The Nourisher

Drake Glauco, a successful lawyer, happily married to Jankin—the man of his dreams—has a perfect life…until he comes home one day to find his husband in the arms of another man. In the resulting argument, Drake storms out of his house only to be drugged and kidnapped by alien people smugglers! His perfect life is shattered as he uncovers the real reason for his kidnapping. He is to become an egg nourisher for a Priaxian incubator named Vernon!

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. The Nourisher Copyright © 2011 Mark Alders ISBN: 978-1-55487-798-0 Cover art by Angela Waters All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

The Nourisher The Borders of Worlds Saga One By Mark Alders

Dedication This book is dedicated to my Family.

Life Changes

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ey, I’m Drake Glauco. I have a damn good life. I’d have to say the best thing about being alive right now is my wonderful husband, Jankin. We got married in 2042, the year before his father passed away. We wanted him to see the ceremony. Both Jankin and his father cried like little school boys when the celebrant declared us together. It was beautiful. I was on my way home to him. Traffic was pretty bad today, being a Friday. Then again, it’s always been bad no matter what day of the week, so who am I kidding? We’ve got a special dinner tonight. Our anniversary. Can’t wait. He’s an awesome cook and I’m a lousy one. Perfect combination. “I need the office,” I commanded to the car’s computer, realising I hadn’t heard back from my PA about the case we’ve been working on this past month. A dashboard screen lit up and a connection noise buzzed for a few seconds. A pleasant, female voice answered, “Hello, sir. What can I do for you?” “Patricia, do we have that deposition ready yet? The Wilkinson one?” “Finalising it now.” “Good. Call me back when it’s done. Get Johnson to call me, too. I don’t want to lose this one. We need the whole team on it, pronto. I want a final meeting set up as soon as possible. No son-of-a-bitch is going to get away with trading 1

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outside the boundaries of the treaty.” “Yes, sir.” I pressed the disconnect button and the screen returned to navigation mode, showing me the route home. About forty-five minutes later, I parked the car into my slot, a tricky affair that involved making sure I manoeuvre properly into the stack. Parking is now an art form since buildings introduced tiered parking. I still can’t get used to the idea of one or two hundred cars stacked up on top of each other on a rotating conveyer, each car only separated by a metal frame. Once satisfied with my parking effort I headed for the entrance to my apartment. The parking stacks on my building are on the rooftop underneath the gardens, I suppose they can stack more cars that way. The sun burned the sky orange as it slipped behind the pacific. We had a great view. “Welcome home, Drake,” the door chimed as I passed my ident card over the reader. “Thanks,” I replied. I know the door doesn’t give a toss whether or not I answered, but you know, it’s kind of a habit of mine to do so. I took the flight of stairs down to our living room. There was Jankin, my most beautiful husband, standing there with his shirt off. Next to him was another man. He was in his underwear. “Oh, hi there, Drake, honey…I wasn’t expecting you home so soon,” Jankin murmured in his usual husky tone of voice as he came over to me. The look on his face told me more than anything he could say. He had been caught with another man. You could say that right about now I saw red, but that’s not true. Not at first anyway. Sure, I was as pissed as all hell, but things seemed to become clearer for me as I watched 2

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Jankin fumble with his shirt and the stranger cover himself up. Our relationship was over. I opened my mouth but no sound eventuated. It was like I was watching this on holovid and I wasn’t really in the room. I was a bystander, waiting for the car crash or the explosion or whatever, dumbfounded by what I was witnessing. The man stood up, snapping me from my reverie. “This isn’t what it looks like, I swear,” he said. Fuck he was painfully handsome, all toned and tanned and rippling muscles. Fucking bastard. The sound of something snapping in my mind struck me. Those cars I had visualized did indeed crash…or was it that explosion? Whatever it was, what I now saw horrified me and I reacted. Sure, I jumped to conclusions, who wouldn’t in my place? I had come home to see my husband and another man half naked on my couch. What was I supposed to think? “What the fuck is going on here, Jankin?” I stormed over to my husband, ripping his shirt out of his hand. No use him putting it on now. The damage had been done. “Seriously, Drake, baby, this isn’t what it looks like. Jeff’s right.” Jankin reached out and placed his hands onto my shoulders. I smacked his hands away. “Oh, so it’s fucking Jeff now, is it?” “Jeff’s a friend. He’s come over to help—” “Don’t lie to me!” I interrupted. I was so furious now. The guy named Jeff had slinked away like the snake in the grass he was. “I can see it in your face, Jankin! I can see it in your body language. What? You don’t think I can read you by now? You’re a fucking liar! A fucking liar, you hear me?” Jankin came closer. “Baby, it really isn’t what it looks like. Jeff is training me…honest to God. I’m doing this for us…for you.” 3

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“Don’t baby me. I can see what he’s training you for. Shirts off and all. What kind of training requires being naked on the couch? You’re a cheating son-of-a-bitch. I’m leaving, Jankin, and I’m not coming back. Not until you can come up with something better than that. I need an explanation, Jankin, and I need one that holds water, you hear?” “It’s the truth. I’m telling you the truth. Jeff’s here to help me be a better man for you. He’s training me to—” Again he tried to console me and again I knocked him away. “Oh, please! Forget it, Jankin. You can have your bit of fluff to get on his knees for you for all I care. You can have him bend over and take your lying cheating ways. I’m not doing it no more. Pathetic…that’s what you are. Absofuckin-lutely pathetic.” “Fine! You just don’t want to listen to me while you’re all hot-headed, do you? It’s so like you! Jump to conclusions. If I was a case and you’d done your research, you’d be eating your words right now. No matter what I say you won’t believe…” I stormed back up the stairs. Jankin’s words trailed off as I left him and Jeff to think about how they ruined our marriage. As far as I was concerned it was all over. My eyes became misty from tears that now rolled down my cheeks. I had to get out. I had to get some air. I had to stop thinking about Jeff touching my Jankin. “Leaving so soon, Drake?” the door chimed as I swiped my card. “Fuck off!” The sun had set. I took in deep the cool, crisp evening air. I needed to get away from the apartment so I dialled for my car. The seventeenth stack began to rise. My car was in bay forty-two, so it would take a few seconds to get to it. I hoped Jankin wasn’t following me. I was ready to punch his lights out. 4

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A sting pricked on my neck. I turned, only to be confronted by two Boldiens, a green-skinned, amphibious and frog-like race native to Boldien’s world. One of whom was holding a needle—a now empty needle. “What the…” before I could finish my sentence everything fell into darkness.

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Rude Awakening hen my eyes decided to open and my brain returned to full consciousness, I found myself in a steel room. To call it a room was an understatement. It was more like a cage of solid steel. I could hear the hum of engines, so I guessed I was being transported somewhere. But where? Well, probably more to the point, why me? “Hey!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. “Let me out of here.” Knowing that shouting such a thing was completely and utterly useless, seeing as the people who kidnapped me did so for a reason. Why would they let me out because I asked of it? I wasn’t bound in any way. I knew the reason for the lack of such things when I realised I was naked. Right down to my skin I was and not at all happy about it either. Where were my clothes, my ident cards, my money? The steel felt cold against my flesh and no matter what I did I couldn’t get comfortable. The temperature wasn’t helping, it was freezing in here, I could see myself breathe. I ended up standing, looking around to see if there was any way of getting out of this cage. There wasn’t. I felt every millimetre of the room carefully. There was a door, only slightly visible, with a perfectly hidden grating within it. I assumed that was so I could breathe in this prison. There was nothing else. No power switches or sockets or anything of any description to get my fingers into and try to

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pry away. There weren’t even any joins in the metal. It was like I was inside one big solid chunk. If it weren’t for the door I’d say that was true. I rubbed my arms and legs, trying to create some warmth for my bones. It wasn’t working. This was an awfully good cage. Seems these Boldiens were serious when they drugged and kidnapped me. Great. My life was flushed down the toilet and now I was a prisoner. I was so looking forward to the weekend, too. Of all the things I could have thought of, I thought of that…that man and his antics on the couch with my husband. Queasiness overcame me and bile rose up in my throat. I tried to shake the image of him out of my head, the image of his perfect body clambering all over my Jankin and the intimacy they must have shared together before I spoiled it for them. I swallowed. In some way I was happy I walked in on them. I now knew. How long had they been doing stuff behind my back anyway? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? I felt sick again. There was a hiss. The seal of the door cracked and in walked two Boldiens. One was carrying a gun, some sort of newfangled disruptor. The kidnapping business must be paying well. The other was holding a syringe with a huge needle attached to it. “You’re not sticking me with that needle again,” I said as bravely as I could, considering I was defenceless. I took a couple of involuntary steps back until my back felt the cold steel of my cage. The Boldien who harboured the needle sneered, then said, “You have not served us well, Mr. Glauco. A pity. We could have used you.” “What are you talking about?” I stepped forward slightly, probably the defiant side winning against the cowardly side inside me. “I’ve never seen you before in my life.” “Oh, yes you have.” 7

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My cheeks flushed and burned. “You all look the same to me,” I spat, more out of anger than of actually meaning to sound alienist. Generally I liked aliens—heck they were the main source of my income. Knowing about them, their culture, what they did was all valuable to me in some way. The Boldien who held the gun smiled and fired. A shock wave struck me and a warm sensation trickled down my leg. Seconds later, I crumpled onto the cold, hard floor. Before my mind sank into darkness and the oblivion beyond, one of them said, “He did say he didn’t want the needle,” he snickered. “Oh, and I’ll wager the Priaxians will find him much more useful than he was for us.” “The Priaxians!” I burst out as consciousness once more returned to me. “They’re murderous bastards!” I was on an ornately carved bench of stone. Sweat trickled from my brow and in complete and utter contrast to before, I was really quite hot. I was still naked, too. The room I had woken up in was bare and gloomy, but furnished with all sorts of exotic tapestries and sculptures. At least there was a small window above me unlike the steel cage of my previous residence. Unfortunately the window was too high to climb up to, even if I did stand on the bench, I think the room had a fifteen metre ceiling or something. As I looked up out the window I noticed the famous double yellow suns of Priax, my spirit sank. “Fuuucking heeeell,” I moaned. That accounted for the warm sensation I was feeling. Priax was a semi-arid planet populated by four metre high spider-like aliens known as the Priaxians. They had a sort of insatiable but somewhat unsavoury liking for humans, even though relations with them had been good. Trade for their silk was not only valuable but vital for our economy, in return the Priaxians only wanted easy to obtain medication from us, penicillin and the like. Sweet deal as far as humanity 8

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was concerned. But there were always those stories of disappearances and of people who were never the same again if they did return. A Priaxian must have entered the room when I was looking out the window, because a shadow came over me. My heart skipped a beat when I caught a glimpse of those huge mandibles and its numerous black pearl eyes. It glared down at me from beyond the gloom, its outline only slightly illuminated by the light that filtered in from that window. Yep. The sight of a giant spider, all legs and ugly confirmed it. I had been sold like some sort of object. I hoped it didn’t pay too much for me because I would do my damndest to give it hell. I sighed. Could this day get any worse? The Priaxian chattered something in its own language before dexterously picking me up with its front hands, if you could call them that. More like claws on the end of muscular insect-like legs. Its abdomen pulsated and before I knew it I was wrapped in a cocoon of silk, unable to move except to breathe. “What do you want with me?” I strained out before the Priaxian had spun enough silk to cover me up to my neck. Again it chattered something in its own language, but I caught a familiar word. That word was possession. Was the Priaxian using some human words or was I able to understand some Priaxian? My stomach turned over and over. I had lost my husband to some air-headed gym junky only to find myself belonging to an alien spider. That final thought made me feel like actually heaving my guts up and I had to concentrate so that I didn’t. The taste in my mouth made me wince. Quickly, the alien covered me in its silk and once more I found my old friend darkness. Surprisingly, I could breathe through the silk, a notion I couldn’t comprehend considering 9

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the stuff was smothering me. At least I was conscious and I could hear what was going on. Not that it helped to do so. All I could actually hear was the scurrying of my new Priaxian owner as he took me to wherever it was he was going to take me. A funny thing struck me as my mind wandered and I recounted the events of the day. I soon realised that the cocoon I had found myself in was comfortable. It was like I was in a womb, all snug and secure. Sure, I had no idea of the fate that awaited me, but for the here and now I decided to go with the flow. Yes, I was as anxious as all hell, but hey, who wouldn’t be in my situation? What could I do about it now anyway? I had to bide my time.

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The Priaxian Master of Mine

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here was a terrible ripping sound that filled the space I had found myself within. Light began to filter in through the silk as each layer was peeled away. The air smelled sweet. I found myself in another room, this one completely different to all the others. It was, for lack of a better term, luxurious. There were cushions and couches and soft things in all sorts of odd shapes and sizes scattered about everywhere, and everything, right down to the fabric that billowed decoratively from the ceilings and walls was cotton white. It was surreal to say the least. The room wasn’t as large as the other room I had come from, but big enough to accommodate my Priaxian master. Something struck me as I looked around the room, and no, I’m not talking about the fact that a great big alien spider was busily unwrapping me as I studied the room. I’m talking about the fact that the room looked as though it were only made to accommodate humans—or beings of human height and size anyway. All the furniture was for someone of my size. The couch, the table, everything. The alien, the massive thing that it was, looked uncomfortable in its own created surroundings, because that’s what this room was. A creation. I had noticed the reason why the room was cotton white and oh, so comfortable. Everything was made of silk, including the floors and walls. I was in a larger cocoon, but a cocoon 11

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designed for a different purpose. I was in a sort of, and I hated to say this, but I could think of no other word for it…I was in a nest. “Fuuucking heeeell” I said with a gasp as the last of my cocoon was ripped away from me. I missed it—mainly because I now had to face the reality of whatever was going to happen to me next. The Priaxian came over me. “*chatter* obey *chatter, chatter*.” My stomach churned and my anxiousness overcame me once more. What did I have to obey? All sorts of macabre thoughts wheeled around in my mind, mainly because I had no idea what was being said to me. Was I going to be eaten? That horrible thought was certainly at the top of my worry list. Oh damn it, what was the old saying, the one those early explorers used to say, If you can’t have sex with it, eat it. “Shit!” I blurted as I clambered under the numerous legs of my captor and crawled across the room. Was I going to be ravaged then eaten? I found myself cornered between the silken wall and a created couch. The Priaxian was coming toward me, its mandibles moving grotesquely and its beady black eyes, all eight of them, bore down into my soul. My mouth was wide open, mainly from shock as I watched with grim interest as the alien once more came over me. I was helpless. Its body was huge, at least double the size of mine, and I was a six foot tall kind of bloke. As it picked me up with its middle legs, all four of them, I couldn’t help but realise the simple yet painfully obvious truth about my predicament. A naked human in his late thirties was no match for any Priaxian. My extremities felt numb and my mind went blank. I was doomed. I missed Jankin—no scratch that. I needed Jankin right now. Why did I have to be so hot-headed? Why couldn’t I have at least 12

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heard him out before jumping to conclusions? Sure, what I walked into certainly didn’t look good, but my husband, my dear sweet husband, had never hidden anything from me before. Why now? There was more to this, I could feel it in my bones. The alien pulled me up toward its thorax. I could see the gaps between its chitin armour shimmer and pulse as I came closer and closer. Two tiny feeder-like appendages, like the proboscis apparatus of the terrestrial butterfly, emerged with a squelching noise from out of the alien’s body. I closed my eyes. Then, compelled by something I couldn’t explain, I opened them again. I was so close to the alien now I couldn’t see the room around me, only its body, all hairy and moist and ghastly. This was a nightmare. A living nightmare. What I saw next would have astounded me had I not been the one directly involved. The two feeder arms, or whatever they were, attached themselves with a warm, wet suction to either side of my body, right about where my rib cage ended. “*Chatter* extraction *chatter*,” the alien said as a pulse rushed through me, as though drums were being beaten inside my body. As each beat sounded I noticed it copied the beating of my own heart, became in tune with my body rhythms. Soon I didn’t notice it anymore. I calmed. My eyes did close, but not because I wished it so. Rather, my mind began to fill with images I couldn’t control. But that control was not lost to something terrible—no, what I witnessed filled me with great joy. You could even say pleasure. In my mind’s eye I saw my Jankin, as large as life and as real as if I were back on Earth in our home. He was wearing nothing but that wonderful boyish grin he has when he wants something and that something usually requires us both to be naked and in each other’s arms. 13

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Before I knew it, that’s what I saw. No wait. That’s what I experienced. We were in our bedroom. It was a hot sticky summer’s evening. Jankin was kissing my neck. I could feel his stubble tickle me. The warmth of his lips then moved down to my chest. He rolled his tongue over my nipples, arousing them, waking them from their softness. I giggled. I knew where he was going. I loved this moment. The anticipation as he moved his way across my body, roving his lust across my skin. His warmth came around my now hard cock. He retracted my foreskin and began to lick and suck me, making delicious noises as he did so. Fuck it felt good. My balls, my stomach, my groin and everything I had in my body, including every sinew that held me together began to ache with ecstasy as I charged toward climax. That wonderful point of no return. “Oh fuck!” I screamed as I blew my load. My own fluid sprinkled my stomach as Jankin pulled himself away from me. I opened my eyes. The vision, even though it had been wonderful, had deceived me. I was still being held by an alien. I was still an alien’s play thing. I felt cheated, even more than when I had walked in on Jankin and Jeff. The Priaxian had controlled these images I had been seeing. Welcome to my home, Drake Glauco I heard in my mind. It was the alien who had said it. Its voice, the alien insect-like chatter I had become familiar with, was unmistakable. Yet, I could understand it now. How was that so? “What did you say?” was all I could manage even though it was probably the stupidest thing I could have said. I had far too many important questions I could have been asking racing around in my mind. Like what the hell just happened, being one. Before I realised and before I got an answer, I was placed 14

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down onto one of the silken couches. It was soft and warm and comfortable and moulded to my shape without sinking me into it. You are the nourisher and we have just performed the first of many extraction ceremonies. I thank you for helping me, for obeying the protocols and becoming my symbiotic partner for the duration of the hatchling’s gestation I carry within me. I blinked a few times. I knew the alien was speaking into my mind, I got that. What I didn’t get were the words it was saying to me. “I don’t understand,” was my automatic response, even though, as I said before, I had plenty more questions that should have been asked. Like did I really experience an orgasm? If so, where was my semen? My skin was clean and I knew with absolute certainty that I had felt it cover my stomach—I mean, that’s something a man knows and has experienced many times in his life. Hush now. I will tell you all you need to know once you have eaten. I shall get you some sustenance. You will need all your strength. We are both tired. Before I could ask another lame arse question, the alien scurried, oh so very spider-like, out of the only visible door or window to this room. The exit was round and sort of cut out of the wall. Outside I could see many, many lines of silk crisscross the sky. I also saw even more nests, ones that looked exactly like terrestrial spiders’ egg sacks. I was in a spider’s nest…sure, an alien spider’s nest, but such details didn’t really interest me now. Why was I here? What was an extraction ceremony? But more importantly, why did I need to keep my strength up?

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His Master’s Voice hen the last remnants of climax had left my body, I went over to the door. I was unusually calm, like a storm had passed and I was experiencing the quiet moments afterward, assessing the damage, but happy nonetheless. The Priaxians were an enigmatic race—keeping to themselves. During the drawing up of the treaty they only wanted contact under their own terms, the only dialogue with them through a third party, the Rasck. A race just as confounding. At the door the view was stunning, but at the same time disturbing. The nest was suspended high above the ground, so high I couldn’t see the ground below. Great alien made spires, all shiny and metallic looking, towered all around me like monstrous skyscrapers. Between the towers the nests clung, held seemingly precariously by numerous silken threads, to me as thick as steel cables. But were they as strong? Unless I fancied a quick death there was no way out of the nest. Sure, I could climb onto one of the many, many threads that helped suspend it, but really, I wasn’t all that sure my weight could be supported by just one of them. I tested a cable to confirm my suspicion. As soon as my hand touched the silk, numerous Priaxians scurried out of their nests to see what was going on, only to go back to where they came from when they realised I wasn’t making an escape attempt. Okay, the silken threads could probably hold my weight,

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but that didn’t mean squat. No sooner would I get out onto one I would have some Priaxian whisk me back into my latest prison. Jumping was out of the question. I wasn’t ready to die yet. I had an argument to finish with Jankin and by God I was going to finish it. I had completed the survey of the nest and decided it was quite a comfortable arrangement, although for living quarters there was only a smaller room to the side of the main room. Inside that there was a rudimentary toilet, and by that I mean a spun lidded bucket in which to do your business. Or so I thought that’s what it was for. There was no running water. There was no kitchen. The nest was just that, a comfortable lounge room minus the big screen holovid TV. As I came out of the toilet, my Priaxian master came back, carrying a tray filled with all sorts of exotic fruits in its front claw-like hands. There was also a huge pitcher of water and a small bowl of golden jelly on offer. Here. Eat this. You’ll feel better. “I’m not doing anything until you answer a few questions,” I said, folding my arms for emphasis to my intended defiance. The Priaxian tilted its head. Eat. Then we’ll talk. It shoved the tray in front of my face. The stuff on it sure smelt great, and I had to admit, I was kind of hungry. Then again, what man isn’t after he’s cum? “No!” I screwed up my face. Please eat. The Priaxian picked up an orange looking thing, shaped like an aubergine but with scales on it. Dexterously it began peeling the fruit. The room quickly filled with a sweet citrus smell. I will feed you, if you like. I gave in. Seemed I wasn’t getting anywhere with my stubbornness. “Okay, I’ll eat your dinner, but you’ve still got to answer my questions.” 17

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Yes, I will tell you all I know. Please eat, it’s all good for you. I sneered, then said, “Good for me or good for my sperm?” Both. I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. Seemed my alien master had a sense of humour. “How old are you?” I said in between bites of the fruit. The thing tasted fantastic. It was citrus, but not acidy like most Earth oranges can be. It was sweet, there’s no doubt about it, but it was also filling. I have come of age. “I see.” The Priaxian handed me another peeled fruit. This time a banana shaped purple thing. It tasted mellow and watery, like honey dew. Do you not think me worthy of your presence? Okay, now I was completely confused. What was this Priaxian talking about? I thought it kidnapped me. From the sound of it, things certainly weren’t what they first appeared. Great, just my luck. Seemed I had a long road ahead of me. This situation wasn’t as black and white as I had first anticipated. This alien had no idea about how I got here, other than I was the nourisher to the egg it was carrying within it. I sighed, sat back and said, “I think we need to start from the beginning here. Tell me everything. Tell me who you are and why I am here. Tell me what it is you are doing to me, and above all, tell me how I can get back home.” The Priaxian also seemed to get comfortable. He had settled onto one of the larger couches, yet looked awkward with all his legs hanging over the furniture. This is the great colony of Priaxia South, the largest colony in this region. The alien shifted his weight. Is that as far back as you would like me to go? What a smart arse, but I humoured him and decided to let him continue. “I want to know everything.” There was an excited chatter before the alien said, Thank you, Drake, for letting me share with you my knowledge. I have come to the age where, as a member of the male incubator caste, I can 18

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carry the next generation offered to me by my great Queen. I suppose to mammalian standards I am about twenty years old, but to my people, I have only just begun existing. “So you’re young and a male…how interesting.” I am an infertile male, but one that is born with an egg pouch, a special gift, for I am the hope of our colony, just like my other incubator brothers. The fertile males become the servant caste, the lowest in our society. I swore the Priaxian screwed up his face when he spoke of the fertile males. “What other castes are there?” Okay, so I was interested. As a lawyer, I was trained to get as much information out of a client, no matter how trivial. Everything had it uses, especially information. Sure, the alien wasn’t a client, but hey, this was now my life we were talking about. There are the females, the Queen is included in that caste. Then there are the soldiers, the Incubators, the nourishers and the servants. “Wait. Wait. You said nourishers?” Yes. They are the mammalian primate life forms that have evolved with us and who live in the forests below our nests. “So if you have nourishers already, why do you need me? Why are you kidnapping humans to perform the task that can be easily done by a species on your own world?” If I didn’t know any better, I’d say the alien was saddened. The nourishers are dying. They have a disease we cannot cure and their numbers have dwindled dramatically over the last decade. Only a few viable young males remain. We dare not take them for nourishing duties for fear of stopping any births and making the situation worse. The alien stood up and began pacing the room. If we don’t get humans to help us, as humans are the most compatible species next to the nourishers, we as a race will soon become extinct. That explained why they only traded for medication. I slumped back into the couch. “Aww, fuck!” I blurted. Yep. This certainly wasn’t as black and white as I hoped it was 19

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going to be. Damn it, why wasn’t anything simple? “But you kidnapped me. You took me from my home against my will. Why should I help you, Priaxian?” My name in your tongue is Vernon. And if you don’t help me the egg I have been blessed with, the egg that is our next generation will shrivel and die. If that happens the others will either kill me or send me out to the wastelands. Please, Drake, please be my nourisher. I was not responsible for your capture. I have only been chosen this season to carry the egg. You have been chosen to nourish it. I will make sure you are as comfortable as you can be, your every whim my command. “Well…Vernon, if I agree to help you, and let me be very clear on this, if I agree, then you will help me get back home to my husband. Tell me, how long must I nourish this egg of yours?” Only four of your years. “What? Holy fuck! Four years?” Human semen is not as potent a protein source as what we are used to with our native nourishers. Like I said, humans were the next best match. “So how often do I have to provide this nourishment?” When the egg is given to an incubator there is a two day yolk storage within. The nourisher is then chosen and placed into the sacred temple for collection. The incubator is then summoned to the temple where he must wrap his nourisher in his own silk and parade him for the entire colony to see. The extraction ceremony then begins and the nourisher’s sustenance is absorbed into the egg, to maintain the yolk which feeds the hatchlings within. Every day, at the setting of the second sun of Priaxia, the nourisher must provide his sustenance. The blood drained away from my face. That explained why I was wrapped up like some gift store package. “Um, why don’t you get another human to…you know, provide the semen instead of me?” No sooner had I asked the question, I had a terrible sinking feeling about the answer. 20

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The next words out of Vernon’s mouth confirmed my fears. Your semen is the only nourishment the hatchlings will now accept. To get another after the extraction ceremony means death for the incubator and the egg. You should understand symbiosis, Drake. It is a common thing. How is it I can now communicate with you? I don’t speak your tongue, only the Queen can. Yet here we are, talking with each other. That fixed it. Vernon was a smart arse. But he was also right. “Oh, this is just getting better and better,” I grumbled. So will you stay and help us? “What if I say no?” Vernon gestured toward the door. Then you are free to leave. I do not want to be responsible for your misery. I am here to provide for my people. Will you, Drake Glauco, help me accomplish my goal?

21

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An Audience with the Queen

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ow, being me, I knew there was a lot more going on here than what Vernon was telling me. But I also knew that what he had told me was the truth as far as he was concerned. After all, someone can only tell you what they know from their own perspective and experience. “Will you help me?” I offered in reply. Answering a question with a question was always a good tactic. Of course I will help you, but we will have to see our Queen. I cannot make that decision alone. The future of this colony rests with me being safe and secure here with my people. No incubator has ever left the colony. I was beginning to understand Vernon. He was a proud individual, no question. But that didn’t help me. Kidnapping was a crime. I had to know more. Why me? Why now? “Deal.” I finally said, “We will go see this Queen of yours. I have more questions to ask anyway.” But I have told you everything I know. To have you as my nourisher was the greatest day of my life. I paraded you with such pride in my being that I couldn’t contain my joy. I will do anything for you, Drake. Anything. “So long as I remain your nourisher, is that it?” Yes. “Well then, I don’t think we have any time to waste. Let’s go.” Climb up onto my back. I will take you to the Queen’s tower. 22

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Vernon crouched so that I could get upon him easily. I had to admit, this was going to be the weirdest ride I’d ever undertaken. I then noticed my nakedness. “Um, don’t you have any clothes I can wear?” Why would you want clothes? It is warm enough here, isn’t it? Besides, how would I access you if you are covered? “You said it yourself, you only need me once a day. I can take my clothes off when the sun—say, when does the second Priaxian sun set?” So you are accepting my offer of being my nourisher then? Jesus, he was quick on the mark. I had to make sure I treaded carefully when talking hypothetically. “Not yet.” I swore Vernon smiled, before adding, In your time, fifteen hundred hours, I believe. Vernon, with painful ease and lightning speed, clambered out of the door. He jumped, launching himself into the air and at the same time began spinning a silken thread. Before I could comprehend what was happening, I was gliding through the air heading straight for the largest tower. This means of travel was somewhere between a bungie jump and free fall. The wind against my skin made me feel alive, more so than I had ever been. Perhaps it was an effect of being on an alien world or perhaps it was because of Vernon himself. He was a rather interesting character, I had to say. I think I liked him. “Will the Queen mind us dropping in on her?” I’m the incubator of the next generation. I’m given whatever I please and can see whomever I wish and at any time, too. Nothing I ask for is too small or too large in the eyes of my people. As I have said, I have come of age. “Except to ask to go off-world.” That has never been asked. If something did happen to me then there would be no healers to help recover the egg or save my life. “So there is a way of separating you from the egg if need 23

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be?” No. Vernon’s last answer was a bit too dismissive for my liking. Perhaps he genuinely didn’t know. Perhaps he was hiding something. As my mind mulled over those possibilities we landed on a balcony, all steel and shiny, like the rest of the tower. Two Priaxians immediately came over to us. They were completely different to Vernon in appearance, heavily armoured with many sharp and horn-like protrusions all over their bodies. Their front claws were distorted to such a degree they were nothing short of weapons, ones that looked like scimitars. Their abdomens were tiny compared to Vernon’s, but that was probably because they didn’t harbour an egg within theirs. These Priaxians were obviously members of the soldier caste. There was some verbal chatter between them, something I couldn’t understand, before Vernon turned to me. The Queen is waiting for us. The queen, again another completely different looking Priaxian, was huge. At least double the size of Vernon. Her limbs and body were smooth, but she was much more slender and, dare I say it, elegant. She had a crest, too, a great shield that surrounded her rather small head. “Welcome to my home, Drake Glauco,” she said. At first I was taken aback. Actually hearing a Priaxian speak was something to behold. The words were recognisable, yet at the same time alien, like listening to a foreign translation, complete with clicks and hisses. “I can’t say that I am glad to be here, your Majesty.” She came off a silken bed and stepped up to me. I only came up to her first leg joint. I had to admit, I was feeling somewhat intimidated by her presence. Not only her size, but the way she carried herself, too. Every movement was 24

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smooth, calm and calculated. Every step measured. “You want to know why you of all people were kidnapped and made a nourisher of our people?” Jesus, she didn’t beat around the bush either. I nodded. “Yes, that about sums it up.” “You also think that kidnapping humans for our own agenda is deplorable, do you not?” Again, she was right on the money. But this time I didn’t fall into her pattern of questioning. I needed to reverse this, make me the questioner and have her answer me. “Vernon has told me why. Tell me, how much did I cost you?” She chuckled, a haunting echo that reverberated around the chamber we were within. “You cost us nothing. You were delivered to us two days ago.” Okay, now I was thrown. Did I overestimate my own importance? Who would want to kidnap me for no return? “I don’t understand.” She came down to a seated position again, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say her facial features softened. “Mr. Drake Glauco, you are an important man on your world. There is no denying that. But getting to the top of your tower, if you understand my analogy, is not without its drawbacks. You see, you have made many enemies.” “So one of these so-called enemies kidnapped me and bought me here?” “Not so-called. It was the Boldiens. You see, you are the architect of the Borders of Worlds treaty, are you not? That agreement opened up trade between the sentient life forms of this galaxy. Quite an achievement.” “Yes…and?” I was getting impatient. She knew and now she was drawing it out, making me aware that she had something over me. She’d make a great lawyer. “The Boldiens had the monopoly on trade before humans interfered in galactic affairs. Seems you have cost them quite 25

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a bit. Delivering you here, knowing your fate, was something they relished. Their price was knowing you will no longer be able to interfere in alien relations.” Slowly the pieces of the puzzle were fitting into place. Now I understood what the Boldien meant when he said I could have served them better. But how could I have known that such a treaty, a treaty of fair trade, would stifle a particular race? “As far as I was concerned it was the greater good and not the individual that mattered when we drew up the plans for that treaty. Survival of humanity is of utmost importance to me,” I blurted, more thinking out loud than actually consciously aware of what I was saying. The queen smiled in the capacity only a Priaxian could, an ugly smirk on an ugly face. “That is our logic also.” Oh, she was good. “I understand. Vernon has told me that the simian creatures who are usually your nourishers are dying out. But I have still been kidnapped against my will. That doesn’t change that fact. I feel for you, but in the end a crime is a crime.” She turned away from me. “They are not dying out. They are dead. The forests below our nests no longer ring out with their song. Priaxia will be a dead world if something drastic is not done right now. Humans have been helping us for the last decade, willingly and with great reward. Will you do the same?” I had no words to express my grief, yet I was also surprised to hear her say we had been helping the Priaxians. I even felt Vernon take in a deep breath as the queen said those words about the nourishers. “You leave me no choice, do you?” Again she turned to me. This time there was a distinct sadness to her appearance. “There is always choice. One must live with the consequences of whatever it is they chose, however. Vernon has said you can leave. I will tell you the 26

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same. Drake, you are free to do as you wish, just know, we need you. What happened to you, how you got here, is not our concern, but if you help us we can help you.” She was right. Again I was shocked to the point of being speechless. Finally I managed, “So will I be able to go to Earth and see my husband…if I agree to be Vernon’s nourisher?” “You have already made up your mind?” I nodded. I understood that desperate times led to desperate measures. The Priaxians, as far as I could tell, were only doing what they had to. “I have. I will contribute to your next generation. It’s not like I’m going to contribute to mine any time soon, not unless Jankin gets pregnant, and really, that isn’t going to happen.” I chuckled. Male pregnancy had occurred on our planet, but really, only in freakish cases did they make a success of it. “Vernon and I…well, we understand each other.” I turned to my incubator. He was bowing at me. “Oh, get up…don’t do that Vernon. I don’t deserve it.” “What do you think, Vernon?” the queen said. I think that to ensure our survival, we must do what we have to, my Lady. I will go with Drake and help him in whatever way I can so he finds his peace. If he wants to see his husband, then that is what will happen. If he wants to seek out those who kidnapped him, then that, too, is an option. It occurred to me that this was the first time Vernon had spoken. But why did he mention that I might want to seek out my kidnappers? Had he already accepted my offer and was only doing this as a mere formality? The queen stood up once more. “It seems Priaxians and humans are very much alike on some matters, doesn’t it, Drake?” I raised an eyebrow. Perhaps she was right on that. “I will look after him, you can be assured of that.” Had I achieved a minor victory or taken on more than I could handle? It was 27

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true, I did find a strange sort of affinity for Vernon. He also had a point, finding those who kidnapped me would be a great satisfaction. She smirked once more. “Oh, you will, I know it. Priaxians don’t take things lightly. If anything happens to Vernon or the egg he carries within him, then I would consider it an act of war.” She came down so her pearl black eyes met mine. “And Priaxians don’t fight wars in rooms pushing buttons, like humans do. We massacre those who are our enemies with no remorse until every last one of them is dead.” With that she turned and was escorted out of the room. I was left with Vernon. I realised I was underneath him. Was I subconsciously using him as protection while I was speaking to the queen? “Were do we start then?” The nearest spaceport is Magellan Prime, just beyond the Priaxian system. From there we can get to the Earth system. I shall requisition a private shuttle and some sort of clothing for you, my nourisher. The sound of his voice rose and fell. He was keen. “Please, call me Drake.” I’d say if he understood the concept Vernon would have hugged me right there and then. The big lug was certainly getting all emotional. Then again, I couldn’t blame him. He did have his nourisher, and me—well, let’s just say I had a chance to help another species and leave it at that for now.

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Spaceport Magellan Prime

V

ernon didn’t waste any time. I was whisked away, dressed and taken to the Priaxian intergalactic spaceport centre north of the citadel in under an hour. The clothes the Priaxians made for me were of a silken fibre mix and extremely comfortable. The style and colour left a little to be desired, though. The outfit looked like a drab grey creation for farmer’s weekly or something. Basically, it was an overall with two buttons at the shoulders. It would be easy for me to remove this garment and I suppose that was its function. I didn’t complain. At least I wasn’t flashing myself for all to see. Some things a man only likes to show when he really has to, like when he’s drunk with his mates or in the arms of his lover. Our shuttle is fuelled and waiting, Vernon said rather enthusiastically. Perhaps he relished the idea of travelling off world. I could only imagine how he would be feeling seeing as this was the first time he’d be leaving his home world, let alone the citadel. I know I got a thrill out of travelling. All those new sights and smells, so refreshing to the soul. Or was I only feeling that way since I had discovered Priaxia? The ship was like nothing a human would have created. It was stylish, sleek, and oh, so weird. It was basically a leaf shape, with a bulbous bit at the front and back. There were no discernable windows or even a door for that matter. Even the metal of its hull shimmered green. Although, I had a 29

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sneaking suspicion the metal I thought had been used to build this spaceship and indeed many other structures around the citadel, including the queen’s tower, was actually a specially hardened Priaxian silk. Everything was made of silk here. I bet the stuff was worth a fortune to many worlds other than Earth. No wonder the Boldiens traded humans with them. As we approached the ship a door materialised. The cut out of the door lowered and doubled as a gangway. Rumour has it that the Priaxians were the first space fairing race, seeding other worlds with arachnid life forms. Really, there was no evidence for that. They may look like spiders, but they were an entirely different species. Kind of like comparing humans to apes. Still, their resemblance to spiders was uncanny. All I knew, for the here and now, was that I was helping the next generation of these alien spiders in return for passage to Earth. There were no surprises when it came to the inside of the ship either. It was completely foreign to me. The bridge, if you could call it that, was all organic and looked as though it had been grown. There wasn’t anything I recognised—well, nothing I could say, yep, that’s the captain’s chair. Everything seemed as though it were an amorphous blob with things sprouting out of it everywhere. Vernon sat on one of the larger sprouts and waved an arm. Instantly the room was filled with a vision bubble, the view that of outside the ship. Please make yourself comfortable, Drake. Relax. I know how to fly this thing. I’ve been trained. “Simulated or real training?” How could he know how to pilot a ship if he’d never been off-world? As he said himself, he’d only come of age today. Genetically learned, he replied. How else? “Indeed.” I applauded him. He most certainly did have a different perspective on things. Okay, I had a human perspective, he had a Priaxian one. There were bound to be 30

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some cultural differences, but as I thought about it I realised I liked those differences more and more. “Tell me, Vernon, the nourishers of your world, were they sentient?” Vernon turned to look at me. No they were not. Being with a human nourisher has been an interesting experience for me already. Our vision share during the first extraction ceremony was the most…vivid I have ever experienced in my life. Other Priaxians don’t have those sort of thoughts. I think I actually blushed. “Really?” was all I could manage. The screen around us was quickly filled with stars, the double yellow suns of Priax dominating the view. I take it we had taken off and were now outside the atmosphere of Priaxia. Vernon did a bit more waving, and within a split second the screen became a multi-coloured blur. It was beautiful. Seemed we were now in what a lot of space travellers call heaven’s light. A term used for an object travelling near light speed and the blur was caused by that acceleration as stars and matter and everything else the universe was filled with rushed past. Humans only recently had gained access to heaven’s light engines, a benefit of the treaty I was proud to say. The real fun in travelling would happen when we reached Magellan Prime Spaceport. There is a gateway there. No ship can travel faster than light, but with heaven’s light and a gateway readily and cheaply available, travel across the galaxy has become pedestrian. To me, or as best as I can explain, gateways are like natural tears in space, and are easily contained and able to be used reasonably safely once a station is built around the fissure. Most stations look like donuts, circling the hole in space through which ships fall down. I watched the heaven’s light for about an hour. Okay, to be truthful I watched Vernon command the ship. He did so with 31

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such ease I would have sworn he was a pilot by trade. It was like he was conducting an orchestra, quite hypnotic and relaxing. Soon the light faded and normal space filled the vision bubble once more. Ahead, Magellan Prime loomed. It was a great big floating steel city orbiting a mineral rich moon and embarrassingly human in design. All clumsy and chunky and rather unattractive. I think I liked Priaxian aesthetics much better. “Please cut off your engines and reduce speed to inertial normality. State your designation and occupants and duration of your visit to Magellan Prime Spaceport,” a rather disinterested voice crackled throughout the bridge. You will have to speak with him. I cannot verbalise human, Vernon said, sounding rather flustered. He did cut off the engines, I could no longer hear the hum. Our designation is displayed. “Hello, Magellan Prime, this is Drake Glauco. We have done as instructed and wish to advise our designation is P131a. I am with a Priaxian named Vernon and we are planning on an overnight stay only. Passage through the gateway is required.” “Did you say, Drake Glauco?” I opened my mouth to answer, then hesitated. Why, I didn’t think I was so important that my name was known out here near the Priaxian system. “Yes, that’s correct,” I finally said. I could hear a bit of mumbling, then the man said, “There is a bounty on your head, Mister Glauco.” “Really?” I almost burst out into laughter. How ridiculous. The Boldiens must be desperate. What does that mean, Drake? Vernon’s voice was tainted with both fear and concern, like a child’s when he doesn’t understand something being said to him. 32

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As I was about to answer Vernon, the controller continued, “We are sending out an escort ship to bring you into bay fifteen located on the diplomatic wing. Please follow all instructions. There will be a security contingent waiting for you at the airlock. From there you will be escorted to your room.” Drake, I can’t be separated from you. I can’t. I gave Vernon a reassuring pat on one of his legs. His skin was remarkably soft. From what the controller was saying, or rather, between the words he was saying, he didn’t seem to be taking this bounty thing too seriously. Sending us to the diplomatic wing proved that. Nevertheless, caution was warranted. “We will do as you say. But I’ll have you know, if you are detaining us without the proper authority there will be hell to pay.” There was a crackle. The controller had switched off the communicator. What will happen to us now? “Vernon, believe me when I say, nothing will happen. Sure, the bounty means that the Boldiens have been here and are probably covering their bases just in case I do get off Priaxia. They’re smart, I’ll give them that. But really, I can just file for diplomatic immunity. After all, I have a Priaxian with me. Do you think they’re going to argue with you?” Vernon seemed to relax a little and the glint in his numerous eyes returned. I am glad I am with you, Drake. I wouldn’t have known what to do in this situation had you not been. “You’re a big softy, aren’t you?” No. I am a Priaxian incubator. I let out a chuckle. “I’ll explain what a softy is to you one day.” Then again, I understood his concern. Diplomatic immunity was a stop gap measure. We had to pass through many outlaying worlds before we reached the Sol system. This trip could be rather interesting. I hope you do. 33

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“So, what were you like…as a child I mean?” Vernon paused for a moment, obviously thinking back. I was a difficult child, always behind in my studies and getting myself into all sorts of mischief. My educators would regularly chastise me for disappearing for no reason. It wasn’t my fault, Drake. I just like exploring. I like to feel as though I have been the first Priaxian to ever step foot on a place. I like going to the ocean. Is that wrong? “Not at all.” He continued, I did get rewarded once. Before I was chosen for this season’s incubation, I was given a medal for bravery. I saved a young hatchling from certain death. The last hatchling from one of our natural nourishers, I believe. “What did you do?” I pulled him out of the forest’s sinking sands. Seems he was a curious thing, too, and wandered onto the ground where he shouldn’t have. I happened to be in the right place at the right time. The Queen personally thanked me. Then I was given you. “Sounds like you’re perfect incubator material to me. Thank you.

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A Vision of Loveliness.

I

had to say our diplomatic quarters were rather lavish, but typical of what humans would consider five star. There were leather chairs, plush curtains and gold fittings everywhere. Thankfully the room was huge, although Vernon didn’t seem to think so. His legs touched the ceiling when he stood and nothing he sat on or used was big enough. He couldn’t get comfortable and in the end spun himself a bed and stayed there, in a sulk. Having Vernon come out of the airlock with me sure raised some eyebrows. Even those big, burly spaceport guards took a few paces back. I actually enjoyed the second glances and comments behind hands he was getting as we passed, or rather, I was probably getting seeing as I was with him. It was late when we arrived. At Vernon’s request I slept with him in his created bed. I hated to admit, the bed he made was a lot more comfortable than the mattress. I didn’t mind sleeping next to him, but I think he was scared being in a human facility because he held me most of the night. The place made weird noises and having a bounty over our heads did cause concern. Sure, we’d be fine here, but what about other places? Thankfully, my dreams were peaceful. I dreamt of soaring skies and vast forests, of mountains whose roots tunnelled deep into the earth and of sweeping oceans filled with life. 35

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For the first time in my life I felt as though I were part of something. Was it Vernon who communicated his dreams, showing his longing to me for his home as he slept? I wasn’t sure, but I had never dreamt like that before. The next day Vernon and I shared breakfast. I introduced him to the delights of human food, mainly our fruit. He seemed to enjoy what I offered and I liked eating with him. It was like I was experiencing things for the first time, too. Although, when I ordered the bacon substitute he turned it away once he saw it. Priaxians are vegetarian so I discovered. I like these banana things the best, he stated. “Yeah, they’re good.” God, I’d kill for some meat, even the soy based fake stuff. I had placed a request for passage through the gateway with the station controller. All we had to do now was wait for the all clear. Travelling through the gateway required precision, both from the pilot of the ship and of the controllers within the spaceport. Only one ship could pass at any given time, the logistics of more than one doing so was too mind blowing to comprehend. The calculations for one ship to pass were enough to fry anyone’s noodle, two would be a disaster. Ships and anything within them are disassembled atomically and re-assembled on the other side. I’ve heard lots of stories of things going wrong, especially in the early days of this type of travel. The Bonaparte, a cruiser carrying over five-hundred passengers was the most famous disaster of recent history. Some say they’ve seen a ghostlike image of the ship appear randomly at gateways, the passengers gaunt and frozen in time, looking out the windows in desperation. I shuddered at that thought. We didn’t venture out of our room, spending our time watching holovid, something Vernon found quite amusing. He would chuckle at everything, even the sad dramas they always put on in the middle of the day. He liked cartoons. 36

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After lunch, one comprising of bread and fruit and nuts, Vernon said, It is time, Drake. I knew what that meant. Seemed the second Priaxian sun had set. I unbuttoned my overalls, letting them slip off me and went underneath him. “Where do you want me?” I said casually, but with my stomach turning with anticipation of the experience to follow. Lay down on the floor. I will do the rest. Vernon picked me up with his two middle legs, like before. I was pulled close to his thorax, some four metres off the floor. Instead of being petrified out of my mind as I had been the first time, I actually found myself fascinated with this whole extraction process. So much so I stirred, even before the proboscis arms touched my body. I closed my eyes once Vernon made contact with me, my mind began to fill with images as we joined mentally. The beat of his heart quickly matched mine, the thump, thump, thump resonating throughout my body. I was relaxed and our thoughts once more turned to the images of my greatest desires. Once more Jankin came over me, rubbing his strong hands over my chest, massaging me. I groaned. I then felt hands at my legs, caressing the inside of my thighs. But that couldn’t be. Jankin couldn’t be doing both things at once. I opened my eyes within the vision. Above me there was a man I hadn’t seen before. I began to panic and momentarily lost my erection. “Relax, my friend,” Vernon said—yes, he could talk to me in a vision share. “Let my thoughts and feelings guide you toward the extraction. “Vernon?” Was Vernon the man of my dreams this time? He sure knew how to move. I could feel him touch my cock. I could feel him rub my leg. I could feel him caress my nipples. “Is that you?” 37

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“Yes.” I let myself relax again, but not as quickly as I had hoped. I became flaccid and my arousal took longer as he caressed me, nurtured me back to the state he needed. I studied the man above me. He was handsome, dark haired, thick eyebrows and eyes that went deeper than the eternity of the universe. Yet, he wasn’t fully human. He had some Priaxian characteristics, too. Those eyes were black. His body was segmented and he had four arms with big meaty hands. Was this an image of Vernon as a human? Or was it an image he projected to help me accept him more? I began to enjoy all of his attention. “Take me,” I said with a gasp, surprising myself. If a man with many hands was clambering all over me then count me in, alien or not. Before I could hear another beat of our hearts, Vernon parted my legs while caressing my hair at the same time. My bottom lip quivered, as I knew what was about to happen. The anticipation was killing me as he teased, touching my anus then pulling away when I whimpered or let out a moan. “I will take you, Drake. Take you like only a Priaxian truly can.” I didn’t understand what he meant by that comment until he pierced me. It was unlike anything, and I mean anything I had ever experienced before with any man. It was like he was statically charged and as he thrust deep inside me, my whole body jolted. Moments after that everything within me tingled, like pins and needles except it was internal, too. “Fuuucking Heeeell!” I screamed as more jolts charged through my body, as my arsehole burned and as I struggled to get air into my lungs. With each thrust Vernon made inside me, the intensity of the experience increased. He grabbed me tight with all of his arms and I almost suffocated in his embrace. I loved it. 38

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Quickly and oh, so willingly, I became inebriated with so much passion and so much pain that I couldn’t hold out any longer. Before the vision share collapsed around me, I blew my load. The biggest load I had probably ever delivered in my life. I opened my eyes to see Vernon back on his bed. I was panting—no, scratch that, I was literally gasping for my life. I was covered in sweat and looking up at the ceiling. For the longest time I did nothing. “My God, Vernon, where did that come from?” I finally blurted out. I thought that would please you, Drake. “Please me? Jesus, it blew my mind, that’s what it did.” Vernon chuckled. Before I could get up off the floor and fix myself a much needed drink, the intercom buzzed. Vernon clicked the switch and the voice of the controller filled the room. “You have clearance for gateway travel with ship registry P131a. Please be aware diplomatic immunity for the Priaxian is galaxy wide. For you, Mister Glauco, we could only obtain such a privilege for travel to planets within the boundaries of the Borders of Worlds treaty.” I had come off my high only to hear such crappy news. “Thanks, Controller. What time is gateway travel for?” “1600 hours sharp and to the nanosecond.” We had an hour before we travelled. “Thanks,” I said as I gestured for Vernon to flick the intercom off. I got up off the floor and struggled to the nearest sofa, my body coursing with after effects of my ecstasy. Also, I was still wobbly from the whole extraction experience. “Great. Seems I’m not as important as I thought.” Why is it I have immunity everywhere and you don’t, Drake? “Well, your Queen said it best, Priaxians don’t fight wars in rooms pushing buttons. I think the galaxy are scared of you—your species I mean, buddy.” 39

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They shouldn’t be. Priaxians are a peaceful people, only fighting when we really have to. “Who were the last race your people fought, Vernon?” The Amodilians, I believe. “See, that’s my point.” What’s your point? “I’ve never heard or even seen an Amodilian. They’re extinct now, aren’t they? Their world is just a massive desert now, isn’t it? Vernon hung his head low. I see your point. “Don’t worry, you Priaxians make great lovers. No doubt about it. I could eat a whole pizza right about now, and that’s saying something.” Vernon’s face flashed confusion for an instant. But we only vision shared. I didn’t actually do anything, not physically anyway. It’s all in our minds and as such, I can take you anywhere you desire. “You did something more than what my cheating bastard of a husband could ever do.” What’s that? “You did something just for me and me alone. Thank you for that, it was wonderful.”

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The Starfish of Annaz VI ith all the kerfuffle of making sure we were right for gateway travel, when we actually did pass through the vortex, I understood what all the commotion was about. Gateway travel was nowhere near as pretty or peaceful as heaven’s light. We experienced a terrible roar, like we were hearing the screams and twisted voices of the passengers of the Bonaparte. Our vision bubble displayed darkness. Only darkness. It was quite harrowing. Thankfully gateway travel was quick. The computer is telling me that we need to stop off at Annaz VI for fuel, Drake. It’s the closest compatible planet. “Sure. What kind of fuel does this ship need?” It was a proper question, I mean, nothing the Priaxians made or did seemed normal to me. For all I knew their ships were powered by water. Vernon’s answer confirmed my thoughts. The fuel cells of the engines must photosynthesise. It should only take about six hours or so. “I see.” I caught Vernon reading something on a screen that had materialised in front of him. He had no clue about the running of the ship, but obviously wanted to sound as though he did. If I didn’t know any better I’d say he was showing off. Did he have feelings for me? Then again, did I have feelings for him? On the third thought, was all this getting to me, making me jump to conclusions? “So why

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can’t we just do that out here in space? We’re close enough to the Annaz star now, aren’t we?” Again Vernon scanned the readout before continuing, It needs atmospherically filtered light from a yellow sun and also needs to land so it can power down its systems as it refuels— I cut him off, changing the subject. “Say, Vernon, something’s been bothering me since…well, since you and I were thrown together by fate.” He looked up, turning to me. You think the kidnapping may have been staged? You not being paid for, I mean? I stopped my train of thought. What I was actually going to ask him was why I was suffering physical effects even though when we vision shared it was supposed to be a purely mental experience. I mean, I’d been with men all my life, with Jankin for most of it. I knew damn well when I had been…made love to. I felt the same right now. “Um, yeah, that’s it.” I lied. Perhaps I’ll ask him that question another time. Perhaps it may be simply a case of what the mind experiences the body replicates. Who knows? Vision sharing isn’t exactly something humans can do. I had no experience to help guide me. Knowing the Boldiens I would say anything was possible, including paying humans to help them get who they want. “You know, come to think of it you may be right. It did seem to be a little bit too convenient. I mean, why didn’t they break into the house if they wanted me so badly? Or for that matter, they would have been waiting for me for God knows how long, so why didn’t they kidnap Jankin and that bastard Jeff, too? Priaxia needs as many human males as it can get, doesn’t it?” Yes, we do. Many have come from the lower ranks of your society. We do not discriminate. Vernon waved one of his hands and the ship changed course. Did you know who the man was that was with your husband? 42

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“I’ve never seen him before in my life.” He may have been a Boldien agent. I nodded in agreement. Something was definitely fishy about this whole affair. Then again, when did anything about kidnapping ever seem right? Was Jeff sourcing Jankin out so he could inform the Boldiens of my activities? Come to think of it, when did Jankin ever want to be trained for anything? The only training he ever did was culinary in nature. Vernon reached over and wrapped one of his arms around me, drawing me closer to him. I could hear him breathe, and for a long moment we both watched the heaven’s light displayed all around us on the vision bubble. I was secure in his arms, like he was my protector and I needed his protection. I appreciated his gesture, this whole kidnapping thing was starting to play on my mind. I caught myself rubbing his leg as his hold on me tightened. “You know, you’re not only a softy, you’re a romantic one, too.” Sometimes I don’t understand the words you speak, Drake. What is this romance? “In our next vision share I’ll show you.” I look forward to that. Yep. I think he did have feelings for me. Then again, I couldn’t help feeling something for him, too. He was caring, kind and above all, considerate. The perfect man. Pity he wasn’t human. The heaven’s light dissipated and ahead a planet filled the screen, bright blue against the eternity of space. Annaz VI was a water world, and many had claimed it is the most romantic place in the galaxy, especially when the starfish native to that world began mating. I didn’t know how watching another species mate could be considered romantic in any way, shape or form, but I guess I was about to find out. We descended from orbit and I chuckled to myself. The next extraction was due within the time the ship needed to 43

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re-fuel. Annaz VI could be the perfect place for me right now. I mean, getting romantic with Vernon in our next vision share could be just what I needed to help keep my mind off the whole argument, kidnapping, Jeff thing. I hoped so anyway. Vernon landed the ship on one of the many natural coral atolls that populated the shallower waters. Annaz VI doesn’t have any sentient life, and even though tourism is encouraged, building anything that will encroach on the surrounding eco-system is not. The owners of the planet, a sentient life form who reside off Annaz V are a part of the Borders of Worlds treaty. Somehow that reassured me, especially considering I could only be protected within treaty worlds. The sun was rising and Vernon and I decided to venture out of the ship while it refuelled. The air smelled sweet and salty. The water looked stunning, a slick of orange as the brilliant Annaz sun rose above the horizon. I sat underneath Vernon once he had created a bed on which he could sit. It started to rain, but not how I would have expected. There weren’t any clouds in the sky for a start. It wasn’t until I noticed a couple of the droplets strike my skin that I realised what the rain was. It was raining starfish. Tiny, fingernail sized starfish. Not only did they seem to fall from the clear sky, once they landed they began copulating with each other, right on my arm, too. I was fascinated to watch them scamper over me, find a mate and then intertwine their limbs. There they stayed until I either brushed them off or another falling starfish knocked them away. Can I ask you something, Drake? “Sure. No need for the formality. We’re friends now, ask away.” I would like…I’d like to start an extraction now. 44

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Seemed to me Vernon couldn’t wait for me to show him what I had meant earlier. I smiled up at him. What he lacked in the looks department, you know, all spider-like and mother fucking huge and hairy, he made up for with how he behaved and how he treated me. “I’d like that,” I said as I began unbuttoning my overalls. Was it the planet we were on that made me say that? Sure, the view was stunning and having starfish do their thing all around me sure put me into a kind of mood I only got before I wanted some loving, but Jesus, I couldn’t wait to get my gear off. Seemed those who said Annaz VI was the most romantic place in the galaxy were spot on. I’d never felt so horny. Was there something in the air here? Did the starfish secrete some sort of potent pheromone that made other life forms feel like mating, too? Or for that matter, make me, a red blooded human in the prime of his life virtually beg for it from an alien spider? Lay down onto the coral. “You don’t have to be so formal, Vernon. We’ve done this a couple of times now, surely you can come up with something a little more….appealing.” The breeze caressed my nakedness and more and more starfish fell onto me. I brushed them off as I went underneath Vernon. He really was my shelter, my protector now. I want to touch you in a way only an incubator and a nourisher can be touched by each other. “Well, that wasn’t what I had in mind, but hey, that’ll do.” I lay down and immediately he picked me up in those strong arms of his. My anticipation rose and my cheeks flushed as my blood coursed faster and faster through my veins. I had a full on erection already. Seemed the starfish weren’t the only ones getting some action on Annaz VI today.

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The Coral Atolls of Desire

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he view of Annaz VI remained while our thoughts coalesced and the extraction began. The sun had risen higher in the sky and the waters of this world were a vivid blue. Clouds had rolled in and the starfish had crawled back into the ocean. Vernon and I were alone. “You look more human this time, Vernon,” I said as I studied him. He still had those beautiful black eyes and thick eyebrows, but the rest of him was achingly familiar and absolutely magnificent. Everything like it should be. “I am becoming familiar with your physiology,” he said with a gorgeous smile. “You don’t need to make it sound so clinical. You’re so handsome.” I spoke the truth, as a human he was stunning. Built like Jeff, all rippling muscles and a tan you either worked on every day or bought out of a bottle. He was naked, as I was, and I couldn’t help but stare. Many times I caught myself and turned away, only to be drawn back, like a moth to a light source, compelled to do so. I reached out and grabbed his hand. He smiled again, all innocent and beautiful and so Vernon. Fuck he was hot. In that moment I knew he wanted me to show him everything I knew. Before I could blink I was in his arms, his big strong arms. I melted inside as he squeezed me, as our flesh touched. My skin tingled and I found, unable to help myself, that I wanted to kiss him. 46

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“If this is romance, then I like it,” he whispered into my ear, sending shivers down my spine when his lips touched my skin. “There’s much more to it than this, Vernon, my friend. This is just the beginning.” I then kissed him. When our lips touched I felt as though I would jump out of my skin. It was electric. I sent in my tongue, conquering him, telling him that I was in control. He submitted with a whine, letting me explore him with such carefree and unbridled passion that I felt as though this were the first time I had ever been with another person, human or not. My head spun and I went weak at the knees. Our kiss went on and on, far longer than what those starfish spend intertwined in each other’s limbs. My hands roved over his back and buttocks and he returned the favour. I broke away from him reluctantly. “I want more,” I said with a gasp, as if those words were the last I’d ever speak in my life. “What did you want me to do for you?” My fucking God, he was hot. No one, not even Jankin asked me what I liked or what I wanted. I then felt embarrassed. What I wanted, what I liked was something he may not know how to do. “Let me show you.” I moved my way down his body, licking and kissing as I did so. When I got to my knees I grabbed his cock, feeling the weight of it in my hands. If you asked me I’d say he understood humans quite well. He had given himself magnificent genitals. His cock was thick and meaty and I couldn’t wait to arouse it. His foreskin was so beautiful and so manly, the vein that fed it made it even more appealing, I ran my fingers over its silkiness, delighting in his reaction as I did so. Even his testicles, ripe with hormones hung perfectly below. I was about to take him into my mouth when his hand 47

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touched my chin, pulling me up. “Oh, I know what you want. You don’t need to do that. I understand everything now.” Before I could argue he was sucking on me like a newborn at his mother’s teat. Wave after wave of raw ecstasy washed through me as Vernon ran his lips along my length, applying enough pressure to really make me squirm with delight. He sure did understand. Moments later, and with a moan that would have woken the starfish from their ocean home to mate again, I blew my load. My body shuddered with each pulse of pleasure I delivered into Vernon’s mouth. He took all of me, not spilling one drop. When I finally finished and he pulled himself away from my cock, all wet and glistening from the attention I had received, he looked up at me and smiled. He swallowed. “You were magnificent, Vernon.” I helped him to his feet and again we embraced. “I think you got the hang of being a human quite nicely.” “Thank you, Drake. I enjoyed learning about romance.” “Oh, that was more than romance, my friend. Let me just say that not even my husband treats me as you do.” “I don’t make you happy?” His eyes flashed hurt. I kissed him, tasting my own salt, before adding, “Quite the opposite. You make me feel important. You make me feel special.” He embraced me tighter. “You make me feel like that, too.” I closed my eyes and the vision share experience came to an end. The real Annaz VI filled my vision. I found myself lying on the coral looking up at my Priaxian lover. Yes, lover. That’s what he was, a beautiful, magnificent, unselfish lover, one who would never cheat on me. That much I knew and 48

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with every fibre of my being, too. Why? Because he treated me unlike anyone I had ever known, including Jankin. “Is there time for us to be together again before we leave this planet?” I caught myself asking. Okay, so I wanted more. Who could blame me? Vernon looked at his ship, as did I. The Flying Leaf—as I had now come to call it—shimmered a dark, healthy emerald green. Obviously the ship had taken what it needed from the Annazian sun. It is time to leave this place. Vernon said helping me to my feet. “I can’t believe we’ve been here six hours already.” We have. I don’t want the ship getting too much sun, it’ll become sluggish otherwise. I ignored him and decided to poke around a bit to see how he felt about what had just happened between us. “Gee, time flies when you’re having fun, doesn’t it?” Vernon looked puzzled. You’re funny, Drake. Time is a constant. Well, that was a typical Priaxian answer if I ever heard one. I held onto one of his legs as we walked side by side across the coral toward the ship. “But you had fun, didn’t you?” I did. “Good.” Now we were getting somewhere. He did have feelings for me. We went inside the ship and immediately he began gesturing like he was listening to his favourite music or something. Actually, come to think of it, did Priaxians even have music? The vision bubble formed and I experienced a sort of childish rush as we left Annaz VI’s atmosphere. I wanted to know more about him. “Do you sing, Vernon?” We all sing. You have heard my song, the beating of my heart in 49

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tune with your own when we have gone through our extraction ceremony. I have also heard, as a hatchling, my own incubator’s thoughts and feelings, his song as you call it. “No. I mean do you create music that you listen to for enjoyment or because it tells a story?” For the second time in as many hours Vernon looked puzzled. I don’t know what you mean. “I wish I had a good singing voice so I could show you what I mean. Perhaps when we get on Earth I will let you hear some of our music. I have a lot on crystal.” It can’t be any better than the song I hear from you when we are joined. The flow of your life blood, the beating of your heart, even the movement of your muscles as they help send you toward climax, all is beautiful from you. I laughed. “You know, you have a strange way of making something that’s already beautiful even more magnificent. I never thought of the extraction like that.” That is our song. What other music do you need? I nodded, finding myself in total agreement. Before I could continue this rather enlightening conversation, a warning shrill pierced the air. “What the hell’s that noise?” I said stating the bloody obvious.

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Aurora the Mighty

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he noise sounded out again and again. That’s the proximity warming. Someone or something is too close for the ship’s comfort. “You make it sound like the ship is alive and has feelings.” It is. “Oh.” I see that it’s another ship coming toward us. The ship tells me it’s closing fast from the port side. Switching views…now. The vision bubble changed its view, making me feel dizzy and nauseous from the shift in perspective. Whatever, the ship—our ship, was right. There was another ship closing in on our position. I could also tell immediately that the vessel was Boldien, the unmistakable winged bird shape typical of their design. “Seems these Boldiens are persistent buggers,” I grumbled. I’m going to engage the heaven’s light engines, perhaps we can outrun them. I don’t know their intention, but I don’t want to stay here and find out. I know you have an interest in getting away from them, Drake. The screen burst into multi-coloured light, a dazzling display before me. “You could say that, my main interest is staying alive. Hey, do you think they’re after us because it has something to do with the fact the Boldiens are out to get me?” I said wryly. They have put a bounty on your head, have they not? 51

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Strangely, I let out a great big belly laugh. Vernon had that effect on me. He was so innocent in many ways. I couldn’t stop the urge, I had to reach out and hug him. So I did. Thankfully, he was at my height when he commanded the ship. “I was being sarcastic, you know?” I whispered into his ear hole. I took his silence as meaning he had no idea what I was talking about. Finally he said, Perhaps you can show me more of this sarcasm when the next extraction ceremony is performed. I smoothed my hand over his back. He was soft there, too, the hairs actually like fur instead of brittle and course like I would have expected. “Believe me, what we share when we do that is the furthest thing from being sarcastic.” Vernon waved his arms about as a scream—yes, a scream rang out. I knew he didn’t make that noise. It must have been the ship. Flashes of light erupted everywhere outside. The Boldiens had unleashed their energy weapons and that scream was our ship being hit and yelling out in pain. A spaceship who screamed, how freaky was that? My mind couldn’t quite grasp that concept and for a long while, as Vernon frantically commanded, I remained silent as I witnessed the ballet between ship and pilot as they tried to out manoeuvre the Boldiens. More fireworks erupted as we tried to out manoeuvre and outrun them. We’ve been hit many times by an energy weapon, he yelled above more screaming. I turned to the display in front of us, letting go of Vernon at the same time, realising I was holding him tight, restricting him from doing what he had to, which boiled down to hopefully getting us out of here. The screen and the vision bubble went blank for an instant. If I didn’t know any better I’d swear it felt like we were on an amusement park ride, one that had de-railed. We were now careening toward our doom, I could feel it in my bones. 52

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I was thrown about the bridge like a rag-doll in a washing machine. I hit my chin on one of the organic nodules. “What the fuck’s going on?” The inertial dampeners have failed! The last strike hit the generator. I don’t know how we’re going to get away from these Boldiens so we can give the ship time to regenerate. Again the words Vernon spoke seemed strange, but somehow I felt reassured he did actually understand how to fly this ship. I respected him for that, in fact. Sure, he may have to read from the manual every now and again, but who the hell cares about that? Not me. “Can you find a gateway?” I blurted, not really thinking, but trying my damndest to sound like I had some semblance of an idea of what I was talking about. Vernon didn’t question me. He began searching his screen for an operational gateway, its event horizon would be easily detected even by the simplest of scanners. Any would do, even an unmanned one. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that travel through a gateway at heaven’s light speed probably wasn’t the smartest idea. The maths involved to safely pass through a gateway at such speed may be beyond the ship’s capabilities, manned or not. If the gateway wasn’t manned, we could easily become frozen in time, another Bonaparte. I swallowed hard. Found one! My stomach turned. “You sure?” Was he really going to attempt gateway travel because I said so? I held onto what I thought was a handrail. Heck, gateways were everywhere, but only manned stations, ones tried and tested and as stable as they could possibly be, were guaranteed at least a ninety nine percent chance you’d make it to the other side. I didn’t want to even think about the odds of our situation right now. Yes, I’m sure. The ship screamed again. I was knocked to the floor, as 53

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was the wind out of my lungs. I sucked in air through my teeth. “We’ve got no choice, have we?” I regretted saying that. Verbalising my fears didn’t do us any good, but I couldn’t help myself. “We either get blown up or ripped to shreds.” There’s always choice, Vernon said as he raised all of his arms up into the air and bought them down over his screen. The ships veered and I was thrown across the bridge as I got to my feet. Above me, the vision bubble crackled for a split second before being plunged into that haunting darkness as we passed through the gateway. We had done it. We’ve lost the Boldiens, Vernon said nervously as he looked intently at his screen. He obviously understood exactly what the risks were of the manoeuvre he had attempted. He had become sullen and his gestures weren’t as clear and crisp as they had been before this incident happened. “That’s a good thing,” I said, trying to keep the focus on the positive. The screen became static for a moment before the vision bubble returned. On screen, the wonderful and reassuring view of heaven’s light appeared, a wonderful and reassuring rainbow of light. I waited for a few seconds, the danger period if we were indeed caught in a time loop, and let out a sigh of relief when I thought we were okay. It was only then that I realised I was holding my breath. That was a close call. I will return to normal space, the ship is telling me it needs to rest and recuperate. As Vernon spoke those words the blackness of normal space surrounded us. I’ve got to find a yellow sun. That should be our first priority. I sucked in the air. “Thanks.” I came over and hugged him again. His warmth was reassuring. What was that for? “You saved me. We made it.” 54

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Vernon giggled. On the contrary, you saved me, Drake. Without you saying you’d be my nourisher I wouldn’t be here. I would be an outcast…or worse, dead. I thought about that, and I suppose he was right. Nevertheless, he had saved our skins with his quick thinking, living ship or not. “So where are we then?” There was a lot more commanding and a couple of course changes before Vernon said, Aurora system…I think. I felt as though someone had punched me in the guts and was laughing at me as I went down. “What? Did you say the Aurora system?” Yes. The nearest yellow sun is Aurora Major, about fifteen minutes away at our current speed and course. “Turn back! Get out of here.” I bellowed. “Find that gateway. We need to go back. I’ll take my chances with the Boldiens, at least they had the decency to announce they were after me.” Vernon looked flustered and his eyes, normally a deep lustrous black, dulled. The gateway is gone. It must have been unstable…either that or us travelling through it at such a speed disrupted its fabric and it dissipated. He waved some more. The nearest gateway is on the other side of the Aurora solar system. “Fuuucking heeeell! We’re screwed!” I know what you mean this time, Drake. Aurora isn’t exactly known for its hospitality. We have had a couple of altercations with them in the past when they came into our system and tried to take it over. We fought them off, but losses were high. “At least you fought them off. I know many worlds that haven’t. They are now rocks floating in space never to be inhabited again, not even by single cell amoeba.” Nervousness overcame me as the Auroran sun filled our view. It was a giant yellow star. Perfect for the ship. Not so perfect for us. “There’s also the little known fact that the Aurora system is on the other side of the galaxy to where we want to be.” 55

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The Hunt is On

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fter I had paced a groove onto the bridge’s organic floor, I said, “Can we hide on a moon or something until the ship has repaired itself?” I didn’t like the look of the Auroran home world as it came into focus, mainly because seeing it meant that it was too close for comfort. It was Earth-like, no question about it, but the inhabitants, let’s just say they like to conquer those around them. They’re a military based society, ordered and with a hive mind. Like the Priaxians, they are insect-like, but that’s where the similarities stop. Whereas Priaxians resemble giant spiders, generally peaceful and generally interested in those around them, the Aurorans are not. They are the size of humans, wasp-like in appearance and basically as pissed as hell even on a good day. They were the ones who single handily tried to quash the Borders of Words treaty. They failed. Over the last decade they have stepped up their military campaign and have taken over many worlds, mainly for the resources to fuel their voracious appetite for conquest. They say that the Aurorans produce a honey that’s like the gold of the galaxy, worth thousands of times more than Priaxian silk. They guard that honey with their lives and when not doing so, search out other systems for their hives to harvest. Basically, they perpetuate their species by conquering those around them. I hope they never reach Earth. 56

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There are three moons orbiting Aurora Major. One has an atmosphere. “We’ll land there then.” Finally, some good news. I clapped my hands together, excited at the thought of being able to do what we had to without landing on Aurora Major. Vernon sighed. There is activity there. The ship tells me there are signs of a hive. I can’t tell from this distance whether or not it’s occupied, but there are definitely Auroran structures all over that moon. Okay, the good news didn’t last so long. “Um, can we get closer to find out?” Not without being detected. Our ships have been registered with their hive mind in the past. They know who we are and how to look for us. It would only be a matter of time before we were found out. “Then we have no choice. We have to land on a moon without an atmosphere.” We can’t. Photosynthesis not only requires sunlight it also needs carbon dioxide at the very least, too. The ship can’t repair without an atmosphere. “You know, I had a feeling you were going to say that.” I’m sorry, Drake. “Don’t be sorry, you big lug. I understand.” I looked up at the screen. The moon with the hive came closer and closer. I could see a world scarred by the activity of the Aurorans even from this distance They took everything they needed to help in the production of their jelly. “I think we should try and sneak in on the dark side. Perhaps that will increase our chances of not being detected.” Vernon waved his hand. The ship agrees with you. It also says that if it doesn’t get sustenance soon it won’t be able to accelerate into heaven’s light until it does. “Pushy bugger, isn’t it?” Vernon let out a nervous chuckle. It likes you. I can’t say I blame it. Humans are very interesting. That terrifying warning siren sounded out again. 57

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“What is it now?” I sure as hell could feel my heart thump loud in my chest and my fingers and toes tingled as adrenalin rushed through my blood stream. A bead of sweat trickled down from my temple. The moon has activity and I’m afraid to say I think we’ve been detected. At least four Auroran ships are closing in on our position. “Fuck!” If I thought the Priaxians were ugly when I first set eyes upon them, then the Auroran ships redefined that for me. They were hideous, but in a frightening nightmarish way. Their ships were armed to the hilt, all spikes and claws and gun turrets everywhere. Black beetle looking things that were basically great big flying organic tanks. “Can we outrun them?” Gee, that sounded familiar, didn’t it? I held onto the railing again, not wanting to hold onto Vernon for fear of restricting him in our moment of dire need…again. Yes. They are slow. That is their weakness. If we dive into the used hive tunnels, then perhaps we can lose them long enough for the ship to regenerate. I know Auroran tunnels have access to the surface, sort of like air shafts. Where air can get in, sunlight can, too. All we need is a bit of direct light and the ship can repair itself much quicker. “Do it” I said with boyish enthusiasm. The Auroran ships passed eerily above us as we dived toward the moon’s surface. Perhaps they didn’t see us as a threat. Perhaps they didn’t need to, the hive we were heading into was occupied, as Vernon had said. Auroran hives had to be seen to be believed. I had never seen one, only read about them up until this moment. The wheels of industry had certainly turned here on the second moon of Aurora. The whole moon, every square millimetre, was covered in some sort of structure. There were ghastly stark shaped buildings, a multitude of bridges, platforms and towers everywhere. Not like the smooth elegant Priaxian towers at all. I couldn’t take it all in at first 58

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glance. In fact, you couldn’t really say there was any of the moon left. I couldn’t see any natural surface. Not from orbit. All the rock had been used. I whistled and said, “Now I think I’ve seen it all. Look at it all, it’s just crazy…organised, but fucking crazy.” I assumed most of what I saw below was for mining. Vehicles, rovers and an assortment of military craft travelled across roads that criss-crossed the moon. Above the huge moon sized city many ships flew, a lot of them looking like they were designed to haul minerals or cargo or anything else the Aurorans extracted from the moon. The whole scene in front of me was terrifying, fascinating and disturbing all at the same time. I knew we had to land on that moon. But where? Those four Auroran ships have turned around and are now making their way toward us, Vernon stated as he guided the ship toward what I could only describe as a huge gaping mouth. I assumed that was a vent. “I thought they’d given up on us?” No. They were probably seeing what move we were going to make before deciding their course of action. A common tactic of theirs. “And what move is it we’re making?” We’re going into the depths of the moon where the Aurorans mine the minerals they need to make their wars and produce their jelly. It’s the only chance we have of evading them. The vision bubble changed to a sort of bluish night vision as we dove into the vent and darkness surrounded us. Inside the vent I could see many places where the ship could land, the structures honeycomb-like. I couldn’t help but wonder how long we’d need to be down here considering the ship wouldn’t be able to get direct sunlight. Refuelling took six hours. How long did regeneration of damaged engines require? They have separated. Two Auroran ships now follow us. I don’t 59

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know where the other two have gone. That actually scared me more than when he had said that all four ships were following us. The Aurorans were obviously employing some sort of strategy and I couldn’t help but get the nasty, deep down feeling that we were heading for some sort of trap. I think Vernon felt the same way. He began checking his screen for somewhere to land. I could see him trying to pin point any structure big enough—and in sunlight—for the Flying Leaf to land on. Obviously he didn’t want to go deeper into the vent to see what waited for us there or if the other two ships had taken a short cut and were about to ambush us. I agreed, not fancying a close encounter with an Auroran yet or at any time for that matter. All I could think of was how some terrestrial wasps laid their eggs in other insects, including spiders. My stomach churned with disgust. I didn’t want to explain to the queen anything like that happening to Vernon. He already had an egg to worry about. “Have we found a place to land yet?” I said impatiently, verbalising that I understood he was doing his best but letting him know I was at my wit’s end. Yes. But we’re going to have to do it quickly. They’re gaining on us. “But if we land won’t we be sitting ducks?” I don’t know what that is you’re referring to, but it doesn’t sound good. “No. It’s not good.” I wiped sweat from my brow. “Hurry, Vernon.” He turned from his study to look at me. Don’t worry. I have a plan. “You do?” You know, the longer I knew him the more I realised that he was amazing. Certainly a lot cooler in a crisis than I ever could be. Then again, I’d never been in this sort of crisis. 60

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Hold on. I am going to engage the heaven’s light engine. “But I thought you didn’t—I mean, the Flying Leaf didn’t have those engines online? Weren’t they damaged? No wait, wasn’t the fuel for those engines expended? Aww, fuck I don’t know, but whatever you’re going to do, do it now.” There is enough reserve for one short burst, say three seconds or so. Enough to get us to the other side of the moon. Hopefully that will confuse them. His calmness was almost annoying, but at the same time I was glad he seemed to have this situation under control. “Well, what are we waiting for?” Vernon passed his hand over his screen. A split second later heaven’s light burst around us, a split second after that there was darkness. When I say darkness, I mean complete and utter darkness. There was a black nothing on the vision bubble, even deeper than what the screen showed when we gateway travelled, if that was at all possible. It was like we were in a void and what made it worse was the fact the night vision no longer wanted to work. I don’t know why. Was there a dampening field present? I swallowed hard as Vernon tried to gather any information as to our whereabouts.

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The Darkness Looms

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n the darkness there was silence. Inside the ship all I could hear was Vernon’s gestures as they cut the air and my heart pound loud in my ears as I watched him. He was trying to talk to the Flying Leaf, to find out anything that may be helpful to our current situation. I was holding onto the rail so tight I’m sure I’d have left indentations along it. Finally, I broke the silence. “So—where are we again? It sure doesn’t look like the other side of the moon to me.” Now, pointing out the painfully obvious fact that we were certainly not where we were supposed to be served no purpose other than to make me feel better. According to what Vernon had said before we engaged the heaven’s light engine, we were supposed to have travelled through the moon to the other side. There was nothing here, not even stars. So where were we? Vernon ceased his movements. We are near the moon’s core…or to be precise, in the honeycomb of tunnels where the core used to be before it was mined. “We’re stuck here, aren’t we?” I knew the Flying Leaf needed sunlight—that wasn’t here. I knew the ship also needed an atmosphere to refuel and regenerate. Well, that could be here at the centre of the moon, but could the ship do what it had to if devoid of one of the elements it needed? Vernon visibly sunk down into his organic podium. We are, as you say, stuck. With no sunlight the ship will eventually fall 62

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into a coma, rendering it useless for our needs. There isn’t enough fuel left now to engage heaven’s light. There isn’t even enough fuel to get us back to where we were on auxiliary engines. I’m so very sorry, Drake. I really am. I went over to him and did the only thing I could think of right now. I hugged him. “Don’t you dare apologise, Vernon. You did your best. In fact, you are brilliant.” His body was warm and soft. As I ran my hands along his back, I wished we could share and extraction experience now. To see him as a big strong human, having him hold me tight and caress my nakedness, would be perfect. I yearned for the sunlight of Annaz VI and the coral atolls where we were intimate. His arms came around me. Don’t worry, I think we’ll soon be out of here. “How can you be so sure?” Someone or something is approaching. I let go of him, turning my attention to the vision bubble. He was right. In the distance two tiny specks of light loomed in the darkness. At first, they were the size of firefly light, then as each agonizing second ticked by, the points of light increased in size. It was definitely a ship that approached. “Auroran?” It would seem so. The silence of the darkness was soon pierced by the sounds of something attaching itself to the Flying Leaf. A ripping sound, like cloth being shredded, could be heard. The ship screamed and began to move. I could only assume that we were not only being towed to wherever it was we were being towed to, we were also being boarded. “Hold me.” Was the only thing I could come out with. If I were going to die, right here and right now, then I would do it in the arms of my lover. Yes, that’s right, Vernon was my lover. I admitted that to myself for the first time. It’s funny 63

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how in the darkest moments of our lives we come to appreciate what is really important to us. When I saw Jankin with that other man, I realised I was fortunate to be healthy and alive, and now, as the Aurorans made their way toward the bridge, I realised that my perfect life, my beautiful house and my fantastic job meant absolutely nothing unless it could be quantified by love. As a human I needed to love. It didn’t matter who or what that love was, so long as it bought us joy, spiritually, mentally and emotionally. Vernon did that for me. He completed me. More than Jankin ever did. Walking in on him with Jeff was probably the best thing to have happened, it woke me up from the rose-coloured glasses view I had of my life up until that point. Whatever happens, Drake, don’t let us be separated. I need you, and I’m not just talking about the extraction either. I have come to…I have come to love you for who you are. I squeezed him tighter. The sound of his pulse coursed through my body as I pressed my head onto his thorax. I was at peace for the first time since I could remember. “I love you, too, Vernon.” No sooner had I spoken those words when three Aurorans burst onto the bridge. They were chattering something in their own tongue, a dialect similar sounding to Priaxian but with a lot more clicks and whistles. One Auroran came over to us, the biggest of the three. “If you want to live, Priaxian and human, then do exactly as we say.” I was surprised to hear it speak. The Auroran, as wasp-like as you could ever want to imagine, was holding some sort of energy staff, a blue light hissed at the end of it. I let Vernon go, not wanting to feel the brunt of the weapon. I had experienced enough pain with the Boldien disruptor, I certainly didn’t want to test out Auroran arsenal, too. “Where are you taking us?” I blurted. The Auroran 64

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grabbed me harshly by the arm and pulled me away from Vernon. The two other Aurorans grabbed him as I was taken to the door. “I said, where are you taking us, you fucking bastards?” There was no reply. Instead, the Auroran pushed me so that my back found the wall with a hard thud. I winced as pain coursed through my body from the blow. As my head cleared and I futilely tried to dash for freedom, the Auroran jabbed me with his staff. Seemed I was going to get a taste of what that weapon was like whether I liked it or not. The pain delivered by the weapon was indescribable, like nothing I had ever felt before. An intense sensation where the weapon touched my skin shot through me. My head then felt as though it were going to explode and after that, all I can say is that every orifice on my body relaxed and I soiled myself as I crumpled to the floor. Vernon screamed something incoherent as they jabbed him, too. I couldn’t form words, my mouth didn’t respond to what my brain wanted it to do. Nothing worked. It was like I was inside someone else’s body, seeing and hearing what was going on around me, but ultimately having no control. I was a twitching mess on the floor of the bridge as the Auroran came over me. “You will do as we say or the next action we will undertake is to end your life. Is that clear, human?” I couldn’t even look up at him, my eyes wouldn’t move either. All I could see were his ugly insect legs as they stepped closer to me. I then began to lose focus and through the haze that consumed me, the Auroran struck me with the staff again. The pain I suffered from the initial strike intensified, and once more I lost control of my dignity. My body involuntarily jumped. My tongue felt large in my mouth and breathing became harder and harder with each breath. 65

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The Auroran picked me up. From there everything was as if a nightmare, a set of ghastly disjointed images as my mind ebbed and flowed between unconscious and conscious thought. I witnessed Vernon being struck, fighting off as best he could the other two Aurorans. I so wanted to help him, show these Auroran bastards who they were dealing with. I hoped Vernon was okay. I certainly wasn’t. I was taken aboard the Auroran vessel. It was organic, like the Flying Leaf, but more sinister in appearance. Well, actually, it was much more stark than what a Priaxian would have built. This ship was built for what I assumed was some sort of military purpose. Many Aurorans were stationed at screens, their level of technology looked like it even surpassed that of the Priaxians. On those screens I could see maps and an assortment of other things that had a decidedly military appearance. I was scared out of my mind, but tried not to show it. Vernon, like me, was being carried. His eyes were closed and his legs folded into his body. He looked like a terrestrial spider after it had been sprayed with insecticide. He looked like he was dead. Tears flowed down my cheeks and an overwhelming sadness consumed me. I couldn’t control myself and I let out a pained cry. If Vernon was dead, what was left to live for?

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The Nectar of the Aurorans

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he Auroran had placed me into a cold room. I was alone. I was naked. I didn’t remember them taking off my clothes. Then again, I had soiled them thanks to some overzealous prodding on their part. I suppose they did me a favour. Feeling slowly returned to my extremities and I found I could soon move my hands and feet. The focus returned to my eyes. I hated to say it, but I was in a cell, one that seemed impossible to escape from. On one wall there was a door. On the other, to the left of me, there was a window. Every other wall, including the ceiling, was featureless. What was it with aliens and their impenetrable prisons? The cell was a dark, dull green in appearance and organic like the rest of the ship. The floor was soft underneath me and it squelched as I moved. Finally, I made it up onto my feet. My legs wanted to go in two directions at once, but I went straight to the window. The view made me sick. I could see another cell, exactly the same as the one I was in. Vernon was curled up, still looking like he was dead, in the corner. “Hey, Vernon, wake up!” I screamed. Nothing. I repeated those words over and over until my voice became hoarse. Vernon didn’t respond. I know they struck me twice with their staff weapon, two welts on my stomach 67

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were evidence of that. But how many times had they hit him? I could see numerous red boils on him, even though he was covered in hair. I sank down onto the floor. Again, I was overcome with sadness. I held my knees and sank my head so that I was curled up as tight as I could be, not wanting to be disturbed. I didn’t want to move. I’d rather starve and die here than go on without Vernon. I had tried many times to climb through the window to get to him, if only to hold him one last time, but I was too big and the wall too slippery for my feet to grab hold. I gave up in a fit of disgust and annoyance. Why hadn’t we taken our chances with the Boldiens? As I contemplated the ifs, buts and maybes, sleep found me, and I had to say, my dreams were even more disturbing than the reality I had experienced of late. I would give my last breath to experience Vernon’s dreams with him once more, of when he showed me the forests and mountains of his home world, to soar carefree over Priaxian oceans and to be snug and safe in his nest. Fuck I missed him so. I was woken by something touching my head. Okay, when I say touching I actually meant ruffling my hair. I opened my eyes, hoping I was only dreaming this whole Auroran episode and it was Vernon waking my up from my nightmare to comfort me. It was not to be. An Auroran was standing over me. “What the fuck do you want?” I spat. “Leave me alone. Haven’t you done enough damage already?” The Auroran’s mandibles moved hypnotically as it said, “You are such a weak being I am surprised your species has now spread over most of the galaxy.” “Whatever. If you’ve come here to gloat do me a favour and kill me now. I have nothing left to live for since you 68

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killed Vernon.” The Auroran looked puzzled and took a step back. “You have this all wrong, human. Your friend, your symbiotic partner, is very much alive. We put him to sleep to protect him.” I snorted. “You’re a filthy liar. I know Aurorans and Priaxians are enemies.” The Auroran held out its insect-like hand. “I apologise for my guard’s heavy-handedness, but that is how they do things. Please, let me help you up.” I ignored his gesture. “Why have you separated me from Vernon?” “There is no need for you to be together at this moment. Not while he sleeps anyway.” Again I scoffed. “We sleep together.” For the second time in as many moments the Auroran looked surprised. “Such devotion to another not of your own kind. Perhaps that is the reason why humans are so successful, you care for more than yourselves. How unpredictably interesting.” “I owe him a lot and let’s just leave it at that. Now leave me alone if you’re not going to help me.” A scraping noise confronted my ears, not harsh like metal on metal, but a noise that sounded like two wet sponges rasping together. Behind me the wall moved and before I realised what was going on, I had taken the Auroran’s hand and was on my feet. “Then I offer you my help,” it chattered. I didn’t answer it. I ran over to Vernon as soon as the wall had melded into the floor. He was warm to the touch. When I pressed my head against his thorax I could hear his heartbeat, his wonderful heartbeat, welcome my senses. embraced him so tight I hoped I didn’t hurt him. “Thank God, you’re alive,” I said with a joyous gasp. He 69

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didn’t move, but knowing he wasn’t dead was good enough for me, for now. I turned my attention back to the Auroran. “So what’s your story, then? Why have you attacked us? Why have you detained us?” The Auroran produced a small bowl filled with golden jelly, from where I had no idea. “Eat this. It will heal the stings you have experienced.” “I’m not eating anything you give me, you bastard.” The Auroran turned away. “Fine. Starve. What good will that do your incubator if you cannot perform an extraction? Would you see the next generation of his species die, too? You are a selfish being, even by human standards.” I snatched the bowl off him, scooping up a handful of the jelly and stuffing it hungrily into my mouth. I hated him, but he was right. I needed to remain as strong as I could for Vernon. As soon as the stuff hit my tongue and melted into my mouth I did feel relief wash over me. I no longer felt stiff and sore. I stood up, making sure I was between the Auroran and Vernon. Behind me Vernon shuffled his leg, seems he was waking up. I couldn’t tell you how relieved I was at that moment. I wanted to comfort him, to tell him I was all right. Unfortunately, I had another problem staring right at me “You haven’t answered my question, Auroran.” “I could answer you by simply saying, you were in Auroran space unauthorized. What happens to you while you are under our jurisdiction is solely and wholly up to the authorities here—” I cut him off. “Don’t give me that crap. I know off-handed talk when I hear it. I’ve been delivering those kind of speeches all my life.” The Auroran stepped closer. “Ah, yes, the famous Drake Glauco.” Again its mandibles moved frantically. “But as I was about to say, thankfully for you and your friend, I am 70

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not part of any authority here. Quite the reverse.” “Then who are you?” The Auroran seemed to stand taller, as if pride washed over it. “I am Agnon, appointed speaker of the Cult of Starfall, and it is I who rescued you from certain death at the hands of the Auroran military.” I stood dumbfounded for a brief moment. I knew that the stings must have affected my brain, too, because that was so unlike me. I could no longer hear Vernon behind me. I turned. A feeling of confidence and security washed over me when his magnificent frame came above me, his legs around me. I was underneath him. “Give me one good reason why we shouldn’t knock the living daylights out of you.” Seemed to me a Priaxian and a pissed off human could take on an Auroran, especially one who didn’t have his stinger. I smiled, and I think Agnon understood the situation he was in. He stepped back and immediately the wall began to rise up with a squelching ooze. “I’ll give you two. You won’t make it out of here without my help and more importantly, the second Priaxian sun is about to set. Seems you two are going to be indisposed for a while. I’ll come back soon to continue this conversation.” The wall sealed us in. Vernon and I were now alone. I turned to him, reaching up and scratching him on his underside. “Are you all right? I was so worried about you.” I’m fine, Drake, just stunned a little. But Agnon is right, it is time. “Then I am ready for you.” He scooped me up effortlessly as I reached for him. This time I hugged him, running my hands over his back as the two proboscis arms touched my skin. I shuddered with delight as his song filled my mind. “Take me to Annaz VI, I want to be on that atoll with you.” Yes, he whispered with such sensuality that my 71

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enthusiasm and anticipation boiled up inside me as I closed my eyes and our minds and bodies became one.

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A Deal to Behold

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n my mind I saw the atoll of Annaz VI where we had previously landed. The sun was setting, the ocean around me a bright orange hue, and the starfish, having danced their last dance, were returning to the ocean. I sensed someone behind me, turning to see Vernon. He wore nothing but a smile. He was perfection, but something about him this time was different. I smiled. I realised he had changed once more to please me. He wasn’t smooth skinned anymore, thick black hair over his chest and stomach. Oh, fuck how I wanted to run my hands through that manly hair to discover the delight my actions would give him. “You like what you see, Drake, my saviour?” I licked my lips. Up until this point I had been frozen on the spot. The beauty I beheld and the setting we had found ourselves in made me feel—no, made me want this moment to last forever. I didn’t want to be in that Auroran prison. I wanted to be here forever. I knew that wasn’t possible, the vision we shared wouldn’t last long. He came over to me and embraced me tight, my head buried in that hairy chest of his. He smelt divine, like lavender and honey and musk. I became intoxicated as I took in his scent. He ran his hands down my back to my buttocks, hard enough to know he meant business but gentle so as not to hurt. He squeezed my cheeks and I then knew he didn’t 73

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want to waste any more time. I let out a moan, a moan that was muffled as he pressed his lips against mine. He pulled me by my hips so that I was closer to him, so that our now erect cocks touched. Vernon was in control, his actions direct and deliberate, and for all I cared I would let him do whatever he wanted to me. I was his, utterly and completely, with my mind, body and soul and everything else in between. “Take me, my lover,” I said with a gasp as he let go of his kiss but continued to nibble on my lips. I began to feel hot. I began to feel the heat of orgasm rise up inside me. All this from a hold and a kiss. “Fuuucking heeeell.” As our skin on skin contact continued and we kissed and licked and nibbled each other for what seemed an eternity, the waves of ecstasy washed over me more and more. He stopped, letting me go. I was about to question why he would do such a thing, when he grabbed me by my shoulders and with enough force to know I’d better not resist. He pushed me down onto a silken bed. I hadn’t noticed the bed before. Then again, my eyes were only for him. There could have been twenty Aurorans in the room watching us as our extraction reached its climax. I didn’t care. This was my moment with Vernon. “I want to have you, Drake.” “You can have me!” I said as my lips trembled. His words held so much power and his stare was more than that of hunger and lust. It was of passion and love and desire. I opened my legs for him and from that moment on everything became heightened. My senses screamed, my extremities tingled, and for the first time in my life a man hit my spot when he made love to me. I could feel my stomach tremble. I could feel the beat of my heart pound in my chest with my want for him. I arched my back and let out a scream of sheer jubilation as 74

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he became one with me. Moments after that, his huge muscular and wonderfully hairy body came over mine. I embraced him, forced him to go deeper as I pushed my pelvis up toward him. He groaned and beads of sweat trickled down his temples. His smile never left his face, and more importantly, that yearning never went out of his eyes. We stared into each other, as deep as a stare could go as he continued to make love to me. I had climaxed long ago, but he went on. He was fucking magnificent. He was perfect. He was mine and more than anything, I was his. Our union came to an end when he collapsed onto me. I succumbed to the fullness of his weight when he pressed upon my heated body, letting him cool while we still held contact. He had reached climax, too, and as his body shuddered with throes of ecstasy. I held him tight and smoothed his hair gently. It was wonderful. I cherished this moment, the time after the rush as our hearts calmed and our bodies relaxed. Jesus, I could really go for a burger right now, one with lots of meat and heaps of pickle sauce. Our extraction was over. I opened my eyes, still holding onto him, but this time in his Priaxian form. I still didn’t want to let him go. The proboscis arms left my body, and already I yearned for them to touch me once more. I didn’t want to face the reality of where I was, of where we were. Vernon’s familiar voice lulled me into the here and now. You were wonderful, Drake, he whispered into my mind as he placed me gently onto the floor of the cell. Before I could say anything, a harsh voice said, “I always wondered how you Priaxians bonded with your symbiotic partners. An interesting show I admit. To me it looked more like you were mating than extracting protein for your hatchlings, Priaxian.” My name is Vernon. Speak about what it is you want, Agnon, for 75

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I know you desire something from us. I had never heard his voice tainted with so much disgust. It was like he was talking to a disobedient dog, rather than another sentient life form. Then again, I couldn’t blame him. Agnon certainly didn’t instil any feeling of respect, even if he did save us from the Auroran military as he claimed. “Now, now, Vernon, let’s be nice and civilised. True, our species have had unpleasant encounters in the past, but that’s no excuse to be nasty, now is it?” The Auroran moved in closer to us. I noticed he had his three guards with him this time. They had their stingers, too. “But I do confess I need something from you both.” I knew it. I went to the Auroran. His guards got jittery and raised their stingers. Agnon waved his hand. They seemed to relax, for now. “I know what you want,” I said with as brave a voice as I could muster, considering I didn’t want to be stung again, I was in an alien prison and I was naked and defenceless. Agnon eyed me up and down. “What is it you think I want, human named Drake?” Vernon came over me again, offering his support. I was unusually calm when his front legs come around my chest to protect me. “You want to make sure the Auroran military don’t capture me—you said it yourself. You would rather see me disappear, and having me here will see to that. Why else would you have imprisoned me? I know the Aurorans haven’t exactly benefited from the Borders of Worlds treaty and having me gallivanting around may jeopardise any chances you have of gaining a foothold on any amendments to that treaty.” “How clever you are. I am glad I didn’t give the order to kill you.” “Oh, how very nice of you,” I said with a sneer. 76

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Agnon turned and paced the room. “Tell me, how are the sores from the stingers you received earlier?” I looked down. My skin was blemish free. I touched my stomach. It felt normal. “How did you—oh, wait, the honey or jelly or whatever it is you call it. That healed me, didn’t it?” Agnon nodded. “Our honey, as you call it, heals many things. It can heal wounds the easiest. It can even, in the right concentration and dose, cure infertility. Quite something, isn’t it? It’s worth a fortune, as you can imagine.” I laughed. Yes, I let out a guffaw so loud it echoed. “Oh, I see what this Cult of Starfall is. You’re business men. Nothing more. Nothing less. You want me to stay silent so you can continue to profit from your operations or whatever it is you’re doing, don’t you? Yeah, I can see your angle now. The Auroran military are practically xenophobes, leaving you with no other means to do your business without fear of retribution. Since the treaty shut down a vast network of your contacts you’ve been isolated, too, haven’t you? No wonder you knew my name. You set this all up, didn’t you?” “Your husband was paid handsomely for his services to our Cult and our cause,” Agnon said with a chatter and a chuckle. My mouth dropped open. I’d had a feeling they had a hand in my kidnapping when Agnon mentioned my name in our last encounter, but saying that Jankin was involved made me realise the depth and desperation of these people. I couldn’t speak. My stomach knotted and for the first time since this whole ordeal began anger poisoned my reasoning. Raw unadulterated anger that crept up from the depths within me only to rise up and consume me. Vernon held me tighter. He must have known exactly how I felt. “I beg your fucking pardon?” I screamed. I balled my 77

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fists. Okay, so I wouldn’t be able to make it across the room to punch Agnon’s lights out, but I tell you what, I was sure ready to. “You paid my husband to betray me?” Agnon shook his head. “It goes deeper than that, Drake.” Easy now, Drake, he’s trying to get a rise out of you. Be careful. Vernon was wrong. Agnon had already raised me as high as I was going to go. I was ready to kill him with my bare hands and probably would have if those guards of his weren’t present. “How deep? How deep does this go, Agnon? Tell me everything. Tell me the depth of your treachery. Tell me!” Agnon went over to his guards. He paused, brushed his mandibles, then said calmly, “It goes as deep as employing the Boldiens, the only species able to enter our space unchecked by the military, to open up the trade of humans to Priaxia, knowing they were the only other compatible species in the galaxy for continued Priaxian survival. Priaxia may be the Auroran military’s enemy, but not ours. Not the Cult of Starfall. Trade for their silk is still a vital component of our economy.” Agnon paused for effect. “It goes as deep as making sure Jankin, a man who eight years ago crash landed on one of our moons and bargained for his life, would entice you into a relationship and when the time was right, deliver you to us. Do you think the chase with the Boldiens was coincidence? Do you think the gateway leading you here was a random occurrence? Don’t be foolish in thinking that we won’t go to any lengths to make sure we get what we want. Time is of no importance. We are patient. The cost has been extremely high, we have lost many, many members of our cult. But all of that pales in comparison to the wealth we will soon come to know. We need the trade routes opened to us to remain so and capturing you has ensured that. You understand now, don’t you, Drake Glauco?” I felt faint, but not from what he was asking me. 78

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I think he may be speaking the truth, Drake. We know the Boldiens couldn’t finance what they do without support from another species… Vernon trailed off as his voice broke, only to fall silent. I imagined he was feeling concern for me. When he bought me in closer to him, I knew that he was. Thank fuck I had Vernon. Thank fuck. “The hive tells me I have been summoned to other pressing matters, but I shall return soon,” Agnon gestured for his guards to leave. “I think you need to digest everything that has been said here today, Drake. I think you also need to get comfortable. You and your Priaxian friend will be here a long time.” The wall closed. We were alone once more.

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The Cult of Starfall ankin…never…loved…me,” I said with all of the weight of all of my emotions boiling up inside, constricting my throat and making my eyes sting with tears. Do you still want to try and get to Earth, Drake? “I don’t know,’ I answered him honestly. You know that my original statement stands. I will do anything for you and go anywhere. You have found out not only those responsible for your capture, but the ramifications of that, too. I feel for you, my love. I really do. Jesus, he was a big lug, a big hairy soft-hearted lug. I loved him for that. “You know, doing good or evil is a matter of perspective, isn’t it?” I don’t understand the question. “Well, I mean take me for example. I thought I was doing a great service by drafting up that treaty, a giant leap for man as it were. Seems the right thing for one is not so for others. The Aurorans have become factionalized and the Boldiens have become the scavengers of the galaxy. Not exactly what I had in mind. Two once great races now washed up in the tide of humanity’s good intentions—my good intentions.” Vernon squeezed me tighter and bought me up to his thorax. You have done a great service to your people. That is all you can be measured on. I scratched the underside of his frame as his body engulfed me. I was at home with him. I was reassured. I

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was—well, I felt as though I belonged to something more than what I was before. I mean not only was I was contributing to the next generation of his species, I was painfully aware of the sham I was living before my kidnapping. Something clicked inside me. It was like a light had been turned on in my mind and now burned away the darkness and confusion I had been experiencing for the last thirty odd years or so. I had what many religious men call an epiphany, but I’m far from religious. Yes, I had a revelation and I couldn’t believe how I hadn’t come to it sooner. I knew the fight with Jankin was a set up—I mean why would he have Jeff there when he knew I was coming home for our anniversary dinner? Jankin was many things, but he wasn’t careless. I turned so that my stomach pressed against Vernon’s underside. I could feel his pulse course through me, his song make its way through my veins and into my very soul. “I’m going to help the Aurorans by letting them know about the leeches they have right under their noses. I’m going to expose the Cult of Starfall for what they are.” You are? Vernon replied with a giggle. Not because what I said brought him amusement, but because I had reached under his chitin—where there was a joint—and began rubbing his bare skin. He began to laugh. I couldn’t help myself either and I laughed, too. A laugh that released everything I had within me. It was cathartic, emotional and oh, so fucking relieving to let out a belly laugh for no reason than for the hell of it. We tickled each other for ages, rolling around in our cell, hugging and wrestling and just plain mucking around as new lovers often did. I even threw in a couple of really good play punches to his soft spots on his underside. Exhausted and completely and utterly filled with the joy 81

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of life I had only experienced in my youth up until this point, I turned to Vernon and said, “Will you help me fix everything I’ve done wrong?” You realise this Cult of Starfall lot are probably playing you for their own gain? Exposing them may be just what they want to discredit you. “Oh, don’t I know it. But really, if we’re ever going to get out of here and make sure that egg you carry hatches with healthy little Priaxians then we’re going to have to play along, for now anyway. When the time is right, we’ll get out of here and then they’ll be sorry they ever heard my name.” Vernon nodded his head. Oh I get it, you suspect something more is going on here? “I’d bet Jankin’s sorry arse on it.” Vernon drew me close again. You suspect that the Cult of Starfall have had their hand in many misfortunes of many races for their own gain? “No. I only suspect one thing.” What’s that then, Drake? “That the Cult of Starfall were the ones responsible for wiping out the Priaxian primate nourishers. Whether directly or indirectly, I know they had something to do with it.” How can you know this? Vernon paused, shuffling one of his legs in circles across the cell floor anxiously. But…if what you say is true…there could be serious consequences. For not only Priaxia but for all the sentient beings of this galaxy. “I know when someone’s hiding something and by the way Agnon looked at you, I’d say he’s hiding something big. I’d stake my reputation on it.” But I don’t see what purpose that would serve now. Surely it would be better if we went to Earth and— “And do what? I have nothing there anymore. The only reason I would go back there now would be to smash Jankin’s face in. Ooh, that would be messy. 82

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I laughed. “But you’re right about one thing, we need to get out of here.” I think I know what you mean now when you said you’re going to give them what they want. “I knew you’d get it. When people get what they want, then they become a lot more…let’s just say, susceptible to exposing themselves. On second thought, we will go to Earth, Vernon. But I think our time there would be better served getting us some firepower in what I am sure will be a very interesting turn of events real soon.” You’re going to set them up, aren’t you? I hugged him. “You bet your sweet life I am.” So what will be our first move be once we eventually get out of here? “I don’t know, but I know we’ll need Jankin. He’s the key.” Will he agree to help us, I wonder? I think seeing me with you will give him a scare. “No more than the scare I got when I saw Jeff.” So it’s about revenge, too? I hadn’t thought of that. Vernon was right though and I scratched him once more before I curled up underneath him. Sleep wanted to find me and I had to admit, I welcomed it. “Perhaps,” I replied with a yawn. Vernon embraced me, curling up so that I was wrapped in his body. Soon I could hear his breathing become more deep and rhythmic. I’d say he felt as I did and wanted for sleep. I closed my eyes and let our dreams mingle.

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The Hand of Aurora

I

don’t know the exact moment I woke, I was too involved in the magical dream world my Priaxian lover provided for me. There was a klaxon sounding in the distance. When I opened my eyes Vernon was no longer my shelter. He was clawing at the sliding wall. If I didn’t know any better I’d say he was having some success pulling it down. “What’s going on?” I blurted as I went over to him. Something has happened to the ship we’re on. I don’t know if there has been an engine failure or we’ve been attacked, but I can no longer hear the ship’s song. He had pulled the wall a good ten centimetres from the ceiling, an accomplishment highlighted by the excited chatter in his voice. How long he had been doing that I couldn’t tell, but from the look of him, all hot and sweaty, I’d say he’d been pulling at the wall for a while. I didn’t hesitate. I helped him. The wall was soft to the touch, yet firm at the same time, like touching flesh with a taut muscle inside. It was a weird experience, but I didn’t let that deter me. I pulled down on the wall with all my might. Perhaps this was our chance of escape. Perhaps it was fruitless and Agnon would walk into the cell at any moment. No matter. We had to try. Finally, after much heaving and cursing—the cursing mainly from me—we managed to get the wall about three quarters of the way down from the ceiling. I will lift you up so you can climb to the other cell and release the 84

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door mechanism. I can see that the other cell is open. Vernon heaved me easily up to the height required for me to begin my journey. I’d swear he groped my arse in the process, too. Feisty for an alien, wasn’t he? Then again, I offered no complaint. In fact, I enjoyed his attention. I lay across the wall as Vernon kept as much of his weight on the wall as possible. I didn’t fancy becoming a squashed human pancake if the wall decided to challenge Vernon’s strength and re-join with the ceiling. I could see the control panel beyond the open doorway. A red light was flashing and I’d say an alarm had been tripped warning of our escape. But where were the Aurorans? “Which button controls the wall?” I think, knowing Auroran technology, that you’ll need to press the green symbol next to the amber ones, Vernon instructed. They are never ones for complicated controls. I chuckled. “Just like humans, really. There’s no way we’d invent a ship that needs hand movements to control it like you guys.” We are in tune with the things we create, that’s all, Vernon said as though it were something so basic that I should have understood. I didn’t, but decided not to add any more to the conversation. I pushed myself over the wall, landing on the soft floor on the other side with a squelch. I didn’t waste any more time. I went over to the control panel and did my thing, which was obeying Vernon’s instructions. The wall slid down into the floor. Vernon ran over to me. We hugged. Seemed we had achieved a minor victory. “Now what? I don’t want to get outside this cell only to find our neighbourhood cult friends waiting for us on the other side.” I don’t think that will happen. I can’t even sense any Aurorans on board. They must either be occupied with something bigger or 85

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there was a dangerous situation on board that required them to leave. “I don’t like the idea of something dangerous happening, it may happen to us.” I paused, thinking about how he got us out of the cell. “Have I told you that you’re amazing?” No. I touched him, running my hand across his body, letting his soft hair tickle my skin. “Well you are.” I think Vernon blushed, he batted his many eyelids and came down to press his head onto mine. The warmth of him permeated through my body when he tightened his hold. I became intoxicated with his presence. His scent, his touch and his strength around me made me feel like I was melting inside. Our next move should be getting to the bridge, he whispered into my mind. “Wouldn’t it be better to get the hell out of here?” Yes. But first we have to find out what has happened. You said it, we don’t want the same fate befalling us, now do we? I looked up to him and kissed his chin. “You’re right. Now where would the bridge be from here?” He unfolded me from within his grasp. Follow me. Before we had even made it across the corridor from the cells we had been abandoned in, Vernon stopped. “What’s wrong?” Nervousness rose up inside me. There is a new noise. A sound I’ve never heard before, not since we’ve been on this ship, anyway. My stomach turned. I didn’t like this. Not one bit. “From where?” was all I could manage as I came closer to him. I was a scaredy cat when it came to situations like this. I’m glad I was with a four metre tall Priaxian—unless of course the noise was made by something bigger than Vernon. My head spun as the possibilities rolled around in my mind. I had visions of some great mad beast crashing toward us from one of the corridors, all horns and teeth and attitude. 86

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From the bridge. No…wait. From all around us…I think. Or is if the bridge…I’m not sure but there’s something weird happening here. I realised I was still naked. I also realised we weren’t armed. A fat lot of good a naked unarmed human would be in a fight. I mean, we—us humans to be more exact—can’t even last more than two minutes or so without oxygen. Not to mention how easily we can be killed, and sometimes with no effort at all. One bullet would do it and that’s ancient technology. Fuck, I was pathetic. “I think we should go the other way.” Vernon stopped. And where would we go? Even if the Flying Leaf is in the cargo hold, has she been given light? Damn. He had a point. We were either in the depths of space or the inside of a moon. Either way the only way out of here would be to take this ship and fly out. That’s assuming there weren’t any Aurorans on board as Vernon had suggested. If we did take the ship it would be a daring plan, but a good one in my opinion. We continued up the corridor. Obviously we had decided to take our chances on the bridge without really communicating that fact. I think we both had a pretty good understanding of the situation. We had to do something. “Tell me, Vernon, how long can you go without oxygen?” About three days, give or take. Why do you ask? “Oh, no reason.” We came to a door. It was marked with an Auroran symbol for what I believed to be a turbo lift or zero G chute that led to the bridge. Jesus, I hated those things. They always set my teeth on edge. Freefalling wasn’t my thing. When the door slid open my suspicions were confirmed. It was a zero G chute. Vernon stepped onto the platform first and I followed, coming underneath him. As we began our 87

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assent to the bridge and my stomach wanted to occupy the same space as my feet, a groan rang out, a sound similar to what a trombone would make but much deeper in register and intensity. The walls of the chute vibrated. I became consumed by that terrible nauseous feeling. You heard that didn’t you? I looked up at Vernon. “Yes, I did. What the fuck was that? Was that the sound you heard before?” The very same. Only this time I believe I know what has happened to the Aurorans and where we are. Again the noise reverberated throughout the ship, the organic walls vibrating with such intensity I thought they would give way and collapse or something. The noise even resonated through me. It was a weird experience having my insides vibrate. The zero G chute announced we had arrived at the bridge and the doors slid open to a view that took my breath away. “What’s this I’m looking at, Vernon?” I asked in a stupidly naïve way that only a human who had never really ventured into the mysterious depths of space could have. Or more to the point, a human that at one point thought he knew everything and recently came to realise he knew jack shit. The vision bubble didn’t show the eternity of space, or indeed even the darkness of the tunnels of the Auroran moon we had travelled into. Instead, I was looking at more organic material, reds and oranges and blood vessels and all sorts of things, some large and most very much animal like, moving through what appeared to be a yellowish liquid that the ship was floating within. My mouth fell open. We were inside something. Something mother fucking huge. Vernon came onto the bridge. There were no Aurorans here either. I believe we’re inside a creature known as an Eldon. Again, I had another stupid question. “A what?” See? Real 88

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intelligent, wasn’t it? But I couldn’t help myself. Since I had been with Vernon I was experiencing everything as if for the first time. Jesus, my life had been sheltered. No wonder Jankin had to be paid to be with me. I was fucking boring, so engrossed in law and procedure and the treaty I forgot about my real life. I bet he went with Jeff just to be with someone with some spark in him. The Eldon are a super species found in the Hyperion system. They float in the stratosphere above the third planet, scooping up atmospheric organisms. I suppose you could say they are similar to the whales of your planet, but creatures of the air and not of the ocean. Perhaps whales evolved from them? Vernon paused for a moment as he went to a control panel at one of the many stations on the bridge. He examined the data on screen and began pushing buttons. Their bones are extremely strong and very, very light. Ah, yes, just as I thought. “What?” The Aurorans were mining the creatures for the Eldon bone material. Do you know how much their bones are worth on the open market? It’s more valuable than our silk. “You sound like an Auroran.” I went over to him and studied the screen he had pulled up. It was a diagnostic of the Eldon we were inside. I could see where the Aurorans were mining. According to the schematic we were inside the creature’s stomach. That explained the stuff floating around here with us and the noises reverberating all around us. Sorry. I’m just…well, it’s a major operation. You have to appreciate that on some level. “So, according to this readout in front of me they mine the bone while the things are still alive. Fuck! Their poaching, aren’t they?” You could say that—Oh no! I turned to him. Before I could ask the inevitable, he added, No wonder I couldn’t hear the Aurorans on board. The Eldon song was too powerful. Drake, we’re not as alone as I first thought. They are coming. 89

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The Living Mine here are they then?” Vernon scrolled the screen, obviously searching for life signs on board the ship. Most are in the cargo area, a squad are out mining…and yes, a couple are scattered about at strategic locations around the ship, mainly at weapons control. “So why aren’t there any Aurorans on the bridge? Surely that would be considered an important place to be?” He came over me. Now, Drake, stop thinking like a mammal. Auroran ships are hive mind controlled, which means that when a certain part of the ship isn’t required there’s no need for it to be stationed and its asked to run on minimal power or is shut down. Besides, an Auroran bridge is just for guidance and environmental control anyway. Not like Priaxian or human vessels at all. “You know, even when you insult someone you sound like a perfect gentleman. An impressive quality. You sure you’re not a lawyer?” I don’t understand what law has to do with what I just said. “What is and isn’t said is one of the best ways of determining the truth.” But Priaxians always tell the truth—I always tell the truth. Vernon picked me up and at first I wondered why he would do such a thing. He placed me gingerly onto his back. I got it now. He didn’t want me to walk. The sweetheart. His hairs against my skin felt fantastic and I found myself getting quite comfortable quite quickly.

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“I wasn’t accusing you, you big lug. I was complimenting you…besides, I don’t think that a species who communicates with ESP would be able to lie, would it?” Vernon giggled, then said, Now who is insulting? But you sure have a funny way of complimenting someone. “All part of my charm,” I said with a laugh. And you are charming. I ran my hands through his hair and scratched the back of his head. He cooed. Yep. He actually cooed. He obviously liked that. “So what’s our next move, then? Try and make our way to the Flying Leaf, or what?” I hope she has some reserve fuel left. Even enough to get out of this Eldon will do. The sun outside will be our only hope at this stage. He moved over to the zero G chute. The door slid open and before I could brace myself for the queasy feeling that would follow, we were freefalling down to the shuttle bay. I assumed that’s where our ship was. When the nauseating journey was over and the doors opened, the view of a large shuttle bay opened up before us. Many ships were parked in neat lines along the length of the bay in typical military fashion. At the far end I could see the Flying Leaf. It was yellow. “Is that a good sign…the colour of the ship, I mean?” What I’m more concerned about right now are the two Auroran guards just over there, Vernon said as he gestured to the guards in question. I noticed they had their stingers. I also noticed they had seen us, because they were coming our way. “Fuuucking heeeell,” I blurted as Vernon stepped out of the chute, raised his front legs high in the air and curled his abdomen under his thorax, a defensive pose if I ever saw one. He even hissed. It would have certainly scared the crap out of me if I were confronted by the sight of a Priaxian in a not so 91

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happy mood. I get shit scared when I disturb a little Earth spider and it does the same thing. I could only imagine how the Aurorans must now be feeling as Vernon charged toward them. The two guards stopped in their tracks. After a moment of hesitation and a brief deliberation between themselves they split up and came at Vernon from either side. A bad move in my opinion. They should have tackled him as a united front. It’s the only way really when you hold the greater numbers. What was the old Earth saying, divide and conquer? Well, Vernon divided them. I looked forward to the conquering part. Vernon’s claws extended. He swiped at one of the Aurorans as it got too close for comfort, cleaving it in two. The stinger of that guard clanged onto the floor. I took that moment to slide off his back, making a desperate dash for the weapon. Seconds later, as I was about to pick up the stinger and use it to help my beautiful Vernon defend us, a scream rang out. He had been struck and he cradled one of his legs underneath himself. He still had seven more legs and could move mother fucking fast. I don’t think a little sting on his leg would have stopped him anyway. It had taken many, many strikes when the Aurorans had captured us in the first place to even subdue him. The poor Auroran didn’t know what hit him. Vernon smothered it. Slashing with his claws and ripping at the Auroran with his mandibles. If I thought the first Auroran guard came out worse for wear by being cut in two, his legs still quivering on the floor in front if me, the second Auroran was turned into instant sushi. Vernon let out a cry as he backed away from the carnage he had created, returning to his normal serene self. I held the weapon in my hand now, but unfortunately I didn’t get a 92

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chance to use it. My lover, my brave knight in shining armour protected me even though he carried the hope of his species within him. My mouth was open in awe, a common occurrence these days. Not for how quickly he had dispensed with the guards, but by his swift action in defending me. “I know I’ve said it once, Vernon, but you’re fucking amazing.” It was nothing. Now quick. We’ve got to get to the Flying Leaf before more Aurorans than I can handle pour out of the zero G chutes around this shuttle bay. I’m sure an alarm would have been raised by now. He didn’t need to say anymore. I ran. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, even though running naked wasn’t exactly a glamorous or comfortable experience. We were at the ship before I knew it. I was exhausted, gasping for air and generally relieved we hadn’t encountered any more Aurorans. I still had the stinger, just in case there were any more scuffles. I felt better knowing I had a weapon, even though the biggest and best weapon I could ever have I also happened to be attached to, and not just symbiotically either. Inside the ship I felt strangely at home. The sight of its flowing organic walls and nodule controls pleased me. Vernon ignited the vision bubble. He was right. There were Aurorans everywhere and they were all coming toward us. “How much power does she have left?” Vernon did some of that frantic waving, before replying, Hopefully enough to get us out of here. The ship came to life. Scampering noises came from outside, I assumed some of the Aurorans had made it onto the hull as we took off. The shuttle bay doors were open, and again I could only assume that was because the Aurorans were using the bay to ferry in their ill-gotten gains. That theory was proven when I noticed many piles of freshly cut 93

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Eldon bone near the entrance. The vision bubble went yellow once we passed the holding field. We were now inside the Eldon’s stomach. I could see Auroran bodies floating lifelessly in the mire. I supposed they paid a price even for this operation. “So, exactly how are we going to get out of here? As far as I know there are only three ways, and I really don’t fancy the last option if you know what I mean.” I do. And no, were not escaping through the creature’s rectum. We have to take our chances through the nose or mouth. We must get out of the stomach of this creature as soon as possible, the Flying Leaf’s hull isn’t used to this sort of thing and she may become damaged by the acids. As the Flying Leaf breached the stomach’s sphincter a klaxon sounded and the ship let out a cry. On the screen in front of Vernon I could see we had a hull breach in the right aft section. “Fuck! Those bastards have got in.” Vernon did more waving. The ship has sealed the breach, but I don’t know how many got in. We should be out of here soon. I’m going to go out through the nasal cavity. “Sounds like a plan. I just hope the ship is small enough to pass through this thing’s nose.” I held up the stinger, feeling its weight in my hands. “How do I use this thing? I have a feeling I’ll need a crash course real soon.”

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The Eldon Winter hen the stinger is on stun, it has a blue light at its tip. If you turn the handle clockwise it will change to yellow, then amber, then red. Red is instant kill. As he explained the weapon’s function I watched as the light did indeed change. All I knew was the simple fact that when I was touched with the stinger, and I lost everything inside my stomach, bladder and anus, the light was blue. I dreaded to even think of what would happen to me if I got touched with any other colour light. “I think I’ll set it on yellow.” Wise choice. You don’t want to sting yourself accidently and do more harm than good. As the light settled on yellow and I tested the weight of the stinger in my hands, about five Aurorans charged onto the bridge. One of them was Agnon. Automatically I stood in front of Vernon, brandishing my deadly new toy. “Next time I think we’ll have to place you both into a stronger cell,” Agnon said as he stepped forward. “Either that or separate you.” Vernon was above me. You cannot separate us, it’s against the hostage and war conventions of our planets. Incubators must be with their nourishers at all times, you know that, Agnon. “If you haven’t already figured it out, Priaxian, we—the Cult of Starfall, aren’t a part of any convention, with Aurora or any other planet for that matter. We are our own entity

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and I plan to keep it that way.” “You’ll murder a generation of a species to make sure I don’t escape, is that it, Agnon?” I stepped forward, too. “Fuck, you’re a piece of work, aren’t you?” Agnon signalled for his guards to make their move. They charged. Their stingers were on yellow. I raised my stinger just in time. Unlike before, all four charged together, keeping themselves a united front against Vernon’s claws and mandibles and my stinger. You’re going to wish you never came aboard this ship, Vernon screamed. I screamed, too, as my stinger touched one of the Aurorans and the shock recoiled down the handle. On the yellow setting the Auroran collapsed onto the floor, a twitching pile of muscles and chitin. Before I could register in my mind that I had killed the alien, I had to parry another charge. My stinger was thrown across the bridge behind me. I was forced to the floor, the wind knocked out of my lungs by my attacker. I coughed, trying to get back up onto my feet. The Auroran guard came over me. If I didn’t know any better I’d say he was smiling his arse off as he rose up his stinger and bought it down without hesitation. The light at the end of the weapon the only thing on my mind, the only thing I didn’t want to touch me no matter what. I rolled, dodging the blow. The heat of the weapon was at my back. It seared my skin and I know the light didn’t even touch me. I’d be dead if it had. Again I rolled and again I missed the guard’s attack. Either I was so shit scared I was moving the quickest I had ever moved in my life or this guard was playing with me. I had a terrible feeling it was the latter. I scrambled across the floor to try and get away from the guard as best I could. My back found something hard. It was one of the ships many organic nodules. I could see my 96

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stinger, it was within arm’s reach. Perhaps there was hope. Perhaps I was kidding myself and really, there was no way we were getting out of this situation alive. On the vision bubble I could see the outside world, the view of the planet where the Eldon spend their lives floating in the clouds. It was a beautiful sight. We had made it out, but would this view be my last? The guard came over me once more. I reached out for my stinger. The guard stepped on my arm. I couldn’t move, other than to thrash my legs in a futile attempt to get the Auroran off me. I couldn’t get away. “Get it over and done with then, you bastard,” I screamed. Spittle flew from my lips. You know, it’s funny, I felt rather serene, content even as I began counting the last seconds of my life. Sure, I had shouted out my anger, but that was more a reflex than an actual reflection of my feelings. Does your life flash before your eyes when you know you’re going to die? I couldn’t really say. All I know is that I thought of Vernon. My big beautiful Vernon. How we had shared something rare and precious together. We had become one, learning, growing and being with each other. I wouldn’t have swapped that now for anything. From the corner of my eye I saw the guard raise his stinger. I closed my eyes, wanting to leave this life with some dignity. I mentally counted. One…two…three. By the time I got to five, I opened my eyes. I no longer felt any pressure at my arm. Where was the guard? I turned to a sight that not only delighted me, it made me weep with joy. Vernon had skewered the guard who stood over me, his body twitching. I’m so sorry I couldn’t help you sooner, Drake my love, but the other two were a bit more bothersome than I had hoped. I went to him. I embraced him and as I did so, he flinched. “What’s wrong, buddy?” Their stingers got me. 97

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“Where?” But I didn’t need to really ask. I could see on his thorax the damage the weapons had done. Bright red blood oozed out of three gaping wounds. I reached out to him, running my hand over his body in an effort to comfort him. Vernon let go of the guard who had attacked me and it crumpled to the floor in a lifeless mess of limbs and antennae. After that, Vernon also went to the floor, carefully and deliberately he curled up near the nodule. He was wheezing. My stomach turned. I fell over him to embrace him. How badly had he been hurt? What the fuck could I do about it anyway? Would he be okay? Were his hatchlings okay? I need to rest for a little while, he said with a stutter that sent shivers of panic across my skin. “Vernon, talk to me. What can I do to help you? You need some medical attention, surely there’s something in this ship that’ll help you. Tell me.” My voice rose in register. I was mother fucking scared. He looked terrible, his eyes had glassed over and he moved his head to look at me even more slowly than usual. Just get Agnon. We’ll talk about everything else once I know he’s no longer on this ship. “Where the fuck did he go?” Jesus, I was useless, only able to ask questions. Why wasn’t I better able to handle that guard? Perhaps I would have been able to help Vernon with his scuffle if I were. Why was I a pathetic human? Why was I so weak boned and thin skinned, easily subdued and easily defeated? Fuck I hated being a human. Then again, if I weren’t I wouldn’t have been able to become Vernon’s symbiotic partner, his nourisher. I love being his nourisher. Vernon coughed. The Flying Leaf can tell you. He left the bridge as soon as he became aware of his guard’s imminent defeat. I got to my feet. “That bastard. Wait until I get a hold of him.” I picked up my stinger and turned the handle. The red 98

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light ignited at its tip. “How do I communicate with the ship?” Touch the screen I have been on. I have given you access. What’s mine is yours, my Drake, my love, my hope. Without hesitation I went over to the screen. As soon as I reached out my hand, a tingling sensation passed up my fingers. In my mind, in a feminine voice, I heard, The Auroran is heading toward the exit hatch near the rear of the ship. I can close a few doors to delay it, but you must be quick, Vernon’s symbiont. I don’t want it disrupting any systems, my energy is low and the planet we are on is turning toward evening in the winter season. There is not much light here. I looked up. The vision bubble confirmed the Flying Leaf’s words. It was getting dark. Just fucking magnificent. I had two things—no, three things to worry about now. Healing Vernon, getting Agnon and now hoping that the ship could get us away from the Auroran bastards on this planet. You could bet your bottom dollar that they wouldn’t give up so easily, especially if Agnon got off the ship to warm them. Seemed there may be a race to Earth. The next thing I did was kiss Vernon on his forehead before I headed off the bridge. The corridors of the Flying Leaf were dim. I assumed she was conserving as much energy as she could. Every door I came across opened before I could touch the control panel, seemed she was also looking out for me. Not enough time passed before Agnon was before me again. If I had my way I’d never want to see the fucking bastard again, but as it was, I had to make sure he couldn’t get off this ship to warn the other members of his cult. “Seems the shoe is on the other foot now, isn’t it, Agnon?” I yelled at him as he tried to pry a door open and I came closer. He turned. “I don’t understand what you are referring to, 99

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but then again, I never did like anything humans ever said or did. You disgust me. You’re repulsive and more than that, you have no idea what you’re doing as you blunder across the cosmos. You, Drake Glauco, are a prime example of what I’m talking about. A treaty indeed. The galaxy has run quite smoothly without the higher than mighty humans interfering, thinking they’re doing good.” I chuckled. “Seems you’re showing your true colours now, too.” Agnon moved toward me, his arms outstretched, the gesture to show me he was unarmed. “What are you going to do next, human?” he spat. “I don’t think you’ll attack me, you have too much moral fibre, don’t you? Lawyer of the treaty, bah!” I narrowed my eyes, only thinking of Vernon on the bridge in agony, attacked without cause by Agnon’s guards. “How wrong you are, Auroran,” I screamed as I went for him, using the stinger like a lance. Agnon tried to dodge my advance in the narrow corridor. The weapon glanced his flesh on the right side of his body and stuck itself into the wall behind him. He let out a yelp and fell to the floor. But I was no longer concerned with the Auroran. I had stung the Flying Leaf. Vertigo overtook me as the ship screamed and I was violently thrown on top of the Auroran. Every light in the corridor darkened to the point of pitch black. An emergency light ignited, everything was bathed in an eerie blue light. I squinted from its intensity. I could see on the wall where the stinger had struck, fluid flowed from what appeared to be a wound. I tried to grab hold of anything that would help me get up, but the forces applied to me were phenomenal. The corridor spun and spun and I lost all control I had over my own body. I screamed. I felt like I was being turned inside out. 100

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From what I could tell we were falling, or to be more exact, crash landing. Had my strike on the Flying Leaf possibly damaged her beyond repair? I now knew what the red setting did. The klaxon sounded, but the ship fell silent, her screams no longer echoing through my mind. Seconds later, I was thrown up to the ceiling where I hit my head on a lighting nodule. We had landed. I blacked out.

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The Walking Dead

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was woken by being prodded by a harsh hand. My head felt as though I had spent a hard night drinking, it ached dull and painful, especially at the back of my skull where I had hit myself. “Get…up…human,” Agnon wheezed. He was lying next to me and looked how I felt, which was absolute fucking shit. “You…have to get us all…out of here.” I know I hadn’t stung him, but I also knew that someone didn’t have to be struck directly by the weapon to be affected by it. My back still burned. “Where’s Vernon?” I had one thing on my mind and one thing only, his safety. If he were hurt I’d make sure the next blow with the stinger would end Agnon’s life once and for all. Speaking of which, where was the stinger? I looked around and couldn’t see it anywhere. Did Agnon hide it while I was unconscious? Agnon eventually came to stand over me—okay, when I say that I meant he was leaning against the corridor wall to support himself. He was clutching the side where I had come close with the stinger. A large burn wound marred his skin and oozed blood. To my horror it looked exactly like those on Vernon. Fuck he’d better be all right. Otherwise I’m searching the ship for that stinger. “Your…partner is where I…left him. He is fine. I…have given the…some of my jelly rations…to heal him.” Agnon 102

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offered me his hand. I really didn’t understand this guy. First he kidnaps me, then he attacks us, now he’s being downright friendly. “You’re fucked up, aren’t you?” “Such colourful…language, I am sure…and… how observant you…are, human,” he said with a hacking cough. “The stinger…cauterized most of my insides…I don’t have…long to live. My body is shutting down.” “No. I didn’t mean that. I meant—” “I know what you meant.” Again he emphasised his gesture to me. “I am no longer….a part of the…hive mind. I have been cut…off. I don’t know why. It must have something to do with…this place.” Again he avoided my question. I knew he would no longer be in favour with his cult. He let us get away on his watch, after all. I realised he was right. Where were we? Without thinking I slapped his hand away and got up to my feet without his help. I wish I hadn’t done it so quickly though. The corridor spun and I’m sure my stomach wanted to release its contents all over the floor. My head throbbed and I clutched it. I felt a clump of matted hair, obviously caked with my own blood. That must have been some blow and one hell of a rough landing. “How long have I been out?” Agnon reached out and grabbed me, steadying me. I didn’t offer any resistance, my feet felt light and my head felt heavy. Not a good combination for balance. “Nearly a…day.” “Vernon? Does he need me yet?” Agnon must have known what I was talking about, his answer confirming that. “The second…sun hasn’t set yet. It will soon. You must hurry. We must get out…of here. I cannot hear my brothers and sisters…and for an Auroran to die alone…is the greatest dishonour one can…have.” 103

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I turned to him. “Wait a minute. Why should I help you? You’ve spent God knows how long planning my disappearance, heck the disappearance of hundreds of humans for all I know. And for what? Money? You’re sick, that’s what you are! Hell, for all I know, and for what it’s worth, I bet you’re responsible for killing off the nourishers in the first place, knowing that humans would be an acceptable replacement, hey? I don’t care how you die.” We had reached the bridge without me even really knowing we had travelled that far. “You are…correct, of course and I understand your reasoning, but let me just say, I can help you, whether you believe so or not.” “Whatever.” Him confirming my suspicions hit me harder than the blow I had received to the back of my head. To actually hear Agnon say it, that solidified it in my mind and brought it home for me. “So why the change of heart, really? Before you’re spouting how pathetic humans are, now you’re all nice as pie. I don’t get it.” The bridge doors opened and I was welcomed by the wonderful sight of Vernon at his station. I could still see his wounds. They didn’t look as bad as before. I ran as fast as I could to him. He scooped me up and we hugged like we hadn’t seen each other in an eternity. His warmth wrapped around me, making me feel better immediately. I ran my hands over his hair, enjoyed his body against mine. I was worried about you, my Drake. “I was worried for you.” We both giggled. I was relieved, pleased and thankful he was okay. I don’t know what I would have done if he weren’t. But there is some bad news. “Yeah, the Auroran still lives.” Vernon looked over to Agnon. The Auroran had slumped to the floor, using one of the nodules to prop himself up. His 104

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head hung low and I could hear his laboured breathing for the first time since I went to Vernon—no, actually since the first time I had woken up. Was Agnon getting worse? He sure sounded close to death. He is no threat to us now. You have made sure of that, my brave love. No, I’m talking about something much worse. I began to panic and those terrible butterflies rose up in my stomach to taunt me. “What is it, Vernon?” The Flying Leaf is dead, I think. I can’t get anything to work. Again I was stunned, almost to the point of becoming speechless. “She’s what?” was all I could manage through dry lips. And not only that, we seem to be in some cave system deep in the ground. There is no light here, either. Not that I can see from the glimpse I got before her systems shut down. I’m really worried. Another cough came from Agnon. “Perhaps…I can…help?” Vernon unrolled me from his grasp. “Yeah, if we help you get back to your hive, is that it? Then what, you capture us again? Let all your cult friends know where we are, is that it? Is that your final plan? Your final revenge?” “No. If you help me …get out of this place…that is blocking my communication with the…hive I will help you. I know you cannot…hand me over to my people, they would kill…you as thanks. No…as I said, I only…want to hear my people in my mind for one…last time.” Agnon is right, he must be with the song of his hive, even at the end of his life, perhaps even more so then. I know he won’t betray us, not now. He has his honour to uphold in the next life. His final act must be good, no matter who is the recipient. That is the Auroran way. I turned to Vernon. “You’re on his side about this. I say let the bastard die. Who cares if he dies alone? He deserves it for what he has done—he murdered the nourishers, he said so himself.” 105

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Vernon patted me on my shoulder and picked me up. I was on his back once more, enjoying the feeling of his hair against my nakedness. We would be no better than him if we let him die in a way that would bring about dishonour to his soul. Would you let that happen, Drake? Really? I scratched his head with my hands and he let out that lovely cooing noise again. “Okay…you’re right. But he’s going to do more than help us revive the Flying Leaf, he’s going to tell us everything there is to know about all the operations the Cult of Starfall have been undertaking. All of them. I want them exposed for what they are.” Agnon staggered to his feet. “I have enough of the…jelly left to possibly revive your ship…but you must hurry. I don’t have much time. I need to hear my brothers and sisters again. I am going mad in the silence that consumes me.” The Auroran held his head to emphasis his words. He hacked out a wheezing cough, one that struck me deeply on a subconscious level, because for the first time since I had met him, I felt for him. Vernon took a vial of jelly from Agnon once he had calmed. It didn’t look like much. Then again, the stuff worked on Vernon. I could hardly see where he had been stung. I need to place this directly onto the Flying Leaf’s heart. Now that was probably the weirdest sentence I had heard since this whole crazy adventure happened a few of days ago. The ship had a heart? Vernon went to one of the nodules and opened it. Inside the organic mass there was darkness. He poured the contents into that darkness. “I hope this works,” I said with a certain amount of trepidation in my voice. So do I. Otherwise we could be here for a very long time. Only tourists visit the Eldon home world, and then only after birthing 106

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season is over, the Eldon are more docile then. We have at least six months until that happens. Oh, great. Just what I wanted to do. Spend six months in a dark, dead ship waiting in vain hope for a rescue from a bunch of tourists. “So what now?” I was becoming accustomed to asking the bleeding obvious. I think Vernon liked it that way. I didn’t mind, either. We wait. “I don’t know how long I can hold out,” Agnon spluttered. “Well, you’ll have time to tell us everything you know about the Cult’s activities, won’t you? Starting with Jankin’s involvement in all of this mess.” Vernon coughed politely. Actually, he won’t be able to do that just yet. “Why not?” Because it’s time, my Drake, for us to be together as one. I had never been so excited by so few a words before in my life. “You asked that in such a perfect way, this time.” I’m learning from you. “As I am from you.” He reached over and picked me up off his back, bringing me around so that I was in the position required for our joining. Seconds later, the proboscis arms touched me and the sounds of his body melded with mine, our hearts beating as one in our passionate rhythm. I opened my mind to him.

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The Caves of Wind and Light e were on the coral atoll of Annaz VI once more. A place I had come to dearly love. The sun was setting, the sky a vibrant orange hue and the water reflected that colour more dynamically than I had ever seen it. Vernon, my big, burly and hairy-chested lover, came slowly out of the ocean. His body glistening. His smile even more enticing. “Come into the water, my Drake. I will tend to the wounds you have suffered lately.” Without another thought I was in the water with him. The surf lapped gently at my feet, the water surprisingly warm. In fact, the water was so heated it was like I was stepping into a bath—a bath as big as a planet, I admit. By the time the water had reached my groin I had succumbed to the ocean, become part of it, like I was a part of Vernon. I had been washed by the water’s warmth, touched by the richness of life within it, for millions upon millions of organisms, some tiny and others the size of large fish, swam around my body, joining with me, celebrating my inevitable coupling with my lover as the starfish had done on our previous visit. It was like I was within a great symphony of life. Then, as if on cue, the starfish did indeed begin to fall from the sky. The sky and the water became one, both in colour and texture and purpose. I fell into Vernon’s arms, felt his strength, his warmth around me, intoxicating me further. We were a part, a complete and important part of the circle of life that went

W

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on around us. We kissed. A kiss filled with so much passion and so much fire that I’m sure the starfish would have stopped their mating to see how it was really done. My skin tingled, my lips became numb and my head spun as Vernon took control and dominated me. I was his, to do with as he pleased. His tongue, wet and silky and delicious rolled around in my mouth, chasing my own tongue, catching it, then letting go once more, to tease and delight me. He applied more pressure upon my lips with his own, groaning and roving his hands all over me, touching me lightly, then rubbing hard in time with the movements of his tongue. I couldn’t breathe, totally and utterly overcome by his actions. My heartbeat became louder and louder and I could feel the heat between us more than match the waters we were within. I broke the kiss. I had no choice. I thought I was going to faint. I had become surrounded by an erotic passion, one that ignited my desires and made me gasp for air. Vernon’s intentions were clear, the sparkle in his eye as intense as the sun that made its way toward the horizon. He wanted me and he wanted me now, his erection as big and beautiful as him. I reached down to grab him, but he caught my hand and uttered into my ear, “I will please you first.” “No.” I said with an almost silent whisper, like it was the last breath of my life. He looked forlorn, staring into me, bearing his gaze into my soul. “Please,” was all he said. I melted again, my stomach knotted and my legs gave away underneath me so that I had to grab hold of him, fall once more into his arms, to let him become my master again. I managed to nod. That being the only signal he required, he gently pried me away, letting me sink deeper into the sensual living ocean of Annaz VI. The water tickled my chest 109

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with its movement, the ground I once stood on, a soft silica like sand, came around me. It was like I was sitting on soft down. I quickly sank deeper into it so that it surrounded me completely, comforted me and gave me support at the same time. Actually, it was like sitting on Priaxian silk. I loved that feeling. Before I could question his intentions, ask what it was he desired from me, he went under the water, embracing me around my waist as he kicked his legs to steady himself as he floated. I was his anchor. I could see my cock sway hypnotically from the currents, even though it was as hard as it was ever going to be, so much so I ached for sexual release. A large squid-like thing swam casually by, not even noticing us. I suppose Annaz VI was a veritable breeding ground for all sorts of life forms, two more doing their thing wouldn’t have raised an eyebrow here. For me, I was in raptures. This was everything, my universe, my life, my soul. Being with Vernon on this level, sharing with him the extraction experience was what I now craved, more so than life itself. Here we were equal, both physically and emotionally. My stomach continued to do its dance and I let out a delighted yelp as he grabbed my cock. I put my hands gently upon his head, his hair dancing in the water around my fingers as if it belonged to an alien anemone. I drew him closer, pushing him down onto me at the same time. He grabbed at the root of my cock, pulling at the skin so my foreskin relented and exposed my glans to the warmth of the ocean. The water now touched every part of me, every fold of skin washed and cleansed by the sensual fluid. I felt so alive, so free. I couldn’t help but smile with quivering lips heated with the attention ravished upon them only moments ago. Vernon’s mouth, even hotter than the water itself, 110

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engulfed my erection. I shuddered as he worked the length of me, forceful yet gentle at the same time, applying enough suction and pressure to keep me stimulated without losing any hold on the passion we had built up earlier. He soon developed a rhythm, his movement perfect, his touch so wonderful I quickly felt the pangs of ejaculation release my sperm into his mouth. My balls ached as I my climax continued. He took all of me, finally letting go when I became flaccid. How long he had held his breath I couldn’t say, everything happened so fast. I was numb, exhausted and empty, wanting nothing more than to lie in his arms and take in his scent after he had taken all that he could from me. Once the extraction ended I found myself on the bridge of the Flying Leaf once more. The vision bubble was active, but I couldn’t make out what it was showing me. Had Agnon’s jelly worked? Was the ship alive once more? Or was it all an after image, an effect of my ecstasy on my hormone soaked brain? “Somehow I envy you both,” Agnon said with a sickening wheeze as Vernon placed my heated body gently onto the floor. My skin had a sheen of sweat all over it and my hair felt wet and heavy on my head. We truly had been through a lot together. I loved it. I no longer felt my head pound from the blow I had received earlier. Had the waters of Annaz VI healed my wound? I reached over to touch the back of my head, feeling my hair anxiously. The blood and the pain no longer greeted me. Fuck, that was some blow job—no, scratch that. It was some experience. My lips still trembled and my stomach was only now unwinding from the experience. I was hungry and I craved for a pizza or something equally as unhealthy and comforting. 111

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“Is there any food around here, Vernon?” I said, getting up off the floor as best I could, considering my limbs still didn’t want to do exactly as I instructed them. My legs still felt like rubber for a start. Over there, my love. You will find all sorts of sustenance inside the food delivery nodule. He gestured to one the many organic protrusions here on the bridge. How he could tell them apart I couldn’t say. Then again, I was famished. I didn’t care about the how or the why. Agnon continued, obviously he needed to say more, “The hive is not like that.” What do you mean, Agnon? Surely being linked with a hive mind would give you just as much pleasure as what Drake and I experience during extraction? “It’s not a physical thing like I have…witnessed twice now between you both. Symbiosis is completely different from what I can see. Being part of the hive is more like…more like being part of a whole. Being with a symbiote is more like adding to the whole, enhancing it. You are very lucky.” Yes, I am. Inside the nodule there was a nozzle. From that a green paste oozed when I squeezed on it, as someone would when milking an Earth cow. The paste looked disgusting, smelt just as bad, but tasted pretty damn good. It was like—I don’t know, like fruit and fresh baked bread and lashings of butter all rolled into one. The paste filled me up and satisfied me. Sure, not as enjoyable as eating any sort of meal, but it served its purpose. I noticed the vision bubble again, my head a little clearer than before. What I thought were fuzzy stars against the blackness of space, were in fact glowing worm- like things living on a cave ceiling. “Hey, we’re in a cave,” I blurted between gulps of paste. The larval form of the Eldon give off a natural phosphorescence so 112

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it would seem. I think that’s what the Flying Leaf has been using to heal her wounds and regenerate. “What about the jelly stuff Agnon gave her? Didn’t that do something to help things along?” I had to admit I was feeling a little guilty. I had killed the ship with the stinger before, hadn’t I? “The jelly of the Aurorans would have helped, yes,” Agnon said. Vernon came over, bringing his massive body so that it sheltered me. I know you thought you hurt the ship earlier with the stinger, but you didn’t, my Drake. The Flying Leaf can isolate parts of her structure, a defensive mechanism if you will. She wasn’t affected by what you did. She’s proud of you, just as I am. “Thanks. I needed to hear that. Say, isn’t what she did kind of like when lizards drop off their tails after a predator grabs them?” I felt better, even more so seeing as Vernon was all right and he was telling me the ship was, too. He nodded. Thanks to the Eldon’s young we should be out of here within a few hours. I am beginning to get back the ship’s systems one by one. Agnon coughed and gurgled, a sound that if I wasn’t mistaken was more like a death rattle than anything else. “I don’t think Agnon will last that long.” Vernon sighed, He will have to if he wants to hear his hive for the last time. The Auroran gestured for me to go to him. I did. When I got close he whispered painfully, “I know you tried to help me, and for that I thank you. I haven’t exactly been a gracious host. Forgive me…Before I go, know that Jankin does love you and that we—” before he could finish he closed his eyes, let out his last breath and passed away.

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The Solar System of Home Approaches

A

gnon’s death affected me more than I thought it would. Not by the fact that I witnessed his passing, I didn’t care for him on that level to warrant any concern, but by the fact of what it was he was going to say before he did die. What was the rest of his sentence going to be? Sure, I now knew Jankin did love me—well, that was surprising seeing as I could only recall a few occasions where he actually said so and one of those times was at our wedding and he really had no choice. I had experienced more love with Vernon these last few days than what I did in five years with Jankin. Sure, we had sex, we shared stuff and we even had some good times, but really, compared with now, they really were forced. I can see that. What I had with my husband was nothing, a mere acquaintance compared with the bond I have shared with Vernon. Which is scary in a way, because Vernon isn’t even of my species. Again my mind turned back to the last few words of our Auroran captor. What else was Agnon going to tell me? What were they up to? I remembered the lengths the Cult of Starfall would go to get what they wanted, including mining from a living being, kidnapping humans to replace a species they helped wipe out and paying others to do their dirty work. God knows what else they were doing across the galaxy to fund whatever it was they were funding. He didn’t get to touch the hive mind before he passed on. Vernon 114

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touched me gently on my shoulder, reassuring me and reminding me we had things to do before we could fly out of here. Hopefully without incident. I didn’t answer him. To some degree I understood his concern. What was more important in the here and now was getting out of here. We had to get the Flying Leaf ready for space again and for that she needed to be in perfect working order, her systems checked and above all, she had to be re-fuelled. Sure, regenerating would take a few hours using the light of the Eldon larva, but we needed another hour on top of that to make sure everything was A-OK. If we had another close encounter with the Boldiens on the way back to Earth, I wanted to make sure the ship was capable of getting away from them. Those few hours went quickly, the time spent helping Vernon check and re-check everything. All we had to do was wait now while the ship refuelled, getting back the healthy green glow she’d had before this whole mess began. As I finished rattling off various numbers for him to enter into his control screen, something struck me. “Holy fuck, Vernon! I know what it was Agnon was going to say, I’m sure of it.” What was it? he replied without even looking away from his study. “He—I mean, the Cult of Starfall are going to kill Jankin! Why else would he mention such a thing before he was going to die? There were plenty of other things he could have said, including nothing at all. He said it to let me know of their plans, didn’t he?” Now he stopped. You may be right. It would certainly be something the Cult would do to protect their interests. Jankin does know things. I smiled up at him. “This is why I love you, Vernon. You believe me. I would have to spend ages trying to convince 115

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others to see my point of view, but not you. You can see into me and…I don’t know, you just know, don’t you?” I hugged him, more of a thank you than anything else. Because what you said made perfect sense. If it didn’t, I would tell you that, too. “How long before we can take off?” Vernon studied his panel. Soon. “I have a feeling we don’t have much time.” The next hour was excruciating. I spent most of it pacing back and forth, deepening the groove I had already created on the Flying Leaf’s floor. Finally, the ship’s systems all lit up and the engines whirred to life. We can glide out of here, the winds that travel through this cave can give us a much needed boost without wasting any fuel for take-off. I didn’t really care about the how or the why, just the result. I didn’t even really take much notice of the journey though the cave we had found ourselves within or of the journey back up to the Eldon who lived high in the atmosphere. Before I knew it, the vision bubble showed the beauty of space around us. The swirling galaxy’s light years distant, of dust clouds created by stars long gone and of all of the uncountable stars of the here and now. It was a beautiful sight. The Eldon sun, Hyperion, loomed large before us. It was a fading yellow star, soon to become a red giant in a few more millennia. An eternity for a human and a blink of an eye for the universe. I felt so small, and not because I was standing next to Vernon, either. “There’s a gateway near here, isn’t there?” Yes. The one the tourists use to come to the Eldon home world. We should be in your solar system soon. I’ll use the heaven’s light engine to get us there a bit quicker. I can sense your anxiety, my love. 116

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Those words were music to my ears, and yes, I was anxious. I noticed I was fidgeting, rubbing my fingers together in front of me as I watched him conduct the ship to the gateway and increase its speed. Hyperion Monday was the name of the human inhabited gateway that funnelled travellers to this part of space. Vernon had engaged heaven’s light, and no doubt the ugly human construction around the gateway, just like the one at Spaceport Magellan Prime, would soon be upon us. I yearned to see Priaxia once more. To be surrounded by natural things of beauty and function. Jesus, I didn’t know what I wanted. No. first I must get to Jankin, if only to warm him. Then I’d punch him for being a bastard, then I’d divorce his sorry arse. The heaven’s light engines disengaged and sure enough, Hyperion Monday, a much larger spaceport around the gateway than the Magellan Prime one, came up on the vision bubble. It was oh, so very human in looks, drab and boring. “Approaching vessel, please state your designation and destination,” a stern authoritative voice announced over the communicator. I replied and Vernon did his thing. Before too long we were stacked above the gateway ready for entry, a process that seemed a lot more efficient than the operation at Magellan Prime. Then again, gateways closer to Earth were usually the more organised ones—being farther away meant more liberties were taken. A normal and natural human thing if there ever was one. When our time came and we passed through the gateway, the welcome sight of the double dwarf planets of Pluto and Charon greeted us on the vision bubble. I had never been happier to see two huge balls of ice in my life. I’m going to engage the heaven’s light engine again, we have plenty of fuel. Seems the Eldon larva light was quite potent for the 117

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Flying Leaf. Again, those words were music to my ears. I spent the next moments underneath Vernon, rubbing the underside of his body and legs, something I knew he enjoyed. Having him coo kind of gave that away. The heaven’s light around us was certainly romantic. I wished we could be together without having to wait for the next extraction. It wouldn’t have mattered one iota what form he was in, Priaxian or human, I’d let him have me in a heartbeat, right here and right now. I was as horny as a love sick teenager as I caressed his beautiful hairy skin. He continued to sing out his delight, fuelling my desires. I was about to suggest we become more intimate with each other, right here on the bridge for all I cared, when something within the heaven’s light caught my eye. It was a dark blob with no distinguishing features other than mass. Well, to actually say it was something within heaven’s light was a misnomer. What was actually displayed was a kind of displacement within the light itself, an object or mass not normally visible when travelling using heaven’s light. Planets, stars, and indeed even large comets are all usually programmed into the computer of any ship, resulting in them not having to be displayed on screen when using heaven’s light. When something did show up on sensor during travel at that speed it meant one of two things. The object was extremely large or it was unknown. Not a good thing. I knew from the readouts on the screen that we were at this moment passing through the orbit of Neptune. Vernon had seen it, too. He immediately disengaged the heaven’s light engine, the eerie blue of Neptune taking up most of our view as normal space surrounded us. As we came around the planet to back track where the ship’s sensors had detected the object, Triton, Neptune’s largest moon, made itself 118

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apparent. The object was near the moon. Vernon did a bit more gesturing, making sure it wasn’t a false reading of the moon the ship had picked up. It wasn’t. On the dark side of Triton a large ship could be seen hanging ominously in the space between the planet and the moon. Now, to say it was large—well, that was an understatement. This thing was huge. “Fuuucking Heeeell,” I said with a gasp as we came closer to the moon and I began to realise the weight of what it was we had discovered. The ship was Auroran, no doubt about it. On its flanks the symbols and flags of that empire were emblazoned. There was also the crossed stinger design of the Cult of Starfall there. Had the Auroran military and the cult worked together to create this massive war ship? Being in human space, in our own solar system no less, there was only one intention for such a vessel of that size and firepower. The Aurorans were preparing for a strike against humanity. As I looked at the ship, in both amazement and a fear that struck at the very core of my being, I couldn’t help but notice that the thing was basically a grotesque organic mass, its hull like blistered chitin, armed and aggressive and mother fucking dangerous looking. Exactly what Auroran design was meant to be, I supposed. Such philosophy sure worked on me. I think we’d better get out of here, Vernon said as he turned the Flying Leaf around and engaged heaven’s light once more. We were back on course for Sol. I sighed relief, realising I had been holding my breath all that time. You know, seeing an Auroran ship deep within my own solar system really killed any mood I had of getting romantic with Vernon. Bloody typical. Now I not only had Jankin to worry about I had this, too. Why couldn’t life be simple? 119

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Then again, my life certainly had been a lot more exciting and definitely a lot more interesting since I was kidnapped. Hey, funny how something terrible can actually be a blessing in disguise. Vernon obviously understood the ramifications of everything we had been told by Agnon and what we had witnessed with our own eyes. Now I knew what the Cult of Starfall had been financing with their underhanded deals. A military strike. Seems their greed knew no bounds. Earth came into view once the heaven’s light receded once more on the vision bubble. I hadn’t really noticed the passage of time, my mind on so many other things. We got clearance for travel into the atmosphere as quickly as the bureaucratic red tape allowed us considering it was a Priaxian vessel that approached Earth space. Nevertheless, we had made it. I hoped we weren’t too late. “We should be able to land on the roof of my apartment complex,” I said with a certain amount of nervousness in my voice.

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The Wasps at the Picnic

A

s soon as the Flying Leaf touched down, Vernon grabbed me and placed me onto his back. He was out the door seal quicker than I had ever seen him move. As the late afternoon sun of home hit me I realised I was naked. Having not worn clothes for so long I had become used to the idea of being loose and fancy free. Vernon was right, being naked meant everything was easy to access. Being naked was also only fashionable among the youth of our species at the moment. Many clubs and pubs were packed to the rafters with sweaty, naked youth. Most would end up copulating and getting drunk, and not necessarily in that order. Nothing changes really, the young are the young, but humans are a fickle species and for all I know next year flares may be back in again for the umpteenth time. I smiled as I approached my apartment. I loved being human, and it took a Priaxian for me to realise that. I had to admit I felt kind of hip at the moment, being naked and the symbiote of a Priaxian. How life had changed. Sure, I was in my mid-thirties, but I had a body many others my age would be envious of. Why not show it off? Besides, I came to the conclusion that when you’re naked there is nothing left for you to hide. Something I think Jankin could learn. Vernon carefully took me off his back once we reached my apartment’s entrance. I kissed him on his chin. He didn’t 121

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need to carry me. The walk across the car park was only a few metres. He was a big lug. A big beautiful, caring lug. I know I’ve said it many times, but really, it’s true. “Welcome Drake, it’s been a while since I saw you last,” the door chimed as it clicked open. “You’d better stay out here for a bit, Vernon. I don’t want Jankin scared out of his wits just yet. I have some harsh words for him and I want him to hear me out.” But what if it’s a trap you’re walking into? I patted him reassuringly on one of his front legs. “How about you wait out here for ten minutes then come in. If it is a trap, you can come and rescue me, okay?” Then I get to ravish you after that? “Hey, I was going to ask you that before we saw that huge Auroran ship. Can we…I mean, is it possible for us to get together without being in the extraction?” Yes. Fuck me. That one word sent shivers of joy throughout my body. I even stirred and had to think of something distracting pretty damn quick. I thought of our ordeal on Agnon’s ship. Thankfully that worked. I didn’t want to face Jankin with a raging erection. He might get the wrong idea. I entered my home. Vernon was right. It was a trap. There was Jankin, a sorry sight if I ever saw one. He was on the couch, the same one I had caught him mucking around with Jeff on. He was naked, hog tied and beaten. Beaten badly, too. Blood and bruises covered his skin. His lips were cracked and one eye had swelled so terribly that it had closed. It looked like he had a couple of broken ribs and all across his body I could see stinger welts. He was laying in his own filth, his breathing laboured and his hold on life probably failing, too. I went to him without thinking, without even noticing the six Aurorans in the apartment with him. I caressed his 122

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forehead, brushing away his blood soaked hair and whispering, “I’m here, Jankin. It’s me, Drake.” For all I had found out about him, a man who had been bought to be my lover, I still had feelings for him. He was only human, after all. Jankin turned his head slowly to look at me. A weak smile crossed his blood stained lips and in his eyes a sparkle of recognition flickered for the briefest moment. “I’m…so…sorry, my Drake. I’m so…sorry.” Before I could answer him, the familiar and terrible clicking voice of an Auroran said, “Where is the Priaxian, human?” I looked up, seeing for the first time the Aurorans who had invaded my home. All of them held their stingers. All of them glowed yellow. I think they meant business. “Agnon killed him and all the hope of his species with it,” I lied, now clutching Jankin’s head close to my chest. A sneer crossed the Auroran’s face. If I didn’t know any better I’d say he was disappointed or concerned at the very least. “That was not his duty. Agnon was only meant to capture you both, have you both disappear, available only for our future use. Perhaps it is better he has died, too, for when our leaders hear of his disobedience they will make sure his name is one held with no honour.” It struck me then. They didn’t know what had happened. No wonder Agnon wanted to link with the hive mind before he passed away. He wanted to make sure his version of events was taken into account. At the moment I had the advantage. I could say anything and they would have no choice but to believe me. “Now leave us alone. You have done enough damage, Auroran.” The speaker nodded for his comrades to come forward. They did so, brandishing their weapons. I could hear the air 123

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sizzle even from where I was kneeling. I swallowed hard, fearing the worst. “It will be up to us to take over the hive’s intentions. You are to come with us quietly and quickly, Drake Glauco, otherwise you will suffer a fate worse than your betrayer.” I supposed by that statement he meant Jankin. Sure, he was right, Jankin did betray me. But at what cost? When he crash landed on one of their moons all those years ago, what deal did he have to make to stay alive? Probably nothing I wouldn’t have done in his place. Jankin, knowing what I must have been thinking, uttered, “They made me do it, Drake. They made me do it. I didn’t have a—” “Silence!” the Auroran commanded, pulling Jankin away from my grasp and tossing him onto the floor as if he weren’t even alive, a nothing, a nobody. My husband groaned and then fell silent, slumped on the floor like a rag-doll, arms and legs askew. A sickening sight. Before I could get up and go to him, one of the stingers came close to my face. I could feel its intensity even at the relatively mild setting it was on. I was hot and the weapon’s heat permeated my skin, making it even more uncomfortable. I flinched and turned away. “You will come with us. I won’t say it again.” I got to my feet. Now would be a perfect time for Vernon to charge in and rescue me. Then again, I hadn’t seen him tackle six Aurorans, and really, he might be the one who ended up needing to be rescued. Not something I was capable of being a thin skinned naked human against six stingers. One of the Aurorans bound my hands behind my back. Not a task that was done with any finesse let me tell you. The ropes or ties it used hurt, digging into my wrists. I couldn’t even turn my hands. Two of the other Aurorans pick up 124

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Jankin. We were both hauled out of our homes like some sort of commodity. Jankin was carried, I was pushed. I wondered how they got past Interstellar Home Security, surely an Auroran ship approaching Earth would have raised some questions. Then I knew how. For the first time I noticed a Boldien ship on our building’s roof. Had it been there all along? Surely we would have spotted it as we came in for a landing. Then again, perhaps we were both preoccupied not to have. I cursed under my breath for being so careless. I couldn’t see the Flying Leaf anywhere. Had Vernon left me? No. I scratched that thought out of my head. Vernon would never leave me. Perhaps he had a plan. Perhaps he was at this very moment taking action that would see me out of this mess. I sure hoped so. Whatever he was going to do, I hoped he’d do it quickly. We were led onto the Boldien ship, and I had to say it looked exactly like the previous Auroran vessel I had the misfortune of seeing from the inside. That was it, the ship was in disguise. Very clever. Being organic, it would have been harder for our sensors to detect what was inside, the whole ship would have read as a life form. I know, that was part of the delay we had getting the Flying Leaf clearance. I was in one of the organic cells before I could think about it anymore. Jankin was with me. As soon as the dividing wall touched the ceiling with a wet squelch, I went over to him as best I could, considering I was tied up. It was more like a stomach crawl than anything else. After a lot of huffing and puffing I finally reached him. He opened his good eye as soon as I was close enough. I’m glad he was conscious after my effort to reach him. I was exhausted. He slowly began to undo my bindings. “What have you done, Jankin?” I asked. Not in an accusing way, I knew he was probably just as much a victim 125

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here as I was. I wanted to hear his point of view, how he got messed up in all this. He licked his lips and I wondered how long he had been left beaten and tied in our apartment while they waited for me to get there. Had he even been fed? Had he been given water? Those Auroran bastards, I bet they had been there for days or at the least, since we left Magellan Prime and the Boldiens had alerted them to the fact I was no longer on Priaxia. “I had no choice, Drake. I was forced to do their bidding. They cured my injuries yes, but not before I had begged them for my life. Not before I had to swear an oath that I would do as they said, exactly as they said or suffer a fate worse than death.” “What did they have over you, Jankin?” Again I comforted him, running my hand over his forehead, trying to make him as comfortable as possible. “They were going to kill my son if I didn’t do as I was told. He is on Aurora, as insurance.” “What?” I was gobsmacked. Jankin had a son. The room spun around me for a brief moment as I tried to digest this latest piece of news. “Go on,” I added. “He was in the ship with me. He was thirteen at the time.” For a moment Jankin’s eyes stared at the space above my head, not focusing on anything. He snapped himself out of it and continued. I was all ears. “We were on our way to the Delta system. His mother is a star freighter pilot and we were going to surprise her. It was her thirtieth birthday and we both wanted to be with her. Then…then our shuttle had some engine troubles, nothing major, but I wanted to land just to make sure. Well, my idea wasn’t so great. We did land, but because the atmosphere of the moon was a lot thicker than what our technology is used to, we crashed. It stuffed up the engines real good and we 126

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basically fell out of the sky. Little did I know it was an Auroran moon I had landed on. I gather you know the rest.” I was speechless. Jankin was married before he met me—I mean, before he was forced to meet me. He also had a son. I hugged him, thinking of nothing else I could do right now to comfort him. I could only imagine what he had been through over the last five years. No wonder he never said he loved me in any sincere way. He didn’t. Not in the way he loved his wife and son, anyway. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, whispered, “What’s your son’s name?” He looked into my eyes. I could see for the first time since I knew him vulnerable sincerity. I truly felt for him, and not how I had felt for him before my kidnapping. I felt for him as one human would for another in tough times. I felt more of a mateship with him, a connection on a basic level that bound us all. I felt compassion. “His name is Ranjay.” Again he had that reminiscent look about him. I let him continue. It was the least I could do. “His mother, Taseem, was so proud when he was born we named him after her grandfather. She was as beautiful as he was handsome. I had to do anything to protect them both. I don’t know where Ranjay or Taseem are now, but I assume they are prisoners on Aurora. That is what they have been telling me anyway. I haven’t heard from them in a while.” “So your father…when we got married, was he?” I trailed off. I could hardly finish the sentence. Tears had begun to run down my cheeks and my throat felt constricted as I tried to fight off becoming a blubbering mess in front of the man I thought I knew. He coughed, a wheeze similar to Agnon’s before he passed away. Jankin needed medical attention real quick. “Everything was set up for your benefit. The man at his death bed, the man paid to pose as my father, was no more 127

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related to me than Taseem is to you.” He paused, then looked at me, intent in his eyes. “I hated you at first, Drake, I really did. I hated you for setting up that treaty. A treaty that made all of this possible.” “Do you still hate me?” I was now crying. “No,” He coughed again, “I forgive you. You did what you did because you thought it was right. I understand. In fact, I do love you, Drake, but more like a man would love his brother. It took some time for me to get used to the physical side of what I was asked to do. I’m not…well, I’m not someone who chooses to love men of his own free will, like you. But I love my wife and son so much I would have, and did do, anything for them, to see that they were safe. I hope they are safe right now. The Aurorans know that they have failed to capture you and that I know of their plans…I fear for them both.” “Thank you for telling me all that. I’m so sorry you had to be with me when you would have rather have been with your real family. I don’t know what to say to make it up to you, Jankin. I’m truly sorry.” I fell over him and embraced him again, placing my face into his neck, letting myself cry like a little boy in his arms. He held me, too. “Do you forgive me, Drake?” “Yes,” I replied with a tear soaked gasp. “And I—I mean we, will help you find your wife and son, it’s the least I can do.” “Thank you.” He let go his embrace. “We?” “You’ll see.” After we had both wept, our tears now dry, the wall opened. Four beautiful Priaxian legs appeared in the gap and began pulling down the wall. “What’s that?” Jankin asked as he tried to scramble toward the corner of our cell. “My knight in shining armour,” I replied with pride 128

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welling up inside me. “And the other part of the we I mentioned earlier.”

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The Rescue

V

ernon came into our cell with all the grace and careful movements I had come to admire from him. Are you all right, Drake? “I’m so glad to see you, my lover,” I said. He ran his clawed hands over my body, obviously making sure I wasn’t hurt. He tickled. Me, too. Now, let’s get out of here before our Auroran friends detect my presence. Can Jankin move? I untied Jankin. I looked down at my husband—well, I couldn’t really call him that any more, now could I? Sure, we may have signed a piece of paper five years ago, but really, our marriage was a fraud. Going over to Jankin I held out my hand, offering to help him up. The look in his eyes said it all. He was in shock at seeing a real life Priaxian. Sure, most humans knew what one looked like from books and stuff, but to actually see one, that was an experience. “Let me help you up, my brother.” His mouth moved, but no sound eventuated. Finally, he uttered, “Who’s this, then?” Vernon came over us both, his head touching the ceiling of our cell. I’m Vernon, Drake’s symbiotic partner. Pleased to meet you, mister Jankin. I helped Jankin to his feet. He used me as his support. Both of us were picked up and placed on to Vernon’s back. Jankin was in front of me so I could hold him, comfort him in his 130

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weakened state. He did look a little better than he had when I first saw him in our home, but he still needed medical attention. The stinger welts looked the worst, the wounds weeping. “Where’s the Flying Leaf?” I asked. Attached to the underside of the ship. We’re now in space, heading for Triton from what I have been able to understand. “They’re going to the mother ship,” Jankin said. “You mean that huge thing orbiting Triton?” “Yep, the very same. The Aurorans mean to use it against us, their goal the enslavement of humanity for their own gain. It seems humans—I mean we, are a commodity the Aurorans would like to get their filthy hands on.” Vernon scrambled out of our cell, doing a fantastic job of staying out of sight as best as possible. It’s amazing how small he can become when he wants to be. Just like Earth spiders, I supposed. We seemed to be able to fit into all sorts of hiding places when an Auroran passed nearby. He held onto us both tightly with two of his hands at one stage as he crawled across the ceilings of the many corridors of the Auroran ship, making his way toward the Flying Leaf near the lower cargo bay and avoiding the detection nodules. We both clung onto him, too. Being upside down and moving fast was an interesting experience. “I already know of the use they have in mind for us, Jankin.” I ran my hand across Vernon’s back. “But it’s a good thing being a symbiote to a Priaxian, let me tell you. My life has become more…enriched.” Thank you, my love, was all he said as he made a dive into an alcove near the cargo bay. The two Aurorans he had seen didn’t see us. Thank God. “No. You don’t understand. The Aurorans have many uses for us, trade with Priaxia is just the tip of the iceberg for what they have planned.” 131

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When I thought about it, I tended to agree with him. From what we had seen so far, the Aurorans were not only resourceful, they were without principles, too. Whether a human was used for meat or trade as a symbiote would make no difference to them, so long as they were paid. “I can only imagine what they have in mind for us,” I said with a sigh. I felt lucky. My life had become better. What about all the other millions who may not be so fortunate under Auroran rule? Exposing the Cult of Starfall to the Auroran authorities would prove fruitless. What we had seen of the mother ship, I’d say this invasion and the financing of it had been in the planning for a long time. The military and the cult working together. Might and money, a powerful combination. Vernon growled, then said, We must make sure we get back to Priaxia first. My queen would be most interested in hearing about this. It was the first time I had heard him sound so forceful. Jankin said, “I agree. An assault from Priaxia would be the last thing the Aurorans would be expecting seeing as they have concentrated their efforts on the domination of humanity. They think the Priaxians are weakened, their nourisher caste no more. They think the Priaxians have become dependent on them, seeing as it is the Aurorans who have been controlling the supply of symbiotes to that world.” I was taken aback. “So you’re suggesting an alliance between the Priaxians and the humans?” “Yep. What else? Oh, and you’d be the perfect man for the job.” A great idea, mister Jankin. Vernon sprung out of the alcove and scurried down a service hole. We both hung on for dear life as he moved with lightning speed. When we were inside the service tunnel, he continued, When we discover how they wiped out our nourishers I’m sure retaliation will be the only option. My queen, all queens of all colonies, will want swift action. Priaxia may be a peaceful place, but when we are riled, 132

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we fight back. Killing our nourishers would warrant severe action to those responsible. Mark my words. Jankin looked back at me, that sparkle of life ignited his eyes once more. I’d say he was actually enjoying this. I hope he understood the ramifications of his actions. A war with Aurora wouldn’t be pretty, but I could see how it could now become inevitable. It was either that or fight the Aurorans by ourselves. I didn’t fancy our chances. “I know how they murdered the nourishers,” he said matter-of-factly. “You do?” We had made our way along the service tunnel until we came to a hatch. Inside the hatch, a sort of makeshift airlock, it was cramped but thankfully devoid of any Aurorans. Vernon pressed some buttons and the opposite wall opened. On the other side, the wonderfully familiar sight of the Flying Leaf’s beautiful entrance corridor caught my attention. We had made it. Don’t tell us how they did it, not until we get to Priaxia and we are in front of my queen. She should hear as we do of the Auroran treachery, of how they nearly bought us to the edge of extinction. If it weren’t for humans, we would all be dead now. We owe you a great deal. We would no doubt be honoured to fight off the great wasps with you at our sides. I swallowed hard. This was some serious shit. Then again, I had a feeling deep down that it would come to this. I know I would have been pissed if something like that happened to our species. Heck, humans have gone to war for far less. Fighting for survival was a noble cause. One I would be proud to be a part of. Vernon had taught me one thing, life wasn’t meant to be perfect and even an imperfect one was worth almost any price. “I will respect your wishes, Vernon,” Jankin said, knocking me out of my reverie. “Take me to your queen.” Before I could tell Jankin how wonderful he was, how 133

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understanding he had been about all of this, I was placed onto the floor with him. Vernon did his orchestral gesturing and the engines of the Flying Leaf came to life. The vision bubble ignited and to my horror, an Auroran mother ship seemed to be taking up most of the view. “Fuuucking heeeell,” I said as Vernon became frantic and tried to get the ship to undertake evasive manoeuvres. About a half a dozen Auroran fighter ships poured out of one of the hangar bays on the mother ship. All of them headed toward us. Fuck! We may have evaded the Aurorans on the disguised Boldien ship, but we certainly weren’t free of them now. Vernon screamed something, I think it was the Priaxian equivalent of hold onto your hats. Before his words registered in my mind, I was thrown onto the floor on top of Jankin. He let out a pained cry. The heaven’s light engine had been engaged, but also, and to my complete surprise, we had passed through a gateway, too. I didn’t know of any gateway in the space around Neptune. How had Vernon found one? I didn’t even know that was possible. Everything was a blur for the longest time. Vernon continued to do his thing while I watched in stunned amazement as he and the Flying Leaf dodged and out ran the Auroran fighters on our tail, and all at incredible speed, too. He flew like a seasoned pilot. I was so proud of him. When normal space returned to the vision bubble, the reddish light of a Red Giant star filled the bridge with its eerie light. I had no idea what the name of that star was, meaning I had no clue where the hell we were, but it was nice to be away from the Aurorans. I spoke too soon. Ahead, one of the fighters emerged from a gateway—no, wait two came out. Shit! Shit! Shit! They had managed to follow us. Damn it. Seconds later, the blaze of weapons fire 134

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disturbed the serene red glow. “Where the fuck are we?” I screamed. Knowing where we were may give me some indication of what we could do to get out of here. Perhaps another gateway was nearby. I know we couldn’t go through the same one we had just travelled, an Auroran mother ship waited for us on the other side. Never mind that, Drake, tend to Jankin. He needs healing. The nodule next to the food dispenser is a first aid station. Do what you must. He must not die. We need all of the information he has. I will worry about getting us out of here. I didn’t waste any time and I did as Vernon said. He was right. Jankin looked terrible. He shouldn’t have been moved without medical attention. Then again, we had no choice. Those Auroran bastards had seen to that. As Vernon did what he needed to do to avoid the fighters, I placed a dark red paste the nodule dispensed all over Jankin’s wounds. It seemed to offer him some relief. He was able to sit upright within no time. “Are you okay?” I said. “I’ll live,” he said with a wheeze. “But I think I need to rest now if you don’t mind.” I smiled, kissed his forehead and let him rest. “Okay, Jankin’s going to be fine for now. I’ll let him sleep if he wants to.” I went over to Vernon after I had made sure Jankin was as comfortable as he was going to be. On the control screen I could see where we were, or more to the point, where we had found ourselves. My jaw fell open and my spirit sank. Wherever we were, we had found ourselves smack bang in the middle of an Auroran mother ship building yard out in space. The vessels were everywhere. Hundreds of them. An invasion fleet. I think the war with humanity was just the start, their intention obviously the control of the galaxy once they had dominated us. 135

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The Machines of War

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knew it was too good to be true when I detected that artificial gateway. Now I know why. The Aurorans created it to travel unnoticed between here and Sol once they claim victory over humanity. I bet they have created hundreds of others to get their mother ships to key locations. This is becoming more serious than even I could have thought possible. I could only nod in agreement. Well, that explained the gateway mystery. Somehow the Aurorans had harnessed the technology to create their own rip in the fabric of space and create a gateway. Now all I needed to know was how the hell we were going to get out of here. I hoped Vernon had a bright idea. I certainly didn’t. After he had done some more of his fancy flying, all dodging and diving, I said, “Can we go into heaven’s light, you know, get us out of here quick smart?” No. The mother ships are transmitting a field stopping us from doing so. Besides, being near a Red Giant the ship can’t photosynthesize. I wouldn’t want to waste fuel only to become stranded here like we were on the Eldon home world. “So we’re fucked then?” Vernon looked at me. No. We haven’t been detected yet. The field is also cloaking us or displacing our energy signature. Perhaps because the Flying Leaf is organic, too. Look. Sure enough, he was right. The two fighters that had followed us out of the artificial gateway were no longer in 136

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pursuit. The mother ships made no moves towards us, either. It was all quite strange and somewhat eerie seeing all these ships hanging motionless around us as we flew between them. “Wow,” was my considered response. I’m going to attach ourselves to one of the mother ships. “Then what?” Wait. “I don’t get it—no, hang on, I think I do. We’re going to hitch a ride on one of those babies, aren’t we?” I so love you, my Drake. A metallic thud rang out as the Flying Leaf attached itself to the nearest mother ship, as ugly and threatening as all the others, its hull like living skin covered in blemishes, warts and liver spots. I guess Vernon was right. We had no choice now but to wait. I grabbed him, holding him tight. “I love you, too. But what about Jankin? Will he be okay?” He’ll be fine. The healing paste will do him wonders. Not as good as Auroran jelly, but just as effective given time. He sleeps now. When he wakes up he’ll feel like a new man, up on his feet and ready for more of what life throws his way. That was some good news. I ran my hand over Vernon’s skin, enjoying the feeling I got when I touched him. “Say, can you show me how we can…you know, become intimate without performing the extraction ceremony?” I thought you’d never ask. Lie down. I will teach you the pure physical pleasure you can get when we will join in body only. As soon as I lay on the floor he came over me. Anticipation rose up within me, making me do nothing else but smile. “What now?” Patience. What is worth doing takes time. Vernon came down and folded his legs underneath me so I became suspended off the floor, our bodies touching. I shuddered, his skin was hairy and warm, like a great blanket engulfing me. His mandibles came around my neck, not to 137

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harm me in any way, but to gently hold me. Our faces touched, and I could only describe that sensation, that action as kissing. We kissed. Like the times I had shared with him in the extraction, I was completely his. Again he was in command. Again I let myself be taken away by his advances. Every touch was done with gentle caring, my skin prickling with the heat of our exchange as he pressed his body more firmly onto mine. Then it happened. A slight tingling sensation touched me at first, right at the pit of my stomach. Instinctively and I had to admit, with a certain amount of wanting, I embraced him tight, my arms not completely reaching over his body, but I didn’t care. I held him as he held me. Together we moved as one, enjoying the feeling of each other’s touch. I could hear his heartbeat, feel his breath against my cheek, and as I became lost in our passion I began to writhe, move my body more vigorously against his. Was it because he had done so first, for I had felt his hairs brush against my skin well before I began squirming with delight in his grasp. I was following his lead. He was teaching me, re-educating me about what it was like to be with another, without condition or restrictions. My body didn’t take long to react. I was aroused, my nipples, my cock and more importantly, my mind, all awoke to what would happen next. I began to gasp for air as my body became more and more ignited with our passion. We shared each other’s breath, became one as our bodies stayed connected in our erotic dance. His skin against mine, his body with mine and his stare locked with mine. I was so wonderfully lost in his grasp. I ached for this experience to last forever. “Fuck,” I said with lips hardly parted as I climaxed, an ejaculation that blew my mind, making me convulse with 138

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ecstatic rapture. I wept tears of joy. My stomach muscles contracted so tight I became curled up in his grip, like a baby inside his mother’s womb. Warm and safe. I could smell him, taste him and feel him over every part of my body. I then smelt myself. I loved the smell of sex. As we both cooled he slowly let me go, unwinding me from his hold. What we have shared is something very few have ever experienced. It is often seen as unproductive and there is a phrase for it on our planet. It’s called a dry extraction, a coupling that results in no sperm feeding the hatchlings. But I will call it something else now that I have experienced it with you. “What will you call it?” I will call it a bond where we have shared our mutual physical love. I looked down at my stomach, not only was there my own sperm, there was another fluid, too. A thick, creamy ribbon wound its way up to my chest. “You came, too, didn’t you?” Yes. As I said. Very rare. His penis, a huge barb-like appendage, retracted back into its sheath, just above where he stored his egg in his abdomen. I felt special. A human and a Priaxian can be together. There was nothing inside me but a deep emotional sense of belonging, the first time I had ever felt such a thing. I was Vernon’s and he was mine. We were truly a couple. We had shared everything, from our body fluids to our mental experiences. I already yearned for our next joining, dry extraction or not, I needed him. I got up, the vision bubble was ablaze with heaven’s light. “I wonder where we’re going?” Vernon went to his control panel. Go clean yourself up, my love. I think we’ll need to be prepared for whatever confronts us soon enough. We have travelled quite a distance already. “How long were we together?” Over an hour. 139

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As I wiped away our love from my skin, using a cloth I got from one of the storage nodules, normal space came into view, the billions of twinkling stars so welcome. We had arrived at the Proxima system, a young star whose planets had not yet evolved to harbour any intelligent life. The mother ship had emerged near the fourth planet. In orbit of that planet, a kind of safari world populated by all sorts of beasts the tourists loved and the conservatives tried to protect, there was another ship. An ominous black, organic pulsating mass, a ship that looked like a mobile hive, very different in appearance to the mother ship but just as threatening. The thing dwarfed the mother ship we were hitchhiking on, I’d say by at least ten fold. Thousands of other ships, freighters, shuttles and fighters flew in and out of the hangars all around the ship. The Aurorans certainly meant business. I think this is their supply vessel, Vernon said as he read the panel, receiving the diagnostic from the scan he had performed as soon as we appeared out of gateway. We’re about halfway between the Auroran system and Sol. “That makes sense,” I said, more interested in how we were going to get out of here than admiring the view. Jankin stirred. I had to say, even though I knew we were never really married and that he had a wife, I still found him attractive, especially being naked. That was always his best quality. Clothes spoiled him. He could have easily been a model or something. A thought then popped into my head. What was the deal with Jeff? I went over to him, offering him some water I had grabbed from the food dispenser. He took it greedily. His wounds had crusted over, a good sign. You will need to apply more of the healing paste, Drake, Vernon said as he continued to do whatever it was he was doing. Hopefully, figuring out the best trajectory for a gateway that 140

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would lead us nearer Priaxia. “Say, something’s been bothering me,” I said, dabbing his forehead with a dampened cloth. He chuckled quietly. “It wouldn’t be you if you weren’t bothered by something. Tell me, what’s on your mind, my brother?” I think he liked the idea I had called him that earlier. “What the fuck was Jeff doing in our apartment?” Jankin coughed, then let out another giggle. “Jesus, Drake, you think I wanted you to get kidnapped? Sure, I was paid to do that, but I knew those toads were waiting for you. Roping Jeff into my plan last minute, I thought you would have stuck around a bit longer, you know, asked more questions. Typical you though, you got all hot under the collar and stormed off. Serves you bloody right.” “Well, picking Jeff sure got my blood boiling, you’re right about that, you bastard.” He reached out and patted me on my shoulder. “Maybe I should have got the local strip club in there, then you would have stayed.” “So…what? You wanted me to—fuck me, Jankin, who do you take me for? I wasn’t interested in anyone else but you at that point in time. It was our anniversary, remember. Having Jeff there as a…threesome partner or whatever just to keep me from being kidnapped. Wow, you did sink low.” He looked hurt. “You have no idea how desperate I was to try and keep all of those I have ever loved from getting hurt. You included.” I felt the sting of his words. I lowered my head, ashamed to look him directly into his beautiful, blue eyes. “I’m sorry,” was all I could offer. “Don’t worry about it. Seems we have bigger fish to fry right now.” I looked up. He was watching the vision bubble. The 141

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Auroran supply vessel loomed large, the view filled by an organic blackness. “Seems we’re going for another ride.” A docking bay, a slit of light against the gloom emerged and we seemed to be heading straight for it. No we’re not. I can disengage and hopefully float quietly away. Unless of course an Auroran decides to look out a window. Now it was Vernon’s turn to chuckle. Only he saw the humour in what he said. Jankin and I were in awe at the scale of the ship we now approached. Vernon continued, I have analysed the field the ships have been transmitting. It’s similar to an electro-magnetic field all life forms generate only much more intense. The Flying Leaf, also organic, is swallowed up in the signal. I suppose they use it to detect foreign ships, sort of like how some creatures do so to detect prey. I didn’t like the sound of that. Prey. I wondered what sort of armaments the ships actually had. The stingers were bad enough. “Let’s just get out of here quickly and quietly, hey?” Before I had finished my sentence, the ship was detached and gliding silently away from both the mother ship and the supply vessel. I crossed my fingers, somewhat instinctively. I was never one to believe in luck and superstition. I think now was a good time to start.

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he Flying Leaf managed to get away from the supply ship well enough, the Proxima sun returning to fill our view. I had a feeling deep down that getting away so easily was a little too good to be true. The next words out of Vernon’s mouth confirmed my fears. I can’t engage the heaven’s light engine…the field must have interfered with some of our systems. It’s going to take a while to get them back online. Jankin slowly got to his feet, hobbling over to stand next to me, using me as support. He did look better, especially since I had applied the second dose of healing paste. “We may not have that much time. I think they have known about our presence all along. It takes a lot to fool an Auroran, believe me.” Sure enough, two—no three, Auroran fighters came toward us, previously hidden by the glare of the sun. A good tactic. Okay, again I had to ask the bloody obvious. “What do we do now?” Vernon waved his hands across his control panel. As he turned to answer me a flash of light burst all around us. We had been hit by some sort of energy weapon. I could see more fire being laid upon us as we tried to dodge the enemy fire. The ship screamed, the klaxon sounded and I was on the floor before I could ask another stupid question, Jankin was 143

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there, too. The bridge spun and not because I was feeling any ill effects. The ship, obviously damaged by that first attack, now plummeted toward safari world. We were caught in the atmosphere. The blaze of fire and superheated plasma filled the vision bubble with it eerie beauty and a terrible whooshing sound accompanied that sight as we entered the atmosphere. Moments after that, Vernon yelled something in Priaxian as he came over us both, protecting us from whatever it was that was going to happen. The ceiling became the floor and did so a few times, all three of us thrown around the bridge like paper in the wind. Another moment after that and all was silent. And dark. The Flying Leaf’s systems had died—was she all right? Emergency lighting had been activated. Everything was bathed in that creepy, hospital-like blue light. Vernon picked us both up, but not before he checked me for any broken bones or damaged skin. You both okay? he asked. I looked in horror as one of his legs dangled uselessly from his side, like a broken branch hanging precariously from a tree. From what I could see, his leg had been broken in at least two places. As I went over to him, he cradled it with one of his other legs. “Vernon,” was all I could manage as I touched the leg in question. He flinched. I’ve been hurt. “Will the paste work on broken bones…do you even have bones? Besides, that’s one of the legs you use during extraction, isn’t it? How will we do it now? Your—our hatchlings must be fed.” We will figure something out. A more immediate concern is Jankin. He’s not conscious. “Jankin?” I turned. Vernon was right. Jankin was on the 144

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floor, looking as he did in our apartment after he had been thrown aside by one of the Aurorans. “Holy fuck!” I went to his side and attempted to wake him. Nothing. I closed my eyes trying, rather futilely I had to admit, to calm myself. It was safe to say I had a situation here. The ship was damaged and only God knew at this point in time whether or not she was space worthy. The Auroran field had frazzled her system and the weapons fire would have finished off anything the field missed. Jankin was still recovering from his assault and was now unconscious and probably hurt even worse than before. Then there was Vernon. He was definitely hurt. I gasped in shock as a thud caught my attention. Vernon had fallen to the floor. I went to him, seeing him fight off the temptation to fall into sleep. His eyes glazed over and his movements were slow and clumsy, not like him at all. Something else was wrong with him. “Where else have you been hurt, my lover?” I didn’t need to ask. As I took my hand off his thorax I could see the blood. I was covered in it. A large wound darkened his side. That sick feeling overcame me. He had cradled me the most during our crash landing, protecting me. I think Vernon and Jankin were the ones who needed the protecting. I was useless. I was a useless fucking lawyer. Jankin knew the Auroran secrets and Vernon, well he could defend not only himself, but all of us, too. Now both of them were injured, including the ship, which I had absolutely no idea how to operate. I was alone. Naked, useless and alone. Fuck. I went to the control screen. On it I could see the jungle of safari world. All sorts of life forms registered on the panel, including plenty of Aurorans. The sound of the ship being boarded filled me with dread. Seemed things could get worse, after all. 145

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I panicked. That was the first thing I did. An action that was more than appropriate for the situation we were in. I was about to sink to the floor, my hands over my face and my knees curled up to my chest, wait for the inevitable hoard of angry stinger wielding Aurorans to charge onto the bridge, when I inadvertently waved my hand over the panel. What can I do for you, Drake? the ship said, although not in as chirpy a voice as I had heard from her previously. I had forgotten I had access to her controls. The next question was, had she forgiven me for stinging her? For a moment, I was stunned. “Um…well… what do you suggest?” I gathered that her talking to me meant that she had forgotten about that previous altercation. I suggest you get out of here. There are about fifteen Aurorans making their way to the bridge as we speak. I have a plan, but you must go. “Can you get back into space?” that was a lame question, something I was becoming famous for, but one I had to know the answer to. No. But I can delay their approach. Please, Drake, do as I say. You must get out of here. You have three minutes. “What?” the screen was now showing a countdown, sure it was in Priaxian, but a countdown was a countdown no matter the language it was in. “Shit! Where’s the nearest exit?” As I said those words the near wall opened, a door seal making itself evident. Now go…and Drake, you are much more than what you think. Remember that. “Thanks.” I think I understood what she meant, being with Vernon had given my life more meaning, more direction. Sure, I had drawn up the Borders of Worlds treaty, but—hey, hang on…that’s what she meant. I had to use my abilities to help not only humanity against the Aurorans, but everyone else, too. The treaty had to be amended. A 146

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newfound sense of determination washed over me. But all of that was for another time. I had about two and a half minutes to get my arse out of here, Vernon and Jankin, too. I went over to my brother first, plucking him off the floor and heaving him over my back as a fireman would. Vernon was still wrestling the unconscious world. When my shadow fell over him he offered a slight nod, got up, rather clumsily for him, and together we walked to the exit. I supported him as best I could, which really meant walking underneath him in the vain hope he didn’t collapse onto me. Carrying Jankin was hard enough, having his weight, too, would probably break every bone in my body. Outside, the sounds, smells and sights of the jungle overwhelmed me, including the stifling humid heat. I was glad I was naked. I wouldn’t be so glad to smell myself once this was over. What I gathered was two minutes later, a deathly silence overcame the jungle, even the chirping of birds and the buzz of insects calmed. A split second later, a rush of heat and wind nearly caused me to fall, my balance not as good as it should be considering I was carrying Jankin’s weight upon my shoulders. The Flying Leaf had sacrificed herself for us. Self-destructing with the Aurorans on board. She was dead. My throat tightened and sadness overcame me. I never thought I’d feel that way about a spaceship, but I did. She was like our family. She will be missed. I had no choice now but to try and find one of the Auroran ships that had followed us down to the planet, taking it into space. Many animals, mostly primitive monkey-like things, accompanied us through the thick jungle. Movement was slow, even Vernon became entangled a couple of times and I had to free him, placing Jankin onto the ground, hindering our progress. An eternity later, and me covered in grime and 147

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sweat, a clearing loomed. Within it, three Auroran ships had landed, one was a ship I hadn’t seen before, sort of like a shuttle, I supposed. The other two were fighters, probably the shuttles escorts. There were two guards near the shuttle from what I could see. Many more could be hiding. My spirit sank. I had hoped to walk on up the gangway of one of the ships and fly on out of here. It was not to be. Why was nothing simple? I will create a distraction while you get inside one of those ships. I suggest the closest one. “Are you crazy? What if they pursue you? Then what? No way. We do this together or not at all. You’re injured, remember? You can’t move as fast as you used to, not until you get treatment.” Vernon didn’t answer. He stepped over me, straight into the clearing. I followed, at first frustrated that he hadn’t listened to me. The guards saw us—well, I suppose we couldn’t really be missed, now could we? I suppose Vernon saw no point in delaying the inevitable. I swallowed hard, waiting for the guards to attack us or detain us or whatever, their stingers at the ready. Jankin stirred. Great, he woke up just in time for his death. How nice. I placed him onto the ground. For the longest time we stared at each other. Why weren’t the Auroran attacking us? Something was up here. “Quick, come with us, we’ve been expecting you, Drake and Vernon. Our leader wants to see you both,” one of the guards said. Now that was a surprise. An invitation to our deaths? Jesus, these Aurorans sure knew how to make someone suffer. Who are you? Vernon blurted. “Friends,” the guard replied. “Now quick, before we are detected by the others, then it won’t matter. Then it won’t 148

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matter who we are, will it?” Friends? Well, that was a turnabout, wasn’t it? Since when were Aurorans friends of anyone other than themselves? “Prove it,” I blurted. The guard lowered his stinger, turning off its light. “You wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for us, Drake Glauco. You hadn’t been sold to the Priaxians to become a nourisher as you believe, but you had been labelled for slavery, to be sent to one of the hives on Aurora Prime for the disposal of the empire. Luckily, the Boldiens who captured you understood the value of our offer to keep you alive and deliver you to Astra, queen of the great colony of Priaxia south.” That’s my queen! “Yes.” I think Vernon had already made up his mind. He was walking toward the Auroran shuttle with the other guard. Jankin, now awake and rubbing his head, as sore as ever I would have imagined, had joined him. “Okay…we play it your way…for now.” Then again, what choice did we have? We were stranded. I boarded the vessel. As the doors shut behind me, a terrible feeling crept up to consume me. I was washed with a feeling I could only describe as that queasy sickness I got before I was about to throw up.

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The Proxima Campaign e were taken to a large room filled with all sorts of riches, from Priaxian silk beds, to weird and wonderful sculptures and pieces of art, both on the walls and everywhere in between. Vernon and Jankin were given some jelly. I was given food and water. I hardly touched any of it, pushing the exotic fruits around my plate. I was more worried about what we had got ourselves into. “So who are you? And more importantly, why the hell are you helping us,” I blurted to one of the Aurorans as they fussed over us, applying bandages to Vernon’s leg and examining Jankin. “Perhaps I can answer that question,” a female voice said from the darkness behind a hideous sculpture of an Auroran in a pose reminiscent of Michelangelo’s David. The one who spoke was human. She was beautiful, smooth olive complexion, shiny long, black hair and moving like only a woman could, with grace and carriage. She held a presence few can muster and I couldn’t help but become intrigued by her as she came forward to greet us. “Taseem!” Jankin bellowed with a voice verging on breaking as he charged at her, knocking his Auroran attendants away. He embraced her tight, lifting her off the floor. After that they kissed, a kiss with as much passion, wandering hands and romance as I had ever seen between two people.

W

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She parted their kiss, running her hands over Jankin’s cheeks with such tenderness, such caring he collapsed onto her, bringing his face to her chest, more tears flowed. “I missed you so, my beautiful husband.” “I missed you, too, my Taseem.” They kissed again and again and again. “Taseem?” I said. Vernon looked at me. I don’t understand. For once I didn’t feel like the one who was the odd man out. After they had shared their touch, a touch that had been absent for so long, and Jankin’s face had been stained with as many tears as he was going to shed at this point in time, she came over to us holding her husband’s hand. We all sat at a table and more fruits and drinks were placed before me. “I know what you’re all thinking,” she said. She gestured for us all to eat. “Drake…Vernon… Jankin, please understand, we—the resistance, have been planning a long time, too. Only now you can see the fruits of our labour and only now can we truly begin the upset to the balance of power within the Auroran empire that threatens the rest of the galaxy.” “Resistance to the Auroran military, not her people, I presume?” I said, somewhat interrupting her. “And the Cult of Starfall.” Yes. Them, Vernon spat. She shifted her weight in her chair. Jankin looked at her as if it were the first day he had fallen in love. I was happy for him. Seemed his wife had been busy while he was married to me. “My son—our son,” she patted Jankin’s other hand, looking lovingly into his eyes as she did so, “he was taken from us eight years ago and I was forced to live on Aurora with him, never to see him, only to know that I had also lost my husband. My silence was the price of both their lives. One 151

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day, a couple of years after that incident on the Auroran moon, I was approached by Pragor, an Auroran who had built the resistance in secret, one weapon at a time and day by day with his wisdom and compassion. He is no longer with us, but part of his promise to free me was that I take his place as a leader of the resistance he created. He loved me with all his heart.” Jankin looked hurt when she spoke those words, but his face relaxed as soon as she pecked him on his cheek, and added, “Never fear, my husband, we all had to make sacrifices to ensure the safety of our family. I only ever thought of you as I’m sure you only thought of me.” I felt dirty. I had been with Jankin many, many times, expecting him to act like a man who loved me, all the while his wife was doing the same thing for the same reason. They had both given so much of themselves in the hope that one day they would be together again. That day had come. No, I didn’t feel dirty at all. I felt…I felt as though I had done my part to protect them. Yes, that was it. I had protected Jankin by not raising any concern, letting him do as he was instructed without fuss. I became filled with pride. I coughed into my hand. “So what’s the resistance doing here near the Auroran supply ship hide out?” She leaned forward and touched a button on the table. A vision bubble came up and on it I could see the supply ship, the planet we were on and the Proxima sun and everything else around it. We were getting a bird’s eye view of the system as we flew out of it. She pointed toward the sixth planet. “Watch.” As I watched, a rather surreal experience, both passive and disjointed, not like looking at a vision bubble on a bridge at all which is all smooth and immersive, Vernon bought his arm around me. I touched him, letting him know I appreciated his support right now. Behind the sixth planet of the system, an armada of fighters, frigates and various other 152

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ships came out of orbit from the dark side of the planet. Are those resistance ships? “Yes,” she replied slowly, obviously relishing what was now playing out in front of our eyes. “This has been months in the planning. Your arrival here was perfect, distracting the scouts long enough for us to get a clear gate into this system without detection.” One by one the ships of the resistance plunged themselves into the supply ship. None of them used any weapons. None of them even attempted any evasive manoeuvres. They just flew right into the Auroran vessel, destroying themselves and damaging the ship at the same time. Specks of light, the death of the pilots and all within the attacking ships, covered the supply ship’s massive organic frame. I could see fluid bubbling into space from many of the hits. The ship was bleeding. My mouth was agape again. “Isn’t there another way…other than suicide?” I said without thinking. She looked away, I would have sworn a tear fell onto her cheek. “It’s the only way. Supply ships are massive as you can see. Our weapons fire does nothing against their shields and we don’t have the arsenal of the military at our disposal. Suicide is our only attack, the only way to damage them in any effective way. Trust me, I personally feel every death, our numbers are precious…but what choice do we have?” “You’re terrorists?” I was still stunned as I watched the supply ship veer off course and begin its slow decent to the planet below. More and more resistance fighters continued to bombard it, the ship’s own defences proving useless against such an attack. The shell of the vessel was now a mass of twisted and broken flesh, debris floated all around it as it began to burn up in the atmosphere. Smoke and fire soon consumed it as it disappeared from view, crashing into the planet below. 153

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She looked directly at me. Her eyes filled with sadness. “And how would you accomplish this task? Within the week the pieces for the Auroran invasion of Earth would have been set. Tell me, oh great Drake Glauco, how you would have done it?” I couldn’t answer her. Perhaps she was right. Perhaps there weren’t any people on board that supply ship and destroying it bought us some time. I was uneasy again. Jankin, too, looked shocked. Was his wife the woman he thought he knew or had they both changed too much to be recognisable to each other? He slipped his hand out of hers. “Where’s Ranjay?” “I…don’t…know,” was her emotion filled reply. Her voice cracked and she soon began to cry, her shoulder heaving. Jankin held her again, smoothing her with his touch. Once more they were in each other’s arms. Nope, they were still the same in each other’s eyes. They both had their son to worry about. Anyone could see that. Don’t judge these people too harshly, Drake my love. Many have done much worse to protect those they love and hold dear. Wait until you see the reaction of my people once they learn of the ones who killed off a vital part of my race. Remember, the nourishers are no more. The ones who did it are worse than the actions of the resistance in my view. At least the resistance have shown themselves so those who died by their hand got to see their enemy. What chance did our nourishers have? I went to him. He was right. These people, the Auroran resistance, had sacrificed themselves to protect humanity, Priaxia and anyone else the Auroran military and the Cult of Starfall had in their sights. Who was I to judge them? On the screen I could see many hundreds of mother ships gate into the system, obviously they had been alerted to the events that had transpired. Taseem must have let Jankin go, for she had turned off the vision bubble and pressed another 154

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button. “We need to get to Priaxia as soon as possible. The Auroran retaliation for this attack will be swift and deadly, I just know it. Any ally will be most valuable right now.” “Yes, my lady,” a voice boomed over the intercom. “We shall leave immediately before any more mother ships enter the system and hinder our escape.” She turned to look me directly in the eye, switching off the intercom. “Drake, I think it will soon be time for you to shine. The resistance will need your services. Only you can rally the people of Priaxia and Earth together as one to stave off any Auroran advances. You have built the framework of the treaty that binds us, now we must unite to keep it there, stop the Auroran’s from becoming the power they crave.” I nodded. “I’m sorry I judged you, Taseem. I want to thank you for paying for my passage to Priaxia. It has changed my life…for the better.” I hugged Vernon and he picked me up and cradled me in his strong arms. He began to coo and smother me with his affection, rubbing his head along mine and groping at my body. I knew it was time for an extraction. He always got frisky when his hatchlings got hungry. Jesus, I loved him. She smiled. “I know you have been looking after Jankin. I couldn’t have asked for more from you without putting your own life at risk. Please, that concludes our meeting for now. I think Jankin and I have a lot to catch up on.” She kissed him on the top of his head. “It’s a good thing you’re naked already, isn’t it, my husband?” Jankin smiled boyishly as he stood up. I could see how much he wanted her. Men can’t hide their arousal. Clothes do hinder access, Vernon said with a giggle. She ran a finger down the bridge of her husband’s nose, then over his lips, teasing him. “I agree. Why waste time?” Where can Drake and I have some privacy, Taseem? We would like to be alone for what we need to do. 155

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“My guards will show you to your quarters. You will find the room most pleasant, meeting all of your requirements, I’m sure.” Excellent. Jankin embraced his wife. “I so want you, my darling, but I fear the resistance is no longer a secret and has lost some of its potency as a result.” “You are right, everything will happen quickly from this moment on.” She grabbed his buttocks and he let out a delighted groan. If we didn’t leave them quick smart they’d fuck each other right in front of us, I’m sure. “At least we got to cast the first stone,” she added before they kissed. I scratched Vernon under his chin, letting him know I was ready, too. “It’s the next stone I’m worried about.” Me, too.

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The Double Yellow Suns of Priax

A

fter Vernon and I had joined for the extraction, and again I became immersed in the beauty of not only him, but the Annaz VI experience, we decided to take a walk together. I was planted comfortably on his back while he scurried with the inquisitiveness of a child throughout the ship. His leg had healed. That Auroran jelly sure was marvellous stuff. It’s not every day when you get a chance to see inside an Auroran ship, now is it? It’s fascinating. “Well, not without running for your life, anyway.” He giggled. Yes. That’s true. Say, they use an organic network similar to Priaxian technology to power the ship. I wonder where the heart is? He was examining a vein-like thing that ran the length of the wall. I’m glad he got excited by such things. To me it looked like any other organic ship I had been on recently. A guard came up to us, saluting. “We have made it out of the Proxima system without incident and are now taking the Priaxian gateway into your system, sirs.” I didn’t know how to reply to him. Was I supposed to answer him or was he just passing on a message? I offered a casual salute. “Thanks. I think.” The guard smiled. “I am Wilang, and it is my duty to protect you with my life. Please, follow me to the bridge, that is where the others are waiting for you.” “The bridge?” Jesus, was Jankin finished with his wife 157

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already? I would have thought he would have fucked her for hours, catching up on missed time. Then again, after all those years I understood that quality sometimes took a back seat. I bet he blew his load within a couple of seconds of her getting her knickers off. Not that any of this way my business. Let’s say it was hard for me to let him go, especially as he’d been mine for so long. Ooh, the bridge. I want to see that. Take us there. I laughed. At least Vernon saw some merit in having an Auroran escort. I wasn’t so sure. Were Aurorans even allowed on Priaxia? The bridge was spectacular, a massive space filled with many Aurorans all doing their thing at their stations. The vision bubble above and all around us showed that we were indeed performing a gateway travel, its light unmistakable. Taseem came over to us as soon as she saw us. She was in a different dress, one no less beautiful than what she wore before. I noticed Jankin had some clothes, too. Shorts and a T-shirt. I preferred him naked. I preferred being naked. “We shall be in your system within a matter of moments, Vernon.” Sure enough, as I looked up, the vision bubble changed from gateway light to heaven’s light, without pause and as seamless as I had ever witnessed it. When Vernon flew the Flying Leaf, he would usually have to wait until he was clear of the gateway before he could engage any other engine. Not so for the Aurorans. Then again, there were a lot more pilots on this bridge, so some level of expertise should be expected. Vernon was only one being after all. As I watched the heaven’s light, lost in my own thoughts for the longest time, normal space came into view before I realised. The double yellow suns of Priax hung before me like two beautiful glowing orbs. I had come to know Priaxia as my home, even though I only spent a short amount of time 158

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on it. Vernon sure converted me. I was glad for it, too. He plucked me off his back, moving me so that I stood underneath him, sheltered by his beautiful body. It’s good to be home, he said reinforcing my feelings. A light flashed on one of the stations. “My lady, we are being contacted by the Priaxian authorities,” the Auroran at that station bellowed. “Let’s hear it,” she said. “Auroran vessel, please state the nature of your intent. Your appearance in our space could be considered a threat and will be treated as such. Again, I repeat, please state the nature of your intent.” Taseem sighed and winked at me. “I knew this would happen. Priaxians get so jittery.” Before she could answer the Priaxian controller, another light ignited on a work stations panel, this one about three down from the previous one. “My lady,” the station worker cried out, “about fifty Auroran mother ships have just gated into the Priaxian system…they must have followed us…they’re behind us and closing in fast.” The smile was wiped from her face. “What?” she questioned, rushing to the station and pushing the Auroran aside. I could see the precise moment when she realised he was telling it how it was, her face drained of blood and the look of shock so clear no other words needed to be spoken. Looks like the next stone has been thrown. I stepped back instinctively, falling into Vernon’s shadow. On the vision bubble I could see hundreds of Priaxian ships come around from one of their moons like a great swarm. Many of them, in fact the vast majority, looked like the Flying Leaf, only armoured and a little sleeker in design. The rest of the Priaxian vessels, I assumed they were the frigates or heavy fighters, were a more beefed up version of the fighters, their armament unashamedly evident. 159

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“This is your last warning, Auroran fleet. State your intent or prepare for retaliation.” Taseem ran back to the first station and stabbed at one of the buttons. “You don’t understand, we—I mean this shuttle and its two escorts are friendly, we have humans and a Priaxian aboard. We mean you no harm. The other ships are chasing us. Please, I implore you, do not open fire upon us. We mean you no harm and seek sanctuary on your world. We are the Auroran resistance. We need your help.” A sudden pang of panic rose up to consume me once more. I knew I had a terrible feeling the moment I stepped onto this ship. Why didn’t I listen to my instincts more? Vernon must have been feeling the same, he came down and embraced me tighter, his legs wrapped around my body. An intense light flared up on the vision bubble. A klaxon sounded, one more military and authoritative compared with the Flying Leaf’s gentle buzz, but the sound was unmistakable all the same. We were in trouble. One of the fighter escorts had been blown to smithereens, from where I couldn’t say. I only saw the result. Lots of floating debris all around us. Taseem screamed, “We are not firing upon you, please desist immediately. We have come for sanctuary, do you not have any compassion? We mean you no harm…” She went on and on like that, but her words must have fallen on deaf ears. All around us the Priaxian fighters and the Auroran mother ships began exchanging volleys of weapons fire. We were caught in the middle. Vulnerable and oh, so very much defenceless. I hadn’t noticed any weapons station here on the bridge. I supposed that’s why there was that fighter escort, to defend the shuttle in times of crisis. I think this qualified as a crisis. Another blast filled the vision bubble for a split second. I 160

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stand corrected. There were no fighter escorts now. Both had been destroyed. Jankin went to his wife. She continued to do whatever it was she was doing. I think she was attempting to re-contact the Priaxian controller. Once the first shot had been fired the communication line went dead. Do you want to stay here, Drake my love, or would you rather go back to our quarters and share our final moments in peace? Vernon picked me up, bringing me closer to his thorax, cuddling me as a child would its favourite teddy bear. I patted him reassuringly on his underside. “I think we’d better stay here. Jankin and Taseem would worry where we are otherwise,” I lied. Why would they care where we were? I think Taseem was a little bit preoccupied, and Jankin, well he looked about as useful as an Auroran guard without his stinger. He stood there next to his wife, trying to be as supportive as he could as all hell broke lose all around us. Many, many ships were blasted into oblivion as the Auroran mother ships closed in on our position. Their firepower simply—and there was no other word I could use to describe such a thing, but it was simply awesome. One weapon they used was a great ray that shot out from a central turret and obliterated anything in its path, including their own mother ships. They also had many other turrets along their hulls, but nothing seemed to be as effective as the central one. I witnessed the first battle of a war that was pretty much a foregone conclusion. As I watched, the shuttle took a couple of hits, thankfully from minor weapons fire. The pilots spent all of their time trying to evade anything serious. Taseem continued to plead with the Priaxians for sanctuary. If you’d ask me, I’d say the Priaxians had more pressing matters to deal with, namely fifty or so Auroran mother ships which so happened to enter their system right 161

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after we showed up. I’d be pissed if it were proven that they were after us all along and we had led them here. Not a good way to make friends. You know, Drake, I think we are being protected. Look at the pattern of our attack. I looked. At first I couldn’t see anything, then as I studied the deadly dance playing out before me, what he said was true. The Priaxians were defending us. I also noticed the simple fact we were getting our arses kicked. The Auroran mother ships were too powerful, too big and above all, out-numbered us gun for gun. The Priaxian ships were agile and fast, but all in all, sheer brute force seemed to win out. Only ten mother ships looked as though they had been injured in any way. Five had been put out of commission. Not bad, but then again, not good either considering the Priaxian fleet was being decimated, sometimes ten or twenty fighters at a time with a single blast from the Auroran central turrets. The Priaxian fleet had been reduced to less than half in no time flat. A voice crackled over the intercom, a more desperate voice than the one before, “Auroran resistance shuttle, please take evasive manoeuvres so you are clear of the battle zone immediately. I repeat, please do the best you can to get clear. You have thirty seconds before we engage operation sting back.” “What does operation sting back mean?” Taseem said as she went over to the navigation station and tried to help the pilot there do as the Priaxian controller had instructed. Her face reflected her frustration. We swerved, and for a moment I became disorientated as the vision bubble became a blur of light and dark. When we steadied and my eyes adjusted to what was shown on the screen, there was a massive—and I mean even bigger than the Auroran supply ship here—vessel gate into the system 162

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right in the middle of the battle. The ship immediately began taking weapons hits, most from the Aurorans, because as I examined it, I realised it was Priaxian. It was leaf-like, as were all Priaxian ships, but this one was so much more and mother fucking ugly, like a disease ridden clump of leaves, bulky and as bad arse as you could ever want to see. Vernon cooed. He was excited about something. Our wave ship is here. I’ve never seen one in real life. What a thrill. If he weren’t holding onto me, I’d swear he would have started jumping up and down right about now. “What’s a wave ship?” I asked, again being bloody obvious. Watch, was all he said in reply. A common phrase lately. Taseem, Jankin and everyone else on the bridge looked on as the wave ship began to glow as it absorbed hit after hit without being damaged. It was eerie, looking more like a hot lump of coal than anything that would resemble a weapon—if indeed that’s what it was. The Aurorans concentrated their fire upon it, one hit after another continued to strike, but for what I could see this ship was designed for something completely different. It didn’t have any turrets for a start. So what did it do? Every strike upon it seemed to be absorbed and the glow intensified. Or was that because the ship was simply powering up for something. But what? I didn’t have to wait long. I noticed all the Priaxian fighters had left the battle zone, too, joining us at what I hoped was a safe distance. I got the feeling that whatever was going to happen, we needed to be as far away as possible. As the mother ships surrounded the Priaxian behemoth, the glow of light radiated out from it like a ripple from a pebble thrown into a pond of water. As soon as that wave struck an Auroran vessel it dimmed, 163

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no longer able to move or retaliate, the wave like an electro-magnetic pulse but thousands of times more powerful, charged with ions and energy and able to easily pierce the hulls of the living ships of the Aurorans. “What is it?” Jankin uttered. Vernon unwrapped me, putting me gently onto my feet. It is an energy converter. Whatever is thrown at it is repelled back once a certain saturation point has been reached. A beautiful sight if I have ever seen one. “I’ve never heard of such a weapon,” Taseem said, now holding onto her husband, relief in her eyes. “But to see it was amazing.” It’s a prototype. Something we’ve been working on for a long time. I’m so glad it worked. Those Aurorans didn’t know what hit them. “Well, not entirely, one-hundred percent effective.” I noticed about half a dozen Auroran mother ships retreat back to the gateway. The rest of the ships hung dead in space. The fighters came around us to finish them off, now an easy task. The view became ablaze with Priaxian victory as the mother ships were destroyed. The wave ship had disappeared, too. Where did it go? “We owe Priaxia our lives, Vernon,” Jankin said. “How can anyone defeat such a weapon?” As I said, it reflects energy thrust upon it. Earth weapons, ones that use projectiles, would most certainly be able to destroy it. But you didn’t hear that from me…and I will deny anything, of course. He ruffled my hair. Seems kicking Auroran butt got him in a good mood. I wonder if he was open to a dry extraction later, once we were home, of course. “Knowing the Aurorans as I do, I don’t think this will deter them for long. A small victory, yes, but the war rages on. Priaxia cannot be everywhere at once,” Taseem said. 164

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I realised the weight of her words. Aurora wanted the galaxy. How many wave ships were there? I bet nowhere near enough. “Auroran resistance shuttle, you are clear for landing at the Priaxia south colony main terminal. Please follow all instructions given to you by your appointed escorts,” the controller said, sounding a hell of a lot friendlier than he did in his last communication. “Of course. Your instructions will be followed to the letter.” Taseem said, giving her pilots a nod. Two of the fighters broke off from their group and flanked the shuttle. We headed toward the planet. Come, Drake, we need to get ready for an audience with our queen. I shall bathe you, rub minerals and scents into your skin and you can do the same to me. “I like the sound of that.”

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An Alliance of Spiders and Mammals

I

was so much better after Vernon had bathed me—well, okay, we got dirtier first by enjoying another dry extraction before he actually did bath me. Although, I had to stop using the term dry extraction and learn to call it what Vernon had described it as, a bonding. Yes, we enjoyed another bonding. Before I knew it we were in the queen’s tower. Jankin, hand in hand with Taseem, were the first to address her after the formalities were dispensed with, mainly consisting of her caressing Vernon and thanking me for making sure he got back home in one piece. It was almost embarrassing. Okay, I loved it, and I sure appreciated the welcome feeling I got as soon as I stepped foot onto Priaxia. A lot better than the welcome I got when I went to Earth, that’s for sure. “Tell me, human Jankin, I hear you have some news we all need to hear.” Yep, that was the queen I knew. Not beating around the bush at all, getting straight down to business. Jankin cleared his throat, his nervousness radiating out so even I could feel it from where I was standing. “I have discovered that it is the Aurorans who are the ones responsible for the genocide of the nourishers.” He turned around to look at me, and I nodded at him, hopefully spurring him on. I know standing in front of a Priaxian queen would have melted even the most hardiest person’s resolve, even I had forgotten how imposing she was. 166

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She came off her silk bed, moving closer to Jankin. “Please, go on. I would be most interested to hear what an insider to the Auroran empire has to say.” Again he cleared his throat. “Your Majesty, I know for a fact they have used their jelly to kill the nourishers. It has been genetically modified to bring about infertility and act as a poison when combined with certain other chemicals.” I wasn’t as stunned at this news as I thought I would be. I recollected the tray Vernon bought in for me when we had first experienced an extraction back in his nest. It was filled with fruits and water and of course, a small bowl of yellow Auroran jelly. I didn’t know what it was at first, considering I had never seen it, but after Agnon had used some to heal us, the association became clear. “What kind of chemicals?” the queen blurted, coming down to meet Jankin face to face, her mandibles opening. Jankin replied, “The chemicals of certain exotic fruits…I—I don’t know the exact chemical combination, but everything else I have said is the truth, Your Majesty.” Like the fruits found on the welcome dish for all new nourishers, the jelly given to those chosen as a special treat, a thank you for serving our future generation. Vernon said. I’m sure glad I didn’t eat the jelly. Being infertile didn’t mean much to me, it was the poison part I was more concerned about. Actually, the Auroran plan to wipe out the nourishers was a clever one, the poison would get rid of the nourisher over time and when he was released back into the forest he couldn’t father any children. No wonder they had been wiped out within a decade. The queen’s brow creased. “It seems the Auroran’s have made their intentions very clear now, and this added information will only make my decision that much easier.” Taseem stepped forward, “If you plan to take military action against them, then let it be known that the Auroran 167

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resistance will fight by your side, if that is what you decide, Your Majesty.” “As generous as your offer is, lady of the resistance, I have other concerns, more pressing matters to deal with at this present moment. The legacy of the Auroran poisoning of our nourishers is of utmost priority, and one that needs to be addressed if we are to survive, war or not.” I think I knew what she was concerned about. Sure, saying you’ll go to war was a black and white question, the consequences of that decision might not be as cut and dry. “I have a question, my Queen,” I said, stepping out from my usual place underneath Vernon. “You do not need to ask, Nourisher Drake. Your voice is always welcome here in my chamber.” “Thank you. Um, how many hatchlings are produced with each egg?” I was trying to do the math in my head, something wasn’t adding up. If the nourishers took ten years to become wiped out, surely the population of Priaxians would be stable for a little longer, at least until they could come up with a medical solution to their problem. I know they were advanced in that field, the healing paste evident of that. “Two. A male and a female. A pair bond if you will.” “Ah, I see.” Well, that helped clarify it. They had a slow birth rate. “Okay, how long is a season? I mean, how long before a new egg can be laid and two more hatchlings can join the population?” What is your concern, my love? “Well, I was just trying to figure out the difference humans can make, considering the incubation period has been extended because—well, you know, we’re not as potent as the native nourishers of this world. All I’m saying is that it may be too little too late now I know of your birth rate.” She rose up to full height. “You see things clearly, 168

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Nourisher Drake. The news of this Auroran treachery is indeed sad, but really, without help, how can we mount any sort of attack to defend this world? Our resources in that regard are low, replenishment of your people not what it used to be. A native nourisher, a male in his prime could bring an egg to maturity within six months—humans, as best we can calculate, can take up to four years to achieve the same goal.” I felt inadequate again and Vernon patted me tenderly on my head. I thought I was doing okay, climaxing twice a day so far for not only the cause but for the love I had for Vernon. A record for me. This time Taseem chimed in, “But you can use the resources of the Auroran resistance. We may not have much, but what we have can be yours. We must act soon, I fear the Auroran response will be swift and deadly. We need to be allies.” The queen turned away, looking out at the view beyond her balcony. “Then we are already defeated.” Her voice became broken and for the longest time she paused. Finally, she added, “It’s not technology or weapons or ships we need. We need nourishers. Medical science cannot undo thousands of millennia of evolution. An incubator has been designed to link into the mind and body of his nourisher, become a part of him as he becomes a part of the incubator. Without that link the incubator’s body will not accept the nourishment and the egg will starve. Do you not understand that? Our medicine is not so advanced it can control the emotions of two entirely different species. Symbiosis is a complex matter and not to be trifled with.” I understood. I was emotionally involved with Vernon, as he was me. I could see how such a thing as emotional attachment was necessary, being confronted with a Priaxian wanting to feed his young wouldn’t exactly be a turn on. In 169

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fact, when I first experienced extraction I was scared out of my mind until we touched each other mentally and I could hear his song within me. “Then Earth will help you, too, my Queen,” I said without even thinking about what the words meant to me. I blurted them out. She smiled. “Only you could offer such a thing, I know that. You have done so much for your people, and from what I hear the Aurorans have gone to a great deal of trouble to make sure you disappeared. I’m glad they failed.” I smiled, too. “You knew I was going to offer my services, didn’t you?” “Yes.” She went back to her silken bed. “I would accept an Earth alliance with military aid from the Auroran resistance. After all, from what I witnessed of the battle above our home world, we are the only ones who can defeat the Auroran military.” “I’m sure they’ve got a lot more surprises up their sleeve,” Jankin said. “They are resourceful.” The queen nodded. “And we are determined once we decide to act.” I shuddered at the thought of an army of Priaxian soldiers, all determined to carry out their queen’s orders. “That ship, what did you call it—a wave ship? Now that was something, my Queen. I’m sure Earth could use one of those babies in their system to help defend them…something to sweeten our alliance.” “I am glad it impressed you, but I am sure Vernon made you aware it’s a prototype. The ship suffered greatly in that little demonstration, its systems became corrupted and the reflection turbines seized only seconds after it displaced the energy it held onto from the Auroran mother ships. It’s safe to say, it only managed to gate out of there in the nick of time.” 170

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Damn it. That wasn’t good to hear. I had a feeling this was going to be a long, bloody war. “I’m sorry to hear that. Thankfully the Aurorans don’t know of this, they would have only experienced the result of what it did do—quite devastating for sure from their standpoint.” She nodded slowly. “You are suggesting we have bought some time?” I was beside her created throne. “Enough time for Vernon and I to get back to Earth and make sure the alliance between us is ratified, of course.” “So you—or more precisely, Earth, will agree to provide the human resources we need to nourish the future of our society in exchange for military protection? Each and every queen on every colony able to return to full egg laying capacity? Is that what you’re saying?” “That’s about the sum of it,” I replied. I also had a feeling my influence would be tested to the limit, I think I needed to contact Kosco and Main, my partners who helped draw up the Borders of Worlds treaty. I was going to need all the help I could get. “Agreed,” she bellowed with joy. Jankin came up to me. “I know this may not be important at the moment, Drake, but you did promise me you’d help me—us, find Ranjay.” Jankin reached out to touch his wife. I had totally forgotten about that. I looked him in the eye, then turned to address my queen once more. “I have one final request. I wish to use whatever resources you can spare to help me locate my husb—my brother’s son.” The queen sat back in her bed. “I will give you an accompaniment of soldiers to protect you and a new ship to get you to wherever it is you need to go. This ship will be armed this time. You can draw up the details of our alliance and locate this son, too, all without hindering the nourishment you will provide for the egg Vernon carries.” 171

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I bowed to her. That seemed fair. Jankin nodded his approval. Before I could thank the queen for being so accommodating, Vernon came over me. He picked me up and placed me onto his back. Before we do anything, Drake my love, I want you to spend a night with me here in my nest. Tomorrow we can begin our new adventure. “I thought you’d never ask. I can’t wait to snuggle into that silken bed and dream share with you.” Vernon laughed, and said, I’m sure you’ll get me into more trouble, when we leave tomorrow. “Would you have it any other way, my lover?” No. Vernon and I left the queen’s chamber with her permission and blessing. Outside the double suns of Priaxia were setting, the sky reminiscent of Annaz VI, a brilliant orange. Pity there were no starfish raining down on us, I kind of missed them. I held tightly onto him, his soft beautiful hair clumped in my hands, as he jumped off the balcony and glided toward one of the strands of silk that held up the many nests before us, spinning his own thread as he did so. We had left Taseem and Jankin to their own thing, quarters had been provided for them. But I didn’t think about them, not at all. I didn’t even think of what tomorrow would bring. Tonight is was about Vernon and me. Tonight my only worry would be making sure we were completely and utterly involved with each other and nothing else. Tomorrow would be a new challenge.

To be continued in The Soldier the Borders of Worlds Saga Part Two

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About the Author I’m Mark and I live in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. By day I am a public servant, but by night, when I get in front of my computer, I can be anyone. I let my imagination go. I can go anywhere, from the farthest reaches of space, to the dilapidated house at the end of the street, and anywhere in between. I write about people from all walks of life, from teenagers finding out what’s it’s like to be an adult or to adults that discover what it’s like to become a child once more. Characters move my stories just as much as they move me.