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“Poseiden, thirty seconds till launch,” said a female voice.

“Understood, Luna Control,” a male voice replied.

“John, don’t forget to send any messages before you go into stasis; otherwise, it’ll be several years before you can send them,” an older male voice came through John’s headset.

“Message received, Mark,” John replied. Adjusting his harness for the last time, John grabbed his pen. When the engines ignited, anything unsecured inside the Posiden’s cockpit was a potential disaster. He slotted the pen into one of his spacesuit’s pockets and checked the clock: fifteen seconds to go.

“Any last words of wisdom, Mark?” he asked.

“The only thing I can think of is good luck and godspeed, John,” came the reply. John smiled and rested his head against the back of his seat.

“10, 9, 8…” said the female voice.

“I’ll see you in twenty years, Poseidon signing off,” John said.

“5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Engines igni…” The transmission from Luna Control broke up as the Poseiden’s engines ignited. John was forced into the back of his chair as the g-forces increased. Controlling his breathing and with help from his anti-g suit, he managed to ride out most of the acceleration until finally blacking out.

John regained consciousness a few minutes after the engines had shut down. Checking over the screens in front of him, he saw that the launch from the Lunar orbit had gone well. However, John noted a slight variance in the course plotted, so he spent the next few minutes adjusting the flight plan. If he didn’t correct the fault, then there was a chance the ship would fly off into deep space.

Unfastening his harness, John pushed himself out of his chair and went to the back of the cockpit. While the Poseiden was a large spacecraft, most of the ship’s size consisted of the life support systems, the fuel, the prototype reactor, and the experimental engines at the rear. Pausing at a nearby control panel, John flipped several switches and felt the ship shudder as its two large solar panels unfolded from their storage bays. Moments later, the readout above the control panel informed him that Poseidon was receiving additional power.

Pushing himself away from the control panel, John thought about the training required for the mission. He had sat through a week’s worth of engine design lessons on Earth while training for the mission. However, John still had issues understanding how they worked. Like most modern-day spaceships, Poseidon runs on Helium-3, supplied by the primary mine on The Moon. Unlike modern-day spaceships, however, Poseidon’s engines were experimental and designed for deep space travel (or, at the very least, the solar system's outer reaches). He unconsciously rolled his eyes, remembering the frustration on the faces of the UN’s top Scientists as he arrived at the back of the cockpit. John grabbed one of the nearby handrails and removed the cover from the mirror. There was an enjoyable rip as he pulled apart the velcro, holding it in place.

Looking at his reflection, John could see the light strip from above reflect off his bright blue eyes. At thirty, he was still surprised people thought he was either a teenager or in his early twenties. Much like his parents, John seemed to age slowly. His Dad still looked thirty when he celebrated his sixtieth birthday. An old girlfriend had compared his looks to two of her favourite twenty-first-century film stars. One had played Superman, and the other had made several Mission Impossible films. He ran his fingers over his brown hair, cut extra short, just how he liked it. Reaching the nearby cabinet, John opened it and pulled out his toothbrush and toothpaste. After brushing his teeth, he reapplied the cover to the mirror and then pushed himself back towards the front of the cockpit.

Arriving a bit faster than planned, John grabbed onto his seat and grunted as he stopped abruptly. Rubbing his arm, he leaned over to the primary monitor and used the touch screen to find his mission briefing. As the recording played out, John moved over to the stasis pod. Just like the engines, this was another piece of technology that he needed help understanding. Again, the scientists at the UN had tried to explain the experimental nature of it, how the tests with the prototype had shown that a human body could, for extended periods, enter a form of metabolic stasis. Remembering some old science fiction films he had watched, John had asked whether or not a human would age rapidly after several years or more of stasis. The answer the Scientists gave him was confusing and made him wish he hadn’t bothered asking.

The part he would sleep in was two metres long, which gave him just enough room to fit, considering his height of six foot two, and the pod was cylindrical. At both ends were square boxes of machinery, emitting beeps as John powered it up. The lights inside the cockpit dimmed slightly as the stasis pod drew power from Poseidon’s reactor. After a few minutes, they returned to their normal levels, and John glanced at the readout from the reactor, seeing that the power levels were all green.

“Finally, we come to your mission,” said the man in the video. “Captain, as you know, the James Webb Space Telescope was launched over a hundred years ago. Within the first ten years of its use, it allowed Scientists and Astronomers to see the Universe in ever more detail.” While listening, John removed his spacesuit, opened the nearby storage compartment and stored it safely. “Twenty years after it launched, during a routine test, NASA found something at the edge of the Solar System. Even to this day, we do not know what the object is. However, the trade war which occurred after the collapse of the EU in twenty forty-six, the fall of China, the proxy wars of the twenty sixties and seventies, as well as the Second American Civil War in twenty ninety-five, prevented the United States, and in turn, NASA from launching any satellites to investigate.”

Closing the storage compartment, John pulled open the drawer by his legs and removed the medical injector. With the small device floating just before him, John unzipped his undersuit and pulled both arms out. He reached where the stasis compound floated, grabbed it, and activated it once pressed against his left arm. He felt a slight prick as the needle pushed in, and John watched as the compound left the device. Once the vial was empty, John released the button and removed the injector from his arm. A tiny droplet of blood drifted away as he placed it back into the drawer. Before it could land anywhere, John reached over and caught the droplet of blood, smearing it on the leg of his undersuit.

“With the Unification of Earth in twenty-one fifteen, NASA resumed its study of what the James Webb Space Telescope had found. As you know, they launched a Satellite thirty years ago. Sadly, it went dark shortly after arriving at the unknown object’s location, forty-five AU from the Sun, close to the edge of the Inner, main region of the Kuiper Belt. To this day, we still do not know what happened to the Satellite.”

Bending forwards, John pulled down his undersuit and attempted to kick it off his feet. After a slight struggle, he finally managed to remove it. Grabbing one of the arms before it floated away, John folded it neatly and placed the undersuit into the compartment below the stasis pod. He looked at his naked body as he floated beside the stasis pod. John could see the light reflect off his toned muscles, the shadows formed on his flat stomach, with just a hint of a six-pack. While he had never tried to be a muscly guy, he was proud that he had managed to keep his weight in check and could see his muscles.

“The Poseidon was built with the sole purpose of getting an astronaut safely to the unknown object. As you are aware, a lot of the equipment onboard is experimental, and while all tests, theoretical and practical, have shown that the ship should get you there safely, it is still a high-risk mission. That is why the recruitment program was specifically designed to find a single man or woman with no dependents and had the mental fortitude to set out on their own towards the unknown object.” John rolled his eyes as the man on the screen continued to speak, “who wrote this stuff?” he asked himself.

“With Poseidon’s engines, it should take you roughly ten years to get there. You have enough supplies for a two-year mission once you arrive. You are to enter the stasis pod shortly after you launch and set the computer to wake you before your scheduled burn and manoeuvre points. Enough stasis compound is onboard for both the outward and return journey.”

John leaned over to the pilot's computer and accessed the flight plan. The monitor displayed Poseidon’s route through the Solar System. John could see where he would need to wake to perform the scheduled burns and manoeuvres. Mainly slingshots around some of the planets and the Sun.

“Captain John Lawrence,” said the man on the screen, grabbing John’s attention, and for the first time, he looked at the monitor. “On behalf of the UN and the world, I wish you Godspeed and good luck.” The recording ended and showed the symbol for the United Nations, a stylised picture of the solar system with Earth at its centre. Switching off the monitor, John pushed himself away and headed back towards the stasis pod. He punched in the code to release the door and pulled himself in. John activated the stasis sequence using the internal command panel and shut the door. Closing his eyes, he slowed his breathing and drifted into a dreamless sleep.

*****

A door chime sounded. Seconds later, the chime returned, and then a third chime. A large purple eye opened, and its vertical pupil adjusted to the purple gloom of its owner's room.

Someone knocked on a door, shortly followed by a second and third knock. A second and equally large purple eye opened. After the fourth knock, the eyes narrowed as their owner frowned.

“Captain?” said a muffled yet female voice, “Captain Ema, you need to get up,” said the voice.

With a grunt of frustration, Ema let go of the pillow she had been holding against her chest and rolled out of her nest. Pushing herself off the floor, she stood on her unsteady digitigrade legs, her tail trailing behind her as she stumbled over to the door, fumbling with the door controls. After a few seconds, the doors to the Captain’s Quarters slid open. With a hiss, she shielded her eyes as the light from behind the door pierced the gloom of her room. Standing in front of her and a foot shorter was her aide.

“You’re naked,” her aide said while looking up. The light from the grey corridor beyond the door shone off the smooth, shiny, cream-coloured scales of her head and hood. Ema looked down into her aide’s eyes, hidden slightly by the shadow created by her hood and the different light levels. The little light inside her quarters reflected off the aide’s red eyes.

“As ever, your powers of observation are impressive,” the Captain replied sarcastically. She turned around and returned to the recess on her nest's floor. Coiling her tail around the pillow she had discarded earlier, Ema passed it to one of her waiting hands. Holding it against her chest as a comfort, the Captain sat on a nearby couch.

“When Matriarch Theka asked me to be your aide,” came the reply, “I expected to be helping out the Captain of this Cruiser,” she continued as she walked through the open door. “I did not expect a hormonal adolescent who behaved like a male had recently rejected her.” Her aide finished as the door closed behind her, returning the room to the low light gloominess it had before.

From where Captain Ema sat, she could see the silhouette of her aide against the door. The subtle glow of her red eyes and mouth when she spoke, to the bright orange line pattern crisscrossing up her face from her flat nose and down the back of her head and hood. She could see the bioluminescent light reflecting off the door and nearby walls. If her aide had not been wearing her uniform, vibrant purple markings would also be on her front. In contrast, looking down at herself, Ema was as black as night, her unpolished scales barely reflecting the little light in her quarters. Her bioluminescence was limited to the ever-so-slight purple glow of her nipples, the parallel lines across her ribs, and the patterns down both her legs.

“I’m sorry your time as my aide has not been what you expected, but I have a right to be annoyed,” the Captain said with an unmistakable tone. “They promised me a Male,” she growled. “Have I not served the Matriarchy with distinction? Have I not done my duty for the Matriarchy?” Ema asked, waving her arms about while the pillow rested on her lap.

“While true,” her aide replied, stepping forward, “it still doesn’t excuse your recent behaviour. Perhaps the Matriarchy knew you would act this way, so this is your punishment for overstepping yourself?” She asked as she stopped in front of her Captain.

“Be careful, Lieutenant,” Ema said, standing up, a deep hiss emanating from her mouth, a subtle hint of purple barely visible in the gloom. As she stood, the pillow dropped from her lap onto the padded floor, “There’s a difference between being concerned for your Captain’s well-being and then there’s insubordination.” She finished and placed her hands on her wide hips as her long tail whipped behind her.

There was a visible shift in the Lieutenant’s demeanour, her hood folding flat against her head and neck. Stepping backwards, the Lieutenant bowed her head, “Please forgive me,” she replied, “It was not my intention.” Stepping forward, Captain Ema placed a claw under her aide’s lower jaw and pulled upwards. Her aide winced at the unexpected pain and tilted her head up.

“I enjoy your company and skill as my aide, Lieutenant,” she said. Removing her claw, Ema turned and walked over to a dark section of the room. “However,” she said, looking back towards her aide, “do not mistake my friendliness or even my request for you to move into my quarters as a reason for you to forget your rank and status.” As she finished, Ema reached out and flipped a switch. She hissed as a bright light turned on; however, any discomfort from its brightness faded away as the heat from the lamp enveloped her body. “I must buff my scales before my shift starts on the bridge. If you do a good job, I’ll forget this conversation happened.”

The Lieutenant bowed again and walked over to where her Captain sat. Picking up the buffer nearby, she activated it and ran the device over Ema’s head. Using a slow circular motion, the Lieutenant kept the pad moving as there was a risk of harming the scales underneath. The Captain started to purr as her aide ran the device over the edges of her hood. It had always been one of her favourite erogenous zones, and soon, she started to rub her thighs together. Noticing this, her aide moved away from her hood and began to run the buffer over Ema’s shoulder blades.

“You always do that,” she said, her eyes closed as she enjoyed the vibrations.

“You always start rubbing your thighs,” the Lieutenant replied, “I’m not against being with another female, but you are the Captain,” she said while moving down her back.

“Ha,” Ema laughed, “if the Matriarch asked you to service her, you’d be in there before she finished the call,” she said.

Her aide blushed, “That may be true,” she replied, gesturing for Ema to stand. Once she had done so, the Lieutenant ran the buffer slowly up and down her legs. “However, she is the Matriarch, and you are my Captain,” the Lieutenant said as she started to buff Ema’s chest. The fat on her breasts began to jiggle as the buffer worked.

“It’s a shame, really,” she said. Ema tried her best to ignore the vibrations on her now sensitive nipples.

“What is?” Ena asked.

“Your refusal to share my nest,” she replied. The Captain could see her aide blush again. “Don’t worry, Ena,” she said. Placing a hand on the Lieutenant’s arm, the buffer switched off. “You’ve made your feelings clear twice now. I won’t pursue you any longer,” she smiled when Ena bowed her head. “How do I look?” she asked.

Lieutenant Ena, second in command of the Cruiser, Pride of the Matriarchy, stood up straight and looked over her Captain’s form. She was a prime example of her bloodline and stood at nine feet. Her outer scales were obsidian black, with the softer ones more dark grey. Like the rest of the Captain’s family, her bioluminescence was a single colour ranging from a warm, deep purple to a bright, almost neon pink. With eyes shining purple in the light of the basking lamp, the purple lines around her eyes began to glow neon, along with those that started at the top of her hood and ran down her back and along her tail. As she stepped out of the light, her nipples glowed a vibrant purple. The simple line patterns running parallel across her ribs shone, reflecting ever so slightly off her newly buffed scales. Looking closely, Ena could see the lines on her legs, which started at her waistline, ran down her thick thighs, along her digitigrade legs and ended just where her toes began.

Even in the gloom of her quarters, Ena could see the powerful physique of her Captain. “You look just as beautiful and impressive as the day I first came aboard,” she finished with a bow.

“Flatterer,” she replied with a smile. Reaching for the light switch, Ema turned off the basking lamp and felt the heat disappear. She could feel her body react as though it yearned for more. Walking past the Lieutenant, Ema opened a compartment attached to the wall and pulled out her uniform. It looked like a metal collar with a small box attached to the ring. Flattening her hood, Ema pushed her blunt nose through the circle so the collar could rest on her shoulders. Standing up straight, the Captain pressed the button on the collar, and the small box shined with a neon blue light as a Nanosuit released from within.

Watching from behind, Lieutenant Ena could see the suit form as the Nanos travelled across her body. Once finished, a dark, navy blue skintight Nanosuit uniform wrapped comfortably around Captain Ema’s body. Attached to her fingers and toes were metal claws. Their primary use was to inform a Viper when they needed to bask again. An alternate function was in close combat. The metal was more than capable of injury to any would-be assailant. Lastly, the Captain’s rank and insignia were above her left breast.

“So,” the Captain said, looking directly at her aide, “shall we go?”

*****

John woke from his dreamless sleep. His body ached all over, and he had a tear stuck in his left eye, blinding him. After a few minutes of removing it from his eye and looking for others floating inside the stasis pod, John activated the release and pulled himself out.

“Damn, it’s cold,” he said as the cockpit air hit him. Floating upside down, he opened the drawer below the pod and removed his undersuit. When he finished pulling the zip up to his neck, John flipped a switch on his waist, and he instantly felt the undersuit start to warm. “Much better,” he said. Turning around to face the stasis pod, John closed the door and activated a systems check. The lights inside the cockpit dimmed as it started to draw more power from the reactor. A glance at the readout told John that the power levels were still green. However, he did notice that the reserves had dropped slightly since entering stasis.

Pushing himself away from the pod and towards the front of the cockpit, John could see frost had appeared in a few locations. Arriving at the cockpit, he made sure not to stop as abruptly as before and then strapped himself into his seat. Tapping on the main screen, it appeared and displayed the ship’s current course. Glancing at the bottom right of the screen, John could see the mission timer. Fifty days, six hours, thirty-four minutes, and ten seconds. To his right, he woke up another monitor and accessed the flight plan. He had ten hours to wait until the next scheduled burn, and if his calculations were correct, the burn itself would have to last thirty minutes.

“Amphitrite?” John said out loud. A series of beeps emitted from the speakers inside the cockpit, and then an animated female face appeared on the main screen.

“Yes, Captain?” she asked.

“Turn the heaters on and scan the Poseidon. Let me know if anything is wrong,” he ordered.

“Understood, Captain. Would you like me to play some music?” she asked. The animated face smiled at John.

“No, access my files and load Babylon 5, Season One, Episode One,” he replied.

“Loading Babylon 5, Season One, Episode One. Activating cockpit heaters, initiating a full scan of Poseidon,” the animated face smiled at John once more, and then the main screen switched to an animated B5 logo.

*****

Walking along the light grey corridors of the Cruiser, with Lieutenant Ena by her side, Captain Ema greeted crew members as she headed towards the bridge. “I see you’re finally awake,” came a familiar voice.

“Morning, Doctor Mizta,” Captain Ema said with a smile, turning to face the Doctor.

Standing behind them was the ship’s Chief Medical Officer. Unlike the rest of the crew, Doctor Mizta was an albino. Most albinos had scales of pure white, but in Mizta’s case, she had random patterns of bright red scales dotted about her body. Looking at the Doctor, Ema noticed that she was wearing her Medical uniform, an off-white Nanosuit with various medical devices attached to the waist and a scanner fixed to her right wrist. Like her Nanosuit, Mizta’s rank and insignia were above her left breast.

“You can report to the bridge Lieutenant,” Mizta said, looking at Ena, “I need to have a word with the Captain,” she finished and looked over to where Ema was standing.

“Very well, Doctor,” the Lieutenant replied. She bowed to the Doctor and Captain, turned about, and headed down the corridor.

“What can I do for you, Doctor?”Ema inquired.

“I wanted to check you were okay,” she replied, “I’ve heard some of the crew mention your mood has changed recently,” Mizta finished and tapped at her scanner.

“I think most females would be upset when a promised male failed to appear?” Ema replied. Mizta lifted her right arm and pointed the scanner at Ema. “What are you doing?” she asked, trying not to recoil.

“Scanning you, obviously,” Mizta replied.

“I can see that, but why are you scanning me?” Ema asked. She stepped back, trying to get out of the scanner’s range.

“Just as I thought,” Mizta said, looking at the screen, “you’re still in heat,” she finished and deactivated the scanner.

“What? Are you sure?” Ema asked.

“One hundred per cent,” Mizta replied matter-of-factly, “After hearing how your behaviour has changed since we had to divert from Border Outpost Five, I suspected you might have stayed in heat. This scan confirms it,” she lifted her arm and tilted the screen, showing it to the Captain. “As you can see,” she said while pressing a few buttons, “your hormone levels have yet to normalise,” Ema placed a hand on the scanner and looked closer. It displayed her new scan next to her medical records. “I’ll have to report this to the Matriarch,” Mizta said.

“Do you have to?” Ema asked. She unconsciously shifted on the spot.

“Don’t worry,” Mizta replied, placing a hand on Ema’s shoulder, “Theka was the one who suggested I scan you. I got the impression she suspected this would be the result,” Mizta removed her hand and smiled at her Captain.

“I don’t think I’ll get used to her doing things like that,” Ema said.

Mizta smiled, “Well, the Matriarchs are different from the rest of us. Shall we continue?” she finished and gestured to Ema for them to head off towards the bridge. Arriving at the guardpost outside the bridge, she noticed the twins were on duty.

Twins were rare, and identical twins were almost impossible. Taki and Zoki were the latter. Apart from their piercing turquoise eyes glowing as they approached, the twins were also eight-foot-five, much taller than most of the crew. The primary colours for their scales were a light grey covering most of their bodies and a warm black, almost dark grey. These scales covered most of the front of their torso, down past their intimate areas and along their inner thighs, ending at the soles of their feet, on the top half of their heads and the underside of their tales. Ema could tell that Taki and Zoki had just started their shift as the inside part of their hoods had a soft turquoise glow similar to that of their eyes.

Taki smiled at the Captain, revealing the turquoise glow of her mouth and tongue, as she and the Doctor arrived, “Hello, Captain,” she said with a salute. Zoki’s movements were in perfect unison with her sister. “You just missed the Lieutenant,” Zoki said while tapping her pad. Ema liked watching Taki and Zoki talk, as they usually finished each other’s sentences.

“Hello to you both,” Ema replied and smiled at them, “I saw the Lieutenant shortly before my shift started,” she finished and pressed her right thumb against Zoki’s pad when she offered it. Mizta did the same with Taki’s pad. There was an audible beep from both pads as the two Officers were signed in. The large doors to the bridge made a mechanical clunk as they slowly began to unlock and swing open automatically.

“The Matriarch is inside,” Zoki said, “She asked to speak to the Lieutenant, and you’ll be seeing her afterwards,” Toki finished, and the twins returned to their posts.

Smiling again at the guards, Ema stepped through the doors and onto the bridge with Mizta in tow.

*****

“Sixty seconds until the burn is complete,” Amphitrite said as John held onto his harness. He had gotten bored of the vibrations travelling through Poseidon ten minutes into the burn. The g-forces were also not to his liking, those he hated after five minutes. John accepted that he had to increase the speed at set points along the route. However, he didn’t have to enjoy it. Twenty minutes in, he decided that spending three hundred days in the stasis pod until the next scheduled burn or manoeuvre was something to look forward to.

As suddenly as it had started, Poseidon’s engines cut out. With a groan, John unfastened his harness and pushed himself out of his chair. “Amphitrite?” he said.

“Yes, Captain,” the animated face on the main screen smiled.

“Remind me why I had to be awake for that?” John asked while stretching.

“As per mission guidelines, all burns and manoeuvres require Captain John Lawrence to be awake in case of any emergency,” she replied.

John sighed as he started to inspect the cockpit, just in case anything had come loose. Ten minutes later, after finding nothing out of the ordinary, he began preparations for returning to stasis.

“Amphitrite, perform a final check on Poseidon’s systems and then schedule yourself to go back into standby five minutes after my pod activates,” John said while injecting himself with the stasis compound.

“Yes, Captain,” she replied, “performing a scan of Poseidon’s systems and scheduling standby mode for Ship’s Companion five minutes after stasis pod activation,” the animated face on the main screen smiled again.

Twenty minutes later, with Amphitrite reporting that the scan had not found any errors, John climbed inside his stasis pod and pulled the door shut. Activating the stasis sequence, he wondered if he might dream this time.

*****

“Enter,” Captain Ema opened the door when she heard the Matriarch's voice. She had been summoned by her shortly after entering the bridge.

Like all Matriarchy vessels of Cruiser size and above, a private viewing room was built into the back of the bridge. The Matriarch assigned to the ship often watched bridge operations from the viewing room when not resting in their quarters. While there was a command chair set behind and above the captain’s chair, most of the time, a Matriarch would leave command duties to the ship’s captain and her crew.

Closing the door behind her, the Captain bowed when she made eye contact with the glowing emerald eyes of Matriarch Theka. As Matriarch of the ship and representative of the Matriarchy, Theka was a picture of naked perfection. Her scales had a lovely shine, a mixture of deep crimson and cream. While the crimson scales occupied the majority of her body, the cream scales started from her lower jaw, travelled down her neck, and covered the entirety of her torso, which included her breasts (much larger than the impressive ones Ema had herself, she thought), down past her most private of areas, and continued along her inner thighs, ending with the soles of her feet. A glowing emerald diamond pattern lined with black scales was visible from Theka’s back.

Panting on the raised nest to the right of her was Theka’s Steward. Ema knew straight away what they had been doing, from the smell of the room to the way his twin cocks were still erect and glistening in the light of the room. Noticing who the Captain was looking at, Theka smiled. “Sorry, Ema, but he’s all mine,” she said, “However, I wear the poor thing out each time,” she said as she sat down on the edge of the raised nest and placed her right hand on his chest. “Even now, his heart is still racing,” she moved her hand down his torso.

Laying there panting, Uszu could do nothing as his Matriarch traced the contours of his muscles. He twitched involuntarily at her gentle touch, his body full of endorphins Uszu tried to stifle a moan with his hands as his body twitched once more, and cum spurted out from both of his cocks. “Sorry, Theka,” he said while trying to hide his face. She reached over, pulled his arm away, and smiled at him.

“What are you sorry for?” she asked, “I chose you to be my Steward. You fulfil your duties to a high standard, and you help me each morning,” Theka held his hand, “You make sure I get the correct amount of heat in the morning so that I can perform my duties as Matriarch, and you buff my scales to a perfect shine.” She smiled and fluttered her eyes at him, “Not once have you damaged my scales, and you perform well when we share a nest,” Theka leaned over and picked up a nearby towel, carefully wiping away the mess Uszu had made.

“But Matriarch, I’m always exhausted,” Uszu complained, “I should be able to keep up with you. To be chosen to serve you is a great honour, but this?” he waved his arms about in protest.

“Enough!” Theka said with a commanding tone, “I won’t have you feeling sorry for yourself. You know full well that males do not have the same stamina as females. Besides,” she leaned in and kissed his blunt nose, “I love how sensitive you get after we have sex. Now, lay there and recover. Once I have finished talking to our dear Captain, I’ll want to go again,” Theka stood as she finished talking and giggled when she saw Uszu’s expression.

Turning her head to look back at Ema, the Captain could see the emerald glow of her mouth and tongue as she spoke. “Please sit, Ema,” Theka ordered, then walked over to a nearby chair. Slotting her tail through the hole at the bottom, she crossed her legs and sat down. She watched the ship’s Captain approach a nearby chair, stopping just before she sat. There was a squelching sound as the Captain’s left foot stepped on something. “I do apologise, Ema,” the Matriarch said while trying not to laugh, “Uszu fills them up so quickly,” she looked over to where he was still laying, “I just toss them on the floor and put another one on,” as she finished, Theka picked one up with the end of her tail. “I just wish they came in boxes of twenty or more,” she said while examining one in her hand, “Don’t you think it would be more economical?” Theka asked.

Before Ema could reply, both she and the Matriarch heard Uszu laugh as he sat up from the raised nest, “Please don’t indulge her,” he said, the light from the room shining off his cobalt blue scales, “she says this to me every time we have sex,” Uszu swung his legs around and hopped off the nest, “I’m going to have a wash and then get some food,” he finished and walked towards the door near to where the Matriarch was sitting.

Matriarch Theka sighed, “It’s all her fault, you know?” she said, looking at Ema.

“Who?” She asked.

“Matriarch Suztlu,” Theka said with a hiss.

“The Border War Incident?” Ema inquired, and Theka nodded.

The Border War Incident occurred ten years ago. A minor skirmish on the edge of Matriarchy space against the neighbouring Lupine Empire, which would later escalate and be called ‘The Border War’. Matriarch Suztlu, assigned aboard the Grand Cruiser - The Matriarch’s Wrath, had allowed herself to become pregnant. Usually, a pregnant Matriarch would be a cause for celebration. However, in this instance, it caused a scandal. While the Matriarchy had no issue with its citizens having sex, especially amongst the military, where it was actively encouraged to help form bonds and lower stress, specific bloodlines had to be maintained. A Matriarch was only allowed to become pregnant once matched with a male from a suitable Matriarch family.

After a formal investigation, they found that Suztlu had not been using any medical or physical protection while sleeping with her male Steward. Thankfully, medical science within The Matriarchy is so advanced that for the last thousand years, sexually transmitted diseases have been practically non-existent. However, physical protection has always been the best defence against pregnancy. There were outcries when someone suggested that all male Stewards should be sterilised. It is a well-known and unspoken fact that part of a Steward's job was to see to the sexual needs of the females they were assigned. However, given how few males were born, on average, a clutch of ten eggs, only one male would be born. Sterilisation was not the answer.

“She just had to spoil it for the rest of us?” Theka said while looking at what her tail had picked up, “I know why she did it,” she said, throwing it back onto the floor with obvious contempt, “the way it feels as a male erupts inside of you, how your body warms up,” the Matriarch sighed, “now I have to spend my own money buying physical protection,” Theka rolled her eyes as she finished. Both of them could hear Uszu having a shower. The Matriarch then made direct eye contact with the Captain, “I’m sorry about your Steward,” she said with a hint of sadness, “but orders are orders,” she said with a sigh.

“No need to apologise, Matriarch,” Ema replied, bowing her head, “Protecting our borders from unwanted aggression is more important,” she lied. Ema had been waiting for three years to be assigned a male Steward.

Males were not rare in the military, far from it. They had a right to join if they could keep up with their female counterparts. With an average height of five-foot-eight, a lower muscle mass and less physical stamina, there were not as many males serving in the military as females. Those who could pass the stringent tests were usually assigned Steward or Intelligence Officer positions. Studies showed that males who failed to pass or chose not to serve often decided to become teachers, engineers or scientists. Unlike the military, there were fewer females within these professions.

For Captain Ema, after a three-year wait, a message informed her that a male Steward had been selected and he would be waiting to board the Pride of the Matriarchy when it arrived at Border Outpost Five. Unfortunately, just days before their scheduled stop at the outpost, a satellite at the edge of Matriarchy space, near the borders of the Lupine Empire, had detected a Vortex opening, along with an unidentified ship. Orders were given, and the Cruiser was now travelling to investigate before Ema could see her new Steward.

“What did the Doctor’s scan reveal?” the Matriarch asked.

The question broke Ema’s current train of thought, “I’m still in heat,” she replied, “Mizta says it explains my current mood swings,” Ema looked past the Matriarch as the door behind her opened. In his Steward uniform of dark green was Uszu, the light above him reflecting off his cobalt scales. A simple line of white crisscrossed up his blunt nose and down the back of his hood.

“Matriarch, Captain,” he said with a bow to them both and headed towards the door. Uszu looked back at them after the door had finished opening, “I’ll bring you something to eat, Matriarch,” he said as he stepped through.

“I’m glad he washed,” Theka said, watching the door close, “having a male walk around the ship covered in pheromones and stinking of sex would only annoy the crew,” she smirked while standing up, “now I have to collect these little bundles of joy,” Theka said while looking at the floor.

“I can guess where most of your money goes,” the Captain said with a smile. She watched the Matriarch as she moved around the room.

“Haha, very funny,” Theka replied and looked over to where Ema was sitting, “if you’re not careful, I’ll order you to pick these up.” She was using both her hands and tail to collect them.

“How many have you used?” Ema inquired, “There’s so many of them,” she laughed as the Matriarch stood on one and recognised the squelch. Theka frowned at the Captain as she pulled it off her foot. “I’m surprised Uszu has lasted this long,” Ema said as she stood up, “You’ve gotten quite the reputation for spoiling males since you joined the Seventh Fleet,” the Captain reached down and picked up the one she had squashed.

“What was it they called me?” Theka asked while turning to face her, “The Devourer of…” she paused, holding her hand out and waited for Ema’s reply.

“Males,” she replied, “you went through so many Stewards within the first year,” Captain Ema finished as she handed it to Theka.

“To be honest, Uszu should have left thirty days ago,” the Matriarch admitted. “I think he’s fallen in love with me,” she said while dropping what she had collected into a nearby bin.

“Really?” With a surprised look, Ema said, “He knows you can’t reciprocate?” While the Matriarch was distracted, she quickly rubbed her left foot on the floor.

“He knows. I’ve told him several times,” she replied and turned to look at the Captain, “he said that he doesn’t care. He’ll stay with me for as long as he can,” Theka walked back to her chair and sat down, “Once we’ve investigated the unknown ship and returned from the border, I think I’ll go on leave, take him with me,” she stretched her arms out as she finished talking.

“He’ll love that,” Ema replied with a smile, “do you know which Matriarch will take over?” she inquired.

“Probably Zashee. Her recovery from the pirate attack should be complete when we return,” Theka replied while looking up at the Ema, “Now, do you need me to give you the order to get up on time?” She asked with a smile.

Ema shook her head as she bowed before Matriarch Theka, “No, I’m sure Mizta can give me something. If not, I’ll just have to manage,” she finished and made for the door, turning around and bowing again before opening it.

Once the door had closed, Theka clapped her hands together, “Now, where’s that other box of ten?” she asked herself.

*****

“Well, this is weird,” John said while eating his breakfast, “Amphitrite?” he called out.

“Yes, Captain?” the animated face on the main screen appeared and smiled.

“Add to the ship’s log that after three hundred days in stasis, my sense of taste and smell has gone,” John finished his breakfast and wiped the tray clean before storing it away.

“Adding to the ship’s log, Captain John Lawrence lost his sense of taste and smell after the three hundred day stasis,” came the reply for the Ship’s Companion.

“Why do you always say it like that, Amphitrite?” John asked.

The animated face on the main screen smiled again, “I was programmed to speak this way,” came her reply.

“Hmm, fair enough,” he shrugged, “Amphitrite, access my files and play Babylon 5, Season Two, Episode One,” John pulled down a chair near the Life Support monitor, “Send it to the Life Support monitor,” he finished and strapped himself in.

“Playing Babylon 5, Season Two, Episode One,” Amphitrite said in her usual manner.

As the episode started to play, John looked over to the main screen, “How many hours till the scheduled burn?” he asked.

“Six hours and fifteen seconds,” Amphitrite replied.

“So, that’s around seven episodes before I have to prep the ship,” John said to himself.

“Amphitrite, what’s the status of Poseidon?” he called out.

“Ship integrity is at 98%, minor damage to outer hull from micrometeorite impacts, the Reactor is running at 97% efficiency, fuel reserves are at 94%, Life Support is running at 100%,” John started to nod off as Amphitrite continued to report the ship’s current status.

“The Babylon Project was our last, best hope for peace,” a male voice came out of the cockpit’s speakers, and snoring joined it. John slowly began to stir as dramatic music played, “a place of commerce and diplomacy for a quarter of a million humans and aliens,” John opened his eyes as the voice continued.

“Amphitrite, what time is it?” he called out while yawning.

Amphitrite's animated face appeared on the cockpit's main screen, “One hour and three seconds till the next scheduled burn,” the animated face smiled.

While listening to the Ship’s Companion, John stretched, “I’ve been asleep for five hours?” he asked.

“Yes,” Amphitrite replied.

John unfastened the chair’s harness and pushed himself away from the chair. He caught a handrail near the Life Support monitor and pressed his finger onto the screen. The image displayed paused, and the male voice stopped playing through the cockpit speakers.

“Amphitrite, bring up what tasks I need to do before we start the burn,” John ordered while trying to stop himself from yawning.

Strapping himself into the pilot’s seat and with the help of the Ship’s Companion, John spent the remaining hour prepping the ship for the next scheduled engine burn. As the timer on the main screen slowly ticked towards the burn point, John rested his head against the headrest.

“Five, four, three, two, one,” Amphitrite counted down.

“Activate the engines and bring them up to one hundred per cent,” John called out as the timer reached zero. There was a sudden pull of force against him as Amphitrite activated Poseidon’s engines, and the cockpit started to shake.

“Ten minutes until shutdown,” said the familiar voice through the cockpit speakers as the animated face on the main screen smiled. John steadied his breathing and felt his suit tighten as the g-forces hit him. He was glad this was only a short burn. After this, John had a seventy-two-hour wait for a slingshot manoeuvre. John knew he could go back into stasis for most of that time. The UN planners had ensured there was enough stasis compound, and after spending three hundred days in stasis, seventy-two hours seemed like nothing.

“Amphitrite, once the engines have shut down, perform a full systems check,” John called out as the Ship’s Companion started to countdown the last ten seconds of the burn. The cockpit shuddered as the engines turned off.

“Performing full systems check,” before seeing the animated face smile, he unfastened his harness and pulled himself out of the chair. Floating to the back of the cockpit, he powered up the stasis pod and ran it through a diagnostics program.

“Captain John Lawrence, the full system scan has identified damage to Exterior Compartment B,” Amphitrite’s voice pulled John’s attention away from the stasis pod.

“Does it require repair?” he asked.

“Yes. Downloading repair plan to your tablet,” John’s tablet beeped as it received the download.

Pushing himself away from the stasis pod, he failed to notice an error had appeared within the stasis pod’s programming. Arriving at the front of the cockpit, John retrieved his tablet from its storage tray and examined what Amphitrite had sent him. The repair required a ten-hour spacewalk. Once he had gone over it several times with Amphitrite, John headed towards the airlock at the back of the cockpit.

Stopping before his spacesuit, John carefully detached the suit's rear and swung it open. Holding onto the docking frame above his head, he pulled himself up and then pushed down, manoeuvering his feet and legs through the rear of the spacesuit. Making sure not to bash his head, John bent forward with his arms and torso as he carefully slotted them into the front of the spacesuit. Pulling his hands into each glove, John flicked a nearby switch, and the docking frame reattached the suit's rear. After a few presses of the control pad attached to his left wrist, John powered the spacesuit up. The lights attached to the helmet flashed on, and a heads-up display appeared to the right of his vision, projected onto his helmet's interior.

Once the systems check showed everything was green, John detached himself from the docking bay, grabbed the toolkit, and headed for the inner airlock door. After typing in the access code, the doors opened and closed once he had entered. Shortly afterwards, the cycle began. John closed his eyes and listened to the airlock losing atmosphere. The HUD inside his helmet notified him when the process was complete, and as he opened his eyes, he looked out into space as the doors opened.

Pulling the arms of his backpack into place, John used the thrusters to head toward the damaged section of the Poseidon. His HUD projected the most optimal of routes and recommended speed. Drifting along, he looked at the ship as its grey hull sped past him.

Unlike spaceships of the past, Poseidon has a fully enclosed hull. Cylindrical in nature, the ship is one hundred and thirty feet long, from the cockpit at the front to the six experimental engines at the rear. Fueled by Helium-3, recently mined from the Moon, Poseidon’s engines are the most powerful ever. They are attached to the spaceship in two rows of three. The fuel for Poseidon sits between the engines and the prototype reactor.

As John approached the damaged section, he noted several impact craters along the hull. Slowing himself with gentle bursts from his backpack, he reached out and grabbed onto a nearby handrail. After a few taps of the control pad attached to his wrist, a detailed repair plan appeared on the inside of his helmet. Pulling himself along the hull, John slowly headed towards his objective.

Arriving at Exterior Compartment B, he could easily see the damage. The two main access hatches looked like something significant had slammed into them, buckling one. However, looking around, John saw no sign of what it might have been. He pushed himself off the hull and headed towards the middle of the compartment doors, using his backpack to slow his movement.

With a short burst from the thrusters, John reached for the nearest hatch and hooked a finger and then his hand around the remains of the handle. Pulling himself forward, John used the momentum to adjust his position and swing his torso around, bringing his feet down against the ship's hull. Taking hold of the damaged end of the hatch, John heaved. He felt it move through his hands and feet, and with another pull, the broken hatch started to open. Adjusting his footing, he pushed it open as far as it would go.

Looking down and using the light inside his helmet, John scanned the interior of the compartment. His spacesuit’s HUD overlaid the required repairs, and making a mental note, John detached his toolkit and started the repairs.

Eleven hours later

Having successfully repaired the damage to Exterior Compartment B, John re-entered the airlock. He sighed in relief as the airlock cycled and the atmosphere returned. Once the doors to the interior had finished opening, John headed over to the docking bay for his spacesuit. When his HUD notified him that he was in the correct position, he tapped away at the control panel, and the rear of his suit opened.

Pulling himself out of the rear of the spacesuit, John watched as several globs of his sweat floated past. Reaching for a nearby compartment, he removed a towel and attempted to catch the sweat. As he did so, John also tried to steady his breathing.

He hated spacewalks. Existing in zero-g was hard enough, but at least he had an atmosphere to move in. Once John had finished storing his spacesuit, he returned to the cockpit.

“Status of the ship, Amphitrite?” he called out.

“Poseidon is now at 95% efficiency,” came the reply.

“Place yourself in standby mode,” John ordered.

He heard the reply, but the only thing he wanted to do now was to sleep. Pushing himself towards the stasis pod, John set the program to wake him in fifty hours. After injecting himself with the stasis compound and storing his undersuit, John climbed inside the pod, shut the door and activated it. Once the stasis pod had finished activating, the countdown timer, installed next to the pod’s main screen, started to count down from fifty days. A few minutes later, an error message appeared on the main screen, and instead of counting down, the numbers started to increase.

*****

“Captain, we’re coming out of Vortex in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,” a Vortex portal opened, and a small fleet of ten ships exited into real space.

The Cruiser, Pride of the Matriarchy, accompanied by three Destroyers and two Frigates, Corvettes, and Scout ships, had been sent to investigate an unknown ship exiting Vortex at the edge of Matriarchy space, close to the border with the Lupine Empire. Sitting in her command chair, Captain Ema watched the small fleet move into formation. Glancing at the Tactical Display Table, or TDT, to her right, a rectangular holographic projector, six feet long by four feet, sitting just below waist height, she could see the green identifiers of the fleet. Their names were displayed above, along with their current course and heading.

“Commence active scanning,” she ordered, “have the Corvettes accompany the Scout ships and launch proximity probes.” Ema keyed something into her command chair’s controls, and the display table zoomed out, “I want the probes positioned at possible Vortex exit points and have the Scout ships start their system scan,” the Captain ordered. The crew replied with a series of confirmations as the bridge officers issued commands.

“I’m always impressed with how well your crew perform their duties, Captain,” said the Matriarch, sitting in her command chair behind the Captain. While there was nothing wrong with the naked body, Ema was glad that the Matriarch had worn her Nanosuit, a dark crimson.

“Link up with the satellite,” Captain Ema called out, “have it send us its logs,” after an officer confirmed her order, she stood up and walked over to the TDT. Ema could see the proximity probes as they left the fleet and headed toward the system's outer edges. “Order the rest of the fleet into an arrowhead formation,” she ordered.

“Arrowhead formation, aye, Captain,” came a reply from one of the many female crew, “All ships, change formation to arrowhead,” Ema watched as the ships near her Cruiser adjusted their headings.

“Refreshment, Captain?” Uszu asked.

“No, thank you,” she replied and watched as the Matriarch's Steward bowed his head and then walked over to where the Matriarch was sitting. Theka picked up one of the two cups and took a sip.

“Satellite data is coming in now, Captain,” said the Comms Officer, pulling her attention away from the Matriarch. A new window opened, and it started to scroll through the logs of the satellite. After looking for a few minutes, she found the date and time for the unknown ship's arrival.

“Send these coordinates to the Matriarch’s Fang,” Ema called out and adjusted the TDT to follow the Scout ship.

“This is the Matriarch’s Fang. We have received the coordinates and are heading there now,” the voice came out of the speakers inside the Cruiser’s bridge.

“Do you think it might be a trap, Ema?” the Matriarch asked quietly.

“No,” she replied, “while we are close to the Empire’s border, this system and the others nearby have no strategic value,” Ema turned to face Theka, “Besides, we gave them a bloody nose during The Border War,” she finished with a smile. The Matriarch smiled back and then distracted herself by talking to her Steward.

Returning to the TDT, Ema saw the Scout ship and her Corvette escort change their heading. She used a nearby holographic keypad, and it projected their route.

“All proximity probes have arrived at their destinations,” the Tactical Officer called out, “I’m going to send them orders to scan for Vortex openings,” the female bridge officer keyed in the commands using the keyboard under her screen. After a few minutes, the locations for the proximity probes on the TDT started to blink in sequence.

“Direct comms from the Matriarch’s Fang,” said the Comms Officer.

“Patch it through to my chair,” Captain Ema instructed. As she sat back down and pressed the privacy button, Ema could hear the Fang’s Captain as though she was standing before her. “What’s wrong, Elsis?” she asked.

“Captain, we’re approaching the unknown ship. I think you should bring the rest of the fleet,” she replied.

“Is it Lupine?” Ema inquired.

“No, this ship, it’s primitive and looks old. None of this makes sense,” Elsis replied, her voice sounding as though she was worried.

“Understood,” Ema closed the link, “Pride to all ships, change course for the Matriarch’s Fang,” Glancing at the TDT, Ema watched as the fleet changed course towards the Scout ship.

When the fleet arrived, Ema stood beside the TDT with some of her bridge officers. Matriarch Theka was there too, curious to see what the unknown ship was.

A small spaceship of unknown origin appeared as a bright green wireframe hologram above the Tactical Display Table. Scans indicated that its total length was one hundred and thirty feet, and the reactor was close to shutting down. At the front of the ship was a visible cockpit. The holographic model displayed damage to an exterior section of the ship’s hull. Using the controls in front of her, Ema adjusted the hologram to shift from its standard bright green wireframe display to a live image to show those watching what the ship looked like.

“Looks like it doesn’t have any shields,” the Tactical Officer said while pointing at one of the data readouts, “the damaged section shows micrometeorite impacts,” she lent forward, and the yellow glow from her bioluminescence reflected off the image. “If we adjust the image, you can see that the crew managed to fix the damage,” she said while pointing at the damaged section of the hull.

“Look there, writing of some kind,” said the Comms Officer. Everyone leaned in to get a closer look, “I’m going to get the computer to check our database. I don’t recall learning that language at the Academy,” she finished and started typing the symbols into her pad.

“I’ve just done a scan, Captain,” another officer said, “There’s one person on board, barely. These readings suggest she might be close to dying,” she tapped at the controls closest to her, and a biometric readout appeared.

“If you give me a few minutes, I’ll be able to tell you her condition,” Doctor Mizta announced from behind the group of officers.

“So good of you to join us, Doctor,” Ema said with a smile.

“I was just talking to the twins,” she replied, “they have yet to see me for their latest physical,” Mizta stopped next to the Captain and pressed her pad against the side of the TDT. After a series of beeps, she glanced at it.

“I’ll have a word with them when this is over,” Ema said while glancing at the Doctor’s pad.

After a few minutes of studying her pad, Mizta pressed it against the TDT again, and the holo display changed. Instead of the small spaceship, medical readouts and graphs were displayed.

“The first thing I can tell you is that the female on board this vessel is in some kind of stasis,” Doctor Mizta announced.

“Stasis tech? We haven’t used that for thousands of years,” one of the officers said, “and the Lupine Empire doesn’t use it either,” the Tactical Officer said.

“It explains why her vitals are dangerously low and a bit odd,” the Doctor looked confused, “She also appears to be a mammal,” Mizta said matter-of-factly.

“I hope they aren’t giant furballs like the Lupine,” Theka said out loud, “oops, sorry,” she said when everyone looked at her.

“Sometimes I forget you’re a Matriarch, Theka,” Ema said with a smile.

Theka shrugged, “I’m not Military. I can be as casual as I want,” she replied, winking at Ema.

“Captain,” a voice from behind the bridge officers called out, “if we’re going to bring that female onboard, we’re going to have to do it quickly,” everyone looked at the person speaking.

Standing near the TDT was Zoazhis, the Chief Engineer of the ship. Like most of the ship’s engineers, she was eight feet tall and wore her crimson Nanosuit. Unlike the rest of the engineers, Zoazhis had a mechanical harness attached to her back. She used its two arms to help her with most of her work aboard the Cruiser. The bright blue of her eyes reflected off the dark lilac scales of her face, while the shadow of her hood made them appear brighter. Ema noticed the lighter lilac scales of her jaw and saw how a nearby light reflected off them as they travelled down her neck and below her Nanosuit.

“What do you mean?” Ema asked.

“If I’m reading this correctly, the reactor is getting close to going subcritical,” Zoazhis replied. Glancing up at the assembled officers, she saw that none knew what she meant. “In other words, the power is about to turn off, and unless the stasis pod inside that ship has an independent power source, the female inside will eventually die,” As she finished, there was a collective “Oh” from the others.

“How long until we can get them aboard this ship and out of stasis?” Ema asked while looking at her officers.

“It shouldn’t take too long, however,” she continued, “the main issue is understanding her language and programming code,” the Chief Engineer replied.

“I see,” Ema said and then looked over to the Comms Officer, “Has the computer finished analysing the language?” she asked.

“It just did. The computer says that the language is,” the Comms Officer had a confused expression, “It’s Terran,” she finished and looked up at the Captain.

“Terran, what are they doing over here?” Theka asked no one in particular.

“More importantly, how did they get here?” Zoazhis said, “Terrans haven’t left their solar system yet. They don’t even have Vortex Drives, so how did they access the Vortex after only a hundred and eight years?” she asked while scratching the inside of her hood.

“Questions we can ask the pilot when we rescue them,” Ema replied, “I want that female rescued now,” she ordered, “contact the fleet and let them know what we’ve discovered. Have crews on all ships access the language database and add it to their cranial implants,” Ema then ordered everyone back to their stations.

When she returned to her command chair, Matriarch Theka placed a clawed hand on her left shoulder, “Terrans,” she said, her emerald eyes glowing in the light, “seems like they survived that world war of theirs,” She then walked past the Captain and sat down on her chair. Uszu appeared by her side with a glass.

“I had almost forgotten about them,” Ema said while looking back at Theka, “The reports from the long-range scout ship said they had just split the Atom,” she waived off Uszu before he offered her a glass, “How did they manage to get here after only one hundred and eight years?” she asked.

“Don’t forget that..” Theka replied while siping, “Our years are longer than theirs. If they can survive Atom Bombs, I’m sure they can figure out the Vortex,” before she could continue, a call came in from the rescue team.

“Captain, we’ve found the ship's pilot,” the team leader’s voice came through the bridge’s speakers, “the stasis pod appears to be functional and..” The transmission was interrupted by some static.

“I’m surprised the pilot is still alive. Without Vortex shielding, the radiation should have killed her,” the Comms Officer said to no one in particular. “The radiation from those engines might have protected her,” Chief Engineer Zoazhis pointed out. “With her body in stasis, then it is very likely that she was protected during the vessel’s journey through the Vortex,” before she could continue, the team leader’s voice returned.

“Captain,” the team leader sounded excited, “we’ve checked the stasis pod, and the pilot is a male!”