Luna gave a nod and held up the makeshift scanner before fiddling with it as they conversed. Getting a better sense of what was in the immediate area.

As reassuring as the anchor piercing was Phoebe ran through the problems associated with it's use, if it did work at all. There was no telling. At the same time it was an ace that she could attempt to use at a later date. It was tough to say if the Keldorians tech interfered with it or if it was even tech in the typical sense of the word since it was fueled by psychic energy. Perhaps if she had no talent whatsoever, regardless of how little it was, she might not be able to use it at all. But all that could wait for no.

Thus far Aegir was generous in allowing her access to the same treasure cache that she discovered Viryon on. She was in good graces with him or was it the fact that he was repulsed by Fafner so much that he had engineered her freedom just to get one over on her former master? Did he even care about wealth?

Their saurian guide pondered her question as it related to odds. “Well, with a sensor that certainly helps. I'd say hold off on it for now. Once we are closer I'll reevaluate.” Moving towards one of the walls he gestured to Luna to take scans. Given the all clear he cut into the next room and the next. It wasn't until the third room before there was any activity and that was in the halls.

As he said the vents were smaller on this level. She judged that nothing larger than a rat could use it which put her at ease given the size of the Ashlyn they encountered thus far.

“I'm picking up a lot of them in the hall here. Nothing behind this wall into the next room.”

“The engineer's quarters is on the opposite side of the hall. It's there hope to get into engineering through it. If we keep going the last room at the end of the hall will let us access the other side of the hall as we work our way back up.”

There were rooms on both sides of the hall and one at the end which allowed them to access the other side without going into the hall to deal with the Ashlyn. It took a bit of time but their guide assured them that they had time. If their friends were recently caught it would be some time before they were used as food or in the case of females an incubation chamber for the eggs of the queen. Which they'd have plenty of time to remove.

While he worked on the walls he made small talk. But not the normal sort. He was odd in stating how much food the bugs went through, how often they ate and how long one body would sustain them. Factoring in the recent crash and most everyone would be saved. He was sort of a numbers guy.

In short order they came a room that had a hole cut in the wall already and one on the floor which was sealed up from below. The next room was his and he came in here thinking he heard bugs in the room they just left so took his chances by going below. Then found his way to the mess hall.

At last they cut into the engineers quarters. No one was present and they had to recall the lift to this level or cut through the floor. Their scanners picked up plenty of bugs one deck below as well as outside the door. Those below weren't in engineering but outside of it attempting to access it.

Calling back the lift was easy enough. Alternatively they could drop down the hole in the floor. Below was another saurian. Smaller than the girls. The chief engineer tinkering with something, oblivious to their approach unless they made load noise, or dropped down to this level. Recalling the lift wouldn't alert him or her at all given all the noise from the various generators that were running.

This and that gauge flashed red warning lights. Others orange or yellow. The compartment didn't seem to have suffered much damage so it might have been various systems that were offline or diluted.

Once aware of the the chief was alarmed. It spoke rapidly in it's native language though it was clear it as complaining with their guide. The two having a heated exchange about something in that crazy language of theirs. While that was going on Luna slipped aside looking at gauges and doing her thing.

“I've got a question. I think I know the answer. But why haven't the bugs used these vents? The force fields I'm thinking. Oh, lookie,” Viryon pointed out a bank of monitors. Some were blank, others static, others showed various work stations one just so happened to be a feed that Geo didn't have in his security station. That being a work area in the cargo hold were the repulsor loading and unloading equipment had been kept along with small tractor beams on hover carts used to assist with moving such things. Perhaps she could get the camera to angle itself better so that it wasn't focused on the work station but take a better peak at the cargo hold.

One after another, room after room, the group of four was making progress towards their original goal. Phoebe didn’t mean to rush, but it showed in every facet of her expression, stance and demeanor that she was getting more and more impatient. The Saurian had his little torch while Luna took care of the scans whereas the former agent and her friend had nothing but their thoughts for the duration of this rather excruciating detour. Seconds passing by inevitably turned to sand running through an hourglass inside her mind, and the more their guide spoke of any sort of numbers, the harder it got not to inadvertently calculate things as to the situation of their comrades.

How much time had already passed? How much more did they have? Were Saurians a preferred diet, or an acquired taste? At one point or another, those thoughts and the words that caused them were simply drowned out by the thunderous beat of her heart. She wanted to do something, to act, and not stand around idly while others did all the work. However, that was simply impossible until they managed to get someplace more useful than crew quarters.

“Still haven’t got a clue what the Ashlyn want in engineering,” the young woman pondered quietly when the scans picked up what was going on below. “Either they figured out what’s there could be used against them and getting there first prevents it from being used or there’s just something they want for themselves. Honestly, I’d rather hurry up with this than find out.”

They got there eventually. Securing the engineer’s quarters, calling up the lift then heading straight down rewarded them with the site they were after all along. Engineering. There was also the chief engineer. She never suspected Saurians could be this diminutive compared to those hulking beasts Phoebe had been more familiar with, but no matter. They could argue amongst themselves while Luna went to work, which left Phoebe and Viryon to explore the premises for something, anything to do outside of guarding the place.

With regards to the vents the answer seemed rather straightforward. “I suppose they just can’t fit through them. We haven’t really come across any Ashlyn that small before. That and the force fields, obviously. Lucky us they’re still holding up.”

Spotting the monitors had Phoebe give her friend a pat on the back, smiling softly at the endearing chimera. “Good eye. Let’s check them out.” Up close, it wasn’t difficult to see what they were looking at on one of the screens. “That looks like the cargo hold .. where the Ashlyn took those they captured. Geo’s camera feed had a different angle though ..”

It might help to have a look around the scene, if only for her own sanity. Thankfully, given her various times among Saurians, one of them actually forcing her to be in one of their ship’s cockpits to serve the warrior in command time and time again, the petite blonde possessed at least some rudimentary understanding of Saurian language and tech. That might’ve been the only benefit of tending to their needs, but it certainly helped them here to make quick work of the terminal before them.

Phoebe would attempt to change the camera angle to survey the cargo hold. Whether it be captives, the queen or anything beyond that, she wanted to collect whatever intelligence could be gleaned from this opportunity while everyone else was busy doing their thing.

Viryon crowded with her by the monitors to get a better look as Phoebe made sense of the controls. It wasn't hard for her to swivel the camera angel. From what she could tell the feeds here were all of engineering stations or near complicated tech. Her best guess was that the chief engineer could look at a problem from here and walk through repairs rather than having to transverse all the way to other sections for less sophisticated repairs.

So these cameras were often of different things that didn't impact the ship's security. She reasoned out that the camera was near some of the repulsor equipment for the cargo hold but panning it away from the machine she and Viryon got to see more of the cargo hold.

A plethora of beings adhered in slime were stuck against the wall. Males on one and females on the other she assumed as it as tough to work out the genders of the Saurians. Hope and Kurgan were on opposite walls. Each being taken about the same time shouldn't they be close together otherwise?

On a third wall were those already implanted with eggs. They were in various states of bloating and as she watched Ashlyn used their blue slime to free one of the Saurian females only to swarm here and lead her to what obviously was the queen. She had to be the size of a Clydesdale horse. The Ashlyn present were larger too. Mid to large sized dogs. Clearly soldiers. She noted the stingers as well as the various bodies. Smaller Ashlyn workers ate then fed the soldiers while the queen injected the next Saurian with eggs. She was then secured to the wall of bloated victims but another female wasn't brought forth straight away as if their was a lengthy pause to build up the next number of eggs. Injecting dozens at once into each person.

Ashlyns came and went from the hold though their was always a lot present. While she watched these horrors taking in all the information she could she was dimly aware of Luna working to reconnect the power as the two Saurian fought for whatever reason.

“Nearly got it.” A lot of repair work must have already been done and Luna was just tying things together. That or she was far better at this stuff then she realized.

It was then that it happened. Their guide, fed up about something, activated that cutting torch into the face of the engineer. His scream drew everyone's attention. Hands attempted to shield his horribly burned face. Their guide slammed a hand down on a console straight afterward causing the doors to this compartment to open. Whatever force field in the hall had dropped allowing a swarm of workers to enter the room. Most were on the floor. Some on the walls and even ceiling.

Everything was so sudden and unexpected. A torrent of slime snaring them all given the sheer volume of it at this close range. Phoebe found a leg snared to the deck, an arm on the console before her as well as thick globes on her back. Luna, Viryon, even the screaming engineer were likewise pinned.

Their guide had an arm pinned to the wall, yet most of the slime didn't come close. He applied a vial of the blue slime to his stuck hand flexing it a few times to brake away yellowish slime as he glance to them all.

“Thank you so much. I revised my plan on the fly when running across you. Take them to the queen. No. Not this one.”

The guide glared at Phoebe as the workers began to free and secure the others. Apparently he had other ideas for her as he neared. She still had an arm and leg free but he could approach her from various angles to mitigate or severely limit her. And it was her off hand that had been free at that. Still she was armed and not all of the Ashlyn had cleared out yet. Most did, a few remained using their tentacles to manipulate the stations her either randomly pressing buttons and flipping switches or deliberately having something in mind.

As expected, the cargo hold had become a hive of activity from the monsters taking over the ship. Fighting through their numbers would’ve been impossible. She thanked the heavens Hope and Kurgan were still alive though the overall situation for them and the other captives were nothing short of a nightmare come to life. Thinking about all the potential outcomes of this little adventure of theirs was making her feel lightheaded. If they hadn’t come here, they’d have never known about the poor people on board, but at least they would’ve been safe from harm. Now, all they could do was hope things worked out with their plan to fix this place up and flood those areas with the gas. They were free to worry about everything else once that had been done.

It never came to that. Phoebe barely had time to look up at the screaming Saurian and fully process the events that followed. All hell broke loose in mere moments. The doors opened in short order. Ashlyn swarmed the scene and peppered their bewildered prey with slime. The entire incident played out in a few seconds at most, but effectively pacified whatever threat to these creatures remained.

“Nngh!” Warm ooze weighed down heavily on Phoebe’s back. More of that goo covered her good arm from the elbow down, pinning it against the console. That alone left her in a somewhat awkward, bent over posture, but to make matters worse one of her legs wouldn’t budge either. She gave a frustrated groan upon straining against this newfound prison, all while scanning the room in a likely futile effort to assess the situation they found themselves in.

Realization struck like a punch straight to her guts. Thoughts shot into her mind going a million miles a minute. Their guide betrayed them. He worked with the Ashlyn. Why? Not only that, but he could apparently communicate with those things. How? What did he stand to gain? Perhaps they should’ve kept a closer eye on him, or check in with Geo as to whether or not this one had been inherently trustworthy? Also, what were all those Ashlyn doing here now? Working the machinery, but for what purpose? What would happen to Hope, Viryon, and the others now? This was their only plan, thwarted by a traitor in their midst.

Seeing them all being escorted out of the area bombarded the bound blonde’s mind with a plethora of sensations. Sensory overload put her in a bind more so than reality already had. Synapses firing off uncontrollably as Phoebe watched it happen, horror etched into her face the entire time. Were they really done for? This was worse than simply being separated. Shock and terror clashed with the inevitable rage that welled up deep inside her being. Instead of taking action, however, Phoebe froze up completely. None of the scenarios playing out inside before her inner eye were pleasant, and given her current predicament they were unlikely to change for the better. Coherent thoughts were practically oozing out of her skull as full blown panic was starting to set in.

Her free hand tensed and trembled, eager to move yet cursed with inaction. It felt so far away, much like the weapon dropped on the console earlier in order to operate it with greater ease. What would it even do against these things? Saurians were naturally tough to kill. Even if he fell, what about the bugs? She was still bound in place, and one splash of slime away from never moving again without their desire to free her up.

Why she was even being singled out by their guide would’ve been anyone’s guess. As he approached, it took all the willpower she had to even try and pick up her weapon from earlier in a vain attempt to blast him before he even came close. Maneuvering in this state was more than just a little problematic. Just a few steps to the side and he could easily carry on in a blind spot of hers. All this time, the gravity of the situation filled her thoughts with unspeakable nightmares.

All her friends, new and old, were either going to die or pray for a miracle. There’d be no recovery like last time. These things weren’t going to sell her into slavery or provide a means of escape in a careless moment, nor allow the others to be on their way. Was she really going to lose all of them? Again, but without a light at the end of the tunnel?

The intellect of the Ashlyn had been greater than they had realized. The truth behind the matter was that they were essentially mindless as individuals. Yet the more numbers they possessed the greater their intellect throughout the hive. Intelligence fluctuated a lot given the kills they made. Yet the birth of others always had this on a see saw. Until now a least where attrition was no longer a factor.

There had been limits to what they could do. They could learn but were not experts in their fields. They would eventually figure out things by trial and error but would have to be thought finer things such as piloting, engineering and computer science. Still there were things that could be deduced and learned through trial and error. Not to mention the queen.

Language had been something that they seemed to understand. In truth one of them had known it, and thus they all understood it as part of a collective even if they lacked the ability to speak it themselves.

While Phoebe struggled to understand the motives of their guide her friends were being escorted away. Stretching toward her weapon she managed to get the tips of her fingers on it as the saurian approached at a leisurely pace. The remaining Ashlyn ignored her efforts as they worked out systems. If the situation wasn't so serious it would have been funny seeing some of them stack up atop each other like cheerleaders making a pyramid in order to reach controls while seeing what they were doing. Others simply climbed up on consoles with ease though the ones on the pyramids had an easier time viewing all the buttons and reading everything quicker.

Just as Phoebe got a hand on the butt of her blaster the guide set his hand down on her own trapping the weapon in place. He grinned, lifted her hand up and tossed the weapon aside. “That won't help you. But we shouldn't keep the queen waiting for long. As it is, we'll both be used for the greater good of the hive.”

A clawed hand roamed over her rump as he stepped behind her. His other cupping a breast he gave a tug in attempts to pull her back against him but the slime resisted after the barest of movements even with his strength.

His words had been a bit unusual making it clear there was more going on here. Not that there was time to ponder what he was saying. A hand gripped her breast firmly as he squeezed. This time instead of pulling her he was pressing her down to the console. Swatting her ass before using those claws to begin piercing her suit in parts as he tugged it away from her skin to stab and poke into it in numerous places.

The hand on her ass began making it's way between her thighs rubbing back and forth as he growled in his throat. When his hand began to retract he began poking a sizable hole so that he could get at the good bits beneath. In short order fingers swam against her sex rubbing along that slit with a few strokes.

“I'm going to enjoy this. It's been too long since I've been with a human and I can't brake your engineer. Ours will be of little use in the foreseeable future.”

As that hand drew away he began unleashing himself. Taking himself in hand he brought himself up against those soft warm folds.

With but one leisurely motion he shattered what little hope Phoebe had to recover her weapon. It was lost somewhere her eyes couldn’t follow, as worthless then as it would’ve been in attempting to dispose of the Saurian in the first place. But, they were only just starting to explore his true intentions in keeping her here.

Raw emotions of pertaining to fury and surprise alike contorted in all the more pleasurable ways like her face the moment he laid hands on her. Sensations of molten dough like softness had been lost on him thanks to the fabric separating clawed hands and the blonde’s tender orbs though he learned enough with that firm squeeze to know he’d get his fill of human blessings today. Warmth pulsed through the petite globe as her heart began to race, infusing that questing touch with the initial traces of temptation. What more he desired would have to be unwrapped first though he had other plans than relishing the woman’s hidden bosom.

Softer still had been the curve of that luscious ass, plush and prominent thanks to the posture that slime trapped her in. With her upper body shoved onto the console, good hand pinned while the other could do little but alleviate some of the pressure forced upon her from above, he may not have been able to see much of her face though he could hear the gnashing of teeth the more he explored and teased. Sounds of what may have been unwanted pleasure barely permeated the air in more than a hiss as his lovely prey was choking back even the faintest evidence of pleasure from the act.

How long would it be until her body betrayed this feisty creature? The lower part of her suit had been shredded in short order. Her sex goaded him into action regardless of whether she fell now or some other time, a precious flower of smooth velvet with neither blemish nor hair distracting from an otherwise sublime experience.

“W-What the fuck are you on about? What’s gotten into you? Why are you working for these things?” Phoebe tensed and strained to defy this man. What limited movements she could perform hardly resulted in more than skidding that free heel along the ground, more or less willingly spreading those delicious milky thighs for ease of access. “I-I’m warning you, step back now or I’ll-“

Her voice cut off as she felt that betrayer’s manhood rise to the challenge that was her heated chalice. She barely understood the how’s and why’s but it became ever more apparent there was little that could be done about that now. Whatever purpose he thought he had, they’d both be used for the greater good of the hive eventually and those camera views from earlier hinted at what that may be. The prospect of slavery offered some semblance of hope whereas certain death did not. Most people might’ve just resigned to their fate then and there or been too horrified to act when the traitor among them ached to ravage one’s final remnants of dignity on top of everything else.

But, Phoebe wasn’t most people. Not using her own telekinetic powers to reach for the blaster earlier kept that potential hidden. Though it might’ve been more useful in the long run to keep it that way until faced with the queen directly, she couldn’t free herself nor call for Aegir or deal with this matter on her own without them. Likewise, she was nowhere near powerful enough to genuinely crack countless skulls or anything of the sort, at least not without draining herself entirely at one point or another. She trained whenever possible, but it may very well be years until going it alone was even remotely feasible.

Still, it was worth a try in the here and now. She wouldn’t need to see what she was manipulating either. No matter how troubled, Phoebe decided to give it her all. If not for herself, then at least for the others and an opportunity to save them.

Whether it even had a slim chance of success, Phoebe guided an invisible grip around the Saurian’s neck. She meant to choke him, catch him by surprise, while mentally reaching for a variety of things. The first would be the blow torch he had on his person somewhere. Activating it would be a nice albeit painful surprise to him. The other would be one of those Ashlyn. She needed some of that blue slime to free herself, and there were no dead bugs around to draw it from without being noticed. The final object was that discarded blaster, for even if free there’d be more bugs to dispose of.

It was a stretch and incredible strain on the mind, but better than nothing. If none of it worked, then perhaps Aegir could still be reached through that piercing of hers. He was the final card up her sleeve although there was no telling whether he could be reached or even arrived in time if he was willing to help out. However, he was the one and only character in this little adventure none of the entities on board had any control over.

Fighting proved to be useless. Phoebe was only opening herself up to him further as her foot and heel moved. In the short term it bought her a few seconds taking her body out of alignment with his own. She felt that dick teasing against her slit managing to squirm just enough to prevent him from penetrating her straight away. Yet it was inevitable that he would do just that once he had a better hold upon her.

Had he been more determined it might have happened already. That movement coupled with those firm gropes enticed him further. His excitement growing at the eventual conquering of her petite form.

Claws griped her shoulder as she was pressed down against the console. She felt them poke through her suit and embed into her skin just a bit. Her confusion and search for answers caused the saurian to pause briefly. Explaining briefly. Things made a bit more sense though there might have still be pockets of confusion. He had not cared enough to delay for long. With a handful of an ass cheek he attempted to hold her still enough to proceed.

“The queen can influence alien minds. I do believe it's limited to just one person, lucky me. But alas, my use has come to an end. She'll want control over your engineer friend and won't have use of this meat sack any longer. Outside of a meal.”

His thoughts had been heavily influenced by the hive. For the greater good and all that. Yet at the same time desires of his own nature had been taking hold. Even as he accepted his place in the schemes of the hive his prior individualism was shinning through in these last moments. He would not argue with her or explain further leaving her to decipher things.

This afforded her a few more seconds. Phoebe had managed to move blaster rifles before but when she attempted to move the pistol she found that it did not move far. Unfortunately as she moved it the weapon got snared on some of the slime and had been held fast. There was a lot of pressure, pain and those attempts in denying the saurian that made it hard to focus on a telekinetic attack. Strangling him was out. It felt as if she was attempting to capture smoke with her hands.

Rather than dwell for long on a useless endeavor she had one last trick before attempting to contact Aegir. Small than the blaster and secured to his person the plasma cutter was about the size and weight of a pen. Phoebe could feel it. Despite the stress she was it she grasped the object with her mind, wrenching it free and blasting the unsuspecting saurian.

She felt the heat cascade over her back, heard a scream and heard the object being fired upon. Slime knocked it away. Phoebe left confused. Hearing the saurian rolling on the floor and screaming she felt a coating of precum against her ass cheek. Some of the Ashlyn had stopped working. She could see a few of them approach and soon felt tentacles securing her legs.

Blue slime was sprayed on her with a plethora of workers securing her in tentacles and taking her away from engineering. Screams faded and it was clear to her that the Ashlyn simply carried out the duties that they were assigned once the influence of the saurian had been relinquished.

The Ashlyn only cared in transporting her to the cargo hold with their other prisoners. There were half a dozen of them or so. Tentacles held her aloft. Bypassing other Ashlyn they paid her little mind. They may or may not have understood her ability being quick to shoot the tool out of the air. It happened so fast that they might not have processed what actually happened and that the tool was thrown rather than hovering in the air.

As they moved her she could see various areas of battle. Slime and scorch marks covered the walls while dried blood could be spotted in others. Occasionally she would see discarded weapons from security or crews. The Ashlyn didn't seem to react any differently. Their hold on her limps had been secure but not forceful. Four held her by each limb while two were behind her didn't hold her at all but where in place in the event that she managed to get free and thus snare her up with slime before she could get far.

As it occurred to her that they were unaware of her psionic abilities she had a choice to make. She could attempt snaring a weapon and attempting to escape, get taken to the queen as she assumed that was where they were going or try to contact Aegir if things appeared to dire. In about ten minutes they would arrive in the cargo area if she did nothing. Once there they would secure her to the wall alongside Viryon, the last female taken before her. Luna, however was free closer to the queen. Snared by the tentacles of soldiers as the queen was doing something she supposed though outwardly nothing was happening.

However heartless it may have seemed to try and dispose of what’s effectively the queen’s puppet, Phoebe wasn’t about to let this nightmare take a turn for the worse, with a Saurian no less. She flinched at the searing pain of her own wound while those screams filled the area though there was little in the way of reprieve for either of them it seemed. His fate had already been established before he could fulfill his desires. She’d not be around to witness it, but the thought of it haunted her well on the way out of engineering.

Avoiding the bodily and mental strain of being violated by that Saurian helped her maintain a clear mind, but it came at the cost of being well aware of what’s to happen next. The Ashlyn moved on with their plans for her and escorted the human to the others awaiting their untimely demise. Along the way, the young woman scanned the premises for anything that could come in handy though an escape always seemed impossible.

Assuming these creatures around her could be dealt with, what then? Luna’s scanner was nowhere to be seen. She’d be running close to blind with limited ammunition from scavenged weapons, if any at all, not exactly knowing where to go and what to do. Geo presumably couldn’t be of much help either. Breaking free wasn’t impossible, but even more foolish than waiting for these bugs to take her to the queen.

What other choice did she have? Aegir was and likely always would be the most promising option available to her. What adversaries the petite blonde struggled against, he took care of at a moment’s notice. Slow, sure, but powerful beyond measure. If he wanted, he could probably lock her up inside her own mind and leave her there until her physical form expired. That’s basically how she thought of that oversized octopus. Phoebe, on the other hand, was still human, confined by the limits of her species and the lack of mastery over her telekinetic abilities. Given the circumstances, there was not a doubt in her mind he’d have a far easier time dealing with the problem at hand.

She tried contacting him before they got to the cargo hold. For fear of having the Ashlyn rip out her piercing on the spot if they suspected foul play, Phoebe reached for it with her mind. Getting it to work like this was a gamble, but she had a few minutes to make it happen.

If successful, her best bet was to make it quick. Wasting time with formalities was out of the question though Phoebe did plea for help. She passed on what mattered such as her current location, what they were up against, that time was of the essence and she wasn’t just holed up somewhere as a slave or similarly humiliating fate. This was a matter of life and death depending on how fast he or anyone in close proximity could move.

She knew there was no guarantee he’d come. Sometimes life just punched you in the face and one could only hope to make it through in one piece. Arriving in the cargo area filled her with that same universal dread though it was good to see the others were still alive and not long gone. The same couldn’t be said for all the Saurians, sadly. What fleeting glances she could spare to Viryon or Kurgan on the opposite wall probably wouldn’t have filled either of them with much confidence, less so than the state of her ruined suit exposing that delicate flesh.

Luna was her primary concern though, considering that she’d already been brought face to face with their leader. That one Saurian mentioned that she had her uses to the queen. Yeah, like that wasn’t another jab the feisty pilot wasn’t willing to put up with.

As it was, however, the Ashlyn held the numerical advantage. Adding to the fact Phoebe only had the most basic understanding imaginable when it came to hiveminds, things looked truly dire. If the queen fell, were they all going to stop functioning like limbs belonging to a body whose brains gotten smashed up hard, go back to a more primal state and act on instinct or break out into a murderous rage? She had no idea. If nothing else, attempting to lash out at the queen directly had to have been suicidal at worst and doomed to fail at best.

But, that was kind of right up her alley. Fucking with this thing could buy time. She didn’t know what those bugs were planning either way. Whether they wanted to recover the wreck somehow, make off into the stars again or focus on the planet as a whole, they weren’t going to do it with Luna. Although briefly distracted by thoughts on what the natives had to do with this when declaring the whole thing a salvage ripe for the taking, she couldn’t waste time thinking about that now.

She was still making those attempts under duress, but at least there was no imminent threat to her own life. Phoebe may have been tied up, but there was no additional pressure nor pain from those claws digging into her skin was already starting to numb, becoming nothing but a dull throb.

Those tentacles of theirs were fast, but they had their limits as well. If there was something, anything to loosen and drop, a weapon to pick up and fire, or a vital part of that bug to crush in ways she’d attempted with the Saurian earlier, now would be the time to find it. If she could find it, that is. Unlike Aegir, she lacked the ability to deep dive into someone’s mind. She had to rely on ‘toys’ and tools around herself to let the magic happen, or try and devote enough mental capacity to harm this repulsive organism directly by gripping it really fucking hard. Whatever consequences that’d force her to face remained to be seen, but she wasn’t going to stand idly by while this monster took over one of her friends.

Phoebe pondered various courses of action as the Ashlyn transported her through the remains of the vessel. Concluding what was and wasn't likely. Without Luna's sensor she'd be running blind with limited ammo even if she managed to get free. With that in mind she attempted to use the piercing that she had been gifted.

The communication device was unlike anything she had been use to. It wasn't tech in the sense she was familiar with. Being more of an amplifier it collected her thoughts and broadcast them to a location at the receivers end. A mix of psionics mixed with quantum entanglement. That piercing was connected to another object. Whatever the natives had been using to disrupt tech couldn't affect it at all. Needless to say the activation was far more complex than flipping a switch or being a device that could be dampened by an EMP. However it worked she managed to get through in mere seconds. She felt a connection in her mind. Projecting her thoughts on where she was and what had happened Phoebe summed up the wayward turn of her vacation.

That is quite the distance from here. Aegir was clear across the galaxy. He analyzed the situation rather quickly. This would have been so much easier had you accepted that node implant. There is little I can do from here save for sending messages. That is not to say that I'm without resources.

Getting an approximation of how much time he possibly had the elder being made a few calculations. Cross referencing that with what he knew of the Ashlyn he reached a conclusion telling her to sit tight. Not that there was too much she could do otherwise. He was at least working on something though he had not bothered stating a price for his help, nor did he seem annoyed. Maybe he was bored. It was tough to say how such a being spent their free time. Perhaps she gave him an excuse to cut short his visit with annoying family … wait a sec, it was his hatred of Fafner that drove him when they last met, not that he assisted in her escape as much as sticking it to his son. It was likely the quest for those stones had been an after thought. As far as she could tell his cache of treasure that he wasn't concerned about could have been meant to assist her in finding those stones.

Her ass was chilled when it made contact with the wall. Pasted in place by that slime the Ashlyn ignored her. Each going about various duties. Nearly straight across from her was Kurgan. Slime keeping his muzzle closed while a good deal of it pinned his torso to the wall. Next to her was Viryon and next to her was Hope who was wriggling and straining. Was that one of her boots a few feet in front of her?

Phoebe would have been unable to touch the minds of the Ashlyn even if she was more talented. Maybe the queen, that was yet to be seen. Their tentacles were rubbery. The bulk was empty being tubes that allowed them to fire their slimes. They were more like a sponge and compressed without bothering the Ashlyn at all.

As she was exploring that exoskeleton Phoebe found that it was durable to physical attacks. Blasters had an easier time with it, a shot being absorbed by the exoskeleton cooked the bugs alive or punched through the protection. But clubs, knifes and other objects would have a harder time of things. Even telekinetic attacks, at least those that she could generate at the time. With enough force tossing them across the room could shatter those exoskeletons.

And like insects they didn't possess lungs. She reasoned that the spots where the tentacles retracted to were vulnerable points. Had she the means or the weaponry she could have slid a melee weapon into them. As she calculated that it occurred to her that Hope didn't seem to have much trouble cutting through them with her sword so there had to be various materials that were effective. Vibro weapons could do the trick she supposed.

As she tested out the vulnerable points Luna was being let up. She looked confused for a moment. Glancing around then nodding after looking back to the queen.

“It will be done. I will need – of course.” Phoebe could only hear one side of the conversation. The queen must have been telepathic to some degree. Luna was not and had to verbalize her response. Phoebe guessed that she was in control of Luna to a degree. Like the saurian she didn't seem to be a simple drone, nor a puppet. Yet her will was subverted in some way.

Luna departed with a series of workers. As she was leaving Phoebe was contacted.

It will not be long now. I have made contact with Gersham and he is in your neck of the woods. I have informed the locals there as to the dangers of that vessel too so someone should b there soon. Whether they themselves heed my warning, go themselves, dispatch salvagers or Gersham arrives something should be happening soon. And if not I have something else in mind. Do you think you can hold out a bit longer? Hours, certainly no longer than a day?

It was worth a shot and the attempt paid off. Aegir might’ve been across the galaxy though once contacting him worked out they had another means of making it out of here alive. She might just have to ask for that node if they ever crossed paths again. With sufficient training, however, calling him in the first place would’ve been unnecessary. It might also be enough to become more than a damsel in distress somewhere down the line, but today wasn’t the day. This vacation was just looking worse by the minute and all indications pointed at it staying the course for the foreseeable future.

She resisted the urge to call out for Luna on her way out for fear of breaking focus long enough to lose connection with Aegir or becoming the center of attention in some way. There’d have been no point anyway. Intelligent or not, the queen had her ways to influence the chosen puppet and a desperate plea wasn’t going to change anything.

For now, Phoebe ended up against the wall as merely another glorified ornament to this hall of soon-to-be dead occupants. What she learned about the Ashlyn didn’t really help either. Crushing them seemed unlikely. Tossing about might work, for a time anyway. If she ever broke free, that slime would just pin her down again before she could get her hands on a weapon of some sort. There wasn’t much to manipulate here that could cause substantial damage to the queen or her hive. It all felt hopeless without outside help.

At least Aegir had some progress to report in such little time. Not that she believed the locals could really be trusted after everything that’s happened, or that she was looking forward to a reunion with Gersham, but it was better than nothing.

Waiting around much longer than necessary did cause her to muscles to tense and strain against her bindings. The thought was giving her chills. It’d not be pretty with all those Saurians sentenced to a similar fate as her friends. “I suppose I can though I'd rather not see or hear others being eaten alive or having those eggs hatch all around me.”

Sure, there was no need to get bitchy, but the situation called for something closer to ‘immediate’ action instead of ‘hours’ or ‘a day’. Watching the hosts expire or other creatures eaten alive, always with the fear of it being herself or Kurgan, Viryon or Hope, was going to be nothing short of nightmarish on top of everything else that’s gone to hell. She’d never experience eternity, but that would probably be the closest thing to it.

There was also the matter regarding Luna’s recent departure. “I can’t speak for the Ashlyn either. The queen’s subdued a friend of mine, that being the engineer, computer whiz, you name it .. I’m no telepath so I couldn’t hear everything that’s been said between them, but whatever the plan is, I’ve no doubt she can get the job done. Whether that’s going to take hours or days, I’ve got no idea. All I know is that she’s received her orders and left the cargo hold just now.”

“I’ve got no choice but to hang in there for as long as I can. Maybe I can mess around with things from here, but I doubt I’ll achieve much. I’m still a novice as far as my ‘powers’ go.” She may be able to pop some eggs inside their victims long before they’re ready to hatch, thus buying time for captives though who really knew how the queen would react to that, or even block the queen’s ovipositor once she selected another female, but that’d be the extent of her abilities. It wasn’t sure to work, nor did she doubt it’d be long before the queen or her underlings realized something was wrong with one of their prisoners.

Sighing inwardly, Phoebe concluded those might be fitting measures to prevent the worst, but nothing more than that. She still held onto the piercing with her mind, clinging to it as the lifesaver it might just turn out to be. “Anyway .. Thanks for the help. Let’s hope it gets here quick.”

If there was a price for the help, Phoebe wouldn’t have cared. Even a life of slavery or worse would be worth making it through this mess. She failed Kurgan and Viryon once before. She’d not fail again. Being responsible for dragging them here rather than a nice field trip, it’d be on her if anything happened to them. She wasn’t going to let that train of thought become reality.

I have not encountered them myself but know of them. They're a bio-weapon that escaped from their creators. Going on to infest worlds in certain parts of the galaxy.

While Phoebe may have been willing to pay any price to get out of this situation the ancient being had not posed one to her. He must have had plans to call upon a “favor” later or was truly that bored. Perhaps he viewed her like a resource that he had out in the galaxy. Her rescue could have been so trivial that payment wasn't necessary.

We can only hope. Aegir would chat with her from time to time if she initiated contact but until he had any real updates for her he allowed things to play out.

Why were the Ashlyn so intent on securing the vessel? Why had they not fled onto the planet? Phoebe considered that in the beginning they must have been few in number. There were reasons of course. In the beginning it was as much about numbers as it was the threat of the world. The badlands were deadly, were big game hunters went. The queen, in her connection with those she enslaved gathered information on the world. Rather than risking life on the planet straight away she decided that it was better to increase their numbers before leaving.

While she could control only one person at a time the queen was forever upgrading. Learning what she needed and using the enslaved to accomplish particular tasks before taking control of another. In the latest case it was Luna. The queen was aware of the dangers of that gas and needed to dismantle that threat. With an engineer she could sever the connections to that power source completely and not fear extermination before they had the numbers to leave the ship and infest this world. With numbers they could manage the threats here.

Ironically Phoebe and her group whittled down some of these numbers. Inadvertently she bought time for the planet as there was no telling what would happen once they departed from this place in numbers. Had Phoebe possessed all the information it still would have been difficult to say if the Keldorians could deal with the threat. By the time they realized there was one the Ashlyn could have established numerous colonies in the wilderness. In such a case their advanced tech might not match the tenacity of the bugs. Then again they might never advance towards the city. They would have the bulk of the planet. How they fared against the native beasts would determine their success.

She had no choice but to wait. Phoebe got some practice in with the rapidly reproducing bugs. It was difficult feeling for implanted eggs. They started off as small pellets, though there were a lot of them she found it hard to feel the presence of each. Those further along in their development were easier to sense and feel. She could crush them with ease but there were so many of them that the process was time consuming. She had been forced to choose between subjects that were further along or attempt the recently implanted crushing entire regions rather than seeking out individual eggs. This would yield the best results but cause excruciating abdominal pain as she scrambled up the eggs. She had to be thorough to ensure she got them all. Pain beat being dead, however.

Cries and groans from implanted subjects didn't grab the attention of the Ashlyn. They didn't seem to have any suspicion of her though they were aware that something was off. The Ashlyn were in a frenzy searching for something that they couldn't find.

There were only so many implanted that she could see and target seeing how they were all on the same wall. At one point she noticed that Hope was still armed, her sword had to have been slimed to her hand. She was fidgeting too and while she was certain that the slime would restrain her she did note that Hope wasn't trying to brake free or get more comfortable. Rather the agent was stretching, working her foot towards a puddle of blue slime that was just out of reach it seemed.

As she noted the room was a mess. Patches of green, blue and yellow slime had been all over the walls and the floor near the walls.

All of a sudden their was a shrill screech from the Ashlyn as if they were in pain. They all paused then a great number of them went into action. Soldiers neared the queen while both soldiers and workers hurried out of the room. Some sort of alarm she noted? Things grew tense, she could read that much in the body language of the bugs.

I have just received confirmation that Gersham has arrived.

Though the fact that someone arrived had been clear given the reactions of the bugs. No sooner had that been announced did she hear distant sounds of blaster fire. After hanging about for hours things happened in a blur. The sounds of fighting grew closer. Among blasters she heard gouts of flame, the screech of bugs and the popping of exoskeletons.

When fighting grew close she could hear voices along with an energy field springing into place. A force field cutting off advancement? If so it had to be Luna working her magic.

An explosion, the cargo bay walls quaked. The red lights flickered out then sprang back on a moment later. Seeing that this was the back up lighting Luna had to have been doing something to keep power flowing to this section of the battered ship. Fighting was intense. She heard something, a rapidly firing energy weapon that was akin to a machine gun. Fire didn't let up and the walls continued to quake.

“This way!” She heard the shouting of a familiar voice when this bombardment ended. The battle receded. And yet all that bombardment had numerous effects. When the lights came back up Phoebe noted the Ashlyn present had ceased what they were doing focusing on the door. Workers even sprayed green slime over it probably in hopes of keeping it closed.

Some of the slime had been shifted from the explosions and concussive force. Not much to make a difference, at least she had thought until Hope's luck manifested itself yet again. She must have managed to reach the puddle of slime or had been knocked loose enough. Whatever the case she had been right before Phoebe with a handful of blue slime that she used to quickly smear on the stuff restraining Phoebe. It wasn't long before some of the Ashlyn noticed the two free women but were slow to react given their attention on the door.

Fighting could still be heard nearby as it was clear the security chief Geo and whoever else was out there was attempting to access the cargo bay from another door, hatch or vent. As it was they had the attention of the remaining Ashlyn and could fight for whatever good that would do or seek cover in one of the adjacent compartments that held the numerous pieces of equipment. In effect trapping themselves in an alcove but being able to limit the numbers of the Ashlyn coming at them. Hope was already spinning about to face the bugs while simultaneously handing Phoebe a blaster pistol.

Squashing bugs became the woman’s own callous means of therapy. Stress relieved through prolonging everyone’s lives that way helped distract from the fact she was waiting for help on one hand and growing increasingly wary of death in this hunk of junk on the other. Those who were further along with the eggs inside them naturally took priority. The pain must’ve been excruciating though she neither had the experience nor time to handle the afflicted with greater care. She did what she could in her efforts to keep them from expiring, serving as little more than glorified incubators until those final moments.

Phoebe hadn’t maintained much of a conversation with Aegir. Using her powers for as long as she had was draining enough. It’s not that there wasn’t anything to say either, but likely nothing he cared to hear. The stones he was after weren’t exactly on the table and a human’s vacation plans probably weren’t too thrilling either.

Hence, the blonde kept up her work until such a time something unusual happened. Supposedly, Gersham had arrived and the Ashlyn showed an immediate response. Fighting had broken out across the ship. She didn’t quite know whether that was him joining up with Geo and those other Saurians or they decided to act on their own. Whichever the case, weapons and explosives had been discharged in rapid succession and hardly ceased as time went on, sending tremors throughout the cargo hold and the slimy residue keeping everyone hostage.

Lady Luck smiled down on Hope once more. Phoebe wouldn’t question any of that. She didn’t even recall how her flight suit was torn in all the wrong places when given the opportunity to come off that cold metal prison. Heart pounding against her chest, tension rolling through captive limbs at the prospect of freedom after hours of captivity, it was genuine relief that came over her the moment Hope managed to smear that blue stuff on her. As her body finally broke free, she immediately took up the offered blaster and aimed at the Ashlyn, firing off at the closest ones in an effort to thin the herd.

“Hope, with me! Get to cover!” A hand briefly settled on the warrior woman’s shoulder and urged Hope to pull back instead of dashing off into some full frontal assault. That blade of hers would make short work of their adversaries, but the numbers and soldiers guarding the queen were still stacked against them. They’d sooner wind up trapped in a bubble of slime than make a dent in their defenses, a minor distraction at best when they could at least try to become a real nuisance from here on out. Some confined area would trap themselves in it, but might let them hold off a swarm as those monsters wouldn’t necessarily engage them like mindless fools now that they had their hands full with other threats as well.

There was no time to help the other bound victims before heading to one of the nearby alcoves. Such exposure only put them at risk of getting pinned down again straight away. For now, blasting and slashing those daring enough to come after them would have to do. They only had so many numbers all across the crashed vessel and if enough eggs were crushed they’d not receive reinforcements for quite some time.

Phoebe still looked for ways to move out of the area. Inaction had been despised, but holding out might have to do for now, chipping away at the Ashlyn as much as they could. Still, there was some concern on her mind regarding Luna and her capabilities. She never asked whether that gas worked on anything aside from the Ashlyn themselves and could be used against other living things as well, but even if it couldn’t then they still had the engineer against them.

With the ship having more than enough power to utilize force fields among other things, who knew what else Luna had up her sleeve? To the former agent, that thought had been more intimidating than spending another minute in close proximity to the queen and her personal guard.

If there was no way out of here, however, then someone else would have to take care of that. Whittling down the Ashlyn and their numbers from a distance while Hope cleared those who came too close for comfort should keep them going for some time. She prayed Gersham and the others wouldn’t be long. Not that they couldn’t hold out with their blood, sweat and tears, but it was this growing pressure which also got her wondering what the queen might do in desperation.

Geo felt as if the clock was ticking. Unable to fit in the vents and with the clock counting down on his ability to maintain the force fields he decided to go down fighting now that things were a bust. While he was designing plans he noted assistance arriving. So he wasn't on his own. Plus he had numerous goodies to share.

What he had not realized was that around that time Luna was getting power back up under the directions of the queen. Areas that the Ashlyn couldn't enter would soon be unlocked as those force fields were diverted. But first their main concern was getting the gas offline so it couldn't be deployed. Had they known about the attack they could have used it to neutralize attackers, at least in the corridors along the hull and airlocks, an anti pirate defense.

So when the attack came the Ashlyn were taken off guard. The queen's primary goal was getting that gas shut off from activating, unlocking areas to acquire more food and receptacles for her eggs. The quicker this was done the greater their survival ability. They could spread out from her forming additional nests and in time learn and adapt to the challenges of this new world.

As the distraction came Phoebe received her freedom from Hope. The bugs were busy at the door or surrounding their queen. When the pair had been noticed it as after a few were felled by Phoebe's shooting. Slime was launched in their direction and some Ashlyn closed on them as they ran.

They stopped, most backing back up to protect their queen with others just outside their alcove waiting for them to peak out of cover rather than blindly following into such a confined space where their numbers wouldn't help. Maybe a minute passed before they tried something.

The two would see a torrent of green slime launched into the chamber smearing the floor. While they had a corner to hide behind and wouldn't be hit the slime made it rather difficult in getting off shots into the room. They sought to contain them there at least until the current crisis was averted.

Fighting to gain admittance into the cargo bay had been fierce. Accessing via smaller doors or vents only bottled up the attackers and the Ashlyn could gum up most areas with their slime. Then fighting ceased for a long while. Both sides assessing the situation.

Then fighting began again. Not the sound of blasters but of the Ashlyn launching their slime. She could hear the screeching of numerous bugs. Something definitely was happening out there. Then silence that was quickly filled with hissing, laughing, screaming? It was hard for her to process the sounds of the Saurians. It didn't seem like they were cries of pain, perhaps joy or relief?

From what she could hear attackers were slowly entering the cargo hold.

“Leave some for us next time.” Geo's voice chimed in. Hope glanced to Phoebe recognizing the voice but not saying anything yet.

“You were taking too long. Mm. I don't see her. There are no humans? I rather not do this again.”

“No way were they moved that fast. I just saw them on the monitors not long ago.”

Gersham was out they. She could hear movement now approaching the mess of an alcove she and Hope had hidden in. Until that slime was neutralized it was unlikely anyone was getting in. Until he did. Gersham suddenly appearing in their midst.

“I was wondering why a pair of them had been guarding this area.” His eyes took the two in. “You've seen better days.”

Most of the battle had been spent tucked away in their little alcove. Spread out across the entrance and floor was that vile mucus preventing escape. Neither side attempted to get in or out until the grand albeit unseen spectacle ensued which put an end to the Ashlyn’s reign over the area. Phoebe looked to Hope with the same emotion worthy of its name though there was no erasing all doubts until conversation broke out between the attackers and, anticipation swelling in the blonde’s chest, one of them presented himself to the unbound heroines.

“Gersham,” The lone word trickled off her lips, uttered in a virtually breathless manner. Her weapon dropped down low, hanging off an almost entirely slackened arm. “Oh, thank God you’re here ..” She recognized him immediately and may have actually embraced him were it not for the fact all strength seemed to ebb from her just then. Tensions were high this entire time and now, finally, rescue had arrived which had every right to bear such a title. She felt lightheaded for a moment, swaying on her feet with barely resurfacing composure. Not even the shredded suit came to mind that’s been holding on for dear life on her every curvature, exposing more than a glimpse of smooth, peachy skin and that blessed pink flower.

She might’ve had Aegir to thank instead of God though. The man he sent certainly had his appeal, but given how powerful he was it didn’t come as a surprise that he dealt with the problem in no time. The fact they seemed to be at odds in their relationship gave her the chills though. Whatever orders he had left some creative freedom, after all, and while fairly distant their past encounter left quite the impression.

That was neither here nor there. What focus the former agent could muster had been dedicated to calling out to the other force lending assistance and getting everyone else out of this mess. “Geo! We’re here! Thanks for the help! You’ve arrived just on time!”

Turning back to Gersham, however, the hot blooded woman still had questions burning on her mind. “Are Kurgan and Viryon alright? What about the others? Are they- “

Phoebe froze for a moment. All that once dissipating tension rebounded in an onrush of worry, hitting back harder and faster than whatever relief and gratitude were shooting through her veins mere moments prior. If everyone came over here, then that meant they still had someone else aboard the ship left to collect, and that one wasn’t an irrelevant piece for either side whatsoever. “E-Engineering .. The queen’s dispatched Luna and more of those bugs there. We’ve got to deal with them, got to save her, hurry!”

She would’ve almost broken away from the others right then and there even though all that slime still rendered the alcove generally inaccessible. It’d likely be difficult to get out the same way. Gersham may even have questions, such as what a “Luna” actually is unless he dimly recalled her involvement in freeing Phoebe provided the name ever came up, but it was more than obvious she cared too much to savor the taste of being rescued without the other woman around.

It's not been too long since she last saw Kurgan and Viryon, after all. They were likely safe from harm. Anxious to ensure none of her friends were lost to those things, however, there was no telling what was going on in the engineering bay following the attack in the cargo hold. Whether the queen had been eliminated or merely stunned for the sake of capture could’ve had unpredictable consequences for the Ashlyn and even Luna herself. Would the former cease to function or act erratically without their queen? She didn’t know. At worst, that abominable creature coughed up a few more surprises through that psychic link before succumbing to whatever fate Gersham sentenced her to.

“Shit!” Gersham's sudden appearance caused Hope to jump. She recovered quickly stepping in front of Phoebe. Far too quick to react she didn't notice Phoebe lowering her weapon. On reflex she spun into action prepared to strike.

Gersham had not seemed impressed. Nor had he looked concerned. He was armed with a sword of shadows … or something like it. Wisps of dark smoke flared off of it as if it were fire, those shadows breaking away and dissolving in the air. He made no move to defend himself, Hope's blade would have been unable to injure him not hat she knew that. What ceased her follow through was Phoebe speaking his name indicating that she knew this being.

“Wait? You know this guy?” Before she received an answer Gersham merely stuck a hand in her face pressing her aside so he could get a better look at Phoebe. There was no missing the way he drank her in, his eyes lingering on those exposed bits before frantic words got his attention.

“Do we now?” He raised a brow at the mention of Luna's blight at the same time Geo called back to her that they were secure out there and to sit tight. There would need to be a lot of harvesting of blue slime to get to them but first they had to treat and secure the captives here, treat wounds and of course scurry the ship for Ashlyn survivors.

“Sit tight. We'll get to you in a bit.” Kurgan's voice now. His mouth had to have been treated with blue slime. As he was a doctor taking charge of the wounded was a priority. He confirmed that he and Viryon were safe though.

Teams broke off, one stayed put to manage things here with others searching for any surviving Ashlyn. A third began to set demolition charges seeing that there were far too many places that the bugs could hide that they'd have trouble getting to.

With that all in motion Gersham sighed. Spreading his arms to welcome Phoebe in an embrace things shifted. Her mind disorientated, her stomach nausea for a moment. One moment she was in the cargo bay the next at engineering.

Luna was down on the deck while the Ashlyn present seemed disorientated. They lacked the intellect they displayed before or had been reeling from their recent loss. Whatever the case Gersham easily dispatched them with a few flicks of his blade. He vanished from one area, appearing in another shadowy area to cut down a bug then shifting from there avoiding any slime launched in his direction. Further disorientating the bugs.

Kneeling down next to Luna he took her pulse. “Unconscious. Linked to the queen, upon her demise there must have been some psychic backlash. She'll wake in a few hours or so.” He guessed. Neither a physic or a doctor. He vanished again leaving her there for a few minutes before returning.

“A medical team will be dispatched. Who talked you into this bug hunt? Not important.” His sword vanished as he stepped close. Warm fingers spilled down her check, the aphrodisiac he could produce seeped out of those finger tips as he did so.

“You are indeed one lucky pilot. I do not know what you have done to get the interest of my creator. His latest orders were a priority. Suffice it to say I did have some incentive, seeing where we had left off. I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon.”

While he spoke he was sure to remain close to her. A hand working around her hip. Fingers roaming against her backside finding supple flesh were the material had been torn away. Flesh on flesh contact followed. His other hand crept along her rib cage resting just beneath a breast that he sculpted to his touch.