The Zone

The Zone Barbara Karmazin All rights reserved. Copyright ©2008 Barbara Karmazin Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. ISBN: 978-1-60521-039-1 Formats Available: HTML, Adobe PDF, MobiPocket, Microsoft Reader Publisher: Changeling Press LLC PO Box 1046 Martinsburg, WV 25402-1046 www.ChangelingPress.com Editor: Chrissie Henderson Cover Artist: Bryan Keller

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The Zone Barbara Karmazin

Captain Axel needs a med-tech in order to stop the authorities on Luma from grounding and impounding his spaceship. When advertisements on the local net fail to secure any prospects, he and his men search the Zone for a new crewmate.

Pinned by the blaster fires of a drug war, Jeresa accepts the spacers’ offer of a job and the chance to escape off-planet from capture and enslavement.

To her surprise, the offer to join the crew includes sex with the four men who’ve rescued her. Escaping the blaster flames, she has jumped into the carnal fire of erotic love. Is her heart strong enough to survive the searing sexual attentions of four randy spacers?

Chapter One

Night had arrived at Agape spaceport on Luma Six. Luma’s sun, listed as Chara on galactic star charts, had set a half hour ago. Two small moons drifted above the cityscape. In another hour, the third moon would rise and chase the two smaller ones across the star-studded sky. The flat-screen viewport in the ceiling of Jeresa’s five-meter wide eco-dome was the only thing that kept the cramped space from feeling like a prison cell. Not that it mattered much, she could barely pay for her expenses from the miniscule credits she earned from her dead-end job at the local pharmacy and first aid clinic. A palm-lock panel glowed beside the habitat’s only entrance. It was a crude but necessary security measure within the Zone’s slum district. Squatters roamed the cramped alleys ready to rush in and claim unlocked shelters. Jeresa detoured around the two bio-engineered pit bulls eating their supper. She unsealed the seam from neck to crotch of her coverall and let the faded fabric fall to the stained plast-steel floor. Another night in paradise. One more hour of free time before I have to go to work. Bending over the low, padded bed, she retrieved a cheap, mechanical vibrator from a storage drawer. The curved phallus warmed under her touch. A slight current of stale air flowed over her skin. Lying on the thin mattress, she opened her legs and slipped the vibrator along the tip of her aching clit. Set on low speed, the vibrator teased and lulled her into a state of almost pleasure. A gentle man, that’s all she wanted, a strong man who’d love her and treat her right. His hands would be callused, knowledgeable, tender and caring. She closed her eyes. With broad shoulders and space-browned skin, he stood beside her bed. Stubble highlighted the stark planes of his high cheekbones. An impression of dangerous strength loomed in the silent perusal of his dark, hooded gaze. She arched her body in an instinctive display of lush, feminine curves. An arrow of dark hair led past his taut stomach down to the solid column of aroused cock standing at attention at his crotch. White beads of pre-cum dripped from the bulbous head. Tight balls hung full and heavy between his strong thighs. “Pretty lady, I’ve been looking for you all my life.” The deep, rich rumble of his voice burned in her blood and bones like an uncontrollable fever. Big hands, hard and callused, engulfed her breasts, lifted the soft globes of flesh and plucked at her nipples. A shiver crested through her body. She stifled a moan. “Mine. All mine.” He fastened his hot mouth on her nipple and sucked with an intensity that bordered on pain. Heat arced to her crotch in delightful anticipation of carnal satisfaction. He lavished the same attention on her other breast. Moisture dripped from her sex. Yes! Exactly what I want. He released her breasts. The weight of his hard-muscled body settled between her legs. Those big hands eased over the bare, sensitive ripples of her ribs and tested the contours of her belly. “Your skin. So soft and beautiful. Like molten gold.” She squirmed, eager and trembling. His hand drifted lower. Long fingers stroked the soft, wiry curls at the apex of her thighs, parted the plump lips. She sucked in a breath. Her body went stiff with diamond-bright awareness. All her senses waited on the edge, centered in time and space on the assured caresses of his hands, the slow, deliberate strokes. He took his time. Gentle touches feathered between the plump, wet lips of her pussy. His skillful thumb rotated across the swollen bud of her clit, teasing her to the trembling cusp of ultimate satiation. Long fingers eased inside her cunt, hard and swift, opening her, prepping her for the hot, vibrant assault of his penetration. Her heart skipped a beat. She pressed her head against the pillow. Soft, gasping breaths escaped her parted lips. Her hips rolled up, meeting each deep stroke of his fingers. A mindless moan bubbled against the hard, tight band of her throat.

He removed his fingers. “Look at me.” Bright specks of green and gold gleamed in the dark brown depths of his eyes. He braced his weight on his arms. The heat of his body scorched her skin. She whimpered. Creamy warm moisture bathed the empty opening of her sex. The fat head of his cock parted her plump pussy lips. She rolled her hips in a silent plea. He plunged the sweet, hard length of his cock inside. A muffled cry burst from her throat. She met each long, glorious stroke with hard, eager bucks of her body. Pushed her body against him. Rode him. Drove that wonderful cock deep into her core, while the sweet torment of climax hovered just beyond the next stroke. The pace quickened. Her breath roughened into a keening series of moans to guide the maddening pounding of his cock. Liquid heat exploded from the tight bud of her clit and thrummed through her pelvis in hard ripples of pleasure and release. She cried like a child. Tears tracked her cheeks. Gasping, she sagged against the cot, every muscle loose with satiated pleasure. Not bad. Too bad he isn’t real. She pulled the vibrator from her pussy. Of course, as long as she was taking the liberty of indulging her favorite fantasy, why not throw in the rest of her dreams? The dream where she won a full scholarship that paid her student loans in full. The dream where she finished medical school and her internship, aced the final board exams for full certification as a physician and tomorrow morning she’d start her new job at Agape Central Medical, the most prestigious hospital on the planet. She heaved a sigh, opened her fingers and dropped the vibrator on the cot. “Mommy sad.” Jeresa opened her eyes. Gem and Star sat on their haunches beside the flimsy air mattress. Bioengineered pit bulls, they tilted their heads with doggy patience. She might as well get dressed. With both dogs staring at her, she’d never be able to concentrate enough to have another orgasm. Her shift at the free medical clinic started at midnight, less than an hour from now. “Mommy’s fine. Just a little sad. I go to work soon.” She sat up, the air mattress sagging alarmingly under her weight. It had so many small leaks she had to pump it up every eight hours just to keep it from going totally flat. She’d cut her costs to the bare bones by moving from her cheap city apartment into a welfare ecodome with built-in microwave, food cooler, standard sonic-cleaner and sanitary cubicle. The dome had no holovid and no net link hookups for newsvids and entertainment. A bare-minimum wristband gave her access to the local library network. Last, but not least, an antique deck of playing cards provided hours of free entertainment. Jeresa selected faded blue pants and tunic from the storage cube. Undergarments were too expensive for her miniscule budget. She’d gotten this far through sheer stubbornness. No way was she going to quit now and become just another Zone prost with a local drug dealer as her protector and lover. She stepped into the sonic-cleaner, flipped the switch for a fifteen-second session and spun in a slow circle while the sonic waves removed accumulated dirt and oils from her body. After donning the pants and tunic, she braided the unruly mass of her hair by touch and tied the end off with a string. Star whined. That particular whine meant the mute dog wanted to tell her something important. Jeresa unlatched the sonic-cleaner’s door panel and peered out at the dogs. Gem opened her mouth, panted and cocked her left ear back at the dome’s sealed entry door. “Bad mens outside. We show teeth. They run away.” Her voice came out in a rough and distorted growl. Jeresa sucked in a quick breath. Three days in a row, strangers had crept and skulked around her neighborhood. What were they looking for? Drugs? Sex? Could they be bored rich kids high on crush-speed, ready to use sonic-whips for slap-sex and end their fun with the visceral rush of snuff-rape? She hunkered down on her heels and cupped Gem’s broad muzzle in her hands. “Were they the same men you chased away yesterday?” Star gave a vigorous shake of her head. Gem said, “Different mens.” Star waddled forward, stuck her nose in Jeresa’s crotch and took a good long sniff. Jeresa shook her head and brushed the pit bull’s wet nose aside. Doggie socialization techniques were a bit crude. Star plopped on her haunches, looked at Gem, whuffed, whined and barked a series of short, harsh barks. Gem cocked her ears at Star, then Jeresa. “Star say Mommy needs good mens. We go find good mens. Good mens help us keep Mommy happy.” Jeresa bit her lip. Oh great. My love life has sunk so low that Gem and Star are going to start a doggie dating service. They’ll probably sniff the crotch of every male in the Zone, and try and convince any male who pats them on the head to follow them home. Then all the local pimps and prosts will go berserk thinking I’m trying to horn in on their turf. She sank to the stained plast-steel floor and sat cross-legged. Both dogs came up and stuck their broad snouts under her hands for a thorough petting. Their tails thumped on the floor. “No. Stay with Mommy. Do not look for good mens. Come to work with Mommy. Guard Mommy.”

Chapter Two

Axel Dane-Niallsen, captain and pilot of Nebula, sat in the command chair on the bridge. The ends of his stumps itched. He rubbed his hands over his legs and massaged the tight muscles bunched around the links to the control chips in his prosthetic legs. Not much else he could do about that. A decent med-tech could take care of that minor glitch in the programming with his or her eyes closed. Except their med-tech had walked off during their first hour in port for a higher paying position with guaranteed retirement benefits on one of the corporate freighters. Technically, the corporate freighters operated under the guise of sanctioned businesses but their practices amounted to blatant piracy. Nebula was too small to be a pirate. Her weapons’ capabilities were a joke. Speed and maneuverability were their only advantages. If they didn’t have a med-tech on their roster by tomorrow morning, the dock master would lock down their ship and refuse to let them leave. Every day they sat in port increased the total amount they owed for dock charges. Charges that would eat away at their profit margin and eventually allow the city of Agape to impound Nebula for the auction block, or worse yet, resell it to a dump as recycled scrap metal. The holds were full of cargo, handcrafted artwork, gemstones and alien plant and animal DNA samples for research and zoology labs. They’d topped their fuel tanks off yesterday and their ship engineer, Derek Jacob-Niallsen, had completed all necessary upgrades and repairs. Axel checked the local net grid one last time and found no response whatsoever to the ad with his generous offer of an equal share in his ship’s profit for a med-tech. A guaranteed berth, salary and benefits from a corporate freighter were more reassuring in the long run than the minimal profit range associated with a privately owned independent freighter. Spacer born meant more than dirtsiders realized. Based on the complex genealogical records stored in Nebula’s databank, his crewmates all carried the Niallsen name and were his cousins by blood. All major decisions regarding the well-being of the ship must be made as a group. Axel sealed the bridge controls, vacated his chair and exited the bridge. Time to find his crew and see if they could come up with a better plan to find and hire a med-tech from this world. *** The steel-clad double door slid open at his approach. Axel entered a crowded barroom. The commingled aromas of cheap alcohol, nicotine, cannabis and sweaty sex hazed the air. A live band played a loud, thumping beat for the raunchy lyrics sung by a singer whose bloodshot eyes proclaimed his drug and booze addled state of mind. Nude dancers copulated on tiny platforms to the roaring cheers of the drunken crowd. Men and women strutted through the room, their shipsuits opened from neck to crotch for easy access by roaming hands, mouths and/or cocks. He elbowed his way through the thickest mass of the crowd where he figured his crewmates would probably be celebrating in full force. And sure enough, he found them. Derek and Marcus had their pants down around their ankles. Two eager partygoers, one male and one female, were bent over a table with their naked asses tilted at the perfect angle for a good reaming. Derek moved forward and rammed his cock into the woman’s ass. Marcus grabbed the man’s ass and slammed into him with brutal force. The wet, slapping sound of balls against skin blended into the background music’s frenzied beat. Alex hardened immediately. His heart kicked into warp speed and his cock strained against his shipsuit. He tugged on the release tab. The fabric opened from neck to crotch. He grabbed his cock. Pre-cum dribbled from the tip. He slicked the white, sticky fluid over the glans. Garian moved into position beside him. “We’re next.” He pumped his erection with eager abandon. “You want the man, or the woman?” Alex fisted the thick barrel of his cock in the ragged rhythm of raw fucking. His crew had captured the essence of a night out in the Zone in explicit detail for their session in their ship’s holodeck porn theater. And now that he thought about it, a trip to Luma’s ragtag Zone of slums filled with thieves, pimps, prosts and assorted squatters living on the edge of the spaceport might be their best chance to find a med-tech. “I’ll take whatever I can get.” *** Jeresa leaned against the foamplast reception desk and sucked in a couple of deep breaths. Hopefully, she wouldn’t have any more patients within the next five minutes. Gem and Star tilted their heads to the side and waited for her orders. She pointed at the foyer door. “Guard door. Allow no one out of foyer until I return to desk.” Gem pressed her nose against the glowing noseprint lock panel at the base. The inner door opened and both dogs raced inside. The door sealed itself behind them. A blastproof window equipped with full body medical and weapons scanning capabilities gave Jeresa a full view of the foyer’s two empty benches and the closed main entry door. Jeresa pushed away from the counter. She ducked into the sanitary cubicle in order to relieve the pressure of her aching bladder. Judging by the blast burn injuries and frantic pace of incoming patients at the clinic tonight, two, possibly three of the Zone’s drug lords were having a major turf war. No wonder she was the only clinic employee who showed up for duty. The other employees must have accessed the latest net news and decided to take emergency vacations. Maybe she should start looking for another, safer job.

*** Axel sighed. Everyone in the Zone was twitchy tonight, flinching at the slightest sound and looking over their shoulders. He and his crewmates had hit ten bars so far and hadn’t found anyone willing to sign on as their new med-tech. They strolled past a dirt-encrusted plast-steel wall that marked the border between old town and the Zone. A ball of lava-hot plasma splashed against the wall. Axel hunched his shoulders and dove into the nearest doorway. Derek, Marcus and Garian crowded in behind him. More blasts peppered the plast-steel domes, storefronts and rapidly emptying bars. Silent explosions splashed the night above the chaos of screams and running feet. The shots were aimed high, driving the crowd ahead of them. Axel dove into the running, screaming crowd with Derek, Marcus and Garian right behind him. His prosthetic legs were strong enough for him to keep running forever as long as he ignored the pain shooting up his thighs. A man’s body toppled to the ground a few yards ahead of them. A plasma blast had seared his head off. Cauterized. No blood spurted from the blackened neck stump. Axel jumped the body and kept running. They needed to get away from the crowd. A dark side alley loomed a few feet ahead. He glanced over his shoulder at his crew and jerked his head in that direction. They linked arms with him. Four men, tough and wiry from years in space, they formed a solid wedge of muscle, bone and titanium alloy steel and plowed their way out of the crowd into the alley. They raced to the other end and slowed to a stop behind a scraggly line of windowless ecodomes. A trio of desperate stragglers ran by with panicked and glazed eyes. The blasts had stopped. For now. This battle wasn’t over. Most likely, both sides were regrouping for yet another assault. Derek flashed a grim smile. With his blue-black skin, dark shipsuit and buzz cut scalp, he blended into the shadows easily. “Bad night. Huh?” Marcus sagged against a dome and shook his head. Sweat had plastered his blond ringlets to his scalp. “Just another party night in the Zone.” Garian grinned, scooped his dreadlocks together with his hand and tied them back into a bushy ponytail. He jerked his chin to the left. “Turf battle between two drug lords. Free clinic’s in that direction. We have a little bit of competition tonight. According to the bartender in the last bar I scoped out, one of the drug lords lost his entire medical team.” Three moons skipped in and out of the clouds. Their overlapping shadows dappled the ground and cast alternating stripes across Garian’s golden-brown skin and dark eyes. The lighting gave him the appearance of a magical creature. Axel curled his hands into fists and shook his head. “Great. That’s just what I wanted to hear. This means both sides are actively seeking out new medtechs. One side wants to replace their lost techs. The other side wants to kill them before his enemy snags them. We better move fast and get out before we get crushed in the middle of this dirtsider turf war.” He dusted his tunic and checked his pants and boots to make sure he looked halfway presentable instead of desperate. If they were lucky, the clinic would be one of the twenty-four hour ones. “We better get there first and do some fast talking before the drug lords show up and fight over the pieces.” Marcus lifted his left hand and peered at the blood dripping from it. He wiped his hand across his tunic and examined it again. “False alarm. That was someone else’s blood. I hope the med-tech is a woman. As much as I like you guys, adding a woman to the crew would be a nice change of pace.” Axel rolled his eyes. “Think with your brains instead of your cocks. I don’t care if this tech is male, female or herm, or what his or her sexual preference is as long as we have one with the right medical qualifications on our roster by lift-off tomorrow.”

Chapter Three

When Jeresa stepped out of the sanitary cubicle, four strange men rushed inside the foyer. Star and Gem braced themselves in front of the inner door. The hair on their backs rose and both dogs growled. The men stopped and carefully showed their empty hands to the dogs. Jeresa frowned. All four men were wearing plain dark gray shipsuits over black boots. They had identical holographic ship patches on their right sleeves. Spacers? Why were they here? Spacers had their own med-techs. They didn’t need the clinic’s limited services, and if they were shopping for cheap meds, they were out of luck. This wasn’t a pharmaceutical outlet. The only painkillers on site were temporary anesthetic gel tubes. She pulled up the images and data from the foyer’s passive scanner screens. No hidden weaponry. The tall, lean, light-skinned one with black hair limped over to the bench. The scan highlighted titanium alloy from mid-thigh to toe for both of his legs. A double amputee, he’d chosen the fast and dirty option of prosthetic limbs instead of undergoing the time and expense of full-limb regeneration. The other three men knelt on the foyer floor and showed the dogs their empty hands. Brilliant gouts of multi-colored lights flared a half-mile away above rounded domes clustered outside the dump. The ground rumbled and shook under her feet. Did she have a home to return to or had it been destroyed in the latest turf war? Bleeep! Jeresa jumped and spun around at the sudden buzz from the vidphone on the wall behind her. Her supervisor’s number blinked in the ID box. She slapped the receiver on and positioned herself in front of the vidcam lens. “Sir?”

An unfamiliar face loomed on the screen, a woman with snow-white hair, smooth pale skin and cruel silver-blue eyes. The woman looked Jeresa over from head to toe. Jeresa gulped and stood very still. Sprawled in a pool of blood on the floor behind the strange woman was her supervisor’s lifeless body with his neck twisted into an unnatural angle. The woman consulted a holographic listing of employees superimposed on the screen. “Name?” Jeresa gulped and contemplated lying. But that would probably cause her even more problems if worse came to worst. “Jeresa Lynnwold.” The woman turned sideways and pulled up another holo screen. Jeresa’s basic stats, education credits and latest performance evaluation scrolled up. The woman turned back to the vidphone screen and nodded. “You’ll do. We’ll treat you right.” Two men carrying blaster rifles strolled into the room behind the woman. Gang tattoos had turned their faces into snarling gargoyle masks. The woman snapped her fingers at the men and jerked her thumb at Jeresa’s image on her screen. “Go. Get her. Don’t mess up this time. I want this one alive.” Jeresa slapped her hand down on the cut-off switch. She was worse than dead now. The woman in her supervisor’s office wasn’t a detective investigating his murder. She was Deathangel, the most powerful drug lord in the Zone. If Jeresa didn’t get out within the next thirty minutes, she’d spend the rest of her life with an explosive collar around her neck providing medical services for Deathangel’s syndicate. She couldn’t go home, not with Deathangel’s men on her trail. She needed a place to hide. But where? No one in the Zone would dare hide her. Gem’s growly voice broke through Jeresa’s panicked thoughts. “Good mens here.” Jeresa froze and mentally reviewed her original instructions to Gem word for word. “Guard foyer. Allow no one out of foyer until I return to desk.” It wasn’t the dogs’ fault. Gem and Star had waited until she returned to the desk before they allowed four strange men into the empty clinic. They’d followed her orders exactly. Jeresa squared her shoulders, turned around and aimed her best drop-dead glare at the four spacers. “Get the hell out of my clinic. I did a preliminary scan when you stepped into the foyer. You have no injuries and no reason to be here.”

Axel licked his lips. Her name was Jeresa Lynnwold. She was in deep trouble right now with one of the local drug lords. He knew that much from what he’d seen and overheard of her vidphone conversation. She held her ground and returned his stare with gorgeous, frightened amber eyes and ordered him and his crew to leave the premises. Her golden skin looked soft and smooth, like satin. Medium height with long, chocolate-brown curls pulled back into a tight braid, she looked twenty-five, maybe twentyeight Terra standard years old. A loose, oversized blue tunic and pants covered her from neck to feet but failed to conceal the lush curves of her breasts and hips. Talk. I need to reassure her, convince her to join my crew. Think. Open my mouth. Say something. Anything. Keep her from kicking us out. Axel glared at Garian, his communications specialist. Garian could speak, read and write fluently in eight Terran languages and three alien languages. Why wasn’t he talking? Why wasn’t he communicating? Jeresa gasped. Axel spun around. Jeresa stared past him, her eyes black with horror. She slammed her hands palms down in the exact center of the desk. A subsonic crackle lifted the hairs on the back of his neck. He dove over the desk, wrapped his arms around her and crashed to the floor sideways. Sharp pain seared through his right shoulder. A split second later, the rest of his crew landed on top knocking the wind from him and the woman he held against his chest. The blaster bolt had congealed into a fireball that splashed on the wall above them. A sheet of shattered glass rained down upon the floor in flakes and shards. His brain caught up with his body and congratulated him for remembering to duck in time. Whoomp! A ten-foot by thirty-foot sheet of six-inch thick titanium slid down from the ceiling and sealed the lobby. Hissing splashes told them that more blaster bolts were hitting the other side of that barrier. Excellent reflexes on her part. As soon as Jeresa spotted armed attackers running toward them, she’d slapped her hands down on the desk’s alarm system and deployed the clinic’s defensive shields. The air sizzled furnace-hot with a greasy, metallic aftertaste. The clinic’s emergency fire control system kicked in. A siren wailed in a high-pitched discordance that hurt his ears. Billows of sticky, white fire-suppressant foam poured down from the ceiling ports. One of the dogs screamed, “Mommy! I hurt!”

The young woman rolled out of his grasp, scrambled to her knees and crawled to the white dog with one black paw. Blood poured from a piece of glass embedded in the dog’s shoulder. Axel half-crawled and half-slid through the coagulating foam after her.

The first few seconds of panic had burned away all fear and left only cold intellect behind. Star crouched beside Gem, whining and licking Gem’s paw. Jeresa rested her hand on Gem’s shoulder. “I’m here, baby. It will hurt a little when Mommy pulls it out. Don’t move. Promise?” Gem flattened her ears and panted. “I promise. Don’t move even if I hurts.” The four strange men knelt on the other side of Gem. Not young men. Older men with concerned faces and faint starbursts of laugh lines at the corners of their eyes. Globs of foam clung to their hair and clothes. More foam soaked up the blood draining out of Gem and turned it into a pink slush. Jeresa tore a scrap of cloth from the bottom of her tunic, wrapped it around her hand, grabbed the shard of glass, pulled it out of Gem’s fur and tossed it aside with a flick of her wrist. Bright red blood gushed from the wound. It gaped open like an angry red mouth against Gem’s white fur. Jeresa pulled the flaps of skin together. The tall man, the one with the prosthetic legs and gentle hazel eyes, rested his hands over the cut and pressed hard to stop the bleeding. Jeresa pushed herself to her feet. The spacer with caramel skin and reddish dreadlocks tied back in a ponytail knelt beside Star and Gem, stroked their muzzles and whispered soothing words of comfort. Jeresa said with quiet patience, “Mommy be right back. Help doggie. Get medicine. Make hurt go away.” The other two spacers rose to their feet. One was a lean Viking with gray streaks in his short, curly blond hair. His face was friendly and easygoing with a crooked nose and lopsided dimple. The other shorter guy’s skin was so black it almost looked blue-black. Superbly toned muscles rippled with every move he made. Both men followed Jeresa into the next room. Slapping her hand against the palm locks, she opened the supply panels and yanked out multi-colored gel tubes filled with disinfectants, liquid sealant and anesthetic. While she selected the tubes she wanted for Gem, the two spacers peeled their tunics over their heads. They shoved the rest of the gel tubes, med scanners and other portable devices into their tunics and used the sleeves to tie their newly requisitioned supplies into secure bundles. Jeresa froze with her heart in her throat. Looters. They came here to loot the clinic. The men stopped and stared at her with quizzical expressions on their faces. Gem whimpered and cried out. “Mommy! I hurt.” Jeresa shoved past them and hurried to Gem’s side. She’d worry about their intentions later. Gem was more important than a few missing supplies and surgical tools. The dog rolled her head sideways, gazed at her with absolute love and said, “Mommy help.” “Yes, baby. Lie still now.” Jeresa twisted the cap from the disinfectant, squeezed a blob on her hands and hurriedly cleaned them. She squeezed a larger glob of disinfectant over the spacer’s hands while he continued to apply pressure to Gem’s wound. The liquid melted over his hands and ran down Gem’s fur, diluting and washing away the blood and foam. Not the best way to clean the wound but it would have to do for now. The black man twisted the cap from the wound sealant tube. Jeresa accepted the open tube. Carefully pinching the flaps of Gem’s blood-drenched skin and fur together, she squeezed the sealant in a thick white line over the six and a half-inch long gash. The fluid dried on contact into a hard, transparent scab. As long as Gem didn’t exert herself, the temporary sealant should hold until the wound healed. Gem whined and panted, “Hurt. Hurt. Mommy, help please. Stop hurt.” “Mommy will help. Be a brave girl now.” Jeresa accepted the uncapped tube of anesthetic from the blond spacer and squeezed a thick layer of pink gel over the sealant. She handed the tube back and counted slowly to twenty. That should be sufficient time for the gel to absorb through the dog’s fur and skin and numb her shoulder. …seventeen, eighteen, nineteen… Gem’s panting eased. She banged her tail on the floor. “Hurt gone. Good mens help Mommy.” Jeresa risked a glance over her shoulder at the glowing red blotch growing brighter and brighter across the emergency titanium alloy shield barely ten feet away. She licked her suddenly dry lips. “How much longer will it hold?” The black man sat back on his heels. He studied the wall, then shrugged. “My best guess is about five more minutes to blast a hole through. After that, we have a minute or two leeway because they have to wait for the metal to cool down before they can climb inside without burning their clothes off.” The first man grabbed her hands. “I’m the captain of the independent freighter Nebula. These men are my crew and family. Is there another exit?” Jeresa pulled her hands away and folded them in her lap to keep them from shaking too much. She sucked in a deep breath, exhaled and squared her shoulders. Droplets of metal dripped from the glowing spot in the clinic’s shield, landed on the floor and hissed into flames. She was running out of choices. “Deal first.” “What kind of deal?” Their leader shifted his weight on his prosthetic legs and quirked an inquiring eyebrow. “I need a place to hide with my dogs until this drug war cools down. I’ll pay you.” With what she had no idea but she damn well wasn’t going to let them

know how broke she really was. To hell with her debts. She’d pay these spacers every credit she owned if they got her out alive. He shook his head. Her heart slammed into her chest. Didn’t he believe her? What did he, what did they, want from her? He lifted his hand. “We’ll help you escape and guard your back. In return, you join my crew as our new med-tech. We leave tomorrow.” She risked a second, longer look at the wall. The red glow was turning into a pure, eye-searing white. Ripples of heat shimmered in front of the glowing spot. What choice did she have? She could stay here and take a chance on surviving tonight’s turf battle between the drug lords or go off planet with four male spacers who had laugh lines around their eyes. More importantly, Gem and Star trusted them. Hopefully that meant they were honest men and not trying to run a sex trade scam on her. Whoa. Hell of a thing to sit here and make a deal with guys whose names she didn’t even know. What if it was a scam? Well, she’d figure a way out of that after they escaped from the clinic. Jeresa lifted her chin. “Names please. I’m Jeresa.” Why did they look so relieved? Oh yeah, right. Rival drug gangs were trying to burn their way in with blasters. Of course they looked relieved. They wanted to get out of the clinic alive just as much as she did. Two years of struggling to survive in the Zone had warped her mind and made her suspect everyone’s motives. The black guy. “Derek.” The Viking look-alike. “Marcus.” The dreadlocked mixed race guy. “Garian.” Their leader smiled and touched the captain’s bars on his shoulder. “My name is Axel.” She held her hand out. “My dogs go with me.” Axel took her hand. “Deal.” Then the other three spacers clasped their hands over hers and his. “Deal!” Star sat on her haunches and drummed her tail on the floor. Gem struggled to her feet and wobbled slightly before she said, “Mommy find good mens.”

Chapter Four

The escape tunnel under the clinic was crude with a packed dirt floor and walls. Half of the lights had burned out. At least it went in a straight line. Faint yells and bangs behind them meant their pursuers had located the entrance and were trying to bypass the palmlock. “How much farther?” one of the spacers yelled. Jeresa looked over her shoulder. “I don’t know. This is my first time down here.” The yells behind them got louder. She turned and ran. The access shaft was straight ahead. The door at the base was a lighted rectangle. There was a dull thump behind them. A blast of overheated air rushed along the tunnel and slammed into her back with a sullen roar. The entire length of the tunnel blazed with a deep-red light. Jeresa slapped her hand on the palmlock. The door for the access shaft slid open and stopped halfway. It didn’t matter. She turned sideways and squeezed herself past the opening. Axel turned sideways. Derek held out his hands. By holding onto the dog from both ends, they snaked themselves through the narrow slit without dropping their burden. Garian and Marcus slid through next. A ladder. She clambered to the top, pushed the metal grate aside, climbed out and dropped to her knees. Overlapping light from Luma’s three moons dappled the grimy concrete where she crouched behind the dubious shelter of a scorched and crumpled ground car. Moving with exquisite care, the spacers hustled up the ladder and passed the dogs between them to safety. The ground shook. Another plasma blast in the tunnel -- much closer this time. Super-heated air and acrid, black smoke boiled from the access shaft. Axel grabbed her arm, pulled her to her feet and they ran. It was a nightmare come to life. People screaming. Children crying. Sirens wailing. She lost all track of time. It felt like she ran forever, ducking and dodging through splintered glass and puddles of black blood. Plasma blasts seared the

sky in an insane display of pyrotechnics. Each flash exposed a single horrific image. An endless strobe of horror upon horror. Twisted and crumpled bodies slumped on the streets like piles of dirty clothes. Black twisted hands curled up in front of a charred corpse. A man lay in a doorway with his eyeballs burnt out and his mouth stretched in the rictus of a soundless scream. A headless child clutched a rag doll to her chest. The stench of burnt flesh and scorched hair permeated the air. Fire flared up in front and splashed against a wall. Jeresa flinched and stumbled. Derek, the spacer with the dreadlocks, caught her arm and pulled her to his side. Strong arms, warm and alive, tightened around her. “It’s all right. You’re doing fine. We’re here.” Derek put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around. A ramp. They were in the spaceport, standing in front of a spaceship. Jeresa staggered up the ramp with leaden feet. Derek kept his hand at her back, a warm, reassuring touch. She stopped in front of the closed airlock door. One of the spacers reached out and touched the palmlock. The airlock door slid aside. She stepped inside. The spacers crowded in next. And her dogs. Both of them. Safe and alive. The outer airlock door sealed itself. Her ears popped while the airflow balanced itself. The inner airlock opened. Jeresa entered. Scrubbed deck plates. Polished panels. Bright lights. Clean and safe. She sucked in the air with deep, sobbing breaths. Tears streamed down her face. Strong arms enfolded her. She leaned against a warm, muscled chest and cried. The spacers murmured soft, comforting whispers. Gentle hands stroked her tangled hair. Star bumped her head against Jeresa’s knee and whined. Gem wiggled her chunky body in between her legs. “Mommy sad. Help Mommy.” Jeresa smiled. “I’m fine, Gem. Mommy’s crying happy tears.” Hard, strong bodies held her and kept her safe. A large hand cupped her breast. A rough, callused finger touched her nipple. Gentle hands stroked her back and pulled her closer. An erection pressed against her crotch. Two more erections nudged her on both sides of her hips. A fourth erection rubbed at the cleft between her buttocks. Jeresa stiffened. Outrage burned through her. She pushed the spacers away and stumbled back against the wall. “I didn’t agree to be your whore.” Star and Gem crowded her legs. The hair rose on their backs in a stiff ridge. They growled and wove their heads back and forth between the four men, daring them to approach her. Jeresa’s heart slowed down from a thundering roar to a sullen gallop. She sagged against the wall. Gem and Star were with her. She wasn’t alone. They would protect her. The spacer captain spoke in a quiet, matter-of-fact voice. “No. You’re not a prost. You’re our new crewmate.” Axel! His name is Axel. Jeresa sucked in a shaky breath. After all she’d been through tonight, she was lucky to remember her own name, let alone his. He tapped his chest. His tunic was torn and filthy. “You needed comfort and we gave you the comfort we would give to our crewmate.” He gestured at the airlock. “We would never keep you here against your will. You’re free to go if you wish.” Yeah. Right. Out there in the Zone, her choice tonight was either death or existence as a slave to one of the drug lords. Here, at least, she had a slightly better chance of survival. Only four men to worry about raping her instead of hundreds. Except they didn’t try to rape me. They touched me with gentle hands. They protected me and brought me and my dogs to safety. Jeresa sucked in another breath. “I’m a crewmate?” “Yes, you are. We needed a med-tech and you agreed to join us.” She tugged her tunic down from its bunched up position around her waist. “Show me the med section. Show me my quarters.” *** She was safe. She was alive. She had a new job now as ship med-tech. Star and Gem had crashed out on the floor in front of her cabin’s built-in bed. Gem’s loud snore filled the air with its comforting familiarity. Jeresa sat on the bed and slumped against the wall. She should rest but she was too wired to sleep yet. Too much had happened to her tonight. She kept wanting to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. Derek, the black guy, was the ship’s engineer. He’d spent over an hour resetting the door’s palmlock and adding a nose lock so that it only opened to her and the dogs. Right now he was running calculations into his hand-comp figuring out what he needed in order to add a sanitary canine waste cubicle for the dogs. Now that she had the time to actually sit and look at him, he looked pretty damn good. He stood about five nine. Tight, compact muscles rippled on his

back and shoulders while he moved around the room inputting his measurements. He’d been so busy setting up her cabin that he hadn’t even had the time to put on a new tunic. Not bad. Not bad at all. Hell, all of the guys looked damn good. Derek turned around. He clipped the comp to his belt. A warm, reassuring smile lit up his dark features. “That’s it for now. When you go with Axel to finalize your paperwork in the dockmaster’s office, I’ll be able to do my job here.” “Thank you.” Derek glanced at the neatly folded tunic and pants at the foot of her bed. “Hopefully, those will fit you until we can buy you some decent clothing.” He backed out the open door of her cabin into the corridor. “Breakfast will be served an hour from now. The galley’s the third door down. Marcus is the ship’s cook.” Jeresa raked her hand through her hair. Dried blood, dirt and fire foam had turned it into a tangled mess. She needed a shower. Changing into clean clothes would help her feel better too. “Marcus? He’s the blond guy who looks like a Viking, right?” Derek snorted, shook his head and grinned. “Yeah, I guess you could call him that.”

Chapter Five

Jeresa set the water temperature for a hundred degrees and stepped into the shower. She grabbed the shampoo and scrubbed her hair first. Pure heaven. A girl could get spoiled with this kind of luxury. They had no limits on the amount of water she could use. The ship used a three-tier water system. One for waste disposal, another for drinking water, and a third one for cleaning. The used shower water drained through a sonic scrubber that recycled it for continuous usage. She rinsed the shampoo from her hair, grabbed the soap dispenser and squeezed it into her hands. A white, viscous glob of liquid that looked like semen. The prosts in the Zone always complained about spacers. They said spacers were cheapskates because they usually paid for one prost to service a group of spacers. And it wasn’t just the male spacers who had that bad rep. The women spacers bought single male or female prosts for group sex too. Could it be that instead of being cheapskates, this was simply a reflection of their normal sexual practices? The image of all four spacers standing around her, holding her and caressing her body, exploded into her mind with sudden clarity. Strong gentle hands had cupped her ass and tits. Four hard cocks had pressed against her, all ready to satisfy her needs. They were her fantasy lover come to life in quadruple. And instead of letting nature take its course, what the hell did she do? She pushed them away, yelled at them and accused them of treating her like a prost. Oh God. Jeresa turned the water off and sagged against the wall. Should she plead temporary insanity and beg them to finish what they started? *** Axel came into the galley and sat at the bolted down table. His hair curled at the ends from the shower but at least he was clean and no longer had the sickening stench of scorched flesh and hair clinging to his clothes and body. Marcus slid a cup of coffee in front of him. Coffee. Real coffee for a change. A simple luxury they often went without. He wrapped his fingers around the thick mug and inhaled the steaming fragrance. Little by little, his brain cells started functioning again. Garian staggered in, snagged a cup of coffee and collapsed on the bench beside him. In addition to a shower, clean tunic and pants, he’d taken the time to add a bunch of gold beads to his hair. They made a nice contrast to his red-brown dreadlocks and cinnamon colored skin. Derek came in and took his seat. He’d taken a quick shower too. Tiny droplets of water clung to the tight black curls on his scalp. He hunched over his coffee, blew the steam from the top and took a cautious sip. Axel raised his eyebrows. “No tunic.” Derek flashed a sardonic grin. “I caught her checking out my bod when I scanned her cabin for the modifications I’ll be putting in for her dogs. I think she likes me. And the way I figure it, we need all the help we can get to keep her from changing her mind and walking out on us.” Garian snorted. “Hmmph. You just like showing off your pecs.” Derek’s grin widened into a full-fledged leer. “Nice beads, Gar. They go well with that boner you’ve been sporting for the last hour.” Garian peered under the table at his crotch, sighed and shook his head. “I took care of him when I took my shower. He’s supposed to be resting now, not

standing up at attention.” Marcus passed around plates of scrambled eggs and synth-bacon and settled into his seat with a hopeful sigh. “My father always said the best way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach. I’ll find out what her favorite recipes are and handle all the cooking.” He could be right. Marcus’s dad was the best cook across six star systems. He always had happy bed partners staying with him, usually two or three of them at the same time, despite the extra weight he carried from indulging in his own favorite recipes. Marcus devoured his eggs and finished off his coffee. Then he sat back and glared at them one by one. “Keep your hands off the chocolates I’m buying her today.” Axel adjusted his hard-on to a more comfortable position and folded his hands on the table. “I like her too. A lot. We almost blew it there at the airlock. Don’t push yourselves on her. We don’t want to scare her away.” Derek’s grin faded. His face went totally serious. “I’ll keep my distance. I want her to stay too. Any suggestions?” Garian raised his hand. “Clothes. All she has with her now are the clothes on her back. When you bring her to the Port Authority Admin Center later this morning and get her officially listed as crew, I’ll make a few purchases from one of the high-class boutiques I saw in that sector.” Axel turned to him. “You know her size already?” Garian grinned and waggled his eyebrows. “I felt her. My hands know her exact measurements.” He sighed and angled another sardonic glance under the table at his crotch. Absolute yearning filled his face. “I hope she likes us too.” A soft chime echoed from the wall. The ship’s computer voice spoke in a neutral baritone. “Newest crewmember has vacated cabin six. Estimated time of arrival at the galley is four Terra standard minutes.” Axel stared at their ship engineer. Derek shrugged. “I programmed the ship’s computer to give passive proximity advisories. Just in case we need to get decent and to remind us to watch what we say when she’s around so we won’t scare her off.” Of course. Derek was no fool. None of them were. It was a reasonable precaution considering how they’d almost ruined their chances by pawing at her as soon as she boarded the ship. *** Jeresa tugged her tunic down with shaking, sweaty hands. Silky indigo fabric caressed the curves of her breasts and dipped alarmingly low, almost exposing her hard pebbled nipples. It clung to her flat stomach like a second skin. The pants were just as bad. Tight and supple, the fabric rubbed against her aching clit with every step she took. Not like the oversized tunic and pants she normally wore. The only saving grace was the length of the tunic. It flared out into a soft skirt that ended at the top of her thighs. Her shoes, the only pair of shoes she owned, a pair of scruffy, black soft-soled flats, completed her attire. Whose clothing had they given her to wear? Were they discards from a previous lover? The bright rectangle of the open galley door waited a few steps away. Soft clinking sounds and the delicious aromas of fresh coffee and scrambled eggs told her that the spacers had already begun to eat breakfast. She turned the corner and stepped inside. All four men jumped to their feet with eager smiles. Their pants failed to conceal the thick bulges at their crotches. They surrounded her. Eager hands pulled out a chair and helped her seat herself. Derek, Axel and Garian returned to their hastily vacated seats. Soft, gentle voices. Ardent appreciation shone in Derek’s dark eyes. “You look great.” Axel jerked his gaze away from the plunging cleavage at the top of her tunic and fastened it on her face. A deep flush stained his cheeks. “Good morning.” Garian licked his lips. He flashed a radiant and frankly admiring smile. “My baby sister left a few things behind last trip. They fit you a lot better than they fit her.” Marcus placed a steaming mug of coffee and plate of fluffy scrambled eggs and crisp synth-bacon in front of her. He leaned over and stared into her eyes with a worried expression on his face. “Milk? Sugar? More salt? Pepper?” She gulped and shook her head. If she moved her hand, the side of her arm would brush against his erection. “I’m fine. I like my coffee black. Thank you.” Horror flashed across his face. “Napkins.” He straightened up, hurried back to the opposite wall, opened a panel above the food prep corner and pulled out a handful of clean, white cloths. His pants outlined a nice tight butt. She turned back to her plate, picked up a fork and took a generous scoop of scrambled eggs. They were perfect. Made with just the right amount of seasoning. Not runny and slimy. Not burnt and dried out either. She ate it in alternating bites with swigs of strong, hot coffee. Marcus cooked this? Oh my. Damn fine cook. Excellent cook.

Finished. She sat back and wiped her mouth with her napkin. Four pairs of eyes followed her every move. Axel smiled. “Good. Huh?” She folded the napkin and laid it beside her empty plate. “Yes, it was. Thank you.” Derek moved his chair closer, then ran his fingertip across the top of her hand. The look in his eyes was hot enough to melt steel. “I liked how you made soft little moans in the back of your throat with every bite you took. That was nice.” Heat flowed from that simple touch straight to her pussy in a single bolt of pure sensation. She jerked her hands back and folded them in her lap. If she stood up now, she’d probably leave a wet spot on the chair. She plastered a bright smile on her face. “What’s the itinerary for today? Don’t we have to go to the Port Authority Office in person in order to sign papers and establish my credentials as your new med-tech?”

Chapter Six

The silver-haired clerk behind the counter looked them over with flat, bored eyes. He inserted a data sliver into his console. A holographic display appeared listing line after line of Jeresa’s qualifications and education. The clerk frowned. “Captain Axel Dane-Niallsen.” “Speaking.” “We have a problem.” Axel sucked in his breath and took hold of Jeresa’s hand. She leaned into his side and waited. Her hand trembled within his and he gave her a comforting squeeze. They’d gotten this far. No way was he going to let her down now. The clerk rested his hand on the counter, palm up. “Ms. Lynnwold has some outstanding student loans. Unless those loans are paid in full, we cannot approve her employment listing with your spacecraft.” Axel looked up into clerical eyes totally disconnected from that open palm. “How much?” Clerical lips pursed. The man consulted the columns of glowing figures within the holographic display. “Six thousand for the student loans.” The clerk coughed. “And another four thousand to expedite the process.” Jeresa’s hand twitched. She gasped. “That’s robbery!” Axel held up his hand. “A few moments of privacy please so we can discuss the additional expenditures.” The clerk inclined his head in a barely perceptible nod. “Three minutes.” They stepped back from the counter and went out the office door into the hallway. Jeresa’s eyes blazed with righteous indignation. “It’s twice the amount I owe. Plus he wants another four thousand for expenses.” Axel ran his thumb across her cheek. “We have no choice. Without a certified med-tech on my crew, the Port Authority will lock my ship down and we’ll lose the ship and all of our money on accumulated dock fees.” Startled comprehension filled her face. “It’s not charity?” “Far from it. We need you, Jeresa.” She bit her lip. “You can earn this money back with what you have in cargo. Right?” “We’ll earn twenty times that amount if we can deliver our cargo on time.” “But if you don’t have a med-tech today, you won’t be able to leave and fulfill your contract?” “That’s correct.” She lifted her head. Pride glowed on her face. “I’m an equal member of the crew. This means I can pay this back from my share of the profit.” “Yes.” She stared at him for the longest time. Then looked away. A slight pink blush stained her cheeks. “Can I ask a personal question?” His heart flipped over. “You’re crew. No question is too personal among crewmates.” The pink blush in her cheeks deepened into two bright red spots. She lifted her head and stared at him again. “For you spacers, when you’re crew that means you’re very close, like family. Right?”

He nodded. “Many of our crewmates are also family so this closeness is part of who we are.” “Close your eyes.” He blinked. “What?” “I want you to close your eyes, please.” He closed his eyes. Jeresa touched his chin with her hand and guided his face lower. His heart went into triple overdrive. She kissed him. The first tentative brush of her lips turned into greedy pressure. That’s all it took for him. He groaned, slid his hand around her neck and clasped the back of her head, pulling her closer. His cock rose in a solid column of eager readiness between their bodies. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let him plunge his tongue deep into her mouth. He didn’t care if they were standing in the middle of a public hallway in full view of security scanners. He grabbed her ass, pulled her tight against his body and ground his cock against her. She had to know how much he wanted to fuck her right then and there. She ended the kiss and laid her head against his chest. “Thank you, my Captain.” His heart thundered on. He just held her and savored the sensation of her warm curvy body pressed against him in total acceptance. Finally, she sighed. She disengaged herself from his embrace and grinned up at him with mischief gleaming in her eyes. “We have some paperwork to finish first.” His heart turned over with joy. “Agreed.” They re-entered the office. The clerk waited with bored insolence etched on his face. Axel rested his elbow on the countertop, leaned over and said in a soft, cold voice. “Two thousand for expenses or I file an appeal to the front office.” The clerk widened his eyes with acute innocence and consulted his figures a second time. “My mistake. Two thousand additional will be sufficient to expedite this transaction.” Axel lifted his right hand. A ruby credit chip glinted within the solid silver and platinum band on his index finger. He placed his hand on the palm pad and waited until a soft bleep indicated that it had verified his ID. He inserted the ring in the credit transfer port. “Initiate transfer eight thousand Terra standard from the Nebula ship account.” *** Jeresa stood in the middle of her cabin and hugged herself. Axel had paid her debts in full. At least one of her dreams had just come true. She now had an official med-tech license and crew ID/credit chip ring. Derek had installed a brand new doggie sanitary cubicle for Star and Gem. Both dogs sprawled on the floor in front of their empty food bowls and halffilled water dish. They thumped their tails and panted at her in total contentment when she looked at them. Garian had bought her clothes. Gorgeous clothes in every color of the rainbow. He’d also bought her an entire selection of spun silk undergarments and six pairs of soft-soled flat shoes. She’d folded and put all the clothes away into the storage compartments under her bed. Marcus had given her chocolates. Boxes and boxes of chocolates filled with supra-dark nuggets, chocolate covered raisins, nuts and pretzels, cream filled and caramel filled confections and pure white chocolate swirls. Her mouth watered at such a treasure. She’d stashed all but one small box away into storage. Five hours and forty-five minutes from now was their scheduled departure time. They’d be traveling six months in the vast emptiness between the stars before they arrived at their destination of Zeta Five. Six months alone with them. The choice was hers as to how she wanted to spend those next six months. Jeresa went to her bed and selected the tiny foil wrapped packet she’d bought at the pharmaceutical store on the way back from the Port Authority Office. She unwrapped the foil, exposed a fragile gold chip dot, lifted the hem of her tunic and carefully placed it inside her bellybutton. Fifteen seconds later, after direct exposure to her body heat, the chip shimmered and melted into her skin. Star and Gem sat on either side of her legs and looked up at her with their heads cocked. Gem whuffed and asked, “What Mommy doing?” Jeresa smiled. “Mommy just took some medicine, baby. Stay here and guard my room. I’ll be back in a little while.” “Okay.” ***

She’d kissed him. Not just any kiss, but a hot, open-mouthed, passionate one. Six months. They’d be alone with her for six months. A lot could happen in six months. Axel hummed under his breath. He pulled up the holographic checklist and went over the ship’s take-off procedures again. Maybe he should order a suited drill. That should keep everyone busy for a good hour or so. Derek leaned back in his chair and folded his hands under his chin. “You look different.” Garian swiveled his chair around. “He’s right. You do look different. I can’t quite put my finger on it.” Marcus finished drinking his coffee, crumpled the paper cup and tossed it in the incinerator chute. “Ever since he walked out of the Port Authority Office he’s been walking around with that crazy smile on his face.” Derek snorted. “I wouldn’t mind having a smile like that. What happened?” All of them turned and studied Axel as if he’d suddenly grown a second head. He cleared his throat and said, “She kissed me.” They leaned forward. Sudden comprehension and hope lit up their faces. A soft chime pealed from the bridge control panel. The ship computer said, “Newest crewmember has entered lift. Estimated time of arrival on bridge. Two minutes.” On the one hand, having alerts like this gave them a chance to make sure they didn’t say anything to scare Jeresa away. On the other hand, it didn’t feel right to have the ship’s computer keeping track of her like that. She was crew. Crewmates were supposed to be able to work together and trust one another like family. They shouldn’t have to keep secrets from her.

Chapter Seven

What the hell am I going to say? “Hey guys, I’ve changed my mind. I want to jump in bed with you, all of you, at the same time.” Would they treat her like a slut if she said that? If that was the case, then why were they going through all the trouble of buying her things and treating her like a queen? The lift settled to a stop. Her stomach did a final flip. Jeresa ran her hands through her hair and squared her shoulders. She was here now. The least she could do was thank them for their gifts. The lift door slid aside. She stepped out onto the bridge and stopped at the railing that circled the area. A huge holograph showing the exterior visuals of the ship filled the opposite wall. Loader robots were driving away from the closed cargo bay doors. More robots were busy detaching and removing fuel, water and liquid oxygen supply hoses. No one turned around from their intent perusal of holographic data grids floating above their individual control boards. They all appeared to be deeply engrossed in their work. This might not be a good time for idle chitchat. After all, they were scheduled for departure in about five and a half hours. Maybe they needed all of that time to do complicated data scans and prep for takeoff. At the same time, it would look extremely awkward if she left the bridge without saying a word. She strolled around the bridge and did her best to look casual about the small box of chocolates in her hand. Marcus had pulled up life-support and food inventory databases. He was looking over air scrubber supplies, the crop rotation in their greenhouse section and a detailed listing of their food, water and other liquid rations. Axel was studying a star map with their trip itinerary and listing of jump zone paths. Derek had the ship’s drive, computer graphics and jump vane schematics up in all their complex glory. The holographic screens above Garian’s board showed open language databases and ten overlapping communications links. It wasn’t difficult to figure out that the laid-back effect of his beaded dreadlocks was just a cover. He not only could follow multiple transmissions, he could do it in six different languages at the same time. Did they expect her to spend the next six months studying their shot records and X-rays? Oh, the hell with it. She hadn’t bought that anti-fertility chip so she could sit and play holographic solitaire in the VR lounge. Six months of slut sex would feel a lot better than six months of no sex. She stopped beside Marcus’s chair. He turned his head, gaped at her cleavage, drew in a ragged breath and then wrenched his gaze up to her face. “Jeresa.” Grey threaded his blond hair. She always liked older men. They paid more attention when they made love. She held up the little box and opened the lid. “I

want to thank you for these chocolates. I love them. Do you want a taste?” The silence on the bridge was deafening. “Sure.” She selected a piece, closed the lid and placed the box on the console. Marcus watched every move she made with intense interest. She put the piece of chocolate in her mouth, let it melt a little and then bent down to kiss him. It was as if his body reacted before his brain. He grabbed her, pulled her onto his lap and kissed her. It was a rough and uncontrolled kiss and the chocolate melted away fast under the heat of their hungry mouths. He moved his hand to her shoulder and tugged her tunic aside and squeezed her breast. Yes! It felt so good. He tweaked her nipple. She gasped and wiggled her ass against the nice, thick erection in his lap. He lifted his mouth from hers and watched her face while his hand traveled from her breast down to her crotch. Her mind went blank. The only thing she could think about or feel was the slow, deliberate movement of his hand. He rubbed his thumb in a firm circle over the damp fabric that covered her clit. A contented moan escaped from her mouth. She rested her head on his shoulders and opened her legs wider to give him better access. “Thank you, Marcus.” He lifted his hand from her crotch and patted her on the leg. “Anytime, darling. You’re very welcome.” Three men stood around the chair. Their smiles and gazes held open admiration and eager anticipation. The gold beads at the ends of Garian’s dreadlocks clicked against each other. Jeresa stood up on shaky legs. Cool air brushed her right nipple. “I want to thank you too, Garian. The clothes you bought me are lovely.” “My pleasure, ma’am.” She looked at Derek. “And I want to thank you for fixing up my cabin.” He shrugged. His eyes lingered on her exposed breast. “You’re crew now. It’s the least I could do.” Garian gestured at her tunic. “Your top’s a bit lopsided now.” She smiled. “Yes, it is.” Marcus climbed out of his chair and positioned himself behind her. He rested his hands on her shoulders and said, “Do you want me to straighten it for you?” Her pussy clenched under the sensual rasp in his voice. “No, take it off. Please.” A happy growl vibrated in his throat. Marcus pulled the other shoulder of the tunic down her arm, and peeled it the rest of the way off. He left it bunched around her waist. Jeresa leaned back into Marcus’s strong body and rested her head in the hollow below his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her waist and steadied her upon his hard cock. If she’d been naked, his cock would be jammed between the deep cleft of her ass. Garian and Derek moved to opposite sides of her. Garian cupped her right breast. Derek cupped her left breast. They lowered their heads. She jerked and moaned under the fantastic sensation of two hot, hungry mouths on her nipples at the same time. Marcus slid his hand between her legs and took care of her clit while he dry-humped against her ass. As for Axel, he opened his pants, exposed his erect cock and stroked the hard flesh slowly, pumping his hand up and down its swollen length. The engorged head looked purple from all the blood trapped in it. Pre-cum dribbled at the tip and a thick vein throbbed along the shaft. It was the most beautiful cock she’d seen in a long time. She wanted him to give it to her right now. He smiled and kept pumping. Garian and Derek sucked faster. Their teeth nipped at her nipples and the sensitive skin along her ribs. Jeresa rode Marcus’s hand with desperate thrusts of her hips. She arched against him and cried out while wave after wave of orgasm ripped through her grateful body. Garian and Derek lifted their heads from her breasts and grinned at her. Then before she even had a chance to form a coherent thought let alone say anything, they grabbed her tunic at her waist and removed every last scrap of her clothing along with her slippers. Garian tilted her chin, traced her lips with his thumb and gave her a quick, hard kiss. “Jeresa, you’re crew now. Anything you want, anything you desire, we’ll do it for you and to you. Always. Anytime. Anywhere.” Derek kissed her next. “We belong to you now. Our cocks are yours to command.” Marcus gave her a quick kiss next. “Welcome aboard, Jeresa. As crew you are closer than family to us. Forever.” He scooped her up in his arms. “Where do you want to take her, Captain?”

Axel pointed at a black section of the bridge console a few feet away. His voice had deepened into a rough carnality that sent shivers down her spine. “There. That control board is shut down. It’s just the right height for us to take her, one at a time.” Marcus sat her on the edge and stepped back. Garian and Derek opened their pants. Their erect cocks bobbed between their lazily stroking hands. Long and thick with heavy veins ridging the skin, they were more than ready to satisfy her needs. Marcus opened his pants and exposed his erect cock. He grinned at her and said, “We go by seniority for the first round. The captain, communications specialist, engineer and cook. After that, it’s your choice.” Her heart thundered in her ears. Her blood raced hot and thick in her veins. She braced her hands on the edge of the console, leaned back and opened her legs wide so they all had a full view of her aroused, wet pussy. All four men groaned with hunger. Their eyes glazed over. Axel approached her first. He stepped between her legs, braced his hands on the console and lowered his mouth to hers. The head of his cock nudged at her clit. She groaned and tilted her hips up for easier access. “Jeresa.” He spoke her name in a guttural whisper. “You are special to us now. There is regular crew. And there is crew. You’re crew now, not regular crew. Do you understand?” The way he looked at her went right through her. Hot, hungry and hopeful. He didn’t consider what they planned to do to be slut sex. None of them did. It was real and important to them. “Yes, I understand.” She put her arms around his neck and brushed his lips with a chaste kiss. “I am crew.” “Will you accept all of us, Jeresa? We’ll try to be gentle, but it won’t be easy to stay in control.” “Yes, I want all of you to give me your cum and show me how much I mean to you.” Joy blazed in his eyes and transformed his face. He grabbed her by the waist and shoved himself into her, all the way inside. The sudden shock of his hard shaft filling her so completely took her breath away. It felt so good, as if she’d died and gone to heaven. She tightened her arms around his neck, wrapped her legs around him and lifted her hips upon his eager, pounding cock. No long, slow fuck for the first round. No, he was going at her hard and fast, groaning in a headlong rush into orgasm. It was a glorious sensation. It made her feel like the sexiest woman in the universe to know that she was the reason for his total loss of control. He stopped moving as if a bolt of lightning had struck him. Hot cum jetted into her. She moaned at the sensation, squeezed his cock and milked every last, wonderful drop from him. “Oh, yes,” he whispered. “Yes.” She unwound her arms from his neck. He remained with his hands braced beside her. He closed his eyes and fought for breath. Her captain, vulnerable and trembling, rested between her legs with his pants down around his ankles. Finally, he opened his eyes and gave her another smile of pure joy. He brushed her lips with a gentle kiss, eased himself out of her body and then moved away. Garian stepped up and took his place between her open legs. Eager happiness glowed on his caramel-colored face. He cupped her breasts, bent his head over them and carefully sucked and bit her aching nipples until she started moaning and squirming with need. Then he grabbed her by the waist and kissed her full on the mouth. He looked at her and slid the full length of his thick cock into her pussy. She gasped. “You like that, don’t you?” “Yes.” “Do you want more?” “Yes, please.” “Tell me what you want.” “I want you to fuck me, Garian.” He pulled out almost to the end and slammed into her again. “Like this?” She groaned, grabbed his butt and wrapped her legs around him. “Yes, more please.” He increased his pace and shoved into her in a steady, mind-blowing rhythm. The muscles in his butt bunched under her hands. She looked over his shoulder. Derek and Marcus had taken the time to remove all of their clothing. They held their erect cocks in their hands, slowly pumped them and grinned with anticipation gleaming in their eyes. “Fuck me harder, Garian.” She gasped. “Fuck me good and hard. Give me all of your cum. Get me ready for more.” And he did. Garian fucked and banged her so hard, her whole body moved with each deep thrust. When he came, wave after wave of ecstasy exploded through her. She mewled with helpless abandon. He pulled out, caressed her cheek with his lips and stepped aside.

Derek quickly took his place. Smooth and sure, he inserted himself and moved in slow, deliberate strokes. “Anytime, Jeresa. Anytime you want, you can have me.” Wonderful, lean muscles bunched under her hands. His long, thick cock filled her aching pussy with loving attention. Lifting her hips into those strokes, she met each one as if she wanted to melt her flesh against his strong, sculpted body. His pace increased into a rocking, shaking ride. He threw his head back with a roar of satisfaction that filled her heart with joy, along with the sensation of more hot cum spilling into her. He stopped and kissed her. Then caught his breath before he pulled out. “Next time I’ll do better.” She grabbed his arms. “You did damn good. I love how your cock feels inside me.” He gave her another swift kiss and grinned. “Gotta go now, Jer. Marcus needs his turn with you.” Marcus walked in slow and easy. He stopped and looked her over from head to crotch and back up again. “Your mouth is soft and red from kissing. Your skin is flushed. You look pretty with your hair in tangled curls. Your pussy is swollen with good loving.” He slid his fingers across her swollen clit. She yelped and rubbed greedily against his hand. He smiled and dragged the juices up to her breasts. “Your nipples need a little more loving first.” He leaned down to her breasts and moved his head back and forth between them, sucking and nipping. No matter how many times it happened, that lovely suction sent a special zing straight through her into her clit. She arched herself into his mouth and looked over his shoulder. Three happy naked men stroked their cocks, getting themselves ready for round two. The only way she could tell that Axel had artificial legs from the knee down was the slight difference in color at that spot. Cum spilled from her pussy with each sharp bite at her nipples. Marcus lifted his head. “Did they get you all ready for me, darling?” She tucked her heels behind his legs. “Oh yes, Marcus. They got me good and ready for you.” He slipped inside her drenched pussy with one smooth, easy thrust. “That’s great. ’Cause I’m more than ready to give you everything I have in me.” There was no boredom, nothing mechanical about his desperate thrusts. The long, slow orgasm that had been building in her under the incredible delight of four men loving her exploded into a tidal wave with this last ride on Marcus and his eager cock. The bridge rang with her delirious cries. He dug his fingers into her skin and shot his cum with long, gasping groans. Then he sagged against her for a few moments of gasping vulnerability before he could pull out. He leaned in, cupped her chin and gave her a swift, bruising kiss. “Jer.” His voice went all thick and greedy. “I can’t wait ’til I eat your pussy. I bet it tastes sweeter than honey.” Then he stepped away. The image of him kneeling between her legs shot through her in a dizzy whirl of carnal anticipation. Axel, Garian and Derek moved in beside Marcus. All four men helped her climb down and stand between them on shaky legs. She glanced at the time blinking away on the bridge clock. Four and a half hours to go until lift-off. “Round two is my choice, right?” Axel said, “Of course.” “Take me to a real bed, a full-sized one. I want all of you to fuck me again.” She studied the four erect cocks with their swollen heads pointed at her and licked her lips. “Except I want to see if I can handle two of you at a time for our second round.” “Yes!” they shouted. Axel scooped her up into his arms and led them off the bridge into his quarters.

Chapter Eight

Seven days later, Jeresa pressed her fingers into Axel’s right leg stump and moved them in small circles, maintaining a steady, strong pressure. She paused to manipulate a knot in the muscle. He groaned with ecstatic relief. “Yes! You always know exactly what to do to me, Jer.” The round balls of his testicles rested full and tight between his legs. His cock reared up in a long, thick column, eager for her to grasp and stroke the taut skin. The fat vein that ran the length of his cock pulsed with the slow and steady beat of his heart. Pre-cum dribbled from the small opening in the swollen head. Not yet. She pressed harder on the tendon and felt the tight knot loosen under her fingertips. A glance at the sickbay’s diagnostic monitor screen confirmed her instincts. The readouts showed a sixty-five percent increase in nerve activity and muscle tone as a direct result of the daily massages. Axel reached for the front of her shipsuit and opened it from neck to waist. Strong warm hands cupped her breasts. He tweaked her nipples with an expert twist of his fingers that sent a jolt of hot anticipation straight to her pussy. She gasped, sucked in a breath, lifted her head and managed a credible glare. “Stop that. You know I can’t concentrate when you do that.”

He tweaked her nipples again and wrung a second delighted gasp from her. “No problemo, darling. I’m ready for us to move into the final phase of this massage.” His lazy smile broadened into an eager grin. “The modified doggie style phase.” The ship comlink beeped. They turned. Garian’s face appeared on the wall screen, his brow creased with worry. “Captain, I’ve received an automated broad beam SOS from Quadrant Eleven.” Axel sighed. “I’ll be right up.” He pulled Jeresa close and managed one swift and greedy kiss before releasing her. “We’ll finish this later.” Jeresa nodded, pushed her exposed breasts inside the open front of her shipsuit and pulled the seal closed. She turned to the auxiliary diagnostic bed, unclipped Axel’s prosthetic legs from the unit and gave them to him. Garian tilted his head sideways on the screen. He listened intently to the input from the silver button at his ear. “Should I page Marcus’s cabin? He’s in the middle of a fantastic suck and fuck session with Derek.” Jeresa shook her head and grinned. No surprises there. Just like Garian and Axel, Marcus and Derek were always randy. Of course, if she just happened to walk in on them, they’d simply turn, hold out their arms and invite her to join them in fun and games with their cocks. Axel slid his stumps into the prosthetic limbs. Nerve and muscle sensor links snapped on in a rapid series of soft snicks and clicks. He flexed his knees and wiggled the toes on both legs. Full connection achieved. Jeresa handed him his shipsuit. He studied Garian’s worried face on the comlink. “Scuttlebutt at the last station mentioned three independent merchant freighters missing under suspicious circumstances in Quadrant Eleven. Put me through on audio only.” The screen split in half. One side blacked out, the other side showed Garian’s face. He nodded. “Link established.” Axel said, “Marcus and Derek!” “Sir?” “We have a possible code red situation. Everyone suit up in full armor and report to the bridge immediately. Grab hand stunners for everyone from the weapons locker.” Axel would rather suffer the discomfort of full armor than risk the consequences of not wearing it. Space gave you only two choices, life or death, nothing in-between. He’d learned that lesson on his maiden journey. He’d made the right choice back then and survived. Minus his legs, but nevertheless, he’d survived when everyone else died. The four screens imbedded in the arms of Axel’s command chair provided continuous updating data streams and scan images from his crew’s boards. Derek sat at the weapons and main engine control boards. Marcus waited beside him at the secondary weapons board. Tall and lean with the gray liberally sprinkled through his blond hair, he radiated a deceptive air of complete ease. Garian sat at the communications and scan board. Jeresa knelt beside Gem and Star and checked both dogs over one last time. Derek had spent two weeks modifying two standard armor units into protective suits for the two gene-engineered pit bulls. Star banged her armored tail on the floor. Gem panted. “We ready, Mommy.” Jeresa walked to the other side of the bridge with Gem and Star trotting at her heels. She took her station beside Garian and activated her screen with the full med scan details for everyone on the spaceship. Gem and Star stretched out on the padded floor plates on either side of her chair. Safety webbing snapped into place around her and the dogs. The SOS repeated itself in a continuous automated cry for help over the hyperspace radio link. Garian’s mellow voice directed them to the next piece of data. “Comp has analyzed the location coordinates.” A star map flowed up with a blinking red arrow superimposed in the center of a blur of multicolored lights. Garian punched in another command on his board and locked in on the reference star. The figures came up congruent. Axel nodded and sent the data to every board. “Got them.” Derek inputted them into his weapons data grid. The main vid screen showed nothing but stars and that blinking red arrow. Axel told scan to zoom in on the location. The image shifted to the dull heat of an almost-star swirling within a vast field of hydrogen gas. A huge asteroid belt swarmed between two gas giants within the Oort cloud of comets around the quadrant. The arrow blinked over one mid-sized asteroid. “Are we going in?” Marcus asked. Axel considered the unspoken questions. They had two choices. Go in and try for a rescue attempt or back off and forward as much information as they could for the Space Patrol. If there were survivors, by the time the Space Patrol arrived they would most likely be dead. On the other hand, if it was a trap set by pirates and they went in, by the time the Space Patrol arrived they might also be dead or captured. Axel sucked in a breath and released it slowly. “Make four copies of all data. Bundle them into four hyperspace message capsules and send them out.” He took a second deep breath and released it. “Maintain shields at full power. We’re going in.” At two hundred thousand miles, he gave the order for Derek to cut the engines back to half-power. They drifted closer. The asteroid wasn’t just an asteroid. Four miles in diameter, the rough hewn chunk of raw iron ore had been altered and transformed into a tiny planet of salvaged wrecks fused into the natural rock.

Jeresa moved her hands over her board controls and shunted more data to their holographic representation of the asteroid floating in the center of the bridge. Scattered pockets of heat appeared within the 3-D image. She reported her findings in a clear, no-nonsense voice. “Temperature and size of heat pockets are indicative of living beings within this artificial structure.” Garian shook his head. The silver beads at the tips of his dreadlocks clicked against each other. “No change in the SOS. No response to our inquiries.” He moved his hands across his board and sent the latest scan results to the holographic asteroid image. Ship names appeared over fused lumps of metal. A roll call that spanned over two centuries of missing freighters, a colony ship, ore miners and antiquated unmanned robotic probes: Star Chaser, Intrepid, Enterprise, Wolfhelm, Goddess, Mars Zone, and Rim Runner. Every available space on the asteroid’s surface had a name attached. Axel lifted his hand. Nebula had breached the hundred thousand mile radius. “Reduce power to quarter speed.” Derek reduced power. His mahogany skin gleamed under the flickering lights of his control boards. The deep hum of the engines slowed to a gentle burr. “Scorch patterns appearing on the ships. Fused metal. Gaping holes. I scan no active weaponry, though.” The holographic image of the asteroid sharpened with the added details and data he transferred there through his link. They passed the fifty thousand mile mark rapidly, even at quarter speed. Axel sighed. “Make four copies of new data. Bundle them into four hyperspace message capsules and send them out. Now!” Garian gave a brisk nod and accessed his boards. “Aye, Captain. Processing copies and bundling of new data. Fifteen seconds before hyperspace capsules eject.” Axel counted the seconds down in his head. Four green lights appeared on the master board. He flipped the eject lever on the control panel and sent the message capsules out. The twenty-five thousand mile mark came up. “Any change in the SOS?” “None.” Jeresa leaned forward and studied her screen. She bit her lip for a few moments in deep concentration. “A discrete clump of heat patterns is moving up to the surface. Three patterns remain constant at the center. One pattern is isolated near the surface.” She transferred her data to the holograph and red blotches moved across the image. Nebula drifted past the ten thousand mile mark. Axel frowned. “Reduce speed to the next level.” The engine hum grew softer. The mark for five thousand miles inched closer. A huge shudder shook the ship. A slow, steady pulse of energy stabbed into Axel’s stumps from his prosthetic legs. Derek hunched over his screen. “Tractor beam? That’s impossible.” “It’s possible now,” Axel muttered. Whoever controlled this asteroid either had access to brand new technology or found ancient technology left behind by an unknown alien species. Either way, they needed to survive long enough to escape. “Engines full reverse.” Derek complied with the order. The sound of the engine thrust increased to a full-scaled scream. After about thirty seconds, he reported the results of their efforts to escape the tractor beam. “We’ve slowed down but it’s still pulling us to the surface.” Marcus waited with his hands over the auxiliary weapons board. “Lasers are armed. Stun cannon is armed and I have three missiles ready to fire.” “No,” Axel said. “Others tried that and failed. We have a better chance if we save our weapons for precise targeting when we need them. Shut the engines down. We might as well save our fuel for later.” Derek shut the engines down. Nebula continued at a headlong pace straight for the asteroid. “Shut down all shipboard life support except for the bridge and sickbay.” Marcus had that board. “Life support systems shut down as ordered.” “Reroute all auxiliary power to shields.” Derek spun his chair around and accessed that control board. “Auxiliary power rerouted as ordered.” “We’re at three thousand miles now. When we reach the thousand mile mark, use full reverse to cushion our impact.” Derek gave a thumbs up. “Gotcha.” “Computer!” “Yes, Captain Axel Dane-Niallsen.” All the extra voice-keyed programming and fail-safes Derek had added during their last refitting to Nebula’s computerized interlocks and hull compartments were going to be tested to their limit now. “Crash landing is imminent. Initiate emergency gel foam between ship’s hull and interior bulkhead space.” “Emergency gel foam initiated between hull and interior bulkhead space.” “Initiate section seals.” “Section seals initiated.” Dull thumps and shakes echoed through the ship as the reinforced steel alloy walls slammed into place.

“Initiate full sonar mapping scan to site where crash landing is imminent. Reroute all data from sonar mapping scan to holographic recording now rotating on bridge grid.” “Sonar mapping initiated. Scan data reroute initiated.” “Initiate emergency unlock sequence. Unlock only upon authorized crew verbal command.” “Unlock sequence accepted.” “Crew!” They answered as one voice, “Yes, Captain.” “Secure helmets and switch to suit air.” Jeresa leaned over the right side of her chair. She secured Gem’s helmet over the dog’s head while Garian leaned over the left side of his chair and took care of Star’s helmet. The only thing left to do now was wait and hope that Nebula sustained no major damage to her hull, computer systems and engine compartment during the crash landing. If necessary, they could survive a return trip while wearing full suits. It wouldn’t be the most comfortable way to travel but they’d survive.

Chapter Nine

Watching, hearing and seeing Axel assume control and bark out his commands in a logical sequence had steadied Jeresa’s nerves. He was ship captain for a reason. He would do everything in his power to save his ship and crew no matter what. Nebula crash landed in a crescendo of roaring engines, klaxons, shifting g-forces and flashing lights. Jeresa’s throat was raw. She supposed that was because she’d screamed. Every part of her body ached. She pulled up complete medical scans from everyone’s suit recordings to her board. No broken bones. No major trauma. Heart rate, blood pressure and all body functions remained high but within normal limits. Of course, adrenaline levels had shifted to an abnormally high range also, but that was to be expected. Axel’s quiet voice broke the silence. “I need med status reports now.” Jeresa routed her results to his board and said, “Captain, med status reports now routed to your board. No injuries other than muscle strain and bruising from impact. All biological readings within normal parameters.” “Computer!” “Yes, Captain Axel Dane-Niallsen.” “Initiate damage control assessment and report.” “Damage control assessment initiated.” They waited. Then about thirty seconds later, the computerized voice spoke again. “Damage control completed. Exterior hull breach to aft passenger compartment. Minor stress fractures for all other compartments.” “Initiate full section seal to aft passenger compartment.” “Full section seal initiated to aft passenger compartment.” “Initiate third level standby alert status and continue to monitor stress fractures.” “Third level standby alert status initiated.” “Transfer all data from holographic reproduction and mapping of landing site to crew suit helmet interface.” “Data transfer completed.” Jeresa breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Axel disengage his safety webbing and climb out of his seat. One by one, they all disengaged their webbing and joined him in front of the holographic image of the asteroid still floating in the middle of the bridge. The sonar mapping grid overlaid on it by the computer showed them a hodgepodge of twisted passages and open spaces that honeycombed the asteroid’s interior. An identical smaller 3-D image floated in the right-hand corner of her helmet’s faceplate with a green arrow pointing to her location within that map. Garian’s mellow voice came across the helmet’s intercom. “What’s the plan, Captain?” Axel pointed at the center of the image. “We go in, destroy the mechanism that powers their damn tractor beam, then we get the hell out of here.” “Destroy it?” Horror laced Derek’s voice. Axel turned his helmeted head toward Derek. “Now is not a good time for you to study it or understand how it works. Our goal is to survive and escape.” He pointed at the red heat sources moving closer to Nebula’s location on the map. “Our other goal is to avoid direct contact with whoever controls this

asteroid. If we can’t avoid contact, shoot on full stun first, ask questions later.” The other part Jeresa liked about his orders was the way he’d decided to keep them all together. No way in hell was she going to remain on board while they left and faced whoever controlled this asteroid. She wanted to be right there with them to render medical aid as needed instead of staying behind and going crazy with worry.

Axel took his crew out through the maintenance hatch rather than the main entrance. Had he made the right choice? He didn’t know. All he knew was that any choice was better than no choice at all. This way, he had a better chance at keeping control of the situation. They cycled through the second lockout hatch onto the cold empty rock of the asteroid. Axel stopped, pressed his helmet against Derek’s and said, “I want no radio contact to betray our position. Relay all messages helmet to helmet.” Derek said, “Gotcha.” Then he turned, pressed his helmet against Garian’s and forwarded the message. The crash-induced spin of the asteroid made the stars circle above them in a lazy merry-go-round. Axel focused his gaze on the fused stone and jagged rocks jammed against Nebula’s battered black hull. This was neither the time nor place to get spacesick. He led his crew away at a tangent that should bring them behind a shallow crater wall. Just in time too. Barely fifteen seconds after they’d crouched on knees and elbows behind the crater wall, bulky shapes of space-armored figures loomed on the opposite horizon. He counted twenty-two of them. The asteroid pirates wore a mixture of old and new space armor that appeared to have been patched and cobbled together to fit the wearer. They maintained radio silence during their approach. Apparently they had no desire to communicate or offer surrender terms. Four more space-armored figures maneuvered two laser cannons into position. They launched two brilliant streams of pure white light at the main airlock door. The ship’s shields shimmered with silent splashes of red and purple blotches under the onslaught. Good. That should keep them occupied for about six hours before the shields weakened. Axel gestured at his crew to follow him and crawled backward down the crater wall. If they kept to the left, this should bring them around to the rear. Hopefully, the pirates had left the entrance to their lair unguarded. As for bypassing the pirates’ security, Derek had the knowledge and tools to pick most locks.

It had been a nightmare journey across a stark black and white landscape. Pure light and shadow with no air to soften the edges. They’d crept over surrealistic jumbles of loose rock, and crawled past gutted and scorched spaceships. As far as they could tell from a cursory examination of the first two ships, there were no bodies and no survivors inside. The ships had been stripped from top to bottom. All food, clothing and furnishings had been torn out and carted away. Fuel, water and oxygen tanks had also been removed. Jeresa huddled on her knees behind a final mound of loose rocks. She clutched her emergency med kit to her chest and pressed her helmet against Marcus so he could relay her comments to the others. “All I see is a cave entrance in solid rock with a metal frame around the opening.” Marcus nodded, pressed his helmet against Garian’s and relayed her message up the line. A few minutes later, Marcus relayed Axel’s comments and plan of action. “They didn’t post any guards. We ran a preliminary scan for obvious security traps and hidden lasers and so far, the entire area is clean. Derek goes first. If he gets inside without triggering any alarms, then we join him.”

They faced yet another impossibility. Total vacuum loomed on the outside of the cave entrance, yet according to the readouts in his helmet, they had Earth normal air on the inside. Axel slid the faceplate up on his helmet and took a cautious breath. Warm, breathable air flowed into his lungs. A faint metallic tinge hit the back of his mouth. His crew opened their helmets one at a time and sucked in deep breaths of air with looks of complete wonder on their faces. Jeresa went to her knees between Gem and Star, removed their helmets and handed one to Garian. She and Garian then clipped the dogs’ helmets to their belts. As for the armored space suits on both dogs, they left them on the same as everyone else. Any protection was better than no protection. Both Gem and Star lifted their ears and sniffed. Star trotted over to the opposite end of the tunnel. A row of dim green glowing spots about six inches in diameter in the ceiling gave a very minimal light to the rough-hewn corridor. The bulky suit around her body gave her the rounded shape of a bear cub. She peered into the shadowed space, plopped onto her haunches with her ears flat against her skull and gave a series of sharp barks and whuffs. Gem translated Star’s angry barks with the help of her gene-spliced secondary vocal cords. “The air smells bad. I smell many dead people deep down inside.” Gem’s words triggered a long-buried series of memories in Axel’s mind. He remembered a carpet of shattered bodies strewn across laser-scorched corridors. The stench of urine, vomit, feces and blood fouled the air while he fashioned crude tourniquets for his shredded legs. Pain kept him from passing out from loss of blood. Shock kept him in a curious state of limbo. He’d welcomed the pain as a way to prompt him to pull his body forward across the uneven deck and broken bodies. “This is fantastic, unbelievable!” Derek’s excited voice pulled Axel back to reality, and he turned around. Derek stood transfixed by the portal at the tunnel entrance. Reverent delight glowed on his face. He unclipped a scanner from the tool belt buckled over his spacesuit. Incoherent mutters accompanied his eager strides. The portal was a rectangle made of a dull gray metallic substance, twenty inches thick with a width of fifteen feet and height of ten feet. A strip of pale white material that appeared to be ceramic lined the interior surface. On this side they had breathable air. Take one step through to the other side and he’d be standing on the airless surface of the asteroid. Embedded within this simple device, a mechanism generated a specialized type of energy field that affected only air molecules.

Those gutted ships they’d passed on the way over to this tunnel had filled his mind with too many old memories. Axel tapped Derek on the shoulder. “Let’s go. We have a job to do. Remember?” A pained expression twisted Derek’s ebony features. He groaned. “I need more time to examine the material and decipher how it works. I need to take samples. I need to dismantle it. Just think of the commercial possibilities and potential profits here if I can duplicate the effect.” Axel sighed. His crew’s survival was more important than the temptations of the unknown and possibly alien technology the asteroid pirates had acquired here. “A tractor beam of unknown origin has Nebula pinned down. We have a band of space pirates shooting laser cannons and trying to get inside our ship. Gem and Star smell death here. If we don’t disable that beam and escape, we’ll be just as dead as everyone else who crash landed on this asteroid.”

Chapter Ten

The back of Jeresa’s neck itched and it wasn’t because she’d braided her hair too tightly. If Gem and Star smelled death she wanted to be as far away as possible instead of walking single file behind both dogs. The dim green blotches in the ceiling had ended about fifty yards back. They’d had to switch on their helmet lights just to keep from stumbling around in the dark, sloping tunnel. Gem sneezed, clearing her nose in order to catch an odor that interested her. Then Star sneezed. Jeresa pointed at the dogs. “They smell something.” Garian pulled her behind him. Axel, Marcus and Derek positioned themselves along both sides of the tunnel. They had their guns set on full stun. Both dogs stood with their legs braced and heads up, pulling in the scents from the unlit black shadows of three smaller tunnels branching off from the main one. Star lifted her head, stared at the second tunnel and made a sound deep in her chest halfway between a moan and a bark. She turned her head and caught Jeresa’s gaze and whuffed. Her eyes had a reddish glow. Gem said, “Woman smell. Afraid smell.” Jeresa thought that over for a few seconds. “Woman is afraid?” “Yes.” “Bad smell?” Gem sneezed, and took another long sniff. “No bad smell. Afraid. Alone.” Jeresa exchanged a long look with Axel. He gestured at Garian. “Find woman. Take Garian with you to bring woman here.” Garian stepped forward and thumbed his stun gun control to half power. Gem and Star turned and trotted away into the darkness with Garian right behind them. Five minutes later, they returned with the woman. Dark-skinned with a head of velvet brown curls, she walked with hunched shoulders and dragging feet. The jagged rips and tears in her spacesuit had been crudely patched with foam adhesive. She was painfully thin from starvation and had the dry skin and chapped lips of dehydration. *** Inch by inch Axel crawled through the dark ventilation shaft carved into the interior of the asteroid’s tunnel system. A faint light glowed ahead of them. He crawled behind Serena Veille Delgado through the twisted passageway while the rest of his crew snaked along behind them. Serena’s ship, Star Chaser, had crashed on the asteroid three weeks ago. When they asked her about her crewmates, the haunted expression in her eyes had darkened into a bleak stare. Finally, she shook her head and said the best way would be for her to just show them the truth. After they’d seen what she wanted them to see, only then would she agree to bring them to the location of the controls for the tractor beam. Serena stopped at the final curve, turned her head and held her finger to her lips warning them to remain silent. She pressed her body against the wall and motioned at him to approach the circular opening at the other end. Human legs, arms, torsos, thighs, hands and feet, male and female, hung from hooks in rows in the cavern like dried beef. Ice crystals clung to the frozen flesh. The ambient temperature had been set at subzero level within that storage space. Axel swallowed the taste of vomit that surged into his mouth. The asteroid pirates were cannibals, plain and simple. No wonder she didn’t want to talk about what had happened to her crewmates. He wouldn’t want to either. He rolled to the side and let the others squeeze by one at a time in order to see the truth. Serena led them to the cavern that contained the tractor beam generator next. Axel didn’t have to give the command to fire. They simply rushed in, aimed their stun guns and shot the three guards down with five blazing arcs of electro-

shock. A five-foot square cube of metal sat in the center of the rough-hewn floor. Pale blue streams of light shimmered across the black surface in tune with a steady pulsing hum. It felt and sounded like a giant heartbeat. Derek knelt at the base, stuck a wad of explosive putty there and hurriedly rigged up a crude timing device from his dismantled wrist computer. Marcus and Garian sliced strips of fabric from the downed guards’ spacesuits, gagged them and bound them together with cruel knots. They rose to their feet and stood over the unconscious bodies. Marcus asked, “What about them? Are we going to let them live now that we know what kind of murdering scum they are?” Axel tucked his stun gun into his holster and shook his head. “Roll them into the corridor where they’ll have shelter from the blast. Let’s focus on getting out of here alive and in one piece. If we kill them, then we’re no better than they are.” Jeresa sat on the floor with Serena, checked the emaciated woman’s vital signs and shared sips of water and energy bars with her from her med kit. As for Gem and Star, both dogs lay stretched out on the floor with their heads in Serena’s lap. Derek stood. “I’ve set it to blow in fifteen minutes.” *** Jeresa sagged in her seat. An image of the deadly asteroid receded in the distance on the main view screen while Nebula’s engines continued their steady burst of power taking them away into the relative and impersonal safety of space. They’d escaped in a mad scramble across the rocky asteroid, ducking and hiding behind gutted ships while the ground shook and shuddered under them from the first explosion. They would never know when or how the pirates had obtained the alien technology and subverted it into their cruel and barbaric parody of life and death. She turned her head. The same stark horror that held her heart in a tight vice was reflected in everyone’s eyes. Garian’s hands shook while he sent out a final series of message drones far and wide. Marcus looked away from the receding image of the asteroid on his screen, saw her looking at him and flashed her a subdued smile. Gem and Star lay quietly on either side of her chair. Derek moved his hands rapidly across the control panels under Axel’s soft-voiced commands, setting in their new course for Delta Nine station at Vega star system at full speed. As for Serena, she’d collapsed into the auxiliary command chair and passed out under the strong acceleration of their hasty blastoff. Axel spoke the final command. “Computer.” “Yes, Captain Axel Dane-Niallsen.” “Initiate auto-pilot course as programmed to Delta Nine Station.” “Auto-pilot initiated.”

Chapter Eleven

Two days passed. Two days of uncomfortable silences and lonely nights while they continued their interrupted journey. It didn’t feel right to sleep together when Serena had no one to comfort her. The warm odors of coffee and fresh cooked food filled the air in the galley. Axel slid into the empty seat beside Serena. Marcus had outdone himself again preparing a feast to tempt anyone’s appetite. Pasta twists steamed on the plates with a selection of hot, spicy and sweet sauces lined up in bowls in the center of the table. Another platter held fried cheese and vegetables. He’d prepared chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert. Serena slapped her plate away in a sudden clatter and burst into tears. Pasta and sauce spilled onto the deck. Jeresa jumped to her feet, pulled Serena from her chair and wrapped her arms around the woman’s shoulders. Axel and the rest of the crew jumped out of their seats and linked their arms and bodies around both women. Grief and pain poured out of Serena in a torrent of soul-cleansing sobs and shudders. Now the healing could begin. Axel caught Jeresa’s gaze, glanced in the direction of the cabin that contained the largest bed for their special times together and waited for her response. Did she understand what they needed to do next? Would she be willing to help Serena heal from her guilt and grief at being the only survivor of her ship in the oldest remedy known to humanity? Jeresa’s dark chocolate eyes widened with comprehension. She turned her head, gazed at Marcus, Garian and Derek one at a time and finally nodded. Moving with slow deliberation, they eased Serena from the galley to the corridor and finally into their private playroom. A double king-sized bed took up most of the space in that spacious mirrored cabin. Velcro strips kept the satin sheets and pillows in place under zero g conditions. It was enough just to lie there at first, all tangled together in mutual warmth, comfort, gentle touching hands, quiet murmurs and chaste kisses. Finally, Serena’s deep sobs ended in hiccups. Serena rolled over into Marcus’s arms and started kissing him long and hard. Garian pulled her shirt up and exposed the smooth dark skin of her small

breasts and hard nipples all ready for loving. Axel breathed a sigh of relief and rolled over. He turned his attentions to helping Derek peel the shirt and pants from Jeresa’s lush and delightful curves.

At first Jeresa felt a little uncomfortable lying in the bed with Serena sandwiched between her and all of her men. But then, as Serena lay there with her face buried in the pillows and sobbed her heart out, Jeresa relaxed. Serena needed her love too. After all, that’s what it meant to be crew. Jeresa stroked Serena’s hair and murmured soothing words of comfort. She thought how she’d feel if she were the only survivor from her ship. How empty and lonely her life would be without the familiar joy of her crewmates’ bodies pressed against her. How horrible it would be to never feel their hands and mouths upon her skin again, or their cocks sliding into her from every possible angle. If that happened to her, if she were the only survivor of this ship, she knew they’d want her to be happy again. Jeresa knew they’d rather see her find another ship’s crew to accept her, love her and cherish her the way they did than spend the rest of her life sad and alone. Axel pulled her pants down and spread her legs apart. Her breath hitched under the first long lick of his tongue. She sagged back, open and ready for him to continue. He deepened the movement. Skillful swirls and soft nibbles teased her clit to swollen arousal. She arched her back and bucked against the steady flicks of his tongue, riding the first crest of pleasure. Gentle hands on her breasts. Warm mouth kissing her. Soft mounds of womanly breasts pressed against hers. Serena just kissed me! She opened her eyes and met her newest crewmate’s loving gaze. Crew. My crew. Serena belongs to me as much as the men now. Derek knelt on his knees beside them. He rubbed his thumb across Jeresa’s lips. “Tell me what you want.” “I want you to kiss me.” He bent his head. Kissed her. His tongue slipped inside her mouth, hard and probing. Axel rasped his tongue across her clit and slipped his fingers deep inside her. She gasped and bucked her hips for more. Her crew, each one of them, loved her as much as she loved them. Derek ended the kiss. He reached between her and Serena and tweaked their nipples. A delighted smile lit up his face as he watched them gasp and writhe under the deliberately rough twists of his skilled fingers. Jeresa turned her head to watch the view in the mirror above the bed. Marcus knelt behind Serena. One strong hand steadied her as he spread the soft, round flesh of her ass cheeks apart for maximum exposure. Warm oil dribbled from his other hand onto the puckered opening of her anus. Serena’s face twisted into an expression of startled pleasure. She rocked her hips back, and accepted the initial probe of his fingers with greedy enthusiasm. When he pulled his fingers out, she moaned and tilted her ass in blatant demand for him to continue. Sitting back on his heels, he carefully oiled his cock. “Soon, my little bird. Give me a minute to get ready.” Garian nudged Serena’s mouth with his cock. She grabbed his erection with one hand, fastened her mouth on him and sucked with practiced ease. Axel lifted her hips and slowly pushed his cock inside Jeresa’s empty pussy. Yes! She writhed and humped, shameless in her need for a good fuck. Axel increased his pace. His body lunged between her thighs. Hard, demanding strokes filled her over and over again. She wrapped her legs around him, holding him inside her. He braced his hands on either side of her body. More fucking, lovely, hard, pounding fucking. He brought her to the edge of orgasm, stopped and pulled back, leaving just the tip of his engorged cock poised inside her aching hole. No. Don’t stop. She grabbed his arms, dug her nails into his skin. The tip of his cock twitched between the plump lips of her pussy. She corkscrewed her hips in a desperate struggle to claim the full length again. He jerked his hips. Slammed his cock inside her. All the way inside. His balls slapped against her ass. The shocking power and pleasure of that entry wrung a delighted yelp from her. He leaned closer and rode her with his face inches from hers. Long, hard, relentless thrusts that seared her to her core as wave after wave of endless pleasure pulsed through her with glorious carnal satiation. A few seconds later, Serena’s ecstatic cries of shared pleasure and explosive orgasm joined hers. Derek and Axel switched places with Garian and Marcus. Jeresa fastened her mouth upon Garian’s cock. Tasted the tangy mixture of hot cum upon his skin.

That was just the beginning of her first night of shared pleasure with Serena as her new crewmate.

Chapter Twelve

“We’re rich!” Garian plopped into one of the chairs around the galley table. “Nine companies paid us the rewards they’d been advertising for the last year because we found their missing ships at the pirates’ asteroid base.” Axel settled into his seat and sipped at the cheap substitute they’d been using for real coffee imported from Earth. “That’s right. We’re rich. We can do anything we want now. Buy more ships. Return to Spacer Central homeport and restore the Niallsen name to glory again. We’ll have entire families of spacer crews fighting to join our fleet.” Derek snorted. “Before we do that, we have to refuel. Escaping from that asteroid nearly drained our tanks dry. Where’s the closest fueling station?” Axel arched his eyebrows. “I’ve already researched that and reset our course in the ship’s computer. Two days from now, we’ll swing by Asgardholm, Marcus’s birth planet. We should arrive just in time to take a guided tour of Asgardholm’s Winter Festival while we top off our tanks.” Jeresa exchanged an excited look with Serena. “Asgardholm has an exclusive and very extensive shopping district. We’ll have a great time putting a dent in our newfound wealth there.” *** Why had there been no human contact during their docking? Had Asgardholm abandoned Valkyrie Space Station for their winter festivities? Marcus hoped not. Refueling Nebula for departure was a very critical item on their itinerary. But then again, he was only the ship cook. His boards only gave him access to bids on food supplies and intra-ship life support data. The others should have more concise ship to station internet connections on their boards. The normal clangs and bangs of docking connections and airlock links echoed and shook through Nebula’s bulkheads. He swung his chair around and glanced at the captain. Captain Axel rubbed his hands restlessly over his shipsuit’s pants legs. His stumps must be itching again. He smoothed the expression on his face to a bland formality, folded his hands under his chin. “Pull up all exterior vids. Get me a direct link to the dockmaster’s office for status on our refueling request.” Garian sat in his customary seat and manned the communications board. His hands moved in swift assurance across data links, pulling up screens and sorting through the time and distance-lag of the overlapping transmissions flowing into the ship systems. He’d confined his dreadlocks into a loose bun at the nape of his neck as a concession to the changing g-forces of docking. The images scrolling across the main screen covered the spectrum from normal vision into ultraviolet and infrared. The dockside corridor was empty of human workers. Only robot drones large and small trundled and scurried past the bays loading and unloading other ships. The dockmaster’s face appeared on the screen. He looked harried, tired and overworked. A sheen of sweat shone on his buzz-cut salt and pepper hair. “Your request for refueling is granted. Due to the short staffing this week and the number of ships already in the queue you’ll have to wait forty-eight standard hours before we can complete refueling. Please have your computer system forward all documentation and payments directly to my office artificial intelligence program.” Captain Axel leaned forward, unfolded his hands from under his chin and smiled at the vidcam screen. “Thank you. This is acceptable.” Marcus rubbed his hands together and locked down his board. Asgardholm was his birth planet before he’d jumped station twenty years ago to marry into the Niallsen ship family. Forty-eight hours was more than enough time to find a Fenrisscald restaurant on the station where he could treat his crewmates to an evening of old-fashioned down home cooking and feasting.

Chapter Thirteen

The headwaiter stared down his long nose and glowered at Gem and Star sitting on their haunches at the high-status restaurant entrance. Smoked glass and chrome dominated the décor. A multitude of potted ferns towered on either side of the plate glass door. “Pets are not allowed on the premises. Leash them, muzzle them and remove them immediately or I will contact the Humane Society to remove these animals and fine you for creating a public disturbance.” Star sat up very straight, cocked her head and whined. Gem sneezed to clear the scent of the man from her nose. “Not pets. We full crew. Star no talk. Her voice box broken.” Jeresa straightened to her full height of five-six and strode forward.

Marcus crossed his arms and exchanged amused glances with the rest of his crewmates. His cock strained against his pants. With long black curls pinned up on top of her head and fiery eyes, Jeresa was more than enough woman for any man or woman to handle. Too bad they were in a crowd. What he’d like to do right now was push her against the wall, lift the tight black mini-skirt clinging to the luscious swell of her ass and bang her until she screamed with pleasure. She jabbed her finger in her opponent’s crisp white shirt hard enough that he winced under the pressure of her silver-painted fingernails. “They aren’t pets. They’re gene-engineered pit bull guard dogs and licensed crewmembers. Check article fifteen of the animal rights code in regards to restaurants and other public locations. They have as much right to be in this restaurant as a seeing-eye or assisted-living dog.” The headwaiter’s impeccably styled blond coiffure gave him the appearance of an android. He tweaked the internet implant stud on his right earlobe. His eyes went distant as he accessed the data dump regarding Gem and Star’s qualifications. Comprehension replaced the glazed look in his eyes and he nodded slowly. “My apologies, gentle fem. Should I secure two high chairs for your guard dogs?” Jeresa crossed her arms. Her full breasts jiggled under her low-cut white blouse. Marcus licked his lips and his cock grew even harder and pressed against his pants. Jeresa shook her head. “Gem and Star have the intelligence level of six-year-old human children. Regular chairs will work fine for them.” Serena took a step back, bumped into Marcus and wiggled her butt against his crotch. Dark and gorgeous, her mahogany brown skin gleamed in stark contrast to the white sheath slit up to her thighs. Her firm buttocks rubbed and teased his cock through the two layers of fabric that separated them. The minx! She knew he couldn’t respond to her teasing without causing a riot. He grabbed her waist and nibbled her earlobe. “I’ll take care of that fine ass for you later, my darling.” The headwaiter’s eyes widened. Marcus caught his gaze and flashed a lazy grin. The man’s mouth dropped open. His face went beet red. He closed his mouth with an audible snap, sucked in a deep breath and finally said in crisp, measured tones, “Gentle fems and sirs, please follow me to your table.” Gem and Star trotted after him with tails wagging so hard it looked like they were getting ready to fly. The headwaiter brought them to a large oval table in the middle of the restaurant, perfectly situated to give a full view of the other patrons. Another waiter and waitress hurriedly carried two large padded armchairs over and replaced two of the wooden ladder-back chairs. Gem and Star jumped into their chairs. Their fur gleamed under the soft lighting, freshly washed and groomed for the festive occasion. The waiter and waitress brought six glasses and two bowls of water. They set them out on little white straw mats and handed out six menus. Jeresa and Serena took the chairs flanking both dogs. Both women cooed and fussed while they tied large white napkins around the thick necks of their panting charges. Gem said, “Food smells good. When do we eat?” Laughter from the adjoining tables greeted Gem’s innocent remarks. The place was packed with space-tanned spacers taking advantage of the delay in their fueling schedule to enjoy the local cuisine. A holographic screen above the bar displayed a continuous listing of ship arrivals and departures. Three more holographic screens on the walls displayed live-action vids of the festivities taking place on the planet’s surface. Asgardholm had top rank across twenty star systems for their ski resorts and annual Winterfest sports competitions, from precision ice-dancing to hockey to snowboarding and ski racing. Their most famous sport was, of course, their reindeer sleigh race competition. Gene-engineered for size, strength, speed and stamina, Asgardholm’s reindeer were the size of large horses. A trained team was worth millions of credits on the open market. One of the dirtsiders strolled into the restaurant and took a seat at the bar. His huge fur cloak brushed the floor in direct contrast to the basic shipsuits and formal wear of the other customers. Five long blond braids with blue tassels tied at their ends trailed down the man’s broad-shouldered back. His fur-lined boots had red and black embroidery on their sides. Marcus held up his hand. “Let me order. I know all the best local food selections.” His crewmates grinned at him and put their menus aside. As ship cook, Marcus was the best and they trusted him to make sure tonight’s meal would be a banquet fit for kings where they’d be groaning at the end from pure gastronomic pleasure. Both dogs cocked their heads. Gem said, “Order meat please. Lots of meat.” Marcus chuckled. “This restaurant has a wonderful selection of sausages, both hot and cold. Plenty of meat for you and Star.” Derek lifted his head from his comp screen, blinked and stared at the table with a dazed expression on his face. For the past six days, he’d been a walking, talking math freak, totally engrossed in calculations of how to create an artificial airlock field system just like the one they’d found on the pirate asteroid. “No meat for me. You know I’m a vegetarian.” The dirtsider at the bar swung his stool around and faced the restaurant. Despite the fact that he had blond hair, the short clipped beard on his face was a blazing red color. Marcus frowned. This guy looked just like his Great-uncle Loki. But he couldn’t be. Loki’d died in a sleigh race twenty-five years ago. Holy shit! Loki’s son, Caspian, had only been five when he’d left. That would make him thirty now. The dirtsider stood, lifted his arms above his head and shouted. “I won the races at Sleipner, three star systems over, and booked passage on an interstellar liner to make it here in time for Asgardholm’s Festival Race. We offloaded three racing teams into the station pens before my wranglers came

down with the Venusian Flu. They’re quarantined in the station infirmary for ten days.” He swiped his hands through his hair, then jerked his thumb at the docking list scrolling up on the restaurant’s wall monitor. “I need new wranglers to load the reindeer onto my ship, the Valkyrie, which is scheduled to dock here in fifty minutes. I’ll pay triple the usual fee for this rush job.” Marcus started to stand up. Axel grabbed his hand and spoke in a soft yet distinct voice of command. “What do you think you’re doing? This is none of your concern.” Marcus jerked his chin at the dirtsider. “That man. He’s family.” Comprehension glowed in Axel’s dark eyes. As a spacer, he knew full well the demands entailed by family. “Are you sure?” “I’m sure. He’s one of my cousins.” “Nebula is scheduled for departure forty hours from now. I don’t want to have to change our flight plans.” Marcus sucked in a deep breath, looked around the table at his crewmates and exhaled carefully. “He’ll need at least four wranglers. We’ll be back in plenty of time.” Derek raised his hand. “I’ll stay with the ship. I have too many calculations to do.” Axel released his hold on Marcus’s hand. “I’ll stay and handle the dockmaster’s office. You know damn well they’ll try to cheat us if we don’t watch every little thing.” Gem and Star perked up their ears. Star whuffed and Gem said, “We go with you too?” Marcus shook his head. “The reindeer are afraid of dogs. Your scent will make them panic. He needs human wranglers.” Both dogs turned their heads and stared at the dirtsider who was busy repeating his plea for help. A low growl rumbled in their throats. Finally Gem said, “We stay. You take care of Mommy and Serena. Protect them. Promise.” Marcus gave a solemn nod and crossed his heart. “I promise.” He looked at Jeresa, Serena and then Garian. They shrugged and nodded silent agreement. Garian snorted. “I hope we get to eat this wonderful meal before we become reindeer wranglers for a day.” Marcus grinned. His heart skipped a beat. His crewmates were the best ever. Then he rose to his feet and shouted to the dirtsider. “We’ll deal with you.” The dirtsider’s name was Caspian Fenris and yes, he was Marcus’s cousin. On the one hand, Marcus was happy to be able to help his cousin out. On the other hand, he was beginning to have some major problems with the way his cousin kept sneaking looks at Jeresa’s cleavage and Serena’s legs. At least the food kept everyone too occupied to chatter after they’d ironed out the basic details of their temporary employment agreement. Both dogs were happily munching their way through a selection of little salamis and leberwurst sausages. Marcus selected one of the small bread rolls, a broetchen, and broke it open. The smell of fresh baked bread hit his nose and his stomach started clamoring. He scooped a large chunk of creamy cheese called butterkase from the serving bowl with his knife and spread it across the broetchen. He bit into it and the flavors just melted in his mouth the same way he’d remembered as a small child sitting in his mother’s kitchen. Why did it bother him so much when Cousin Caspian openly admired Jeresa and Serena’s obviously feminine attributes? He never felt jealous when all of them bedded down together. Hell, he always got hard as a rock every time he watched Garian, Axel and Derek banging away at them. That’s because Garian, Axel and Derek are your crew, a mocking voice whispered in the back of his mind. They didn’t look at Jeresa and Serena as fucking partners. They saw both women as crew and lovers to be cherished forever. Caspian wasn’t crew. Marcus leaned back in his chair and finished another broetchen. He licked the crumbs from his fingers. It was interesting to realize how much he’d changed over the years since he became a spacer. Caspian folded his hands over his stomach. “I want to thank you all again for helping me in my time of trouble.” He reached for his beer mug and lifted it high. “A toast for victory tomorrow at the races!” Marcus and his crewmates lifted their mugs and drank a toast. Gem and Star took a long drink of water from their water bowls. Jeresa grabbed a broetchen and a hunk of Edam cheese. “When are we leaving?” Caspian lifted his arm, pulled back the furred sleeve of his shirt and consulted his wristcomp. “Departure is two and a half standard hours from now.” He sighed. “I hate to rush the meal but we need to arrive at my ship within the next thirty minutes in order to change and let you get acquainted with my reindeer and load them onboard. That will give them time to settle in properly before departure.” Axel nodded. “That’s all right.” He raised his arm and snapped his fingers to catch the waiter’s attention. The waiter hurried over to the table. “Bring me the check now and put all the leftovers and those pastries into carryout containers. Thank you.”

Chapter Fourteen

Marcus paced in the corridor with Garian. Their reindeer furs fit perfectly but that was no surprise. Cousin Caspian had the credits to outfit fifty men and women in the proper style if he wanted. Matching furs and brightly embroidered boots for all of his wranglers. After all, reindeer racing was the most important and profitable sport on this planet. The racetracks raked in millions from bets with the Triple Stakes Derby as the crowning event of the weeklong Winterfest celebration. The door on the other side opened. Jeresa and Serena stepped out and spun around to display their new outfits. Soft tan hides clung to their curves with the fur inside to caress their bodies. Jeresa’s warm, golden skin, amber eyes and long black curls tied back in a loose ponytail gave her the appearance of a legendary elfish princess. And Serena, with her dark skin and sloe-black eyes, looked like a woodland sprite ready to steal away an unwary man’s heart with sweet, magical kisses. Mysterious, exotic and gorgeous, both of them. Nothing at all like the tall, blonde, blue-eyed women of Asgardholm. Jeresa put her hand on her hip. “Well, what do we do next?” He grinned, swept her a low bow and then gestured down the corridor. “Now we go down to the loading bay and meet our charges.”

Marcus led the first reindeer out onto the dock. Jeresa frowned. “I thought they’d be smaller. More along the lines of a pony.” Marcus handed her the bridle straps. “These are racers, not dairy or meat animals. They’re gene-engineered and bred for size, speed and temperament.” Serena arched her eyebrows. “Temperament?” Garian reached out a tentative hand and stroked the furry neck. The reindeer bobbed its head and leaned into his stroking hand like a dog. “This one’s very friendly and docile.” He rubbed his hand over the head and scratched behind the long ears. “This one doesn’t have any antlers. Does that mean it’s a girl?” Marcus grinned at him. “Actually, it’s the other way around right now. The male reindeer lose their antlers during November and December while the females retain their antlers until February. In springtime, the males grow their antlers first and the females grow their antlers about a month or two later.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the rest of their charges tied up in a line on the dock. “There’s only one buck allowed per team of eight reindeer. That way you don’t have the bucks fighting for supremacy over the does during the fall mating season.” Jeresa ran her hands down the buck’s legs and stared at the hooves. “Do they wear horseshoes?” Marcus bent down and lifted the foreleg. “They don’t need horseshoes. The hoof is split into two fingers and two dewclaws for a total of four digits. This gives them excellent traction and control on snow and ice. Let’s load him onboard now.” Serena nodded. “If they’re so docile, why do you need four wranglers?” Marcus chuckled. His crewmates were smart and quick on the uptake. This was going to be an easy ride and easy money added to their ship’s coffers. Plus, they’d have a couple of free hours to enjoy the Winterfest before their return shuttle flight. “The racers are pets. They’re conditioned to human companionship. One wrangler riding in the stall per two reindeer keeps them calm and prevents them from injuring themselves during the shuttle flight.” He pointed at the four hassock-sized robots waiting on the docks. “The good part about being a wrangler is the fact that we don’t have to muck out their stalls anymore. The bots handle that for us.” Relieved grins and sighs greeted that announcement. Jeresa leaned over the railing and peered at the rest of their charges. “What about all the bells and fancy harnesses they wear for the races? Are we supposed to learn how to put them on too?” Marcus shook his head. “Cousin Caspian has fully trained wranglers on planet to take care of that. All we have to do is load them into their stalls and ride with them to the surface.” He snapped his fingers. “Nothing to it.” *** Sleigh bells ringing, Cousin Caspian sat in the driver’s seat and controlled his team with steady hands. They moved out at a brisk trot across the snowcovered field. The spaceport’s domes dwindled into toy sculptures behind them. A blaze of multicolored lights splashed across the icy slopes looming a few miles away was their goal. Fenrishelm awaited them with Winterfest going on in all its glittering glory. A cold winter breeze tugged at the heavy fur blankets covering their bodies. Stars and moons flashed past their heads in a dizzy whirl while the rippling sheets of the aurora borealis painted the black sky. Now for the fun part! Marcus grinned, flipped the switch on his padded seat to full recline and slipped his hands under Serena’s tunic. Hot, smooth skin under his fingers. Soft, warm breast and pouting nipples all ready for his pleasure. He pulled her closer and whispered, “I’m going to take care of your fine pussy now.” She tilted her head back and flashed him a slow, lingering carnal smile. Judging by the frantic humping going on beneath the adjoining pile of furs, Garian and Jeresa were already fully occupied in enjoying their first sleigh ride. “What’s your hurry?” She wiggled her buttocks against him in a wonderful and carnal teasing grind. His cock strained to reach her past their furs. “Shouldn’t we be enjoying the sights along the ride like normal tourists?”

He shook his head and tweaked her nipples just hard enough for muffled gasps to escape from her parted lips. “It’s traditional, my darling, for all couples to fuck during their first sleigh ride. It brings good luck and fertility for the families.” Serena’s eyes widened with delighted comprehension. She slipped her hand inside his pants. Strong, small fingers captured his cock. Oh yes! He groaned and bucked his hips against her skillful fingers. He must remember to hold back long enough to make sure she came first. Another ancient tradition he intended to keep. Her white teeth flashed in an eager smile. “Ooh. I like your traditions.” He ducked his head down to hers and captured her mouth with his. From there things rapidly deteriorated into controlled chaos. Soft groans, hot kisses, hands moving swiftly to unfasten tunics and pants, all the while keeping the fur covers pulled up to their necks. Pants and boots kicked off. Hot skin against skin. Cousin Caspian yelled and cracked his whip. The reindeer increased their speed to an easy canter. Sleigh bells jingled louder. Air puffed from their mouths. Snowflakes whirled around their heads. Marcus lifted Serena by her waist and impaled her sizzling wet pussy with his cock. Hot damn! She wrapped her legs around his waist and leaned forward. Her lovely breasts dangled in front of his mouth. He managed to keep his voice down to a rough murmur. “Ride me, baby. Ride me good and hard, as long as you can take me.” Then he grabbed her breasts together and sucked and pinched her nipples trying to keep up with the speed of her pistoning hips. Jeresa’s low keening moan of orgasm sliced through the air. Serena gasped. Her hot pussy squeezed and rode his shaft faster and harder. Don’t come, he reminded himself. Wait for her. Her pussy squeezed him harder. Her gasps turned into soft grunts and moans. The squeezes rippled across his cock, milking him. Yes! “That’s it, baby. Come for me. Come real good for me now.” She yelled, “Ohgodohgodohgod!” And collapsed on top of him in a quivering heap of shaky arms and legs. He held her tight and stroked his hands along her back under the soft fur of her opened tunic, past the delightful curve of her spine. Finally, he cupped her buttocks and whispered in her ear, “Are you ready for me to fill your ass with cum now, darling?” *** Talk about timing it too close! Marcus had finished fucking Jeresa a few minutes before they arrived at the fairgrounds. All four of them dove under the furs in a mad giggling scramble for boots and pants. They surfaced hot and sweaty and decently attired when the sleigh finally rolled to a stop at the main entrance. But no one really minded as all the other sleighs in line with them were filled with giggling and disheveled couples. As usual, they’d set up Winterfest in the fairgrounds section right at the end of the city limits. Old fashioned Ferris wheels, roller coasters and crack the whip rides carried laughing and screaming passengers high above the thick throngs of excited fairgoers. Ice skaters whirled around the skating rink. Multicolored lights and holographs decorated the food concession stands, the handcraft booths, and the different domes set up for the races, showjumping, circus arena and livestock exhibitions. Aircars, groundcars and sleighs in all shapes and sizes overflowed the parking lot and spilled into the snow-covered fields. Puffs of vapor filled the air from everyone’s breathing, and no one cared. Their fur-lined clothes kept them warm despite the arctic chill. Caspian turned in his seat and looked them over. “Tradition is good.” He pointed with his whip at the largest dome. “If you need to see me later, I’ll be there where the main races begin tomorrow morning.” Marcus climbed out of the sleigh along with his crewmates and grinned back at his cousin. “Thank you. We’ll catch up with you later after we’ve enjoyed the sights.” He hugged Jeresa with one arm. Garian and Serena stood beside them with arms entwined. The years dropped away. Marcus felt like a teenager again, walking hand in hand through Winterfest with two exotic beauties and his best friend. Laughing and smiling, they marveled at tiny reindeer carved from wood and stone, examined lavishly embroidered deerskin attire, and peered at ornate saddles dripping with gold and silver. They wandered past booths selling cookies, pastries, hot and cold pies and cheeses of every flavor and size. They bought mugs of hot, spicy onion soup and thick, warm slices of fresh baked rye bread. They strolled into the main concourse and studied the line waiting for the roller coaster ride. A voice behind Marcus said, “Spacer sluts! They’ll fuck anyone, anytime, anywhere.” Marcus and Garian spun around at the same time. Six drunken louts, barely out of their teens, swayed and leered openly at Serena and Jeresa. Garian stepped forward with his hands balled into fists. Marcus grabbed his arm. “No. We don’t want to be in jail facing charges of assault and battery and disturbing the peace when Nebula lifts off.” Garian tightened his mouth into a grim line and nodded. They turned their backs on the louts, grabbed their women’s hands and moved forward into the crowd. A few minutes later, Marcus risked a glance over his shoulder. The drunken fools had mistaken their prudence for cowardice. They followed relentlessly. Damn it! He needed to get them out of here fast! He kept their pace to a slow walk. If they ran, the idiots behind them would push and shove and escalate things into a full-fledged brawl.

Not good. Not good at all. They were here to have fun, not get involved in fights with drunken teenaged punks. They ambled past the concession stands, and joined a stream of people entering the biggest dome. Sections were roped off. Marshals directed the crowd past the stalls of reindeer getting groomed and bathed. Marcus towed his crewmates to the side. They ducked behind the bleachers and waited. Snow, ice and slush crunched and splashed under their boots. Their trackers drifted past, heads swiveling and looking for their prey within the crowd. “Now what?” Jeresa whispered. “Are we going to hide behind the bleachers all night long?” Marcus shook his head. “I saw Caspian’s colors halfway around the arena. If we keep walking in this direction we’ll come out at his stable. Hopefully, he can help us get out of here without causing a riot.” *** Caspian slipped his arms into the long-sleeved fur cloak. Insulated goggles and fur muffs completed his attire. His crew worked feverishly behind him harnessing eight reindeer to the light racing sleigh and throwing mounds of furs into the back. He shaded his eyes with his hand and studied their opponents. The louts had increased their number to about twenty drunken men shouting rude insults while they pushed and shoved their way through the crowd. “Why do you want to run? We can take those fools down with one hand tied behind our backs.” Marcus shook his head. “I didn’t spend twenty-five years in space and earn my gray hairs for nothing. We don’t have the time to deal with the lawyers and fines that will come after the fight. Remember, our ship leaves tomorrow afternoon. Our best bet is to get out of here and grab the next shuttle.” Caspian threw his head back and roared with laughter. Finally he stopped, wiped the tears from his eyes and clapped his hand on Marcus’s shoulder. “It’s worth it to hear you admit you’ve become a sedate old graybeard after all your years in space.” He jabbed his thumb at the sleigh. “Make sure you strap your lovely ladies in this time. I’ll get you out of here in one piece but I can’t guarantee a quiet ride.” They climbed aboard in a heated rush and hurriedly fastened the straps over the furs and themselves. Caspian clambered up to the driver’s seat and gathered the reins into his gloved hands. He cracked his whip and yelled, “Hee haw!” The reindeer took off at a fast walk, scattering tables aside. People yelled and jumped out of the way. They bumped across the rutted snow and slush and eased onto the racetrack. Only instead of going around the circle, Caspian cut across the middle and the sleigh slipped and skidded sideways while he drove them straight out the back exit of the dome into the cold frosty air of the night. Outraged screams and yells followed them. Caspian yelled at the top of his lungs and cracked his whip high in the air. His team increased their speed. The sleigh lurched forward. Marcus squeezed Jeresa and Serena’s hands. “Hold on tight now. This is only the beginning.” They went from a trot to a gallop down the rutted lane behind the concession stands and parking lot. A flood of angry young men stormed out of the dome and ran into the lot after them. Doors slammed. Motors and rotors started up on aircars and groundcars. All eight of the huge gas planets that gave Asgardholm’s star system excellent resources for spacecraft fuel had already risen. Named after the ancient legendary Norse Frost Giants, they glowed like brilliant moonlets against the flaming sheets of the aurora borealis blazing across the black star-studded sky. Streamers of white air blew from the reindeer’s snouts. Their legs moved so fast that they blurred. They looked like magical creatures from a fairy tale now racing across the snow. Caspian pulled a full-face black ski mask over his head, ears and mouth, and his goggles over his eyes. He stood, braced his feet on the running board, yelled and cracked his whip again. The sleigh lurched forward under another sudden burst of speed while the reindeer maintained their headlong gallop. Their harness bells jingled in a wild chorus. The chilled night air whipped past the sleigh in an icy stream and brought tears to everyone’s slitted eyes. Faster and faster they moved. The sleigh felt like it was flying across the snow. The stars blurred into an endless stream of light in the sky above them. The sound of aircars and groundcars filled the air behind them. One mile, two miles, three miles sped past in a blur while aircars and groundcars roared behind them in furious chase. In no time at all, they skidded to a stop in a shower of snow and ice in front of the spaceport dome. With frantic frozen hands they fumbled at their safety belts, undid them and scrambled out onto the ground. Caspian pulled his ski mask away from his face. With a crazy grin, he waved at them to enter the spaceport and yelled, “Next time, stay a little longer. I’ll show you a real race then!” He cracked his whip and guided his sleigh away in a shower of snow and ice. Groundcars and aircars swooped and swerved in panicked flight from the massive reindeer running full tilt at them. “At least spacers aren’t crazy fools like these dirtsiders.” Marcus linked hands with his crewmates and led them into the spaceport. “Maybe next time we’ll stay longer. But for now, I’m more than ready to go home.”

Barbara Karmazin

With twenty-nine and a half years of experience as a bilingual (Spanish/English) caseworker under her belt, Barbara Karmazin utilizes a unique blend of multi-cultural knowledge for her science fiction and urban fantasy. She incorporates the same sense of adventure and wonder to her SF/erotica and urban fantasy erotica stories. Barbara loves new ideas and is willing to write about all versions of sexuality, both human and alien, while maintaining a fast paced SF adventure plot that will leave you gasping in more ways than one. Affectionately known by the nickname of “Chainsaw” by her many critique partners, she brings a fresh look and enthusiasm for “out of the box” SF/fantasy and paranormal erotica and romance stories. Check out Barbara’s website at http://www.sff.net/people/selkiewife, her MySpace account at http://www.myspace.com/barbarakarmazin, or you can email her at [email protected].