hide, Jon. Alo and Tufte are clearing the tunnel for us. Anjiran is close to where you are, she has switched off her technology too.' 'Acknowledged.' I ran past a small group of Soreila, who didn't even look at me. To my horror, they were blasted to pieces when a group of Pret spotted me and shot. One blast singed my left arm, right before I switched my shields back on to respond to them. The Pret were moving extremely fast, but very close together, due to the narrow roads of the artificial habitation. I took out four of them with a photon grenade. There was loud weapons' fire everywhere, so apparently our group had passed the tunnel. I would have to use the antigrav again to see where I was, as I had lost all sense of orientation. My shields were flickering when I got hit by some Pret firing from an opening of a Soreila house. I returned fire, but I could hardly make my target out from my position. I hadn't got all the Pret in my rear either with the grenade, so now I was in crossfire with failing shields and hardly any cover. I aimed as best as I could and threw the small photon grenade into the house. At the same time another hit collapsed my shields. The two Pret in my rear seemed to have noticed that and left their cover to come straight at me. I tried to switch on the antigrav, but it failed. Like an irate goddess Anjiran materialised behind the two Pret and gave them something else to worry about. I always have to smile when I see her with her oversized blaster, but that very second there couldn't have been a more heavenly sight. The Pret acknowledged that she was the more dangerous target at the moment and focused her fire on her, although I contributed my fair share to dispose of them. "Boy, am I glad to see you, Anjiran." "Shit, your shields are down? What happened to your arm?" "Just a bit of skin, don't worry. I took a blast from their temple, which almost collapsed them already. Where are the others?" There was loud weapons' fire approaching. "I'd say close by." She got hit by an approaching Pret, which ran straight at us, but all of a sudden stopped and stood there frozen. "Very close by, apparently." We finished off the Pret together with Twenx, who appeared first with the Daugalan twins; then one after the other of our little group showed up. All but Llft. "Where is Llft, Emma?" "He is wounded. He is in my uniform. You were right Jon; it was a good idea to wear one after all." She turned around so that I could see the imprint of his shape on her back. 'I am sorry Jon, but I got careless.' 'They almost got me too, but Anjiran got here just in the nick of time. How bad is it?' 'I cannot say, but I am losing consciousness frequently. Twenx gave me something against the pain, but it does not seem to be of the right composition for my physiology.' Two Soreila men had joined us. The others told me that most other Soreila had been either completely apathetic, or tried to fuck them when they got too close. Alo had six fresh strands of hair on his belt. 'Jon ... hurry ... the troops ... from the carrier are ... here. They are using ... some sort of antigravs too. I ...' His thoughts had been getting weaker and weaker, and all of a sudden they stopped. I hoped that he was still alive and that he had just lost consciousness again. "The troops from the carrier are here. Llft said they have antigravs. Prepare yourself for aerial targets. How far is it to the tunnel from here, Tatjin?" "A mile almost. It is not going to be easy – we won't have any cover in the last hundred yards, and the Pret will know where we want to go if they analyse our movements. We won't make it on the ground." "Jon, I am picking up sixty aerial targets converging on our position. There are ground troops following and weapons' fire. I think they are slaughtering the Soreila as they approach." That was chilling news. Far from bringing hope or support to the Soreila, now we were also responsible for a massacre. But all this was secondary. We needed to move on to ensure our own survival. Everyone with functioning antigravs grabbed one that didn't have one. I was picked up by Emma. Within twenty seconds, we clashed with the Pret. It was almost like in the war with the Krauts. Except that we weren't flying any spitfires, but clung to our comrades for dear life, firing with all we got, with the notable exception of the Daugalans, who worked overtime flying the two quite horny Soreila men and sending Pret to their destruction. I think if it hadn't been for them, we would not have made it. Alo, who carried Tatjin got shot down close to the tunnel. Tufte carried Twenx, so only Anjiran was free to pick him up. He was unconscious. Tatjin had not survived their crash. Anjiran threw several photon grenades at the visible green shields in front of the tunnel entrance, while we were pounded by the Pret cornering us with their seemingly inexhaustible reservoir of flying fighters. The fourth grenade collapsed the shields and Anjiran collected Alo lightning fast and flew in first. "I am detecting ships closing in. I don't think they have spotted me though. I think they want to cut your escape route off." I realised that her hand was talking about the ship. That meant she was very close. "We can't join you in the water though, not all of us could dive. Timing will be crucial." "My timing is digital." There was light at the end of the tunnel, if only briefly; then Emma's gorgeous body blocked it. One of her weapon's arrays picked off the remaining Pret following us into the tunnel one by one, patiently waiting for us to get out of the way and inside of her to take care of the rest. "Mother is calling. I am receiving rendezvous coordinates. We will not battle the approaching ships but run and hide in her belly." Under different circumstances I would have objected to that, now I was simply overjoyed that we had made it. We didn't even enter Emma's bridge, but stayed close to the matter sluice until Emma told us that we were inside the Snay, which took off immediately to avoid detection. --- "Jon, are you asleep?" "No darling. I was thinking about our first trip to Soreil." "I see. Is that why you are looking so sad? Because of Sinjin?" "Not only her. We lost Llft too. And many Soreila." "I remember. I carried him to the medical bay as fast as I could, but he had died already." "I know, sweetie. It wasn't your fault." The whole mission had been a bit of a train-wreck. But after all, we did achieve our objective and had collected vital information. In war, there is always a price to pay. Sometimes, it is too damn high. "I don't want you to be sad, Jon. You said earlier that you would fuck me. Can we do that now, please? I am certain that it would make you feel better." My little Emma. Always trying to cheer me up. And since she was right about her effects on me, I saw no reason not to comply with her request.