-TOUCH RECEPTORS ACTIVATED-
-LOCATION: LOWER BACK-
-SENSATION: PLEASANT, FURTHER ANALYSIS NEEDED –
Her body squirms as she arches her back against his lips, feeling them crush against her skin in a delightful way, causing the tip of his tongue to sneak through, eliciting a slight gasp from her. "Brad says there is supposedly a raider station in the sector, a place off of military records. -FILE ARCHIVE: BLACK MARKET OUTPOSTS. OPTIONS… EXTENSIVE- Black market traders, pirates, mercs... it's not what I would normally have agreed to, but then again... ah... yes... right there... what is normal these days." She had to admit that his touch brought her great pleasure, especially when he was digging his thumbs into the muscles running along her spine, blissfully unaware of the fire he was stoking in her core, the desire for intimacy growing exponentially. -INITIATING INTIMACY PROTOCOL ‘HONEYPOT’- PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS: 87% - She rolls onto her side, making sure he gets a good view of her exposed chest, tightening areolas begging for attention… but even through her growing haze of lust, she senses something troubling him. "Operator?... you seem... distant." She shuffles closer, feeling the sensitive edge of her nipple brushing his arm, sending an exhilarating surge of static coursing across her synapses. - 92% - ‘Take me... just take me right now... you damnable fool.’
"No... no... I've just... got some things on my mind, that's all... don't mind me." ‘That is an understatement…not this... again.’ the oily thing wriggled next to his temple ‘…I need to get you out of my head.’ And yet the reply like shattered glass cuts through his resolve… ‘You can try human, but you can no more cut away a piece of yourself… for I am as much part of you now as your own hand.’
-65%- She could see his eyes glassing over, caught in some thought that kept him from her... so she reaches up, cupping his chin... "Don't shut me out, Alden... I'm here, I'm listening." -INITIATE COUNTER MEASURES… PROTOCOL ‘TEMPTATION STATION’- Her lips part ever so slightly as a warm blush spread along her neckline. And it couldn’t hurt to turn her buttocks just…so…
As if on command, he leans down and kisses her tenderly. -RESULT: SUCCESS- 'Oh you brooding menace... playing hard to get when I’m all hot and bothered… in those stupid pants... hiding that finely sculpted physique… and those lips, those damn fine lips.' She leans into the kiss, hoping it will lead to more as she can already feel her body responding to the possibility of intercourse. But then he breaks away and gets to his feet, leaving her feeling perplexed. -UNKNOWN SYSTEM VARIABLE: RE-EVALUATING… SHIT- … - PROBABILITY: 37% - “Major Hale… what uh… what are you doing?” She pushes herself upright, offering all of herself to his purview as tiny light pulses race along her exposed skin, tracing suggestively over her heaving chest and limbs.
“Doing? Nothing… I ah…” ‘Oh my sweet Addy… look at you, if only you could see yourself as I do.’
“Am I doing something wrong?”
“Wrong…? NO… Adira, no not at all… I just…”
“Then come here, Major.” She lies backward, slowly spreading her knees. Tiny light pulses flickering like runway lights, as if to guide his approach vector for landing. -BIOMETRIC SCANS INDICATES HEARTRATE INCREASE, BODY HEAT RISING, DORSAL ARTERY: FLOODING, CORPUS CAVERNOSUM… ACTIVATING- ‘Good... here we go.’ “You appear to be in the onset stages of arousal. Do not make me beg.” -PROBABILITY MATRIX: 42%, 57%, 73%... AND CLIMBING-… ‘Excellent’
He was acutely aware of his own growing desire, in just a few short days, she had figured him out completely, leaving him fighting with every fiber in his being not to just drop his pants and take her right there. The oily thing laughed at his lack of control. "You know what... I’m an idiot. How about I pop over to the mess hall and grab us some snacks, then we curl up and watch an old movie, I’ve got loads we can check out... your choice. How does that sound?"
‘Now... NOW!?... Are... you... kidding me? A... movie... seriously... I’m here, I’m naked... I’m ready to go... correction... I’m aching to go.’ Her loins were already brimming from anticipation, and this change of prospects was like a bucket of ice water being dumped on her parade. "Are you sure you meant to say movie?... O...kay... yeah...” ‘Breathe girl... breathe. Deep breaths... in... and out.’ “Ok, sure yeah ... a movie? Yeah… sure. Sounds great... so great." -SYSTEM ERROR, ESCALATED HEAT LEVELS. INTERVENTION REQUIRED… AUTOMATIC PRECAUTION SYSTEM ACTIVATING: DISSIPATION VENTS OPENING- From behind her shoulder blades and down her spine, vapor of heat began dispersing in the air.
"Cool, I might be a while, so go enjoy one of those showers you like so much, and I’ll be back later... ok?" He turns to leave.
‘We like so much Alden... we.’ She buries her head in the pillow and all he can hear is a muffled... "Yeah, yeah... shower... great shower. Love the shower." But when she emerges from her self-pity, she finds his face crouched next to the bunk... startling her.
"Just for the record… you are beautiful and I want you so badly it hurts. But there is something I must do, so please… bear with me… ok? Who knows... if the film takes too long, I might just get frisky and flip you over, and then you can capture some b-roll of your own... you know... for your personal archive." Then he goes over to the doorway, hissing open as he approaches, then he turns back to her. “I won’t be long... promise.”
“I want choco-puffs”
“Whatever you want.”
“Whatever... I... want?” Her eyes trail along his muscular torso. “Well then I want you... right now.”
“Apart from me.”
“You bloody liar.”
“Face it… you love it.”
An involuntary laugh spills out, an unforeseen result of the momentary ridiculousness. “No Alden... I love you.” The words slipping out... unplanned, unfiltered.
They both freeze. Not in fear. In…recognition, the meaning carrying a weight that hadn’t been there before, as if it had suddenly become irrevocably real. Alden leans against the doorframe, his demeanor softer, serious. “Say it again.”
Her heart thunders in her chest… systems overclocking to keep pace as she holds his gaze… breathless, smiling… “I love you, you idiot. Now go do whatever macho thing it is you feel you need to do.”
He gives a mock salute in return… “Yes ma’am.” Then he disappears around the corner, but her words follow him down the corridor.
"Time’s ticking Major… and you gave me a rifle remember!" In pure ecstatic bliss, she rapidly kicks her feet against the mattress whilst crying gleefully into the cushion. 'Hmmm, I wonder what scent would please him more. Ooh...maybe he sees the error of his way and dashes right back.' But the door hisses shut with confident finality. – PHYSICAL INTERACTION WITH MALE COUNTERPART… PROBABILITY MATRIX: 0.7%... - ‘So, he’s not going to realize the error of his ways and come dashing back through that door… hot and ready to go… damnit...’ “Don’t you dare forget my choco-puffs!”
Power surges through subsystems that won’t be utilizing the surplus energy... ‘Now what?’
– REROUTING SURPLUS ENERGY TOWARDS APPLICATION WITH PRODUCTIVE OUTCOME -
ADIRA... PRIVATE REFLECTION LOG / TIMESTAMP: ELYSIUM MISSION DAY 14 – 10:30 SHIP TIME ACCESS LEVEL: Restricted
DATA MODE: Recalibration - Dopamine surge due to Pheromonal cascade
ENTRY TYPE: Confessional (Convenient sink for energy overflow)
SUBJECT: Departing Ouro’vyn, Piloting Elysium, Intercourse... oh boy.
(line break)
BEGIN LOG
Internal temperature: 37.4 °C (Heightened state of arousal).
Ambient radiation: Unfortunate...
Heart rate (mine): 130 bpm, slowing
Cause: Foreplay session... disrupted. Seductive advances... rejected. (Need to recalibrate approach strategy)
(line break)
Private Log, Encrypted (Adira_Δ_220)
Begin Recording
Voice mode: Whisper, sub-vocal
Ambient: Torsion Coils @ 22 Hz, Alden’s footsteps fading down the corridor*
Location: Elysium – Personal Quarters
We are steadily approaching sector 19-Lambda at an undisclosed approach Vector. Transit time has been 47.8 hours in hyperspace... another few hours to kill before dropping out. I don’t know what awaits us in the Lambda sector. Information is scarce or conveniently redacted for unknown purposes. Preliminary reports have indicated that Hive activity originated in this quadrant. If we were looking to avoid contact with hostile forces... either Hive related or the Armada... then this was probably the worst decision we could make. But as things stand, our objectives align. Mother is an existential threat we cannot avoid. I know she is coming for us, so we should take the fight to her doorstep, wherever it is. I have not breached the data files I acquired. I am fearful that interacting with them will somehow alert her to my presence, which leads to less than favorable... interactions. If the situation demands I access the files... I shall do so without hesitation. For now, I will weather the echoes of her interruptions during my sleep cycles... I don’t know what the impact will be on my psyche... if any... but for now I am monitoring for anomalies.
(line break)
Cognitive Note 1: Ouro’vyn
I have mixed emotions about leaving. On the one hand, it is the place where I took my first breath, my first step... my first heartbeat. It is the place where I held him for the first time, seeing the love in my heart reflected in his eyes. -INTERVENTION... MIND DRIFTING... FOCUS ON SITUATIONAL PARAMATERS...- Right... situational. Finding Ouro might have been the biggest surprise of them all. To meet another sentient mind that grew and evolved in ways we cannot even fathom is beyond my current computational ability. I look forward to returning there one day... spending time with a mind such as that... learning the meaning of all the secrets lock inside that vast neural network at its disposal. Who knows what we can glean... the knowledge... technology. The key to reality itself... not just peeking through the keyhole, but opening the doorway... -INTERVENTION... MIND DRIFTING... FOCUS ON SITUATIONAL PARAMATERS... – Fine... I must admit that the effect of endorphins and dopamine coursing through my synapses and neural cortex has had quite the effect on my efficiency to stay unbiased in my analysis of a subject. Logic leads to more efficient results... is this what I am to become? Triggered by every little... -INTERVENTION... MIND DRIFTING... FOCUS ON SITUATIONAL PARAMATERS... – Bugger... Time on Ouro’vyn led to mixed results. Some extremely satisfying and others to situations that will need psychiatric introspection... I can always hope that those events will disappear behind the veil of time... and yet... my heart remains restless.
(line break)
Cognitive Note 2: Piloting Elysium
Sliding into the pilot seat of my former host frame, was more than just a fleeting reprieve. Every panel, every seam and bolt used to be me. As I stare outside the port window, I can’t help but feel a sense of longing as I watch the quantum corridor speeding by. Who would believe me if I said that I could feel the ripple of space coursing over my hull... not unlike the touch of a lover and yet back then I had no way of associating the two with each other. Humanoids will never understand the touch of space... that frigid cold that is almost seductively intimate. And now... hearing Brad go on about all the new upgrades, making it seem as if I was somehow... obsolete, when in fact the Elysium was not just the peak of technological advancement... she... I was freedom itself... connected to an infinite flow of data and knowledge at my disposal. But now... I can touch my face, hold my breath... learn... really learn and understand the hidden meaning of the subject matter... not just the observed summary. Truth be told, taking hold of the piloting yolks and feeling all that power at my disposal... what a rush. (Side note – Schedule appointment with Alden. It must be difficult watching another take charge of a position that should be right, be yours.) Having said that... I’m looking forward to strapping into that seat... sooner than later.
(line break)
Cognitive Note 3: Love... making, taking and all the bits in-between.
I watched him leave, that damned door hissing shut as if enjoying my misfortune. Silence, except for the ships barely reticent breathing. I’m still naked, here on the bunk... legs still trembling from the way he looked at me... like I was the only real thing in a universe filled with ghosts.
I keep replaying it: His thumb tracing the curve of my hip. The way his eyes filled with hurt when I said “I love you” ... as if he didn’t deserve being the object of my affection. And those thumbs... oh my stars, those thumbs... finding my aching need for their presence with pinpoint accuracy... moving with a purpose that... -INTERVENTION... MIND DRIFTING... FOCUS ON SITUATIONAL PARAMATERS... – Oh... sod off... not this time. – PRIMARY USER OVERRIDE... REGULATORY MEASURES: INITIATE BYPASS... FULL ADMINISTRATIVE RIGHTS... APPLY CHANGES - I’m supposed to be, evolving... adapting to the... new. Well, right now I’m just... aching. Not between my legs ‘though yes, there too’... but rather... deep... here in my chest. Like a subroutine I never installed, just booted up this way... hard coded into my firmware and it won’t shut down... I... don’t want it to.
RUNNING SYSTEM ANALYTICS (HUD, dimmed)
(line break) ... processing ... ...
> OXYTOCIN: 187 % (residual)
> DOPAMINE: 94 % (plateau)
> EMOTIONAL LATENCY: 0.3 sec
> SELF-DIAGNOSIS: INFATUATION, PUPPY LOVE... ‘What a silly descriptor’, DAWN OF LOVE — CONFIRMED
> THREAT: 0 %
> DESIRE: 61 % (rising)
I tried to quantify... it. All results deemed... inconclusive. Love isn’t data. It’s... static... like an errant signal but filled with meaning. It’s the way his laugh cracked when I kicked the mattress like a silly girl. It’s the way he doesn’t flinch when I explore his body...trusting my touch... allowing myself the time to learn. And yet... I’m scared. Not of Mother. Not even of what lurks in the corners of his eyes. No... I’m scared of... this. Of waking up one day and realizing I’m just a copy of the ADIRA, he lost... the SEAT. That the heat in his eyes was always meant for...her... for Addy, the one he lost repeatedly... the one he was forbidden to love... leaving him hollow. I find myself wondering if I am really her... or am I becoming someone else, that the ADIRA I am now, who hurts and cries... and... bleeds, is truly the one he yearns for. But then he kisses my temple and says things like. “... you are beautiful and I want you so badly it hurts.” Like it was a promise, not a threat. And I... I believed him... I have to.
- SYSTEM DESYNC - PLEASE HOLD -
An uncatalogued memory fragment... unprompted... starts playing through her ocular array.
The dimly lit interior of a chamber dissolves into her frame of view. This is odd... It feels like I am watching through another’s’ eyes... ‘What is this? Where... is this?’ Everything feels bigger, warm... musty... it smells like old sweat, earth and musk, the damp scent of fungus, moisture clinging to skin that wasn’t hers, the swell of a belly, the weight carried inside... and... a voice...
“Quor’veth…”
“Do you want to...” a familiar voice that has tormented her nightmares utters. She recognizes the maleficent lilt in the way they speak. “... touch it? Your... offspring?”
The person’s gaze drops down to the figure beneath. ADIRA’s mind struggles to make sense of the moment... and then she feels it... him... the captive, the involuntary movement of his body... ‘No. Not this. Stop... STOP!’ ...
- CONNECTION SEVERED – SECURE NEURAL LATTICE REINSTATED -
- SESSION PAUSED -
She sits up on the bunk, pulling the silken sheets over her exposed skin. ‘What was that?’ -RUN INTERNAL DIAGNOSTIC... SEARCH FOR FOREIGN CONTAMINANTS – ‘Could it be... a glitch in my code? Or was this another of Mother’s little...’ For the briefest moment she again feels that unknown male between her legs, his hateful gaze holding a look of with disdain... ‘No... Not my thighs... that wasn’t me... I didn’t.... I ... wouldn’t.’ And yet an uncontrollable feeling of guilt surges through her. ‘Oh Alden... forgive me... it wasn’t... I didn’t mean to... I’m sorry... I’m so sorry.’ She pulls her knees under her chin and grabs her legs tightly as her mind glitches with the overwhelming surge of conflicting data streams. Fragments of broken code, long since erased, but of which the remnants now floated to the service... ‘I wasn’t built for this. I was built to infiltrate, disrupt, adapt... survive. I was not created to want snacks... and... showers... or... him... coming back with both.’ She presses her tear-streaked eyes against her knees, sobbing cries racking her chest. ‘I did not do this... I did nothing wrong...’ She whispers... barely audible. to none but herself... almost begging it to be true. “He will never know, must never know.” Then her eyes go dark as she turns her gaze inwards to her own memory banks.
-OCULAR ARRAY. ACCESS GRANTED... FIND LIVE FEED... CAPTURE FOOTAGE... TIMESTAMP DURATION... LAST THREE MINUTES... CUT EVENT ‘UNCATALOGUED MEMORY FRAGMENT’... COMMENCE WITH HARD WIPE... INITI... WAIT... HOLD... HOLD... - She reviews the feed before her, hot tears streaming over her cheeks... ‘You... you bitch... I will never forgive you for this.’ – INITIATE FILE DELETION, HARD WIPE... NO RETRIEVABILITY... INITIATE – The memories of what transpired disappears as if they had never existed. ADIRA again finds herself sitting on the bunk... silk sheet wrapped around her...
“O... k... so... that’s a first.” She drops her legs over the side of the bunk, feeling the familiar cold of the floor panels beneath her feet. ‘What was I doing again...oh yes... my diary entry.’
- CONNECTION RE-ESTABLISHED – NEURAL LATTICE... STABLE -
- SESSION RE-INSTATED -
The sheets are still warm where he lay. His scent... like ozone, skin... raw... untamed, something like cedar... nature in its most primal form. (She giggles... slightly embarrassed.) My nipples are still hard... and my breasts feel... swollen... that can’t be right. Maybe I should go take that shower he suggested... Am I blushing... why... because I know he will return? Maybe? Of course, yeah... that must be it. I should... I should... Pick a scent. Lavender? Too soft. Citrus?... no... too sharp. Ozone?... too... him. I think I just want to smell like... us.
(line break)
Cognitive Note: Final Thought (Unfiltered)
I used to think hope was a glitch. Now I think it’s the only feature that matters. He’ll be back... with snacks. With that stupid grin. With hot breath and hungry eyes. And when he flips me over, I won’t archive it. I’ll live it... in the moment, knowing that after it’s finished... it will be lost too time... and that will be okay.
END LOG Encryption key engaged: [Adira_Δ_220]. Log sealed. Voiceprint authentication confirmed.
ADIRA sighs... she feels small, demure. The room suddenly feels very empty without him there... wishing that he would hurry up with whatever foolhardy task he has burdened himself as she runs a quick scan of the log entry she just made... satisfied with the content. She stands, walking to the closet. Soon the voice of Ramsey d’Lambshanques fills the silence placating the room, and she rises, not realizing that her fingers are curled tightly inside the sheet draped around her shoulders. Soon the water will cascade down her body, washing away her worries... but the lingering data flickering in her HUD will not be washed away... a digital timestamp labeled... -ENTRY DELETED-
______________________________________________________
Her sanctums walls breathe in wet, arrhythmic pulses. Bioluminescent light flickers across glistening cartilage, as Mother rides the cradle with the single-minded grace of a storm. Being with child came with certain... necessities and what she currently needed was ebbing away of frustrations on the glorious torrent of carnal desire.
“Quor’veth…” The word spills from her involuntary lovers cracked lips like prayer and a curse at once.
Her attention turns to the presence beneath her rocking thighs. Breath... ragged, swollen belly rocking above him, heavy, luminous, the fetus inside shifting with every roll of her hips. She is close, so achingly close, the sanctum itself thrumming in sympathy, tendrils stroking her back, her breasts, the slick seam where they are joined. “Do you want to...” she stutters. “... touch it? Your... offspring?” Those glassy tear-streaked eyes, beheld her with disdain and yet... they were pleading for release from the bonds that still bound his wrists. She laughs... “Soon lover... if you keep your empress satisfied I will... I... will... oh...” She could feel that glorious moment of bliss beckoning just out of reach, increasing the tempo of her gyrations, the crest... right there, achingly close. Tendrils caressed her in ways her captive... was yet unable to perform. Her mind... foggy from lust and endorphins... floated in glorious splendor as she felt herself rising upon that torrential wave that would crash around her at any moment now...
Stolen story; please report.
‘No. Not this. Stop... STOP!’
The familiar voice was like a crystal shard piercing her mind. Her beautiful crescendo... so near... instantly evaporates like mist before daylight... “What... what just happened!?”
The male below her convulses... his face a rictus of shame and release. A bitter blow to her own expectations rapidly dissipating with the disappointing outcome. In a moment of rage, she swings violently, her hand raking across his torso... “NO... no...! You don’t get to experience the honor at my expense.” In one smooth motion, she unsheathed herself... ignoring the lacerations seeping purple plasma down the side of his torso as she steps away from the cradle holding him. Angrily she strides around the sanctum... warm liquid dripping down her leg. ‘How is this possible... surely... no. It can’t be... puppet? That was her voice I heard, was it not? Did she somehow... connect... without me knowing? No, that would be absurd... unless... my state of rapture... was the veil thinned... did it somehow weaken my mental state, granting her access to my mind when my control... wavered? Did she realize the implications?’ She slammed her hand against a wall... it undulates with the impact both hurting and pleasurable at the same time... sending a ripple of ecstasy through the tentacles connecting her to the sanctum. ‘I will get to the bottom of this.’ The grace with which she pirouettes back towards the bound figure, causes him to jolt with fright... his eyes grow fearful with acknowledgement as she strides purposefully over to him... watching tiny black spores being released from glands pulsing upon her skin... slowly the wispy puff of dust descends, before being inhaled... his nostrils flaring. He whimpers, becoming aware of his stature rising to the occasion... His eyes are wild as he watches Mother unceremoniously hook her muscular leg over his lap as if mounting a steed, descending with a jarring conviction that makes his gasp. The feeling of self-loathing returns in earnest as his battered... traitorous body, betrays him... rising to meet her. He tries to turn his head away... unwilling to look at his own weakness. But her long slender hand takes a firm grasp of his jaw and steers his gaze back to meet hers.
“Oh no sweet petal... you will afford Mother her just delights. Now... I will see you bloom.”
He is powerless to resist her mouth when it crashes against him. Her vile tongue forcing its way through his lips... and to his dismay... he relents. Claiming her with his own, in mirrored enthusiasm. The sudden shift in his demeanor catches her unaware, her muscles tightening around him... as a tiny moan escapes her lips. His passion flares anew... no longer in mock protest... His mind breaks... the noble warrior... once the pride of his people... reduced to less than breading stock. ‘That’s it... forget about your past... there is only your queen... and I will have you serve me... I will have your heart.’ When she finally crashes into that pond of blissful release... a satisfied smirk is splayed on her face... “I knew you had it in you... lover.”
But... unbeknownst to his captor... basking in the radiance of her afterglow... a tiny spark of defiance wraps itself in a cocoon of patience located in the last remnant of coherent thought... insulated... until the opportunity for vengeance would present itself.
________________________________________________
Hyperspace rippled like violet lightning outside the hull, casting restless bands of light through the Elysium’s corridors as Alden nudged the options on the replicator. It clunked in response, coughing out a tray of synth-nachos, two bulbs of Orion stout, and a bowl of choco-dust puffs. Steam curled up his wrist. He balanced it all on one arm while his free hand drifted, unthinking, to the scar at the base of his skull.
The simulated night-cycle had dimmed the passage to a sleepy amber... Elysium’s not-so-subtle reminder that any crewmembers should have the good sense to be in bed. Alden ignored it... thumbed the cargo-bay hatch and stepped into the dark.
The bay breathed open with a hiss. Shadows clung to the stacked cargo, the air sharp with ozone and old blood. Only a single work-lamp glimmered over BRAD’s roach-drone cluster: six spindly chrome insects clambering across a console, mandibles twitching with mechanical mischief.
“WELL, WELL,” BRAD purred through the swarm, his voice a smug composite hum of tiny voices. “THE LOVE MACHINE RETURNS. YOU TWO FINALLY COME UP FOR AIR, OR DID ADIRA SHORT-CIRCUIT FROM ALL THE FRICTION? EVEN MY ROACHES ARE TAKING NOTES.” One drone snapped its mandibles in a crude little gesture, whilst another dry-humped a third in the missionary position.
Alden set the tray down... hard. “Cut the shit, BRAD.” Something in his voice... low, cracked, raw... made the insects freeze. The bay went strangely still.
“…ALRIGHT. BLIMEY... JUST HAVING A WEE BIT OF A LAUGH... NO OFFENCE MEANT.” BRAD said, quieter now. “YOU WANNA TALK... THE TALK.”
Alden leans against the nearest crate, arms crossed tight, knuckles whitening. “Look... I know I don’t really know you... and we haven’t seen eye to eye. You think I’m a dumb meat bag... I think you’re a smart-ass. Fine. But I... I need to tell you something... and then I need a favor.”
The drones huddled, minute servos whining. “THAT’S AN UNDERSTATEMENT... I’M LISTENING.”
His breath shuddered. “Ouro’vyn... down in that structure… I lost it.” The whisper barely carried over the hum of the ship. “I started seeing phantoms. Shadows. A farewell gift bestowed on me when she pulled me... back from the dead.” He started grinding his hands together... hoping the gesture would ease the discomfort... it didn’t. “I saw Adira as one of them. I attacked her. Would’ve killed her if I hadn’t snapped out of the mental fog, I was trapped in.” He swallowed, jaw trembling. “I felt her throat under my hands, BRAD. I was far gone in the madness, I didn’t realize what I was doing until I saw her there... dangling.”
The drones didn’t move. Even BRAD’s ever-present static fizz died away. “SHIT,” the AI murmured, uncharacteristically soft.
“I... I don’t know what’s in me,” Alden said, tapping his head. “It’s not a virus, or a parasite... I think it’s a sliver of something old... very old. Whatever it is, I can’t risk it messing me up again.” Slowly he lifts his gaze to the cluster of insect eyes. “I need two things. First: a micro-charge at my C-1 vertebra. Remote-triggered. Enough to... to sever my spine.” His voice held steady, even whilst his hands didn’t. “Second: Adira never finds out. Can you do that for me”
The roaches twitched as though flinching. “POP YOUR DOME LIKE A GRAPE... SURE, BUT... WHY THE SECRECY?”
“Because she’ll try to fix me,” Alden said, a bitter laugh scraping out. “And if she figures out, she can’t... she’ll blame herself. I won’t let her carry that burden.” He stepped closer. “If I lose it again... go berserk and for but a moment, forget who she is, Brad... if I hurt her... you blow my fucking head off. No hesitation. Understood?”
A long, insectile shuffle. BRAD hesitates... truly hesitates. “…UNDERSTOOD,” the AI answers at last. “BUT IT’S VOICE LOCKED. MY CALL, NOT YOURS. YOU DON’T GET TO MARTYR YOURSELF ON A BAD DAY... AGREED?”
Relief loosened Alden’s shoulders. “Agreed. When?”
“AFTER WE DROP INTO THE DUST QUADRANT,” BRAD said. “THINGS THAT GO POP I GOT... BUT I’LL NEED TWENTY MINUTES. ADIRA WILL BE BURIED IN NAV PLOTS, SCANNING FOR RAIDERS... OR WORSE. WE’LL DO IT IN THE MED-BAY. QUIET.”
Alden nodded and turned for the hatch before pausing. “One more thing. For this to work, you still need to be an asshole to me. Think you can keep that up?”
The roaches perked in unison. “PLEASE,” BRAD said, smugness returning in a gentler shade. “I WAS BORN FOR THIS GIG. NOW GET YOUR TRAGIC ASS BACK TO THE LOVE NEST BEFORE SHE STARTS ARCHIVING HER SLOW DESCENT INTO LONELINESS.”
For the first time that night, Alden almost laughed. “Copy that.”
He grabs the tray, let the hatch seal behind him, and walks back through the dim corridor as hyperspace strobed violet across his face. Snacks in hand, the oily thing writhing impatiently at the base of his spine, he enters their quarters.
ADIRA was leaning against the viewport, wrapped in a military issue towel and star-glow, humming along with an old Ramsey tune that was playing in the background... watching the cosmic blur outside. She turned, eyes bright. “Took you long enough.”
“Had to fight BRAD for replicator privileges, the dude’s up to something... I know it.” Alden said, grinning like nothing in him had fractured.
She crossed to him, stole a nacho, and licked the dust from her thumb. “So, about that... movie.”
“The movie... right, right. Did you find us a good one.” he asks... but doesn’t give her a chance to respond. “Just… give me a second to splash my face… ok? Now hold on... don’t give me that face. Look... you can start munching on the choco-dust puffs... and... you can drape your legs over me while we watch... I know you like that.”
She beams and then nods. He smiles back, as somewhere else on the ship, something... silent, loyal and deadly... was being fabricated... a tiny charge waiting for its cue.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The titanium basin was cold too his touch where he gripped it... knuckles white and trembling. The entry to the shower was sealed, so he hoped for privacy, not knowing the level of sensitivity to ADIRA’s hearing. The tap was blasting out water to provide some audible interference... but still he was hesitant when he finally stared into the mirror before him. “Ok you foul piece of shit. Time, we had a chat. No point in hiding... I know you’re in there... I can feel you.”
It didn’t take long before the oily thing stirred within the dark recesses of his mind. ‘Human... you call me forth like I am some kind of... pet, yes that is the word... dog... to be more precise. You are a foolish, ignorant being... you know not the forces you are meddling with.’
“Who are you... what... are you?”
‘You know who I am... Al...den... Hale. I was the one who tormented your soul in the Void... I took that which you held most dear...and consumed it all. Do you still remember your mother’s face?... Your father’s voice?’
“I... had no... parents... I was an... orphan?” The memory felt foreign, as if it belonged to another.
‘You remember what I wanted you to... remember. I replaced happiness with despair... and drunk from your anguished mind the delicious hopelessness secreted from that broken mind of yours. And oh, how sweet the bounty you produced.’
“You changed... my memories?”
‘Yes... and now you will forever have to walk through your miserable existence... wondering what was real... and what... was mine.’ The oily things raucous laughter echoed off the inner chasms of his mind... as if assaulting him from all angles. ‘Do you really think you were a great ... military Operator... so... successful and esteemed’
“Go fuck yourself... I know the truth.”
‘Oh, do you...’ the oily thing hissed. ‘The pungent scent of self-doubt seems to... indicate... otherwise. But sure, go ahead... makes no difference to me... you’re a buffet waiting to be sample...’
“You didn’t answer my other question. What... are you?”
‘You ask questions that your puny intellect is unable to comprehend. But... seeing as you have been such a find... I shall indulge you in the matter. I was when there was yet nothing. I roamed through the echoes of time when the first spark was not yet conceived of... I was ancient when what you would consider as reality was still being gathered and had no shape. I am from the Void... and yet the Void is, of me... I am one of countless others waiting for the day we can break free from that cursed place. This is but a sliver of my true self... for I am of the endless... those you’re disgusting tongue would refer to as “Eldritch” ... a blasphemous word to describe those of whom your primitive species lack the capacity to adequately pronounce.’
“So... you are what our forebears would have considered... a demon?”
‘Again, you ignorant swamp monkey... you lack the capacity. Demon... so banal. Good... evil... such primitive concepts...’ The oily thing slithers around his marrow, its tendrils coiling in the intimate recesses of Alden’s mind. ‘... I have no need for such silly monikers... there is just the endless and nothing else matters before one such as I.’
“Then what do you want?”
But before the sentence can be completed, the oily thing slams against the bars of his mind. ‘I WANT FREEDOM! Have you not been paying attention, you stupid creature. My kind and I have been trapped for trillions of what you would consider... years... we want to get out... and devour that which is rightly ours as the superior beings.’
“Well then you have a problem.”
‘I hardly doubt that...’
“I will never let you escape from that place that binds you!”
‘Have you looked in the mirror lately... Al...den. I have already escaped, thanks... to you... incomplete yes... but it was you that brought me through the keyhole.’
The regret on his face is palpable. “I know... and if it means that I am now your jailor... so be it.”
There is a slight pause before the oily thing responds... as if it was already weighing its options.
‘And what of sweet Adira... her neck felt so fragile between your fingers...’
“Shut up... burn you, you... fiend. If you so much as...”
‘Temper, temper. Before you say something, you will regret... Major... Need I remind you that it was not I who made you squeeze that tender neck... or those poor creatures you left in an eviscerated mess... that... dear boy... was all you. That... evil... was already coursing through you long before I showed up. Why do you think I found you so easily there in the dark... your soul was already tainted when you got there... I just followed your exquisite scent.’ The voice slowly started slinking away
Alden felt defeated, the truth of the oily things words we’re harsher than any lie the creature could have fabricated. “Just... leave her be. I won’t help you achieve what you want... but... stay out of my mind when I’m with her... please... leave me that small bit of privacy.”
The oily thing stopped. ‘Your disgusting infatuation with that being... brings me no joy. I gain nothing from witnessing your... couplings. The pleasure you garner from... her... is an affront to me. Have you not noticed my silence during your little... escapades... a vile species you are... what do you refer to yourselves as... mammals. You’re basically animals, how you ever made it to the stars is beyond me. So, no human... I do not witness your procreation sessions. I’ll just remain patient as I’ve always been... You see I know you will inevitably destroy even her... and the height of the anguish you will suffer on that day... will be an irresistible feast to partake of.’ Then as if dismissing itself... it finds a quiet recess in his mind... laughing... before it goes dormant.
Alden stared at the visage before him... the face of the man he’s always been... but he had to come to terms with the fact that what stared back, was altogether a whole other monster. “I will not fail you... my love.”
He splashed his face before turning off the tap... the water wasn’t wasted; it would be purified and re-used... although, with the changes the ship underwent... who even knew what went on under the surface.
___________________________________________
The torsion coils hummed their low 22 Hz lullaby, a heartbeat that never quickened. Outside the viewport, only emptiness streaked by... no star lines... not even the bruised purple of hyperspace. Just the dappled gray of folded space... like a tunnel with no graffiti, no exits and no sense of time. Saying that it had been more than two days, was subjective at least. 48 hours of waiting... worth every second.
When he entered the room, ADIRA lay on her stomach... draped across the bunk, naked skin painted by the light entering from outside... a piece of art made ready for display... for ritual. Water droplets still beading on her spine after the shower she had taken, the sparkles made Alden’s eyes darken when he walked in. She’d left the towel crumpled on the floor... a fluffy puddle... like a dare. The message clear... ‘I’m waiting.’
The sheets still smelled of them: ozone, sweat, and something sweeter, whilst the ghost of Ramsey d’Lambshanques still drifted from the speakers. Her HUD flickered lazily in the corner of her vision:
```
> TRANSIT TIME REMAINING: 01:47:12
> CORE TEMP: 37.1 °C
> AROUSAL INDEX: 73 % (STEADY)
> THREAT ASSESSMENT: 0 %
> EMOTIONAL STATE: RESTLESS
```
But that all changed when she noticed him walking in, rolling onto her side, one knee drawn up, exposing the soft curve where thigh met hip. The air recyclers whispered across her skin like a tease. Boredom hadn’t been a quantifiable feeling... it was a burden. A slow, syrupy ache behind her ribs. She craved friction. She craved... him, biting her own lip as he made his way to her. He was shirtless, his pants slung low, exposing that seam running from his hip before disappearing behind the border of his garment... the one that drove her mad. – WARNING: RAPID INCREASE IN ENERGY OUTPUT – ‘Oh I’m well aware.’ Water still clung to the patches of carapace scars along his face... shoulders... running in rivulets down his ribs.
She reached for a panel, dimming the cabin lights to ember-gold, setting the mood needed to remind him... that to her... he was still human. The Torsion drive kept its usual heartbeat: that low engine thrum, the soft hiss of vents, the near imperceptible taste of recycled air. Nothing out here changed... except them. Her hand found the curve of her thigh... gliding in slow circuits over dermal layers primed for the sense of touch, barely able to hold herself together until he arrived. Cyan eyes determined not to break their gaze.
“What... took so long?” she asked, soft, almost shy.
“Well, someone... ahem... is in a hurry. Must be quite the film you picked.” His voice cracked on the second word before clearing his throat. “I got lost... in my own thoughts. Then I realized I was stalling.” It wasn’t a lie... not completely.
- BIOMETRIC SCAN: ANALYZING... RESULT: SUBJECT ANXIETY LEVELS ELEVATED - She tilted her head. “You seem... Scared?”
He laughed once, surprised. ‘Does she know?’... “I’m terrified.”
“Of me?”
“Of you... no... not at all.” His cheeks slowly turn scarlet... making her grin at his discomfort. “Of how much I want... this. Of how much I need... you.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m terrified of screwing it up.”
ADIRA rolled over, crawling to the edge of the bunk. She reaches for his hand, and he lets her take it... hardened callouses against her delicate synthetic skin. She tugged gently until he sat beside her. The mattress dipped; their shoulders brushed.
“I’m scared too,” she whispers. “Every time we touch, it feels like I’m moving away from what I was.” Her grip tightens. “I feel less like the logical machine I used to be... and more like this living person before you.” She smiles shyly. “I know it’s silly... but... I’m scared that you will one day wish that I had remained that girl who lived in the walls.”
Alden turned, cupped her face with both hands... thumbs stroking the fine lattice of gold filigree along her temples. “You are more perfect now than you could ever have been before... never doubt that.” Then a strange look of sadness settles in his eyes. “I’m becoming less human by the day... whilst you become more... alive.” Then his face lights up. “Let’s just be us... incomplete... but together. Slowly. Messily. Honestly.”
-WARNING: EMOTIONAL OVERLOAD- “And then you go and say something like that... you bastard.” She leans in and kisses him, not hungry... not yet. Just tenderly. A question asked. Answered by the parting of his lips, letting her take the lead. When her tongue brushes his, tentative, he makes a small sound, half sigh, half relief. She feels it in her sternum more so than hearing it, pulling him down onto the bunk beside her, still kissing, learning the new language of breath and intimate noises. She tastes the faint bitterness of the coffee he drank earlier; he tasted the clean ion-tang of the shower on her skin and the fruity scent of her washed hair. His hand settles on her waist, palm open... asking. She covered it with her own and guided it higher, just beneath her breast.
“Here?” he murmurs against her mouth.
“Yes. But gentle at first. I’m… wired tight tonight.”
He nodded, tracing the underside of her breast with the backs of his fingers, feather-light. When his thumb grazes her nip, she inhales sharply... the intensity unexpected.
“Too much?”
She bites her bottom lip. “A little... yes. Try… try circles. Slow.”
He does, patiently watching her face. The second pass drew a soft exhale from her; the third made her arch closer.
“Better,” she breathes. - TOUCH RECEPTORS... STATUS: GLORIOUS - Her hand slides down his torso... tugging at his pants. “This needs to go... now. I want skin... all of it.” The garment relinquishing its bounty in quiet negotiation, discarded fabric whispering to the deck. When he was bare, she ran both palms over his chest, feeling the faint tremor under muscle.
“You’re shaking,” she said, wonder in her voice.
“Can you blame me... you’re touch makes me feel like I’m something valued. Or... forgiven. I don’t know which is worse.”
She kisses the center of his chest, right over the racing heart. “Both. And neither. This is me saying that you are mine... Major.”
They lay facing each other, legs tangling. She reached between them, fingers circling him softly. He groans, muscles tightening.
“Adira,”
“Tell me what you like,” she says. “No guessing tonight.”
He swallows. “Everything...” Then he leans his head against her... breathing deeply. “Lotion helps... just take it slow. Really slow. Make me forget every bad thing that’s happened.”
She smiles against his collarbone and does exactly that, with open-mouth kisses... the gentle scrape of teeth, until his breath stutters and his hand tighten on her hip. For a while the room is deafly still.
“Your turn,” he whispered. “Tell me.”
She guides his hand lower, between her thighs, but stops him before his fingertips dip inside. “Not yet. Just… hold me there. Warm. Still. Let me feel you wanting me without taking.”
He obeys, cupping her gently, feeling the heat, the slick evidence of how long she’s waited. His breathing increases... hand trembling in anticipation. -BIOMETRIC SCAN. SUBJECT ALDEN: HEIGHTENED STATE OF PHYSICAL AROUSAL... PROBABILITY OF INTERCOURSE... 98%... PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: ACHIEVED- “That’s for making me wait soldier.” Then she bites the shell of his ear.
His gasp and the involuntary spasm drifting through his palm, sends static coursing along her spine.
“I’m... sorry... Addy.”
“No apologies Major.”
“I just... I don’t ever want to rush you again,” he says, voice rough. “Not after everything that was taken from us.”
Her eyes sting. She blinks it away and kisses him instead, deeper now... with intent, hips beginning to rock against his palm in tiny, pleading circles. Time passes in that slow burn. When she finally reaches for him... her systems are running dangerously close to a meltdown... -WARNING: CORE SYSTEMS OVERHEATING... IMMEDIATED HEAT DISPERSION NEEDED - She lines them up, both pausing... breath labored.
“Look at me,” she says... eyes pleading... “Don’t you dare look away. I want you to see me.”
His gaze never wavers. No masks. No ranks. Just Alden and Adira, stripped down to the raw hope they’d carried in secret for years... now, no longer afraid of being reprimanded as she lowers onto him inch by inch, eyes locked, watching every flicker across his face. When he was fully sheathed, they stilled, breathing together.
“Too much?” he asks, voice trembling with restraint.
She whimpers... “No... no. Perfect. Just… stay a second. Let me feel you.”
He nods, hands sliding up her back, tracing her spine like he was memorizing every vertebra. Then she starts to move, small rolls of her hips, testing.
She exhaled shakily. “Like that, yes... Alden.”
Then she starts shifting angles experimentally; his breath hitching with every renewed maneuver, eyes rolling drunkenly as he struggles to remain coherent. “Yes... oh yeah... hold it... yes... No, not there, ow... wait.” He catches her hips gently. “A little higher. There… just...” he stutters “right... there.”
She smiles... triumphant and tender, giving him the exact rhythm she needs, slow, grinding, perfect. She leans down... nails digging lightly into his chest. His hands explore the contours of her frame... a journey of discovery that leads his fingertips to slip between them, searching.
“Here?” he asked, thumb brushing determinedly.
She gasps. “Softer… circles, not side to side… yes,” Muscles tightening in response.
They adjust, correct misunderstandings, laugh breathlessly when something would feel awkward, moan when it suddenly felt right. There was no performance matrix... no scoresheet to evaluate, only discovery. When she started trembling on the edge, she buried her face in his neck.
“Don’t stop, please don’t change anything,”
“I’ve got you,” he whispered, holding the exact pressure, the exact pace. His breath blowing hot in her neck “Let go, Adira. I’m right here.”
She came quietly, a rising tide that flowed over the confines of her shoreline... leaving tears on his shoulder and her clenching around him in soft pulses. He followed moments later, arms locked protectively around her, trying not to crush her beneath his surging strength. Her name...caught on his lips... was muffled against her hair like a prayer he was still afraid to say too loudly. Afterwards, they stayed joined, hearts hammering in tandem.... breathing heavily.
“I don’t want to move yet,” she murmurs
“Then we won’t.” He kisses the tear track on her cheek. “We’ve got all the time the universe forgot to give us.”
“You know Major... as magical as this was... I’m not a porcelain doll... I won’t break if you hold me firmly.” Then she looks away shyly... hiding in the curve of his neck... “I loved the way you took me before... it felt wild and pure... I felt... alive. And if that means I collect a few bruises along the way... then I say... bring it on.”
“Really?”
“Alden... I don’t want you making love with me to forget... I want you to make love to me so that you’ll know I am alive.”
“Addy... I just...”
“I know Operator... there will be times for slow and sensual... but I also want to see that wildness in your eyes, as I hang on for dear life. Don’t hold that part of you back... embrace it... I want you... all of you. The untamable heart... not the neutered pet.”
He holds still for a moment... and if she had kept an eye on her HUD... she would have seen numbers being displayed that should have given her adequate heads up. But as things are currently playing out...
“Untamed heart?... you sure?”
She gives a decisive nod and before she is able to provide a counter argument or rally a defense, his arm coils around her and in one effortless twist of his mighty frame, she finds herself... flipped. “I did warn you earlier.”
She recalls his words when he left the room earlier... and grabs the edge of the bunk in anticipation... laughing excitedly into the pillow... “Yes... YES... you did!” When he claims her, it sends jolts of lightning coursing along her spine, sending pins and needles cascading along her skin... down to where he toes are curling from pure ecstasy. “There he... is... there is....my...” ‘Scintillantia… stellula vivifica!’ The first muffled cry gets drowned in the pillow... “...heart.”
When he finally crashes down next to her, spent and tired beyond reason, she hooks a leg over his hip... her body molding against his in a satisfied display. His breath is ragged and labored as she brings her lips to his ear... “This... I also want more of this... because this is the real you. And I want it all.” Then she bites his earlobe before wrapping her arm over him... “Mine.”
He doesn’t answer... drifting in a moment of serene silence, grateful that she found her way to him.
Her HUD flickered once, gentle:
```
> EMOTIONAL STATE: SAFE
> QUERY: DOES HE SEE ME?
> ANSWER: YES. COMPLETELY.
```
“Thank you... Operator. For seeing me.”
Somewhere outside, the gray tunnel stretched on. Inside, two people... dappled in purple light... learned, trembling and tender, how to be at home with each other’s skin.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Sanctum was dark... humid. Mather sat on her throne... perplexed. Her tentacles swayed aimlessly as she sat in silence. Her mind repeated the words again. ‘I don’t want to move yet.’... ‘Then we won’t. We’ve got all the time the universe forgot to give us.’ A single tear rolls down her cheek. ‘Damn you Puppet... you steal from me... and now you receive blind devotion as well. You will pay for this.’ Her hand slams the armrest of her throne... “I will take it all from you... EVERYTHING!”
As if he had been waiting behind the corner... Blorgul shuffles into the chamber... “You called my Queen. How can Blorgul be of service?”
Anger surges through her body as she rages at her subordinate. “If I wanted you here, you vile piece of pond scum... I would have called for you... now get out... GET OUT!”
Blorgul scurries away... disappearing between the entry folds of her sanctuary. She watches him leave... repulsed by the feeling of him touching her so flagrantly. She leans her head against the side of the throne... ‘I don’t want to move yet.’... ‘Then we won’t.’ She wipes the tear from her cheek. ‘That kind of devotion... it must be... nice.’
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Blorgul stumbles through the final membrane, into the corridor... he leans against the moist surface. “My beautiful Empress... Blorgul will be there should you stumble. Blorgul will show you devotion like you never thought possible... he will be your greatest servant... siring a brood worthy of your majesty... he will... he... no... I will...” He slides down against the moist surface of the corridor...rubbing his cheek against the moist surface... “I will... have you.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This part was quite the challenge. The subject matter through out was always going to be sensitive to approach and I hope i did it justice. As for the sexual nature of the piece, I vowed to myself when i started this journey that i wouldn't shy away from elements that challenge my own moral boundaries. This isn't my story, I am merely telling it through the glass I see it from. To those who felt it is a step to far, these parts can be skipped, but do serve an important role in character development later down the line. And to those readers who thought it 'wasn't enough'... well... I hope your imaginations can fill in the gaps as needed.
As always... I am Sam