FSE

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Twelve Hours Later

John stepped into the main hangar for Border Station Five. Yutsi had informed him that Theka wanted to see him, and so she had escorted him from one of the station’s canteens. Looking around the hangar, John saw that there were several Dropships to his right and a much larger vessel to his left. The Dropships had a series of cables attached to them, as well as Engineers who, he guessed, were busy doing maintenance. John watched as one of the Vipers activated the Jump Pack attached to her Nanosuit uniform and flew up, landing on the top of the Dropship in front of her.

“This way, John,” Yutsi said, drawing his attention.

Yutsi walked down the central path of the hangar. This was an unofficial divide, leading from the massive hangar doors, which were currently shut, to the exit just behind where John was standing. Looking up at the hangar doors as he followed Yutsi, John noticed the familiar blue glow of the shield. It was designed to allow ships to freely enter and exit hangars without the need to vent the atmosphere. Keeping pace with Yutsi, John thought about the specs for Matriarchy Dropships.

He had been sitting inside his suite one evening, with both Etsala and Nisku asleep in the nest, and John had decided to do some research. The first thing that he looked up was the specs for Dropships. John remembered that their length was fifty feet, their width was thirty feet, and their height was fifteen feet. All four sides were curved, and attached to each corner were the engines, which were curved boxes with an engine sticking out of one end. The pilot of the Dropship was able to adjust the angle of the engines, which, in turn, allowed them to take off and land without the need for a runway and provided a degree of manoeuvrability.

A call from nearby brought John back to the present, and he looked over to where Yutsi was taking him. Standing next to the larger vessel were Theka and a Viper whom he had not seen before. John guessed that she was probably another Matriarch due to her height. Looking at her, he saw that she had a flared hood, similar in shape to Milsi's. However, unlike Milsi, the unknown Viper’s secondary scale colour was bright yellow. She was also wearing a sheer dress, and John tried his best not to stare at her enormous breasts, the two bright pink nipples which he felt had been purposely pointed in his direction, or even the glow coming from her groin.

“Hello, John,” Theka said with a smile, “thank you for bringing him here, Yutsi,” she added, and the Security Chief bowed.

“Well, it’s not as if I had a choice,” John replied, returning the smile, “Yutsi made it seem like an order,” he said.

“That is probably my fault,” the unknown Viper replied.

“Where are my manners?” Theka interrupted, “John, this is Matriarch Ossih,” she said while gesturing towards her. “She will be taking you over to the Minerva for some pilot training,” Theka smiled at John when she finished.

“If I remember correctly, Terrans shake hands when they meet someone new?” Ossih said as she looked down at John.

“Some do,” he replied and took her hand. It dwarfed his, and John was distracted by the scales on her hand.

“Do you like them?” Ossih asked.

“Yes,” John replied, “it looks like you’re wearing fingerless gloves,” he said, holding onto her hand.

“Can I have my hand back?” Ossih asked and then laughed when John went red. As he let go of her hand, Ossih fluttered her eyelashes at John while smiling.

“So,” John said as he cleared his throat, “what’s a Minerva?” he asked.

“That,” Theka replied as she pointed towards the hangar doors.

John looked to his right and watched as the two massive doors opened. As they slowly separated, he was able to see out into space, and the light from the system’s star flooded the main hangar. Appearing from the right-hand side of the station’s exterior wall was a gigantic ship. John found it difficult to judge just how large it was.

Due to the ship tilting to the left, John noticed that the front quarter was a semicircle that ended with a curved point at the front. The sides were curved as well and appeared to have a series of oval-shaped bumps at set intervals. Just behind the front quarter of the ship was a massive intake of some kind, which glowed a deep orange as it came into view. The side of the ship, just behind the intake, was flat, and at the halfway point, the hull curved outward. Again, the oval shapes were running along the side of the hull. As the rear of the ship came into view, John saw that it was about twice the width of the front. In the middle of the rear quarter were two large circles, each encased in shiny metal, and as he watched, they glowed a deep red. The ship swung itself round to face the station, ponderously. Watching the ship change direction, John could see five enormous engines at the rear of the vessel.

The top of the gigantic ship was covered in a series of small to large ovals. Each one appeared to be a dome of some kind. Hidden from view due to the tilt of the ship as it emerged from the right of the station, the underside of the gigantic ship appeared to have something very large attached to the hull.

“That is a Mass Driver,” Ossih answered John’s question before he could ask it, “only the largest of battleships are equipped with them,” she said.

“Only the largest?” John repeated, “Just how big is that ship?” he asked.

“In Terran measurements, around two and a half kilometres,” Ossih replied. “The Ruination of Minerva is a Bothrops-class Battleship. She is also the first of her kind to be built,” she said.

“Do not forget the flagship,” Theka chimed in.

“That too, but it rarely leaves home,” Ossih said as she looked at Theka.

“And how big is the flagship?” John asked.

“Five kilometres,” Theka replied, “however, as I said, it hardly ever leaves home. It is The Matriarch’s ship,” she said.

“Five kilometres?!” John said, surprised with just how big Matriarchy ships were, “reminds me of Star Destroyers and the Super Star Destroyer,” John said as he turned to face the two Matriarchs.

“Terran space ships?” Ossih asked, and John laughed.

“No, they’re fictional,” he replied, “if you want to know how advanced our spaceships are, just look at the Poseidon,” John said.

“Oh, I see,” Ossih said.

“So,” John said, looking up at both Matriarchs, “why am I here?” he asked.

“We have decided to put you through pilot training,” Ossih replied.

“Yes, we were discussing the meeting that was due to take place today,” Theka said, “and the conversation shifted over to wondering how good of a pilot you might be,” as she finished, Theka smiled at John.

“Does this have anything to do with the training I received from Yutsi?” John inquired, and Ossih nodded.

“Yes,” she replied, “after seeing how well you were able to learn and adapt to Pistol and Rifle Training, we decided to test your ability to fly.” Ossih turned to face the larger vessel as she finished. Removing the pad attached to her right thigh, Ossih tapped away at the screen and then a ramp descended from the vessel in front of her.

“By the way,” John said, “what is that?” he asked.

“It is one of the Troop Transports assigned to the Minerva,” Theka replied, “the ship only has one Dropship on board, and so they sent over one of these,” she then stepped back and gestured to follow Ossih as she walked up the ramp. The door at the top had unlocked and was slowly swinging open.

“I don’t have much choice in this, do I?” John asked.

“We are not forcing you,” Ossih said as she turned around and looked down the ramp, “if you do not want to learn to fly any of our ships, we can simply start the meeting in an hour, however,” she said while walking down the ramp and stopping in front of John, “considering how much fun you appeared to have during your Combat Training with Security Chief Yutsi, we thought you might enjoy Pilot Training, were we wrong?” Ossih asked and then looked at the Chief. Yutsi bowed her head and then took a few steps back.

John looked up at the Viper and tried his best not to stare at her glowing groin that was mere inches from his face, or even the enormous breasts with their bright pink nipples that were casting a shadow over his head. John noticed that Ossih was enjoying this moment as she winked and then smiled at him.

“I’ll admit that I’m curious to know what it’s like to fly one of your ships,” he replied with a cough, “plus if it gives you and the other Matriarchs a better impression of me, then I should do it,” John said.

“Good,” Ossih said as she spun around and headed back up the ramp. John yelped as Theka pulled him out of the way of Ossih’s large tail as it whipped around.

“Do not worry, John,” she said, “she does not bite…much,” Theka then smacked John’s backside and pushed him up the ramp. He half fell as he took a step and tried to regain his balance.

*****

Ossih watched John from her seated position as he entered the Troop Transport. She liked how the red light from above played over his body and face. Her golden eyes glowed in the dark as she waited for John to find a seat. Once he had chosen a crash couch opposite her, Ossih tapped at her pad and signalled the Pilot to ready the Transport for liftoff.

The Troop Transports used by The Matriarchy were designed to carry fifty Vipers. At the front of each vessel was the cockpit, where a lone Viper Pilot controlled the Transport. They were seated inside a specially designed crash couch, each one made to fit the physiological needs of the pilot. Just behind the cockpit was where the Engineer was stationed. In front of them were a series of monitors, each displaying vital information for maintaining the Transport. The last part of the Troop Transport was where the passengers were kept. Fifty Crash Couches, in four rows of ten and two rows of five.

“Do you need any help?” Ossih asked as John began to attach the eight-point harness to his chair.

“I should be fine,” he replied, “someone showed me what to do when I came over from the Cruiser,” John said as he pushed in the last connector. As it clicked, the lights above his head glowed, and then the crash couch adjusted itself to John’s physique. “I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to that,” John half-laughed as he looked up at Ossih.

“Just wait till you start your Pilot training,” she said, “I hope you have a strong stomach too,” Ossih then sat back on her crash couch as the Troop Transport lifted off.

*****

Wing Commander Zsosu walked onto the Ruination of Minerva’s bridge and headed straight to where Admiral Sshuizshallius was standing. As she walked, the light from above reflected off her light blue scales and the purple of her Nanosuit uniform. Zsosu was in charge of the Minerva’s fighter contingent and had been summoned by the Admiral for a briefing.

“Admiral,” Zsosu said with a nod as she stopped in front of the Tactical Display Table.

“Wing Commander,” Sshuizshallius replied, “it’s good to see you again. How’re things in the hangar?” she inquired.

“Good,” Zsosu replied with a nod, “the new Mamba class fighters are performing well. The Ericius failed to hit them during the battle,” she placed her hands behind her back as she finished.

“That’s good to hear, Zsosu,” Sshuizshallius said as she glanced at the TDT.

“Do you know how long we will be stationed here?” Zsosu asked.

“Initially, it was three or four days,” Sshuizshallius replied as she looked up at Zsosu, “however, the Matriarchs have decided to test the Terran,” the Admiral said with a smile.

“Test?” Zsosu said as she cocked her head to the left.

“You’re going to train the male,” Sshuizshallius replied, “after reviewing his ability in the station’s Combat Arena, all four Matriarchs have agreed to see how well this ‘John’ can adapt to our technology,” she said as she looked at the TDT again.

“You want me to train him to fly one of our fighters?” Zsosu asked.

“The Doctor received his bio scan from the Pride,” Sshuizshallius replied as she adjusted the image displayed by the TDT, “and the Chief Engineer is currently printing out a new crash couch while her team is adjusting a Mamba,” Sshuizshallius frowned as she read a data scroll hovering in front of her.

“Are you sure a Terran’s body can withstand the g-forces?” Zsosu inquired.

“Doctor Shuka assures me that with the right adjustments to a Nano Flight suit,” Sshuizshallius replied as she looked up at Zsosu again, “the male’s body should be more than capable of withstanding the same stresses that you and your sisters experience,” she looked to her left as a crew member approached.

“Admiral,” she said, “Matriarch Ossih and John will be arriving shortly,” the Viper bowed to Sshuizshallius and Zsosu.

“I suggest you go and greet them, Commander,” Sshuizshallius ordered.

“At once, Admiral,” Zsosu replied while saluting.

*****

John walked down the Troop Transport’s ramp, and he tried his best not to look awestruck.

The hangar for the Ruination of Minerva had a similar design to the one he had seen on the Cruiser. However, John guessed that the Battleship’s hangar was at least twice the size. Looking up, he saw that there were multiple cranes, each one seemed to have a different purpose as the ends had different tools attached. As he looked around, John noticed more troop transports to his left and right. Each one was connected to the hangar deck by a series of pipes and cables. There was a group of three Engineers working on the undercarriage of a Troop Transport that had several panels open. John watched as two Vipers activated their Jump Packs and flew up the top of a nearby Transport.

What drew John’s attention the most were the rows upon rows of fighter craft sitting idle in front of where he was standing. He could tell that they were fighters as their design was not too dissimilar to what he had flown as a UN Fighter Pilot. From where he stood, John was able to tell that each fighter was at least two or three times larger than those built back on Earth. Each one reminded John of the old stealth bomber, once used by the United States before the Unification War. The light from above was reflected by the black material from which they were made.

“What do you think?” Ossih asked as she descended the ramp behind John.

John turned around and watched her while trying not to stare. With each step, her chest jiggled and swayed left to right. Ossih noticed he was watching, and as a mischievous smile spread across her face, the Matriarch purposely made them jiggle more. She laughed when John made eye contact with her, and his face went red.

“The hangar and its contents, John, not me,” she said with a smile.

“It’s impressive,” he replied while clearing his throat by coughing a few times.

“You were told not to tease him,” came a voice from inside the Troop Transport. John looked up and watched as a male Viper appeared. The light from above reflected off his dark red scales, and his eyes glowed bright green.

“He is too easy to tease,” Ossih said, her head turning as she looked up at the male, “are you jealous, Sani?” she asked.

“No,” came the reply, “when this is all over, John will be gone and I will remain as your steward,” Sani said as he made his way down the ramp of the Troop Transport.

“Gone?” John said, looking up at Ossih as she stopped in front of him, her steward waiting nearby.

“You have been told about the meeting the Matriarchs will be having with you?” she inquired, and John nodded. “Well, once you have made your decision, you will be leaving the system. Do not forget John,” Ossih said as she walked around him, “we are on the edge of Matriarchy space. It will be several months before you reach the core systems,” she then looked to her left as a Viper approached.

John followed her gaze and watched as a tall and slim Viper stopped near where they were standing. He guessed that she was around eight and a half feet tall, and her primary scale colour was light blue. The scales were located on the top half of her head, the back of her hood, and John also saw them run down the part of her neck that was close to the softer, inner part of her hood. The newcomer’s secondary scale colour was white, and it went from her bottom jaw, down her neck, and covered the softer inside of her hood. She also had a random dark blue pattern of scales dotted around her head and hood, although John noticed that they only appeared on her light blue scales.

When the newcomer stopped in front of Ossih, her steward, and John, the light from above reflected off the Nanosuit uniform. Looking closely, John realised that he had not seen this particular type before. It took a few seconds for him to realise that the Viper was wearing a flight suit. To John, it looked like a more advanced version of the anti-g suits used by the UN. Before he could ask questions about her Nanosuit, John was distracted by the turquoise glow of the Viper’s eyes. She then opened her mouth to speak, and he saw that the inside of her mouth and tongue were also glowing a turquoise hue.

“Matriarch Ossih,” the Viper said with a bow, “welcome back to the Minerva. Admiral Sshuizshallius sends her greetings, and to you, John,” she said, looking down at him.

“This is Wing Commander Zsosu,” Ossih said, gesturing to the Commander with her left hand.

“Hello,” John said as he smiled up at her.

“Hello to you,” she replied, returning the smile, “so, you are the Terran they picked up?” Zsosu asked as she placed her hands on her wide hips.

“That’s me,” John replied.

*****

Zsosu looked down at the Terran as he smiled at her again. She had read the reports, examined the bio scan, and even watched some of the footage that was slowly gaining popularity among the fleet. Zsosu was surprised to find that John was rather ordinary when she finally met him face-to-face. He was taller than a Viper male but had no scales, instead, he had smooth pink skin. Zsosu looked at John’s body and saw how the skintight Nanosuit uniform showed the muscles underneath.

“Zsosu?” Ossih called out.

“Yes, Matriarch?!” she replied, snapping out of her thoughts on John. She heard a few of the Engineers nearby giggling.

“Has Admiral Sshuizshallius informed you of our plan?” Ossih inquired.

“Yes, Matriarch,” Zsosu replied while nodding, “I am to train John in the use of our Mamba fighters and then proceed to do a series of live combat exercises,” she said.

“Good, has the Chief Engineer finished printing out the new crash couch?” Ossih asked.

“Not yet,” Zsosu replied while shaking her head, her hood flapped back and forth, “she is currently modifying one of the training pods,” she said and then looked down at John, “I will be taking you to Engineering as we need to have a Nano Flight suit made for you otherwise you will blackout on the first manoeuvre,” before Zsosu could say more a voice was heard from behind.

John looked behind Zsosu and saw a Viper walking over. Her overall body shape reminded him of Milsi’s, however, this new Viper was wearing a similar anti-g Nano Flight suit to Zsosu. Her backside was as big as Milsi’s, though, and her breasts were just as impressive. When she stopped next to Zsosu, John noticed that her primary scale colour was a warm dark grey. It started at the front of her blunt nose, covered most of her head and went down the back of her hood. She had a secondary scale colour of light grey, which covered her lower jaw, the softer part of her hood, and extended down the front of her neck. She smiled at John when he made eye contact, and he noticed that her eyes were glowing yellow.

“You must be John,” the Viper said, “I am Shalsui, one of the Minerva’s Squadron Leaders” She then offered her hand to John. His right hand was dwarfed by Minerva’s, and she gently shook it.

“Did the Chief Engineer send you?” Zsosu asked.

“Yes, she has just finished the modifications to the training pod,” Shalsui replied, “Matriarch Ossih, it is good to see you again,” she said with a bow.

“Hello Shalsui,” Ossih said, “I have yet to thank you for taking the shields out on that damned Ericius Battleship,” she then did a slight bow.

*****

From where John was standing, time seemed to stop as Ossih bowed. Both the pilots appeared to react with an odd sense of horror, her steward darted forward, and John swore he saw an Engineer fall off the top of a nearby Troop Transport. From their reactions, he guessed that Matriarchs were not supposed to bow to anyone.

“So, shall we head to Engineering?” John asked.

There was a loud clanging noise as one of the nearby Engineers dropped a tool. The sound of the hangar seemed to return as Ossih stood up and smiled down at John.

“If you follow the Wing Commander, she will take you to Engineering,” Ossih said, “I will be on the bridge if you need me,” Ossih stepped to one side as she finished and headed for the nearest exit. Her steward bowed to John and the two Viper pilots and then hurried after Ossih.

“Which way is it?” John asked as he looked up at the two Vipers.

Before either of them could reply, an Engineer working on top of one of the Troop Transports jumped off and landed nearby. She walked up to the Zsosu, and John noticed that she was holding a pad in her right hand.

“Wing Commander?” the Engineer called out.

“Yes,” Zsosu replied.

“I have just been notified by the Engineers working on one of the fighters,” the Engineer said, “they are almost ready for the new crash couch, but they need your experience to go over the changes. Would you be able to assist them?” she asked.

“Shalsui,” Zsosu said, “escort John to Engineering in my stead. I will be staying in the hangar,” she ordered. Shalsui saluted Zsosu and then looked down at John.

“This way,” she said while gesturing in the same direction that Ossih had gone.

Shalsui walked slowly enough for John to keep up with her. He tried his best not to stare too much at the hypnotic sway of her tail and hips or even the jiggle of Shalsui’s ample backside. John noticed the yellow glow of her eyes and looked away, his face turning red.

“No need to get embarrassed,” she said, and then laughed as John coughed.

“I’m only human,” he replied with a shrug.

“Human?” Shalsui repeated, “Oh yes, that is what you call your race. I suppose it took a while for you to get used to being called Terran?” she asked.

“Sort of,” John replied, “the term has been used before, mostly in fictional stories,” he said.

“I see, well, if you want, I can stick to saying human?” Shalsui suggested.

“No need,” John replied, shaking his head. “I’m used to Terran now,” he said.

*****

“Harder!” a female Viper shouted, “fuck me harder!” she pleaded.

Sounds of ecstasy and moaning filled a darkened room as several pairs of glowing Viper eyes watched. The footage was projected onto a nearby wall by a mechanical arm, which was currently hanging from the ceiling. A panel from above had been removed to allow it to descend into the gloom below.

“Where did you find this?” asked a female Viper.

A pair of pink eyes looked up at her from the gloom of the nest she was currently lying down in. Her head was resting on the padded edge, and she faced the wall on which the footage was being projected. Her clawed feet rested on top of the nest while her legs were crossed.

“It appeared on the private network shortly after we arrived,” replied a different voice.

This one was just to the first’s right, she too was relaxing in a nest. Her tail was sticking out of the nest, and the end twitched every few seconds. The amber glow from the recessed light in the middle of the circular room reflected off her scales.

“That was quick,” the first Viper said, “normally it can take days for new files to appear,” she said as there was a collective gasp from those watching the footage.

“Damn,” said the second Viper, “look at him go, I wonder what it feels like to have your ass fucked with something that thick,” she asked.

“I’d be surprised if none of you own a toy just as thick,” the first Viper said. “I wonder how many of us could survive sharing a nest with him?” she asked.

After several more minutes, the footage came to an end as the gloomy room was filled with the sounds of climaxes. The light level of the room was slowly increased, and all eyes were fixed on one of the nests.

“Trust Nuki to get the male,” the second Viper said.

“Who did you bribe to get him in your nest, Nuki?” asked another female Viper.

“That’s Flight Lieutenant Nuki,” came the reply from a very large Viper relaxing in the nest at the opposite wall to where the footage was projected. Her primary scale colour was obsidian black, and her secondary scales were porcelain white.

As the projector powered down and ascended into the ceiling, Nuki sat up and looked around at the other Vipers.

“The Wing Commander chose me to look after the Terran Male,” Nuki said as she addressed the other Vipers, “if anyone has an issue with this, take it up with her,” she said.

*****

Chief Engineer Zhaktlei walked around the Primary Printer as it powered down. It was a cuboid device with a height of twelve feet, a depth of twenty-four feet, and a length of forty-eight feet. For the last few hours, it had been printing a modified crash couch, designed by Zhaktlei with the aid of Doctor Mizta’s bio scan of the Terran male. A few seconds after it had finished powering down, one of the Engineers nearby pressed a button. The locks around its base disengaged, and a large crane claw lowered itself down from the ceiling. It clamped tightly onto the top of the printer, and then the crane slowly raised, pulling it away from its base. Once the printer was a foot off the ground, a torrent of fluorescent green liquid flooded out and splashed against the nearby retaining walls.

“Make sure the pump is working this time,” Zhaktlei called out, “I doubt the Admiral will like it if the ship’s Primary Printer goes out of commission again,” she said.

A series of affirmations was heard as the crane continued to rise. Steam rose from inside as the Engineers nearby activated the pumps, the fluorescent green liquid was sucked away and could be seen travelling through nearby pipes. One of the Engineers stepped over the retaining wall and bent under the printer. Her reinforced Nanosuit uniform protected her from the heat and the remnants of the printer fluid.

“The print looks good,” she called out, “once the temperature drops, we’ll start hosing it down,” the Engineer said as she walked around the newly made crash couch.

“How do the connection ports look?” Zhaktlei asked.

“I’d say close to one hundred per cent,” came the reply a few seconds later, “it looks like those tolerance changes we made have fixed the issues from the last print,” the Engineer said.

“That’s good to hear,” Zhaktlei replied, “make sure you get hosed down before you leave the printer bed,” she ordered.

*****

Four Days Earlier

Within the Oort Cloud of the Arroganza system, a small star was born, and a fleet of ships poured out of the Vortex, forty ships in total. Once the hole in space closed, the fleet powered up their engines, angled themselves towards the star, and for the next few hours, they created enough thrust so that they could drift their way into the system undetected.

Shortly before the fleet switched off its engines, each vessel’s crew powered down non-essential systems, adjusted outgoing communications traffic to match local background radiation, and then began running boarding action drills. The unknown fleet mainly consisted of small and medium-sized vessels. Each one was a bulky, blocky, and ugly design with no symmetry whatsoever. Gun ports and torpedo tubes were open, and massive engines were located at the rear of each vessel. An armoured bridge rose from the middle of each ship, and there were dozens, if not hundreds, of quill-like structures sticking out of the top of each vessel, each one pointed towards the rear.

In the middle of the fleet was a massive Capital ship. While it shared the same disjointed aesthetic and design features as the other ships, its size meant there was simply no subtlety to it. Guns of all shapes and sizes covered the majority of its hull, four massive engines stuck out of the rear, and the armoured bridge gave the impression that it could smash itself through an asteroid field with barely a visible scratch.

The fleet’s Tactical Officers had calculated that it would take several days before they would need to make any course corrections. So, with a simple flash of the Capital ship’s signal light, the fleet drifted closer and closer towards their target, Border Station Five.

*****

Four Days Later and One Hour

John walked behind Squadron Leader Shalsui as she led him along one of many identical corridors. Each one looked the same and reminded John of what he had seen inside the Pride of the Matriarchy. Steam rose from vents, cables and pipes were stuck to the walls and ceiling, and on several occasions, an Engineer would walk past them too. Sometimes they would stop to speak to Shalsui or slow down so they could stare at John.

“Do you ever get tired of that?” she asked.

“Sometimes,” he replied, “however, after spending a couple of nights with two Vipers, I’m pretty much immune to what anyone else does,” John said.

“That must have been fun,” Shalsui asked, “I would love to share a bed with two males,” she then stopped and looked down at John. “How does Viper pussy compare to Terran?” Shalsui asked bluntly, and John’s only reaction was to cough.

“I must admit,” he replied while making eye contact with Shalsui, “I prefer Vipers. Besides,” John said, “I doubt I’ll ever go back home,” he then smiled at her.

“True,” she said while continuing to walk down the corridor, “if the reports are true, then you have made a big impression already,” she then stopped in front of a door.

Before John could ask what she meant, Shalsui placed her hand against the nearby palm scanner, and after a few seconds, the door opened with a gentle hiss. Following behind, John had expected to see Engineering, instead, it was a large square room with a door on each wall.

“Engineering,” Shalsui said, and the door closed behind John as he heard a series of beeps. With a jolt, he realised they were in a lift as it started to move, and then she turned to face John. “Out of curiosity, what have you been told?” Shalsui asked.

“I’m to receive training on how to fly one of your fighters,” John replied as he stared into her yellow eyes.

“That is all?” she asked, and John nodded, “huh, do you even know how long fighter training takes?” Shalsui inquired.

“No idea,” came the reply as John shook his head.

“First you have to get used to the Nano Flight suit,” Shalsui looked down at the one she was wearing, “then you get fitted for your crash couch, start your training inside one of the training pods, and finally practice flying in a real fighter,” she stepped closer to John and looked down at him. Her large size obscured the light from above, and all he was able to see was her very large breasts. Her skintight Flight suit failed to hide their impressive size.

“Oh, is that all?” he asked while taking a step backwards.

“Oh, you will also be sleeping with us,” Shalsui said with a large smile.

“Us?” John replied, tilting his head to one side.

“All of the pilots live in the same room,” she replied, “two to a nest,” Shalsui said as she leaned forward, pushing John against the nearby wall of the lift, “it can get quite intimate,” she said.

Using her tail, Shalsui wrapped it around John’s waist and pushed him up the wall of the lift. After his head had burst through her cleavage, Shalsui moved her head closer. Just before she could kiss John, the lift chimed and he was unceremoniously dropped to the floor. The Squadron Leader stepped away as the doors slowly opened.

“Trying to get a taste?” John heard a female voice say as he got to his feet. When he turned around, a tall Viper was standing in one of the doorways.

John guessed that the unknown Viper was around nine feet tall, and he noticed she was wearing an Engineer Nanosuit uniform. As the light from inside the lift reflected off of her scales, John noticed that her primary scale colour was light grey, a similar shade to the ship’s corridors, and it covered the majority of her head, as well as the edges of her hood. Her secondary scale colour was a dark, almost black, grey. These scales were found on the top of her head (where they formed a point just behind her blunt nose), down the back of her hood, the front of her neck, and around her eyes. Both the softer inner part of her hood and eyes were currently glowing bright blue.

“My name is Chief Engineer Zhaktlei,” she said and offered her hand to John. He shook it as he looked up at the Engineer. “I apologise for Shalsui’s behaviour, I hope she was not too forward?” Zhaktlei asked.

“I was only having some fun,” Shalsui protested as she interrupted Zhaktlei.

“Was it also your intention to annoy Flight Lieutenant Nuki?” Zhaktlei asked, turning to face the pilot.

“No,” Shalsui replied while looking away.

“Who is Flight Lieutenant Nuki?” John asked, “apart from being a Flight Lieutenant, obviously,” he said, and Shalsui sniggered.

“She is one of the Minerva’s Officers, you will be sleeping in her nest during your stay,” Zhaktlei replied as she walked out of the lift.

“Why can’t I sleep on my own?” John asked as he followed Zhaktlei.

“Do you want to?” Shalsui inquired as she walked behind him.

“I just find it odd I keep sharing a nest with one or more Vipers,” he replied, “not that I haven’t enjoyed it,” John admitted.

“The Wing Commander chose the Flight Lieutenant to be the one with whom you will share a nest,” Zhaktlei chimed in as she walked along the corridor.

“From Shalsui’s reaction, I imagine the other pilots weren’t too pleased?” John asked.

“Your imagination is correct,” Zhaktlei replied.

“We are just jealous of her,” Shalsui said.

“You are free to say no, John,” Zhaktlei pointed out as they arrived at two huge armoured doors. She placed her hand against the nearby palm scanner, and after it had scanned her hand, the door unlocked and slowly opened.

*****

Commander Zesta relaxed in her command chair as she watched the fleet slowly orbit past the main screens of Border Station Five’s command centre. Her face was lit up by the green light of the projections, and the scrolling text was reflected in her golden eyes. She picked up a nearby glass of water and sipped from it as the Ruination of Minerva orbited past the station.

“Commander,” one of her crew called out.

“What is it?” she asked.

“We’ve just received a transmission from one of our patrol ships,” came the reply, “their sensors might have picked up a faint Vortex portal. However, they’re not sure when exactly the portal opened,” she said.

“Send the transmission to my command chair,” Zesta ordered. A few seconds later, a new screen appeared in front of the Commander. She used her right index finger to scroll through the text. “Comms, signal Admiral Sshuizshallius, ask her if the Minerva’s sensors picked it as well,” Zesta ordered.

“At once, Commander,” replied the Comms Officer.

“Send a reply to the patrol ship,” Zesta called out, “have them access the nearest monitor satellite, see if its sensors have picked up the Vortex portal as well,” she said.

“At once, Commander,” replied the Comms Officer. After a few minutes, the Viper called out, “Message from Admiral Sshuizshallius, opening channel now, Commander,” the Comms Officer said.

“Commander Zesta,” Sshuizshallius’s face appeared on the main screen at the front of the command centre, everyone inside the command centre stood and bowed, “we’ve gone over our sensor logs and found no trace of a Vortex portal,” she said, “have the patrol vessel connect to the monitor satellite closest to where they detected the portal,” the Admiral ordered.

“We’ve already ordered them to do so, Admiral,” Zesta replied.

“Excellent, Commander,” Sshuizshallius said and then the channel closed.

“Back to work, everyone,” the Commander shouted.

*****

“Here, take this,” Zhaktlei said while holding a collar in her left hand.

“I assume you based this on the one I’m currently wearing?” John asked as he took it from Zhaktlei, and she nodded. Examining the collar, he noticed that it was almost identical to the one he had.

John was currently standing in the middle of Engineering. When he had followed Zhaktlei inside, John found himself impressed with what he saw. However, he had admitted to himself that he didn’t know what to expect. There were pipes, cables, and wires of various sizes running up and down walls, along the bottom near the floor or on the ceiling. Steam rose from vents and a few of the machines that were busy at work. Following close behind Zhaktlei, with Shalsui behind him, John noticed that the Engineers working inside slowly stopped what they were doing. Some were just watching the trio as they walked further into Engineering, while others followed at a distance.

Zhaktlei tried to explain what some of the machines did, but it was all a bit much for John. What had surprised him was how noisy it was. Shortly after entering Engineering, a flash of neon blue light appeared, and John felt something move up his neck. Before he could find a mirror to see what was going on, the noise level dropped suddenly. Zhaktlei had informed John that his collar had been designed to detect sudden increases in external stimuli. In response to the rise in the ambient noise level, highly advanced ear defenders had been deployed by the collar. They were so good that to John, it seemed as though he wasn’t wearing them, as the decibel level of Engineering had dropped down to normal levels, and he could hear everyone normally.

He had asked Zhaktlei if she was also wearing ear defenders. However, she informed him that thanks to their cranial implants, there was no need. The implants automatically adjusted for sudden increases in noise levels. John inquired if it would be possible for him to get the implants, and Zhaktlei told him that she honestly didn’t know. However, she did say that considering how advanced their medical science was, the possibility that John could get similar implants was high.

About halfway in, Zhaktlei stopped next to a very large cuboid device. She explained to John that it was the Primary Printer for the battleship and that they had recently used it to print out a custom-made crash couch, made to John’s exact measurements and needs. Four Engineers appeared, and they were pushing the crash couch out of one of the nearby machines. Shortly afterwards, Zhaktlei produced John’s new Nano Flight suit collar.

“John,” she said, “you will need to remove your Nanosuit uniform before you try on the Flight suit,” she then pointed at his collar with her right hand.

Without thinking about where he was, John deactivated his collar. He was half-blinded by the neon blue light of the collar’s reservoir as the Nanos that made up his uniform retreated across his body. All work inside Engineering ceased as everyone watched, there were even a few gasps. Most of them had, by now, watched the files of John having sex, and several Engineers stared at his now naked body. Breaking the collar apart, John switched over the collars and then activated the new one.

Again, he was half-blinded by the neon blue light as the collar activated, but any discomfort or annoyance from it quickly disappeared as John yelped. When the Nanos for his new Flight suit had reached his groin, he felt something go down his Urethra and at the same time something went into his arse.

“What the hell?” John said while trying to pull at his Nanosuit.

“That will be the waste extraction tubes,” Zhaktlei said, “you will have some discomfort each time you wear your Nano Flight suit, but over time you will get used to it,” she then looked over to where the Shalsui was standing.

“All pilots have the same reaction, John,” she said, “as Zhaktlei said, you will get used to it. I am sure some of the pilots will even tell you that they enjoy the experience,” she then laughed at the expression on John’s face.

“You could have warned me,” he complained while looking up at Zhaktlei, and she shrugged.

“If I told you that you would have a tube down your cock and up your arse,” she said, “would you have activated the collar?” Zhaktlei asked.

“Probably not,” John admitted. He looked around and guessed the entire Engineering staff were watching him.

“Back to work, everyone,” Zhaktlei shouted, “while it was nice to see a naked male in here, you all have jobs to do,” she said. There was a collective sigh, and then everyone turned and walked away.

“Was it your intention to show everyone your body?” Shalsui asked John.

“No,” he replied, “I didn’t even think about it,” John said.

“While it was fun to see you naked John,” Zhaktlei said as she walked up to where he was currently standing, “perhaps you should think next time before you strip naked in front of fifty horny Vipers?” she said.

“Fifty?” he replied, and both Zhaktlei and Shalsui laughed.

“Come on,” Zhaktlei said while gesturing for John to follow, ”let us get you into the crash couch, see if everything fits,” she then walked towards it.

*****

At the distant edge of the Arroganza system, Patrol ship Matriarch’s Light fired its manoeuvring thrusters as it drifted towards a large asteroid. The thrusters along its left flank ignited, and the pilot of the ship, Essiluss, swung the ship around the approaching asteroid with practised ease.

“We’re coming up on the satellite, Captain,” she called out.

“Stop the ship once we’re within range to connect,” Captain Eki ordered.

“Understood, Captain,” Essiluss replied.

The patrol ship continued moving towards the monitor satellite for another ten minutes before the pilot slowed the ship by activating the thrusters at the front. When the Matriarch’s Light had come to a stop, the comms array, located on the bottom of the ship, deployed from within its armoured compartment.

“I want this done quickly,” Eki ordered, “I dislike being so far away from the station,” she then tapped away at her command chair’s keypad. A screen was projected just in front of her by the holoprojector installed above where she sat, and the Captain used it to access the ship’s logs.

“We’ve connected to the satellite, Captain,” Comms Officer Hunull called out, “downloading its logs and searching for any Vortex recordings,” she said.

“No signals on the active scan, Captain,” Tactical Officer Ustu reported, “all we’re picking up is the asteroid field and nearby gas giant,” she said.

“Understood,” the Captain replied.

“Found it, Captain,” said Hunull, “a Vortex portal opened four days ago. The monitor satellite detected it within the system’s Oort Cloud,” she said, “shit, a large Ericius fleet was also detected,” Hunull looked over to where the Captain was sitting.

“Damn, why didn’t it relay the detection back to the station?” Eki inquired.

“Scanning the satellite now, Captain,” Zozta, the ship’s Engineer, chimed in, “looks like one of the asteroids managed to take out its ability to communicate with the rest of the network or even the station,” she reported.

“I assume the Oort Cloud is too far away to detect the approaching ships?” Eki asked.

“Yes and no, Captain,” replied Hunull, “if the fleet’s engines were active, then we would be able to see them. However, I suspect they are drifting in, hoping not to be detected,” Hunull said.

“Do we know which route they are taking?” Eki asked.

“Calculating now, Captain,” Ustu replied. After a few minutes had passed, Eki heard Ustu swear.

“What is it, Ustu?” she asked.

“They’re taking a route that will enable them to sneak up on Border Station Five,” she replied, “if they stick to it and none of the other Patrol ships or monitor satellites detect them, then they will be able to get so close to the station that they could launch a surprise attack,” Ustu said.

Before the Captain of the Matriarch’s Light could give the order to send an emergency signal to Border Station Five, the ship was hit by something. Warning lights inside the bridge activated, and the lights dimmed. The patrol ship was then hit three more times, each hit caused power fluctuations as the crew tried to figure out what was going on.

“Those were weapon hits, Captain,” Zozta shouted, “looks like we’ve lost our comms array, the rear engines are badly damaged, and I’m having trouble keeping the reactor stable,” she said while frantically accessing the screens in front of her.

“Tactical,” shouted Eki, “get the shields and weapons online, now,” she called out.

“Bringing them online now, Captain,” Ustu replied, “sensors indicate...damn,” several more impacts drowned out her voice.

“What is it?” Eki asked.

“Ericius ships, Captain,” came the reply, “sensors are picking up five of them emerging from inside the asteroid field,” Ustu said.

“Captain,” Zozta called out, “I recommend we only activate shields or weapons. The reactor won’t be able to maintain both,” she said.

“Damn,” Eki said, “power up the shields and tell the crew to head to the life pods,” she ordered.

“If we turn the ship so that the undamaged side faces the enemy ships,” Ustu called out while tapping away at her control panels, “the life pods will have a better chance of getting away, and then we can detonate the reactor,” she said.

“Is that possible?” Eki asked, looking to her right. Zozta was frantically trying to keep the reactor from going critical.

“I can get the ship’s computer to power up the weapons once the last life pod launches,” she replied, “with the shields up, it won’t be long until the seals on the reactor fail and the ship explodes,” Zozta looked up at the Captain when she finished.

“Do it,” Eki replied, “all hands, this is the Captain. Evacuate the Matriarch’s Light and set course for Border Station Five,” she ordered.

Inside the bridge and throughout the patrol vessel, evacuation lights and signs were activated. While a Cerastes-class patrol vessel was small compared to the rest of the Matriarchy ships, it still had a crew of thirty. Fortunately, there were enough life pods on the damaged side of the vessel to accommodate everyone. As the Captain and her bridge crew made their way to the nearest pod, a series of bright flashes lit up the Matriarch’s Light as the life pods launched.

Ten seconds after the Captain’s life pod was safely away, the computer turned the ship to face the enemy vessels. Using what was left of the engines, the patrol ship lurched forward as the weapons were brought online. All along the hull of the Matriarch’s Light, armoured bays opened and Laser Batteries ascended. At the front of the ship, torpedoes were loaded into their tubes and thick armoured doors opened. Once everything was ready, the computer fired at the closet Ericius ship. The first salvo took out its shields, and then, as the guns rotated to fire at the next vessel, the torpedoes, which had been fired shortly before the lasers, impacted against the enemy vessel's hull.

The first torpedo ripped off the front of the ship, the second detonated against the armoured bridge, killing the crew inside, and the third and fourth torpedos hit the Ericius ship close to the reactor. The resulting internal explosions caused the reactor to go critical, and the ship exploded. One of the nearby Ericius ships attempted to clear the area of the explosion but was caught in the blast. Its shields failed, and several of its weapons were damaged. The Captains of the remaining ships decided that the Matriarch’s Light was too dangerous to ignore, and so they all focused their fire on the damaged patrol ship. They instructed their crews to only disable shields and weapons.

As the Ericius ships opened fire, the stress from trying to maintain both the shields and weapons caused the last seal on the reactor to fail. The resulting explosion from the reactor going critical managed to destroy or severely damage the remaining Ericius ships. However, any hope the surviving ships had of repairing the damage was short-lived, as their own overstressed reactors went critical.

Eki, watching from inside her life pod, prayed that they would be able to reach Border Station Five before the main Ericius fleet could spring its trap.