The Second Law - Part XXIII
#101 of Entropy Series
The gang runs through last minute rituals to prepare for the worst. Some get their guns off. Some get their rocks off. Others fear doomsday firing off. All think of each other as they zoom to the surface of a truly alien world.
I'm reversing a tradition here and gining you guys and gals a gift on ~my~ birthday. :3
In all seriousness, things worked out such that today was payload delivery day. I've been tackling another project and it slowed my progress a bit as I got things set up. For those interested I'm streaming my progress as I 3D print, prep, and paint the entire Overwatch hero cast at http://beam.pro/ottersgonnaott/ and I'm just getting ready to paint-prep a whole 1 kg spool worth of characters.
The Second Law is rolling into another planetary story arc with the landing in this chapter. Yangurraar is a strange place and hopefully I'll be able to put what's in my head onto (digital) paper with a semblance of accuracy intact. I'm contemplating writing an aside in Phoebe's point of view detailing the planet, if anything to save the story the added girth. It's already reaching a hundred and eighty thousand words for this book, and that's only forty-five thousand away from the most I've written in one volume. We'll see, depending on how much detail needs to be in the story to develop context of the actions performed.
As always, this story may contain adult content and explicit sexual imagery. Additionally, lyrical excerpts from the following songs are used under Fair Use: [ "Love in an Elevator": Aerosmith ]. If you aren't allowed or don't wish to view such material, please stop reading immediately. You may cringe / giggle / have an aneurysm from silly content tags. Love is in the air, and may or may not affect your capacity for rational thought. Common side effects include squealing, crying, and smiling. To all the rest, enjoy! Comments and critiques are welcome and encouraged.
"Gods, James... You're so into this." Alex groaned and croaked as her hips were repeatedly pressed backward into her pilot's seat by her favorite giraffe. "You feel so big today, dirty boy."
"What? I'm always big--especially around you." James eased his gargantuan cock in and out of his lover, his unaccommodating size usually dictating a slow approach for both lovers' sakes. "I'm surprised you're finally breaking your rule though, Cheat. Screwing you on the Bridge is... pretty damn hot."
"Hey, if we're all going to die soon... I figured I should at least break in the ol' gal properly at least the once." The dart frog hooked her legs around her giraffe-withBenefits and tugged him deeper, hinting she was close to her peak. It was then that she noticed Jame's typical resistance, the soldier always giving Cheat some breathing room. "You... can finish inside today if you... want to."
"And get blamed for the mess after? I know how you like it. Don't worry."
Alex tightened her legs and really pressed her point home, giving the only person that willfully held himself back for her benefit no wiggle room at all. "No, I... I want it today. I want to feel you cum because of me."
"That's... unusual for you, Cheat. You sure?" The death grip around his ass only grew tighter until James went back to work. "You trying to do something nice for me or something? I don't mind pulling out."
"No, you do. How long have we been fucking? The only times you really shiver are when you slip up and dump it all in me, boy-o." Cheat reached up with her arms and dangled from James' shoulders, pulling him down for an embrace and kiss. "I love it too. I just don't like the mess. But if it's yours... I can let it slide."
"What's with all this? You never get smoochy." The way the amphibian clutched him from all angles, suddenly James understood the point she was too embarrassed to outright state. "You maybe... want to make that an exclusive thing? I'm the only one that gets to fill you up like that?"
Alex shook her head side to side, then wriggled her lengthy tongue around James' own impressive one for the deepest of French kisses. "Mwah... Not just the creampies, James. Maybe we can..."
"You got it, Alex. We'll give it a go, just you and me." James picked up his pace, bottoming out in his frog strong enough to force out croaks of pleasure. "Gods, that got you tight. You really want me to make a mess right now? I'm close, but I can just as easy carry you to bed--"
"If it'll keep my Bridge clean, do as you please." Ilaria fluttered her fingers in a teasing greeting as she sat down in her captain's chair. "Hey."
"Sh-Shit!" James instinctively yanked back and stood upright, saluting his superior in his flustered state. "M-Ma'am! Sorry, Ma-am!"
"Easy, James. We don't need that formality here, remember?" Ari chuckled and shook her head as she perused her data console. "I didn't mean to interrupt, but Rhyme and I are doing some preparations before we near Yangurraar."
"I... Shit, I've gotta look like a dork."
Trick smirked as she rubbed her disappointingly empty pussy. "Sexy is all I see."
"I see a lot more than that. Damn, Alex. I thought you were kidding about the guy's size." Ari found the control panel she needed and materialized its holograms, her gaze wavering back to the two-foot cock in short order. "Seriously, don't mind me. I'm pretty sure Alex specifically requested you dump your balls in her. Don't keep a pretty girl waiting. Just make sure to clean up after that fire hose."
"Y-Yes Ma-am. Ah--I mean yes, Ari." James settled himself back down and plunged his cock into Cheat's waiting folds. "Gods... You're even tighter."
Alex slithered out her tongue in preparation for another deep kiss. "What can I say? I love an audience."
"You two are beautiful together." Ari flipped a few switches in preparation and waited to hit a master button. "Rhy? You in position?"
Ari's summoned glasses spouted out an audio signal, the stems being given radio speakers. "Almost. Found a panel that needed a weld."
"Well I'd rather fix all we can, so don't hurry on my behalf." Ari gazed over at the lovers as they broke in the foremost seat, her own loans drooling and growing as a quite expected result. "They're really going at it. Hot as fuck."
There was a bit of a grunt on the line, then a pause as Rhyme took a breath. "Are you watching someone bump and grind without me, darling? That your brother?"
"Nah, it's... Actually, I'm not telling. They don't seem like they want to broadcast it to everyone yet. Sorry, honey." Ari grinned as she heard a disappointed sigh over the line, but her radio conversation quickly lost focus when a cold paw pulled down her spats and began pumping her cock. "Eh? P-Pris?"
"Hey, Ari. You don't mind if I...?"
Ari took one look at the fake yet supple paw that stroked her with the utmost care, then promptly resumed her sex-gazing. "Uh, go right ahead?"
"Thanks! I've been curious about this for a while now, and the situation presented a good chance to try out my new shell." Prisma varied her strokes, soon layering another paw over the first as Ari's length grew to full mast. "Am I doing this right--or should I try my mouth? I know you like oral stimulation."
"You randomly want to give me head?" Ari took a good look at the complex gears and mechanisms behind the clear insides of Prisma's mouth and promptly declined that proposal. "I think this is good. You're a natural with paws."
"After watching the crew enough, I realized there was more nuance to biological anatomy than I originally assumed. There's a certain beauty in the complexity of organic machines." The android varied her grips to both cup Ari's tip with a focus on thumb massaging as well as press two fingers into her pussy. "I'm not too rough, am I? Your children helped me build a more lifelike shell, but I'm still getting used to the lack of raw power and finer dexterity."
"You're doing perfect, Pris. It's hard to believe you haven't done this before." Ari shifted her focus to the robot, the new body piquing her interest both as a mechanical engineer and sexually being. "So, the girls helped you with this? I like it. It's a good look for you."
"They have a new design they've created. They started with their paws and moved on to my shell." Prisma teasingly ran her tongue up Ari's length, the appendage surprisingly leaving a trail of some unidentified lubricant. "We managed to get my mechanical to neurological mass ratio down as well. I'm... a bit more independent of the ship, which means I have time to learn things like this."
"Well I approve of your educational material, hon." Ari gave the android a closer inspection, indeed finding that beneath her clear skin she was mostly clockwork and far less of her nanite goop. "I don't know how much this is true, but I'm happy you're trying to split from the ship again. That was a travesty that happened to you."
"I'm... remembering a lot more of what happened before. I remember being considered family. Most of that is your children's work as well." Prisma resumed her double-pawed stroking and quickened her pace. "I remember what all of you did for me, sister. I--"
"Ari? I'm here now. It's like I saw in Engineering, alright." The radio shocked Ari out of her trance and back to the controls. "Okay, that's the override. Hit that control I showed you and I'll patch up the shielding out here."
"Got it. One sec." Ari groaned as she begrudgingly moved Prisma away from her crotch and hit her required controls. "Sorry, Pris. I'm busy fixing up your larger body right now. Can we--?"
"We'll always be able to bond like this later. If you're fixing up the havoc those pulsar stars are causing me I definitely won't complain either. Neutrinos and gamma rays suck." Prisma stood and wiped her messy paws against her clear, faux fur. "Perhaps this gives me a good reason to take my first shower, in any case--later, maybe. Right now we can focus on my repairs if you'd like, sister."
"I really do miss you calling me that. Good to have you regaining a part of yourself, sis." Ari pulled her spats up and straightened her sirat drapes as she stood. "Let's go find the next station while Rhy works. And you love birds have fun over there! Give her a second run for me, and that's an order!"
"Yes Ma-am!"
"I'm not sure that would make much of a difference, biologically speaking." Pris followed Ari into the hallway and effortlessly matched her hurried pace. "I realize all of you share human ancestry, but after a few generations species pairing plays a larger role in reproductive compatibility."
"I don't want them to make a baby, Pris. They're on what may be the last break before they no longer exist. I'd rather them smiling and embracing each other than suppressing any of that love." Ari leaped over the first elevator shaft and used her nanite tendrils to reel herself across. "I'm happy for them. There's a lot of people hooking up on this ship, but those two sex freaks were made for each other."
"I... I see." Pris followed in Ari's wake, though with her android body she had the benefit of small compressed air thrusters across various joints to vault her across the gap. "Some day I'd like to experience that. I understand recreational sex, but the attachments some partners make are... desired learning experiences."
"Are you even equipped for that? The, uh... The sex, I mean."
"I have full replica genitalia. The girls enabled new sensory inputs as well, though I've yet to utilize them. Hence, more paws-on research is required." Prisma landed and picked up her pace, closing the gap between herself and Ari. "These breasts are a bit of a nuisance when moving, though. I don't understand why large ones are generally more desired."
"Because they're fun to squeeze... and if you're lucky you can fit a cock between them. Well, Yoyo would hate me if I didn't mention the historical significance of child rearing ability too." Ari slowed to a stop as she reached the second elevator shaft. "If they're bothering you though, we can visit Ashe. She's about your size and we've got to pass by Medical anyway."
"My size? What's your point, sister?"
"Well, sounds like you could use a bra. Easy fix." Ari crossed the second shaft more leisurely as her new destination was just over the divide. "Let's see if Ashe is awake. I'm sure she'll lend you one until you can get some of your own made."
"Oh. That's alright. I can manage without--"
"Nonsense. You're wasting your new body if you can't move about freely in it. Besides, it might look sexier than being in the buff all the time." Ilaria opened the door to the Medical Bay and smiled as she found Elliot sitting in his office. "Perfect. Ellie, is Ashe around? I've got a favor to ask her."
"Ashe? She's gone into hiding recently. I'm... not sure she'd be feeling generous, either. You can check if she's sleeping around here though." Elliot placed his data pad on his desk and stood for the two ladies, gravitating toward Prisma. "And how many times have I told you to try on clothes? You come over and all my patients start pawing off."
"Sorry. I just changed shells again and I'm feeling restricted as it is."
"And you. Ari..." Ellie rolled his eyes and nudged his snout toward Ari's groin, making note of her full erection poking halfway out a leg of her spats. "We don't fix those kinds of bones around here anymore. Curious though: is it her?"
"Nah, I just came from a bit of a show. Alex and--" Ari bit her tongue to hold herself back. "You know what? Forget I said anything."
"That's all part of my job, yep yep. Consider it 'forgotten'. Just don't give me more surprise babies to deliver and we're cool."
"Well, let's find Ashe while we have time. Thanks, Ellie."
Prisma paced around the central common area, suddenly spinning around as she found one of the Ashes on a camera feed. "Is that her? She's sitting in the dark and that room doesn't have infrared."
"You and your spying, hon..." Ari walked over to the room in question and cracked the door, immediately regretting doing so once she heard sobbing and crying. "Shit. Ashe, are you alright? You need to talk?"
"Huh?" The girl tried to silence herself, but completely ceasing such an emotional state never works out quite as planned. "Ari? Please, just... It's best if you stay away, for both of us."
"Nope. I can't just let a girl cry in the dark. My parents raised me better than that." The large otter took care that her artificial hindpaw didn't make too much noise as she crossed the bulkhead, discovering the wolf was not the Ashe she was looking for. "Punk... I'm here for you, whatever the issue. Just tell me what's wrong, then if you really want me to leave I'll be fine with that. Just vent something first, however small."
"Ari, stay... Stay away. I'm in heat and I... uh, damn..."
"Oh, that's it? Aren't you and Ellie close?" Ari smirked as she poked her head out into the common area. "Ellie, get your ass in here and fuck this poor girl. She's suffering, and by her smell she's in a heavy heat this time."
"Shit. I'd love to, but... I can't. My paws are tied on that one." Ellie moved close to the hatch, purposefully looking downward to avoid any and all eye contact. "Maybe you could help though? It would solve a lot of problems."
"Wait... You like her, right? And you want to fuck her? What's the problem?"
"Well, Ashe came up with some ground rules and... Punk can't find it in herself to follow them..."
"Rules? Nothing too harsh though... Right?" Ari read a very different story coming from both furs' expressions. "You both look miserable. What's going on, exactly?"
"I can't..." Punk took a deep breath and finally managed to fight back her tears. "I can't have sex with Ellie unless I have sex with someone else first. But... I don't want to have sex with anyone else. I... I only..."
"Is that... true?" Elliot nodded slowly, breaking eye contact immediately after locking eyes with the larger otter. "What the fuck? Where's Ashe, Ellie? She can't get too far without sight, bless her."
Ellie sighed as he slumped against the door frame. "Ari, just... I'm handling it."
"Where is she? I'm giving her a piece of my mind before she lets this get worse. She should have just given a yes or no to you and Punk after the big news." Ari ran her fingers through her long, messy hair, but halted her paw in disbelief when genuine confusion stared back at her. "She didn't tell you? What the fuck? I definitely need to see her now. Something isn't right."
"I don't, ah... know what this is about exactly, but she's in room two." Ellie gained a hint of hope to his body language for a moment, but defeat soon replaced it with confusion and anticipation. "We were doing alright for a while, but Punk went into heat and it all blew up. Maybe Ashe is in heat too? I don't... I don't know."
"You two used to have a healthy love life so it definitely isn't that. No... she screwed up with something entirely different." Ari curled an inviting finger to Punk as she left the room, then forcefully grabbed Elliot by the collar. "You're both going to hear what she has to say, from her own mouth. It's far overdue and you both deserve to know."
Ellie fought as he was dragged along, shaking himself free as they reached room two. "What's this about!?"
"It's not my place to say, not yet anyway." Ilaria practically kicked the door down as she entered the patient room, but immediately regretted that decision as well when the sole inhabitant was curled in a corner and sobbing all the same. "Ashe... Fuck. Ashe, you only brought this on yourself by holding back. I know it can be scary, but waiting only creates more issues."
"Leave us alone! We were fine!"
"Ashe, you're huddled in a ball, crying your eyes out! I'm not leaving just so it can get worse!" This time quite without apology, Ari slogged over to her adopted sister and slapped a cold-metal paw across her face. "He deserves to hear it from you! Tell him now or I'll do it instead!"
Ashe held a paw against her jaw, unable to immediately tell that blood from her nose was now joining her tears. "But I... I..." The Arctic wolf froze for a moment, noticing the ghosted glow of Punk was staring innocently for an unexpected secret. "I'm pregnant. I'm... I'm pregnant, Elliot."
"That's... Ashe..." Ellie shambled into the room, unable to process the very best words he'd heard in his whole life. "That's wonderful! Ashe, you should be happy! Fuck, is that what this is all about? I'm ecstatic, yes yes! When did you--?"
Ari smiled as she shared that warm and fuzzy feeling mixed into a relief cocktail. "At my girls' birthday party. She had me help her with ~at least~ three different tests."
Ashe however didn't feel the same joy, the opposing emotion only causing her to shiver back into a deep sob. "But it's horrible! I wanted this for so long and yet I dreaded that first positive! Now you'll have a son or daughter without a mother. That's _ not _ the gift I wanted to give you."
"I don't... understand..."
"My mother died when she gave birth to me, and her mother did the same. What do you think is going to happen to me as well? It's a genetic condition stemming from the gene splicing in our family." Ashe spun around to face her corner, hiding her face as she elaborated. "And I had a damned plan, but the timing failed me. Damnit. You were supposed to hate me when I had our child, not love me! You and Punk were supposed to rally together and fall in love! Our child was going to have a mother in her life, one that... One I think is a great replacement for me..."
"Is... Did you set all of these ridiculous rules for that?" Elliot shoved Ari aside and entombed Ashe with both his body and his love. "Ashe, I love you. I'll always love you. Your plan was doomed from the start."
"But... I'm..."
"You're going to beat the trend. You're a genius and I'm the best doctor in the star system. Between us, we'll make sure the past doesn't repeat itself."
Ashe collapsed in a mixture of emotions, only to be held up by loving arms. "But our child would be blind, and I might be.. permanently crippled or something..."
"And none of that has stopped me from loving you, has it? How could I not love our child even more?" Elliot turned his love around for a proper hug, finding a shivering, mumbling mess instead. "You're over-thinking this. You haven't been taking your meds, have you?"
"I... I can't." Ashe placed a paw on her barely pudgy belly and rubbed lightly. "I don't know what the oxydium will do to the baby."
"Then we'll have to do some tests and find out. And if that isn't an option, we'll find ways to occupy that mind of yours. I'm sure fining a fix for all this would do the trick for at least a few months." Ellie kissed Ashe's forehead tenderly, then gave in to his joy and planted a deeper one on her lips. "We'll do this together. We're made for each other, and we'll tackle all our problems together too."
"Elliot... I'm sor--"
Ellie placed a finger on his love's lips. "I love you, beautiful."
"I..." Ashe drooped her head over Ellie's shoulder, her emotions exhausting her. "I love you too, Elliot."
"I didn't know about all that, Ashe. I'm sorry I forced that out of you." Ilaria took one of her sirat drapes and wiped the blood from her sister's face. "And I'm damned sorry I hit you like that. I forgot you couldn't see it coming."
"No, I deserved that. I... I shouldn't have tried acting alone." The wolf took the cloth and cleaned more of her face, pausing when she realized what she was holding. "This is your... Damn, now I'm sorry. I've ruined your wedding dress."
"No worries. It's meant to record my family's history--blood, sweat, and tears. And jizz too, I guess." Ari sat on the floor and rubbed her sister's back soothingly. "I'm here to help however I can, Ashe. It would kill me to lose you if I never tried to stop it."
"Um..." Punk still stood in the doorway, though now she adorned a slightly different form of disappointed sadness. "I'll let you guys be. I'm not needed here."
"No no! Of course you are!" Ellie threw out an arm to invite the clone over, only to be baffled when she walked away. "I'm serious. We can be closer now that this is behind us."
"No, we can't." Punk froze for a moment as she decided what to do next, then headed for the hallway. "I need to find my own... well, you."
"Damn." Ashe sighed into Elliot's shoulder as she listened to her doppleganger walk away. "My plan failed there too. But..." She brought her head up and met lips with her man's. "Maybe it's alright to be a little selfish sometimes?"
Ellie rubbed his nose against Ashe's curiously. "Selfish? I don't get it."
"She was trying to fall for you even though you weren't ~her~ Elliot." Ashe licked her man's nose and smiled. "But maybe she didn't need that push toward you? Maybe I should have claimed you like this and let her spread her wings a bit instead?"
Ilaria gave her sister a few pats on the back as she stood to leave the couple alone. "And that sort of thinking is why I know you'll make an amazing mother, Ashe. Congratulations."
Prisma eased into the room and waved to quietly grab Ari's attention. "Sorry to butt in, but... your wife should be low on air..."
"~Oh!~ I completely spaced out." The Commander hopped to her hindpaws and swept herself out the door. "Better make sure my mate isn't spaced in the bad way. Duty calls. Celebrate twice as hard for me while I'm gone, you two!"
Pa-da-da Pop!
Vasily lowered his assault rifle to check the makeshift Cargo Bay range, a thick cigar rolling around in his mouth as he peered. "Still not quite like my old girl. Getting closer though."
"You're probably just getting rusty in your golden years, old friend." Carbon raised her pistol and let loose three rounds, her typical pinpoint accuracy also spreading a bit wide of normal without Evelyn's trajectory assistance. "Scratch that. It's better not to fret the details."
Vasily slapped his friend on the pack with a hearty laugh. "Welcome to the party, pal."
"Remind me not to lend you my sniper without your Evie around." Iolvin set his rifle on a table as he finished cleaning it, finding his mate strolling over just as his arms were freed for a hug. "Hey, Adri. You finally feeling ready for this mission? Only a short while left to prepare."
"Four hours until we have proper visual, actually." Ilaria planted her hindpaws as she dropped from the elevator shaft into the cargo hold. "What's up, brothers?"
"I found something to boost my man's morale, actually." Adrian gave his mate a kiss and produced his recently discovered photo. "I think this was meant for you, Yoyo."
"Holy shit. I thought I lost this when I gave Lulu her photos for review." Yoyo examined the group wedding photo with his muzzle agape in nostalgia and awe. "Damn... She manages to hit me right in the feels even from the grave."
"What? Is that--?" Ari gently took the photo, then nearly lost her ability to stand upon taking in its written notes. "Gods... She really did have a lot of life in her, until..."
"Lulu... Oh, I remember now. Yeah." Yoyo tried his best to divert his twin's mind from her wife's demise by changing the focus of the conversation. "See how low the camera is? I forgot Carbon took that picture for us. The angle's so bad the sun nearly bled into everything. Keep it, sis. It's a fun photo."
Dee rested in his mate's lap. "Is that one you were trying to develop differently? I knew you were struggling with a few."
"Hey, I can't be held accountable for any misprints." Carbon fired off his remaining rounds, finding no real improvement in his aim. "Keep in mind I couldn't see what I was shooting."
"It's fine, Carbon. You're small, but that's part of what makes you sexy." Sydney bumped her mate out of the way and readied her inherited revolver for fire. "Not so sure about the weasel look though. I like the thick fuzz and that big ol' tail."
"It's polecat... And I should be able to change back by now, if you really don't like it..."
"Don't you dare. I'm just screwing with you." Cid let off a single shot, landing it square in the center of Carbon's target. "I want to know what's under the hood, Carbon. You've said you have a bunch of animals in your genes and I love all of you, so don't be afraid to show me all of you."
"I appreciate that. I ~really~ appreciate it." Evelyn floated over with a giggling, pink toddler hefted over her shoulders. "I'm not sure how much of that grafted to your children though. By my count Carbon has fourteen different base species in her genetic cocktail. She didn't have the benefit of a few generations to filter out a dominant species like you, Sydney."
"That's more than I guessed. Wow."
"Pretty much all of the mustilidae family, plus human, Yangurra... It's a lot. I've been pushing her favorite mostly."
Ari ruffled Carbon's thinner-thanUsual neck fur and shook her head with a playful smile. "Otter was a good choice. It's just not the same like this."
"Says the otter." Punk cautiously waved from a distance, her hormones getting the better of her in her unsated heat. "Hey. Lots more guys here than I though. I'll just... find somewhere else to hide."
"The crew's getting you worked up? I'm sorry, hon." Ari took her weapons off and draped their holsters over a table. "Need a hug? Maybe my quiet quarters?"
"Oh, I thought your kids were holed up in there." Punk watched as the now-apparent teens held a conversation in the corner with Leannan. "They've gotten bigger than me. What the hell do you feed those three?"
"The recycled cardboards, same as us all." Hans chomped on a cereal bar that had been just so printed as he toted a tool bag toward the aft of the Starbreeze. "Good day again, mine beautiful frau. You are still feeling under the weathers? This is sad to hear, ja."
Punk softened her stance as the sugar glider passed. "Hey, Hans. You still keeping an eye on Lee for us?"
"Richtig, ja. He still is careless, but he keeps the paws out of the trouble." The mechanic continued to his work spot, smiling as the Arctic wolf followed closely by his side. "Oh, gud. I love the company while working. Am I not asking too much?"
"Not at all, Hans. You're fun to talk to." Punk fidgeted as her body tried to veer her down another path. "Hey... Do you really mean it, that I'm beautiful?"
"Ja, naturally! What sane man could say otherwise?"
Blushing blood flooded Punk's face as she closed the small gap and helped carry the tool box paw over paw. "That... makes me feel so much better. Let's go fix what your need so we can... find somewhere quiet to chat."
"I know that look. That's totally like Fleur wanting to destroy my dick. So Punk's in heat?" Dee chuckled and slouched in his mate's lap. "Speaking of, I'm glad Fleur's managed to find her own solution with Buck gone. I'd help if needed, but still..."
"She takes it out on my husbands, I'll have you know." Rose sighed, draping from each of her mates' shoulders as they joined the gun party. "That girl has a hell of a sex drive, and when she gets into gear she's unstoppable. Her friends are here for her, though."
Phoebe nodded as his nose twitched to the tobacco in the air. "We aim to please."
"You know we're in an oxygen-rich, pressurized vessel, right gramps?" Themis broke free of the bunch to meet up with Vasily and get a better whiff. "What's with the stogy?"
"Tradition. I'm not letting something like the whole crew burning alive stop me." Vasily finished adjusting his rifle's ironsights and lined up a shot, loosing a single bullet into the center of his target. "If I'm going to get shot at a few hours from now, I'm staying relaxed until hell starts flying my way. Hence, the fine cigar."
"Can I try? It smells nice."
"...Eh, why not?" Vasily set the safety on his rifle and passed the cigar to his grandson. "Iolvin, my boy? You're gonna want to see this."
"Really now?" Yoyo peeked around his sister, a huge grin spread over his face. "First smoke? Everyone chokes, son. Take it easy."
"I got this." Em took the smoldering treat and lobbed it in his mouth, then after several full breaths he started laughing. "See, no biggie. I basically breathe this stuff nightly anyway."
"Well label me impressed." Vasily took the stogy back and chucked it over to Carbon. "Well whadd'ya know? The kid did better than your first."
Carbon popped up her mask and used the cigar as a makeshift air conditioner. "I have to say, they resemble Yangurraa more than I can explain."
"Speaking of..." Ilaria sighed loudly and then growled at her youngest children as they floated Carbon's exoskeleton tank about the room with enigmatic orbs of light. "Kids! What did I say about playing with gravity when guns are out!?"
"Sorry, mom." Pepper led the others to carefully place Ex back on his feet. "We wanted to figure something out without getting in the way."
Paprika gave the robot a rub on the arm before backing down. "Our bad, mom."
"As long as you understand and learn from your mistakes, it's fine."
Salt refused to take her paws off the machine, then he started moving Ex to sit on the floor without notice. "Can we still play with Ex though? No gravity stuff?"
"I don't..." Ari stared and blinked a few seconds as she contemplated what her daughter meant. "It's up to Carbon, I guess."
"Well I used to think Ex was safe from your whelps." Carbon sighed as she walked over to his mech, spotting small movements caused by the teenager. "You can really control him? Ex is coded to his old pilot and his creators. That..."
Evelyn formed her body from Carbon's ring, the enigma immediately touching Ex to check Salt's Link. "She's got the genetic markers for it. They're... from your side, surprisingly."
"The nanites..." Ari held out her paw and formed her glasses out of the little buggers. "You say those ætiir have genetic memories and the like in them, right? Well Yoyo, Dee and I have part of those machines inside us..."
"Oh. Well fuck... I never thought of that. Your kids could have part of my family in them, through you." Carbon took a final puff of the cigar before tossing it back to his old friend. "I guess we were family even before marrying into the tribe. This... opens up some doors, I guess."
"Complicates a few things, too." Eve nodded as she broke her Link to the mech. "Considering Ex is fully armed again, maybe the triplets shouldn't Link to him."
"Yeah, good point. Sorry, pups." Carbon touched Ex and took back control, leading the robot back to his neutral posture. "This makes me wonder if we had ouschee in the family long ago or if your twins are just like that because of your own... contributions."
"I don't care how they became what they are. I just know I love them." Ilaria smiled as she gave her younger kids a group hug that they very much rebelled against. "I love you all. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to finish preparations to save all your tails."
"Roger that." Carbon clicked her mask visor closed and purged the air until she could breathe easily once more. "Let's suit up and gear up. We've got a planet to raid."
"I'm checking on Lirou, whether they like it or not." Niishal sighed as he donned his breather, hanging the air generator from a hook on his belt. "Eiita, put on a show for these Terran observers. They always seem to enjoy our copulation to the point of distraction."
"And as much as I love being close to you, I don't enjoy being watched. Now you ask me to pleasure myself for their enjoyment?" Already naked and laying atop their joined cots, the helpless guard succumbed to her duty. "Just this last time. Make sure you find her, Niishal. And... don't get yourself killed. I can't lose you right now."
"This isn't my first time escaping, Eiita. The Colonel is too soft on his pet project to dispose of me." Niishal snapped a queo to a nearby security camera and froze the feed, preventing the security team from objecting. "Now, if you would? And please, have fun while you're at it. I may just return in time to enjoy those dewed petals, my dear."
"I approve of this revised plan." Eiita giggled as she laid back and spread her legs, making absolutely sure the scientists behind the ineffective one-way glass were completely focused on her. "You have an opening, Niishal."
"Thank you, Eiita. I'll return with news of Lirou's fate soon."
The Yangurra hacked the door locks with a vine and quietly slipped into the hallway. He and his veile had memorized the layout of the Roswell military complex down to the wiring in the walls over the past year, yet there were still a few areas along the periphery Niishal had yet to penetrate. Of the three remaining, the plant chose the one where the most power was flowing, shutting down cameras along the way there. Ever so often either a patrol or a roaming group of soldiers crossed his path, but by now he'd learned to use his small stature to hide away effectively. Long gone were the days when a sedating sting of his thorns was required.
"<I'm amazed at these new results.>" The stealthy leader halted behind one of his potted, alien brethren as a group of scientists lingered near the security checkpoint to the enigmatic area. He doubted anything useful would come of his snooping, though the scientists did tend to be looser with their broad tongues. The females like this one did have more soothing voices at least. "<Hey Jack, that the newest blood work?>"
"<Yeah, here. I need to get that to the Colonel for his intel package this week though, so don't take too long.>" Jack handed over a clipboard and leaned against a nearby wall as he waited. "<It's a shame our research doesn't make it to the public. We could cure cancer with this if we had enough minds working on it.>"
"<Well that's wishful thinking, Jack. We'd be a long way from integrating alien biology with ours. Trust me; I'm the specialist on the subject.>" The familiar woman finished browsing through the paperwork and returned the clipboard with a nod. "<Thanks, Jack. That'll definitely be the result Finn's been pushing us so hard for. Now go on and bring this to my husband, please.>"
"<Sure thing, Misses Optik.>"
"Interesting. So that's who you are." Niishal waited for the group to disperse, using a key moment to snatch the lady's access card with a tendril. "Misses Vivian Optik, Doctor of Medicine... The Colonel has himself a fine, smart woman. Too bad she's clumsy and lost her card."
"Misses Optik? You need something still?"
Niishal hid behind his plant as a confused security guard poked his head out of his booth. "Oops. I need to stop talking to myself, Niishal."
The plant slithered below the guard booth's window counter and found the access panel for the surprisingly difficult door lock. He still could not understand how the stripes on the access cards worked or how to read them, so for now he'd made a habit of collecting said cards from the locals. A swipe in the panel later and he was granted access to a medical area. Niishal stood tall once he realized there was a very low population compared to the military side of the compound, allowing freer access once through the doors.
"Lirou!" Niishal found his quarry in a similar room as his own, though this one had many access ports and odd gloves protruding through the glass. "Lirou, I'll find a way inside. Are you okay? They mentioned blood."
The injured bodyguard stared back in confusion, obviously able to see through the mirrored glass but unable to hear her leader's spoken words. "Niishal, it's so good to see you alive! Why can't I hear you? Can you hear me?"
Niishal placed his hands upon a control panel and let his fine queii Link to the system. "Ah, a speaking device. You should be able to hear me now, Lirou."
"Much better! Oh, how I have longed to hear another voice in our tongue!"
"Are you alright? Your injuries look stable, but..." Niishal gave his lost guard and lover a closer inspection, finding fresh wounds of a foreign source. "Are they hurting you?"
"Occasionally they stick me with some sort of metal thorn." Lirou lifted up an arm that covered her side, revealing an unsealed sore surrounded by rot. "Whatever they do to me, it's harder and harder for my veile to heal me every time. Some of my past injuries are even returning."
"That's horrible. Time is no longer our ally. We need to get you out of here." The leader took up his responsibility to his family and derived a plan from his surroundings. "I must return before I am caught. Eiita and I may escape whenever we please, and now that we know your location we will break you out with us. There is a ventilation duct I see that may better facilitate our escape." Niishal held up his newly acquired security card and smiled. "In any case I now have direct access to you should an assault be necessary."
"<Now I thought we had an understanding, son.>" Colonel Optik cocked the hammer of his pistol as it pressed to the rear of Niishal's head. "<Makes me glad I monitored my wife's access. Kindly hand over that card, little guy.>"
"<Colonel...>" Niishal sighed as he relinquished the card, obviously not putting up a fight now that he was caught by more friendly company. "<I don't regret breaking free this time. Why have you been keeping Lirou from us? What are you doing to her?>"
"<You're lucky I've taken a liking to you this last year. Protocol states I need to put one of these here bullets between your eyes if you get free, Niishal.>" The commanding officer pocketed the card and then eased the hammer closed on his weapon. "<You're not some dumb lab rat. I've learned that. I respect it. But if I don't stick to a bit o' my orders I'll be replaced with someone that won't care so much. I'm just following command.>"
"<So your leader dictates these cruel actions? This is unacceptable. Take me to your leader.>"
"<None of this is cruel, little guy. We just take samples.>" The Colonel checked Lirou through the glass and groaned in disgust when he noticed wounds and sores on her body. "<That's what I ordered, anyway. What's going--?"
Rotating lights attached to the walls and ceiling lit up and began whirling, blinding Niishal's sight for a moment. "<This is different than the alarm; there is no noise with the light. What does this mean, Colonel?>"
"<No... Oh God, no.>" Optik reached for a nearby phone that linked directly to the main office. "<Status, now!>"
Niishal watched as a swarm of scientists flooded through the security door. "<Colonel? What's happening?>"
"<Damnit! God damn you, Hitler. Breen, signal 'theta protocol' for the base. Test subjects too.>" Colonel Optik slammed the phone into it's base and began waving his soldiers and scientists through the heavy doors. "<Everyone, move to the back of the lab. Ain't no time to waste, so don't slow things. We ain't sealing them doors until everyone's through.>"
"<Colonel! What is it!?>"
"<Damn Nazis and Reds beat us to the bomb. Reports of bases just disappearing nearby.>" The human leader held the plant the shoulders to cool both their heads. "<We've got one o' our atom bombs being built a city away. We might be safe in here, but... they've been saying the things kill even without the blast. Something called 'radiation'. That's what this here new protocol is all about.>"
A flood of light filled Niishal's vision, the color signaling X-rays that appeared to come from well outside the base. "<It might be too late, then. Something powerful just erupted from that direction.>"
"<That's Fat Man. They've been hit...>" The Colonel shouted to the soldiers manning the vault-grade door, his regret equally as pronounced as his authority in his voice. "<Seal the door. Anyone still out there might as well be dead.>"
"<S-Sir? But we-->"
"<Private, close the damned door! We'll all die if you don't!>" Optik immediately looked for his wife, his heart skipping a beat when he found her. "Vivian!"
The doctor latched onto her husband for dear life. "Finn! God, is this really happening!?"
"<God have mercy on us.>" The Colonel forfeit his role as husband in favor of his figurative and literal families. "<And may He forgive what I've done.>"
"<Where is my family!? Where is Eiita!?>" Niishal snapped his obscured vision throughout the room, hoping to find his missing lover in the chaos. When he found only the one in her glorified glass planter he collapsed to his knees. "Eiita... Gods, my Eiita..."
"Drop! Drop! Drop! Straight into hell, boys!"
"Oh... 'kay." Ilaria shot an awkward glare at her father as she slapped Trick on the shoulder. "Not sure where that came from, but do as the man says. We're the vanguard, Alex."
Carbon slugged her old friend's shoulder as they both gleefully smiled at the tradition. "Just a good luck ritual. Back in the war we only ever took casualties when our old CO bit the dust and couldn't shout that. So... Volk took up the mantle. The casualties stopped."
"Well then I'm all for ~that~. Don't let me stop you." Ari nudged her snout toward Carbon's mechanical beast. "Hey Carbon, make sure Ex is ready when we hit dirt. If we're under fire we could use the temporary cover."
Carbon stood and walked to the rear of the orbiter with help from his vines. "Aye aye, Commander."
Yoyo waited until the craft cleared the artificial gravity of the Starbreeze, then propelled his camera to Themis. "Here, son. I'm sure you'd rather shoot some unique scenery instead of the locals."
"Thanks, Dad." Em grabbed the camera and checked the lens, his target naturally becoming the other small landing craft launching outside his porthole window. "So you really think this is going to be dangerous? A planet that beautiful can't be too bad... Right?"
"That's quite true. The planet is very peaceful. Its gravity would crush anything that tried to land on it, so I'd imagine it's pleasantly quiet." Rose looked out the same window and pointed at a much smaller dot orbiting said planet. "Yangurraar is the moon to the side. That one's not so calm."
Phoebe peered out the porthole and squinted at the twin stars behind the larger planet. "That thing? It's... just a big rock, though. I don't see any water."
Evelyn chipped in with her own notes. "Cave systems. All the water is subterranean. The surface is... well, rock isn't too far off. Lots of quartz glass."
"Ah. Home, sweet home." Rose sighed as her gaze drifted over to the various vessels aligning themselves into formation for landing. "Well, I was born in French Polynesia technically. Mom was from here though."
"Polynesia? That's a stone's throw from where their mother was born, Samoa." Vasily smiled for his grandchildren. "Like attracts like, I guess. Cathy is gonna love to hear that. She'll talk your ear off about home, too."
"Goddess help me."
"She's alright with you going here with family? She could lose... everything." Sydney groaned almost in desperation as the lack of gravity really started affecting her. "Just like I'll lose my lunch."
"I made my peace with her the same way I always do before an assignment. Then I made more peace, two more times." Vasily chuckled as he eyed Carbon. "Scratch that. One of those was with your wife, Cid."
"You guys really do share Cat, don't you?" Cid shot her eyes forward to infinity, her stomach suddenly fighting a serious battle with her mind. "Maybe I don't need to think about... sharing bodily fluids right now..."
"Actually, flip that logic. Carbon, what's my other tradition?"
The hybrid took a second to understand Vasily's point, but immediately gained a knowing grin. "I think Sydney could use some of that right now. Yeah."
"What?" Sydney shot her gaze between the two. "Gods... My spidey-sense is tingling. What are you talking about?"
"Well, I had the same habit for a while. Be it sea or air or space, I always blew chunks on my first deployments from base." Vasily took a moment to fight a laugh so he could explain himself. "So Evelyn came up with a solution. Whip out your cock and blast the bulkhead. You forget you're tumbling to your death when it feels good."
"Uh...?" Sydney suddenly imagined herself rubbing mounds with her wives, only to snap out of her daze with the realization that her stomach had settled. "Okay... Call me curious. Also you owe me a fuck, Volk. You better not die today and get out of it!"
"Well... I can think of one way to fix that for certain, Cid." Vasily unzipped the crotch patch of his spacesuit and whipped out his engorged dick. "If you don't mind the prying eyes, we could try before we die."
Carbon shoved a vine against her crotch and slipped into her drooling petals through her own suit. "...I approve of this."
Eve stood next to the hybrid and guided a tendril to her own exposed slit. "I'm up for a fuck party. Why not??"
"I don't..." Sydney checked the other passengers and then promptly phased them from existence when her nausea reared its head. "Alright, but you come over here. I'm not sure I can be on top without... well..."
"I love being the gentleman. It's my honor." Volk popped open his security harness and slowly floated over to the meerkat. "Any requests? I don't know if you're still recovering from your child or--"
"That was a month ago. Crush me into the hull, big boy." Cid ran a finger between her thighs and the material of her suit split cleanly open, momentarily revealing her tiny slit to all. "Now hurry up before I die of embarrassment, Volk. And... try for the knot this time..."
"Well in that case, I should get this guy dressed." Vasily reached into a gear pouch and produced a condom foil. "Now I'm glad I keep one of these around for my rifle."
"Nope." Sydney took the condom and tossed it to float out of reach. "You owe me a raw fuck. Cat's orders, remember?"
"Cathy did say it makes a difference, but I'm not so relaxed with dumping my baby batter in you so easily." Vasily rested his exposed tip against Sydney's warm entrance and fought the instinct to lunge forward. "You know I can't prevent that once my knot goes up, right? We're not particularly compatible, but there's still the change you'll--"
Carbon slapped the husky on the back of his balls with a free tendril. "You've let me help breed Cat, even if nothing ever came of it. I'm alright with you helping us all the same."
"Yeah... Our little girls were rummaged up by some hijinx M and M started up. I'm not sure Carbon and I can normally have kids either." Cid grabbed Vasily by his flaccid knot and pulled him deep inside her. "Gods... I'm not thinking that hard about it. If we're gonna die, you're getting your rocks off tied to me. No regrets, remember?"
"Well I can't say 'No.' to that." Vasily slammed the remainder of his cock into Sydney's searing folds until the two were flush. "Damn. I never thought you taking control would turn me on so much. Is that too much for you?"
Sydney gasped and huffed for a moment before gripping her love tunnel for her lover. "It's fucking perfect. It hurts a bit at the end, but... Gods, give me more."
"More? Oh, you don't know what you're asking for there." The husky braced his hindpaws beneath Sydney's seat and began hammering half his length in and out of her clutching pussy. "Fucking hell, you're tight. You're gonna strangle the life out of my little guy as it is. You really sure you want the knot?"
"I'm... a bit scared of it honestly, but I popped out a few kids so I know it'll be fine." Sydney buckled forward in a pang of pure bliss, a minuscule orgasm radiating up and out her spine. "Gods, Volk... Don't take it easy on me. You're... Oh, wow..."
"Leaving you speechless? I'm honored, Cid." Vasily took the disjointed request to heart and pressed the remainder of his length into his strokes, his pointed canine head tapping the meerkat's deepest treasure at every apex. "I can't take all the credit, though. Your core is strong as fuck."
Sydney strained to squeak out a response, another stronger orgasm immediately following the first. "P-Park-kour..."
"Definitely speechless. That time already? Well let me make that feel even better for you, honey." The husky rammed his cock deep, pressing his knot against the spasming meerkat around him. He drilled and screwed his thick knot against her, the bulb slowly squeezing deeper bit by tiny bit. Then in a sudden lurch he rammed home, his knot sealing the two together down low while his tip protruded to do the same deeper inside. "Oh, fuck!"
"Y-Yes!"
Vasily howled as he erupted deep inside Sydney. He bucked his hips harshly as each spurt washed her womb, to the point he forgot to keep the two grounded with his hindpaws. The pair drifted through the cabin slowly, beads of weightless sweat, lubrication, and the odd bit of cum shed free. It only took moments for Vasily to deliver his lush, full payload, but the extreme pressure of the knot kept Sydney's engine revving. By the time either of the lovers gathered their senses they had already bumped against two additional impromptu lovemaking sessions.
Vasily was first to notice and grabbed a safety bar to hold the two still. "I'm glad we weren't the only ones with this idea."
"I'm glad I got to do this at all." Sydney forced Vasily to bend forward so they could kiss. "We're better off like this than avoiding the subject. You know?"
"Yeah. No more regrets." Volk pulled Cid close and held her against his chest. "I'm not too big for you, am I? Does it hurt?"
"Lots. It's the good kind of hurting, though."
The boys shifted around as they simultaneously filled Rose from her overstuffed petals, the plant gasping as she came down from her own orgasm. "Best combat prep, ever..."
"Okay, I feel good we're not alone as well." Sydney uncharacteristically giggled as she examined the bulge connecting her to Vasily. "We do have a mission though. Maybe we should...? Wait, how ~do~ we split apart?"
"We could give it time normally."
"Well I feel my inner Rhyme coming along to encourage you." Ilaria grumbled her throat as she found the right control, chuckling and nodding to Trick on a planned cue. "_Go~in' Do~wn! _"
Vasily clutched Sydney protectively as he gleaned the meaning of that phrase, followed by the cabin filling with Love in an Elevator by Aerosmith. "I swear that's their mother's side of the gene pool."
"Ah!" Sydney squeaked in concern as the orbiter dropped quickly into Yangurraar gravity, sending the tied couple to the perceived ceiling. "Ari!"
"Sorry. We were stalling the other landers." Ari turned down the blaring volume of the music and strapped herself into her seat. "I waited for you to finish, at least."
"Some warning would be nice, Ielunschra."
"I did warn you, twice. I can't help you were lost in the throes of orgasm and didn't hear. Wow... That doesn't sound right talking about my dad." Ari shook her head quickly and helped a nearby male couple find their own seats. "Buckle up, people. Looks like it's rougher than we expected."
"But... I'm stuck to--" Sydney didn't have to complain long, a hard jolt dislodging her from Vasily in a mildly painful manner. "Fuck... Oh gods, where's my seat?"
"Over here, sweetie." Carbon extended her queoo and reeled her wife over to her cockpit. "Once we touch down you can grab your gear."
"Ouh... I like this new seat. Comfy." Sydney rested back against her mate, finally able to enjoy her afterglow. "How long until we land?"
Ari checked her watch for the details of their trajectory. "Well the atmosphere is fucking things up... Either fifteen minutes or three hours. I'd say the former is more likely."
"Just enough time to get sick again. Great."
"Well I don't know about that. I was going to seal your suit with all that fine mess inside, but it seems you need some more ~soothing~." Carbon snaked his vines into Ex's cockpit, letting one push deep inside her wife's lubricated folds. She smiled as she closed the mech's cockpit for some privacy, Sydney squeaking in renewed pleasure as the hatch began to seal. "Livin' it up when I'm goin' down..."