Octavia did not notice the glace that Ania was giving as the blue skinned alien had only looked at the Trixian royal’s hourglass like body for only a moment before she refocused on the Princess’s lovely face. Oh well, The Trixians only have one royal house. And that it is the House of Bellatrix. This bloodline is unique among the Trixians, gifted with talents that are beyond that of the normal Trixian. As a result it is my house’s responsibility to lead our people. I was once the youngest of eight daughters of the Queen of the Trixian Hegemony. The Princess paused for the moment as she struggled to explain how she got here.

Our people were attacked and driven from our homeworld. Many of our people were killed or have gone missing. That had happened to our Queen and many of my sisters. The young Trixian paused again. Only myself and my sister, Tetria, managed to escape with our peoples. As a result Tetria has taken over as the Queen of my people. While she leads them, I search for a new world that we can call our own. Our lack of resources means that I have to travel with as few handmaidens as I could.

There are other houses within the Trixian Hegemony, but they are just noble families. Each have their own specialties, though they are more mundane that of Bellatrix. Octavia noticed Ania smile at least early in the Princess’s response and returned to the smile. I hope that explained my people in at least a little degree. Though I am sure you have many more questions about us.

Ania gladly passed up on enchanting the wonderfully shaped beauty until they were off the hellish hulk, gathering information on the Trixians for her records considering that their species hadn't met before. In a sense she could relate as someone to have served diligently beneath royalty and watched one monarch fall only to be replaced by her daughter, a malicious act which cost the lives of a great many though sadly enough it wasn't a force from the outside, the conflict reigned within. "It is an impressive feat to reunite your people under such circumstances and the following hardships, especially since the royal family shrunk to a mere two. Your sister must be quite a character if she dealt with the role of rulership bestowed unto her as well as you make it seem. I imagine it must've been quite a shock and yet you haven't lost yourself to the crisis."

She smiled a bit at that, a kingdom without lands to rule before turning her attention back to Octavia, seeing an opportunity to flatter the noble female. "But I'm fascinated by your sense of duty, traversing the vastness of space with a bare minimum of protection in search of a new home for your people .. As necessary as it may be, it certainly is a courageous feat, especially for someone of your bloodline who is willing to take the risk as you are today."

Her curiosity hadn't ended with that brief explanation, she wished to know more. "Why yes, I have questions and I'm glad you don't mind answering them. It is a rare opportunity to speak to a member of the royal family in person, not to mention someone as charming as your Highness which is why I'd like to go deeper into the subjects an ordinary member of your race might not be able to answer in as much detail as you."

She paused briefly, mulling things over in her mind before settling on something. "Perhaps you could elaborate on what inevitably led to the fall of your homeworld, unless the memory is too painful, in which case I'd understand your reluctance."

Before Octavia could shoot her down she decided to explain what exactly she wanted to know. "Given your status you must've been involved in the political nature of the conflict if your assailants were even willing to talk and possibly know more than the average Trixian. Now, I don't take the Trixians for an aggressive species although An does seem to have quite a temper .." She cast her another good natured smirk, checking from the corner of her eyes whether the handmaiden caught that notion. " .. I'm merely curious what it was all about. Territory? Resolving a dispute of some kind?"

The young princess was asked for about her sister. Tetria has always been the stronger of the two of us. She served in the Royal Navy prior to beginning her reign as Acting Queen. It was her that organized the escaping Trixians and enabled us to flee our homeworld before it fell to enemy. Octavia paused for a moment. I guess when the disaster of our people occurred, we found ourselves too busy to really deal with the shock. I guess in some ways we really have not dealt with it even now.

[color=Pink]Thank you for your kind words, but really if I did not search for a homeland, I would not being do my part. Most of our guards and military is needed to protect our people, so I have to go out with my handmaidens to explore the galaxy. There are others that are attempting to find a homeworld for us as well, but I must my part and help out where ever I can. I guess that explains how I got here.

Octavia blushed a bit when she was mentioned as charming. I appreciate of the that you find charming. I try to keep up my appearances as I am ultimately a representative of the Trixian people. The Princess nodded her head as if to emphasize the point even as she prepared herself to answer her alien companion’s questions.

It was then Ania asked about the fall of her homeworld, exactly what had caused the downfall of her people. The Princess was not really wanting to answer her blue skinned companion’s question, but she would not take no for an answer.

I really have much to do with the conflict until it finally stages. I was the youngest of eight princesses. However our people are a peaceful people, we only defend ourselves when we have to. An is just a tad paranoid from the invasion. If An had hear the comments from the alien and the Trixian royal, she did not respond. The invasion seemed to come out of nowhere when it occurred. The alien force had claimed we were part of the empire and when they refused they attacked.

"That's understandable. I suppose that when you're occupied with more pressing matters all around the clock, even time to mourn for what was lost has to be put on hold until the situation has been resolved." Not that the huntress could blame them, having suffered under similar circumstances she'd abandoned her home planet in search of less intrigues and scheming in a struggle for power, having found no less of either although standing beside the Trixian royal her newfound freedom hadn't seemed entirely lackluster.

"I might be able to be of service here." Ania mulled things over in her head for a moment, recalling the initial weeks of her flight route amongst the stars. "Our species have never met before which leads me to believe that my sensor readings on the systems I've passed until I reached another inhabited world not far from our current position could potentially be of use to your people. I'm not sure how much distance the hulk since I got stranded aboard, but I believe it won't be farther than a day's journey from here."

"I've traversed space for several weeks until that point and along the way came across a great many worlds which were either uninhabited or held a populace of rather primitive lifeforms." She paused briefly, smiling at the thought of how she'd gotten here in the first place. "Don't worry about my destroyed ship, I've frequently transferred all the data to a central hub on the planet I was talking about. If you'd like to have a copy of my records, it's yours."

With the tale of the invasion told there were many blanks, unfortunately, leaving the alien to ask more questions while at the same time wondering whether that was such a good idea. "Did the Hegemony not have any allies to protect them?" She hadn't waited for an answer, waving a tentacle dismissively while bowing slightly in an apologetic manner. "My apologies, I shouldn't have asked to speak of such a tragic event in the first place. My people aren't numerous and we've never faced a threat from the outside before, let alone deal with foreigners in any diplomatic sense aside from smaller trading parties."

But the incredibly tender blush upon the features of the noblewoman could not be missed, her compliment obviously taken quite well and while proceeding with the agonizingly slow seduction would be risky, when they finally got off the hellish prison of the hulk she might have earned more than her kindly phrased thanks. "Say, Princess Octavia, are your handmaidens ever off duty?"

Octavia sighed, It does make feel a bit hallow inside, like I am allowing the guilt and loss to build up inside me at times. The young royal shook her head to refocus herself. But I cannot let myself to overcome by that. It is important that I find a home for my people so they can finally be safe.

It was then that the blue skinned alien mentioned a nearby world. An inhabited world is nearby you say. She smilled. It would be a good place to the stop and get supplies. I would not want to impose on any peoples who are already on those world. But the opportunity to trade for supplies would be of great help. Especially once we get off this hulk. My ship is petty damaged so I think we do escape this hulk in will be in this ancient craft. Hopefully we can get it up and running.

However, Ania had save the best for the last. Uninhabited planets? That would be a great boon for the Trixians if they could find one that would support them. You must show me this data when we get off this hulk. It is will be of great help to my people and we will be forever grateful to you. Octavia nodded her appreciation to Ania. I’m afraid I could not adequately explain how much it means to me.

The alien female asked about allies, No its alright. I guess we had never developed allies in the same sense you would consider them. And for that we had no one to help us out when we needed it most. It was short sighted on my people’s part. I guess we did not realize how dangerous the galaxy could be…we were content in our little Hegemony. She nods her head. We cannot make that mistake again.

The woman then asked about the handmaidens. No unfortunately, they do not get much time off. I try to let them when we are onboard our own ships. But they feel it is their duty to protect me. Octavia sighed. If I had more handmaidens they would be able to take more time off duty.

"Your Highness is too kind. I merely wish to contribute to your noble cause." Ania offered up a good natured smile upon receiving praise from the royal beauty, her tail swishing back and forth excitedly. "Unless the Trixian system differs from mine we should have no problem transferring the coordinates of any viable planets for colonisation to your ship once we've taken a good look at my records."

Eternal gratitude gave the formidable huntress an idea, hesitating for a moment for voicing something of that magnitude may be taken the wrong way and she didn't wish to lose any favor she'd gained thus far. Azure eyes briefly dipped to the women who occupied themselves with fixing their ride home prior to returning to Octavia, eyeing the voluptuous beauty with an endearing smile. "I have a proposition to make regarding our trip once we've managed to get out of here."

"You might need some time to fully analyze the data and I was thinking that you'd prefer the comforts of an actual home for a day or two while getting everything else you need in your travels rather than spend more time aboard this vessel." She hoped that the promise of some much needed rest would hit home and from what she gathered the premises offered an abundance of entertainment, from nightclubs over threatres to wellness programs unlike far more sinister worlds she usually resided on.

"I own a place within one of the major cities down on the planet with beautiful seaside view of the emerald green ocean you'll find there, spacious enough to accommodate the four of us and while it isn't anything special for royalty, I'm assuming it beats spending the night on an ancient spaceship if you happen to be there longer than anticipated."

Ania lowered her voice then, assuming a more casual stance towards their presence without lacking any degree of formality though should the women by their side have managed to listen until now they wouldn't be able to pick up on the next part. "Besides, I'd be delighted to spend more time with you under less life threatening circumstances."

She paused briefly, speaking up normally once again. ".. and your handmaidens, of course. I wouldn't want to give them any ideas though it might be an ideal opportunity to give them some time off duty .. You could always consider accepting my offer as compensation for the data I'm offering."

One had to wonder how often either of them got to go out to have fun, least of all someone daring enough to approach the beautiful red head of all people which might score her some points here. "What do you say?"

Octavia’s blue skinned companion seemed to be quite happy with the comments from the Trixian’s praise. The young royal could see the alien’s tail swishing around back and forth like a pet show its pleasure. Well I suppose that we could run into some problems, but I am sure once we find common points of reference it would be able to translate from your system to Trixian royal standard.

For just a moment it seemed like Ania had lost her voice or was at least trying to figure out how to phrase something. The woman’s eyes seem to look over at the handmaidens before returning back to Octavia. It was only then that she explained that she would like to make a suggestion. Octavia nodded her head to give permission to the blue skinned companion.

Once we get this ship operational, it will probably just be temporary until we make back to civilization. It will have to undergo a bit of overhaul for it to be capable of reaching the Trixian fleet. I guess would it would make sense to spend a couple of days at your place. Besides you offer of a seaside place does sound wonderful. I am sure Enru and An would enjoy some time there as much as I would.

"You won't be disappointed, Your Highness. I feel honored in the knowledge that you'll grace my home with your presence." Ania smiled, pleased to know that ultimately they weren't going to escape her attempts of seduction. "I highly doubt you'll need your handmaidens all day long for protection either. Many species from surrounding systems spend their vacation there in the rather constant tropical climate of the planet which mainly thrives on tourism without any severe criminal activities as far as I'm aware."

"I doubt they would even recognize a Trixian, let alone their Princess as far away from home as you are." After all they weren't headed for Vanejin and while one of her employers resided on the planet, they weren't necessarily known for committing crimes on the surface itself but rather be ordered elsewhere from there.

For the remainder of the hour the alluring huntress detailed their stay on the world they'd be headed for upon their successful escape, depicting the local shipyard in case they needed repairs and nearby opportunities for trade of supplies. Naturally among them had been the plethora of recreational activities, through day and night they could choose how to spend their time although Ania refrained from suggesting the less noble establishments unless the Princess was feeling adventurous.

Engineering remained quiet for the majority of their stay, the occasional metallic clunks of something moving through the ventilation system urged her to delay the others every now and then which impeded their progress by not more than several minutes overall, but thankfully they remained undetected. Once the power had been restored most of the systems in the spacious chamber stirred to life with the single exception being the navigation system, but some minor adjustments in their repairs had taken care of the previously damaged wiring.

Ania wasn't in any rush to leave, but seeing the change in their surroundings she couldn't help but ask. "Are you finished? Can we use the sensors now?"

Thank you, Ania. I would look forward to see your home. I am sure it will be quite amazing especially after spending time on this hulk. The young princess sighed as she wanted to be anywhere else. I guess if we stay at your place I will not need them. However they will want to be by my side if I travel through the city. They feel it is their duty no matter what, and I have learned that is impossible to convince An otherwise. The brunette could be very stubborn when she wanted to be.

Well we Trixians are rare and could pass for other aliens such as humans if we needed to. So I am sure they would not notice a princess among them if I dress more appropriately to the situation. The young royal smiled. Of course that will require my handmaidens to go out and find some outfits for me once we arrive.

For the next hour or so the two women chatted with each other as the handmaidens worked on the sensors. The well-endowed Ania was more than will to explain the what all was on the world that she wanted to take the Trixians to. Wow, I guess that is definitely the planet to go to next. We will need to get some repairs and supplies before we return to the fleet. It sounds like it will be a great place to visit.

The only thing that it interrupted the handmaiden’s work and the others conversation, was the occasional sounds coming from the ventilation system. All work and conversation would stop for a few moments as they heard the noise move closer then seem to turn away and held elsewhere. Only after it went silent again did the foursome breathe a sigh of relief and slowly return to the tasks at hand.

“There that’s got it,” says the brunette handmaiden. “We have power and this system works, we should be able to view inside this hulk now.”

In accordance with the handheld device An retrieved earlier from the Chief Engineer's quarters they needed to gain access to the bridge in order to utilise their newfound scanning module, an aspect which the blue skinned huntress had been unaware of until the lovely handmaiden elaborated on the matter. "In that case I don't think we should stay here in Engineering. As far as I'm concerned none of these creatures are too bright when it comes to something other than killing and they probably won't attack the machinery itself once we're gone."

Ania had to insist that they headed to the bridge next to fully evaluate the circumstances at hand and find a solution to the energy field which was keeping them trapped on the hulk, or more importantly their spaceship which was their sole means of escape. The system worked, of course, but back in the more active days of the vessel most of the necessary consoles resided on the bridge for ease of testing of any experimental technology.

She would lend assistance to Enru should the blonde woman require any sort of help, probably better suited for the job than Octavia or An for the others needed all the strength they could muster for the remainder of their journey.

Naturally the buxom amazon warrior couldn't decipher their native language and had to follow them through the meanwhile dimly lit corridors back to the junction they'd passed earlier, an adjacent hallway leading to their destination before long.

In spite of activating most of the previously offline subsystems by restoring the majority of power to the mainframe, they weren't able to proceed past the sealed heavy steel doors in their path.

For the first time they spotted actual bones, however, not more than the remnants of a severed leg and of the five toes two were shattered completely whereas the thigh had cracked beneath an immense pressure, perhaps the wicked jaws of the predatory abominations aboard the vessel. More dried blood had been on the ground below, more specifically a trail leading into the bridge and it appeared as though something was dragged inside a long time ago, presumably the individual whose missing limb laid beside them.

Ania slowly released the female in her grasp and touched upon the metallic doorway, unable to discern anything specific though she paid the crimson substance little mind. "Must be sealed from the inside." Azure eyes scanned the premises, falling on a nearby access panel near the Princess, written in the Trixian tongue though all they needed to open them turned out to be a combination of numbers and letters, the code of which had been stored within the device in their possession.

The tablet that An had to really had to interact the bridge so that the scanning module could be used. “So far from what I seen, I would have to agree,” replied An. “If they did have that kind of intelligence they would have destroyed parts of the ship to keep the crew from trying to escape.” What the brunette had left unsaid, was that the creatures had so thoroughly overwhelmed the original crew that it did not matter. It was clear to the brunette the only reason the creatures destroying things was to get after people.

“We might be able to get the system to work here, but it would take quite a while and we would have to jury-rig it.” Says Enru. “The ships bridge is designed to interface with experimental technology and adapt to it. So if we can make it up there I would save us many hours and we would not have to worry about it not working.” The blonde handmaiden attempted to stand but groaned in pain as she attempted to move.

The buxom blue skinned woman moved over to assist the blonde handmaiden stand and walk. That enabled the shorter royal guard to keep an eye on the Princess and make sure she was safe as they made their way to the bridge.

With An taking the lead it as it meant that she could see the signs even though the corridors were still on emergency power. It meant that the corridors were dimly lit making it difficult to navigate ro the bridge.

The trio of women soon found themselves in front a pair of heavy steel doors that stood in their way. It was going to take more than restoring power to get inside.

An bumped something on the floor. The brunette jumped back in horror as she found the severed leg of a previous crewmember. It was all was left was bone, but the bone was looked like it had been heavily damaged by some sort of creature. All over the place was dried blood, which would be consistent of someone having their leg ripped off. Still it was horrible fine as it appeared that someone had been dragged behind the magnetic door. It looked it might have been the last thing that person ever did.

“I think I can get it open,” says An. “I have the number combination that will allow us access.” Almost instantly she began to put into the code into the access panel. “We need to be careful, we cannot be sure what it is in there. Everyone be ready.”

"Hold on." Ania suddenly chimed in and extracted the finely crafted firearm from the holster by her hips, holding the handle out to the beautiful Princess by their side. "You should hold onto it for a while, I'm doing fairly well without it." She nodded in approval of her proposal should anyone try to argue with her, they didn't have the luxury of time and while the handmaidens protected the charming royal they couldn't be safe enough. "It's silenced which should make things easier in the long run and in case we get split up I'd rather know that all three of you are armed."

Whether Octavia accepted the offer or not, the blue skinned female had been prepared to face whatever resided within these walls and allowed the brunette to unseal the heavy doors leading to the bridge, the heavy duo of steel slowly sliding apart.

Inside had been a long forgotten slaughterhouse. Blood smeared their newfound environment in shocking quantities, splattered across the walls and consoles within the chamber to the point where not even the massive front view window which offered up an incredible sight of the vastness of space was spared beneath the terrible onslaught. Merely the beautiful sigil of the Hegemony remained unsullied, the faint reminder of what once was graced by an unusual pride for the past.

Corpses and what remained of their uniforms were scattered around the bridge inbetween storage boxes they must've carried here upon realising the local threat, the flesh of those butchered decomposed ages ago and yet their general physical make up had been befitting of the Trixian race, leaving no doubt as to their affiliation with the Hegemony upon crashing on the nightmarish hulk.

Severed body parts littered the floor, presumably torn off the helpless victims who laid lifeless all over the premises, granting a deeper understanding of the most recent events behind closed doors none of them truly asked for.

In their midst, however, resided another monstrous abomination, the likes of which they'd only encountered once before in the corridors of the hulk itself, seemingly dormant until the single exit even the colossal juggernaut couldn't have destroyed had been reopened, undoubtedly having his fill long before the four intruders arrived on the scene.

The creature revealed his menacing jaws and filled their surroundings with an ear numbing roar, the rotten stench of decay emanating from its gaping maw as the subtle breeze of its breath flowed past them, filling the air with the repugnant aroma their fallen countrymen must've inhaled with their final breath before charging at them in blind anger, rushing at the three delicacies and their ally.

The trio of Trixians paused for a moment while their new companion reached for her holster. Ania pulled out a pistol that was seemed to make it of the finest of materials and crafted very eloquently made. She handed the gun to the pink haired royal. At first Octavia wanted no part of holding a weapon. Although the Princess was required to have some firearm training, she had done the absolute minimum to complete that training. Still with only Ania and An being ready for combat, it meant that Octavia would have to be able to protect herself and Enru.

As they prepared to enter the room, the brunette handmaiden quietly nodded in approval of her princess being armed. She then turned and made sure that everyone was prepared for anything before she began to unseal the heave doors.

Still there was nothing that would prepare the Trixians what awaited them. The entire the room was covered in the blood. There was smear marks over all the view screen as well as the walls and the consoles. All signs of some sort of failed last stand in the bridge by the crew, something that did not end well for anyone in the room. It was enough to cause Octavia to turn away not even allowing the injured Enru to look on.

Amongst the bodies were boxes and makeshift defenses that had failed to protect the bridge. All over the place was limbs and ripped clothes. Worse was the decomposed remains of those who had ripped apart where they stood. It seemed that defense was complete futile, not a good sign for the four current females on the ship.

As the An began to enter the room, something began to stir. At first the handmaiden could not tell where it was coming from, then she saw something moving in the center of the bridge. It rose as if waking from deep slumber.

The monster was huge and seemed to be bigger than the creatures they had fought in the corridors of the hulk earlier. It spun and let out a huge roar as it realized that there was more prey. At once it began to charge at the four women as it was more than happy to catch more tasty morsels. It took a while for An to realize the scream she her was her own.

Almost at once the brunette fired her pistol as she attempted to move back. It was all Octavia could do to back up as well as she dragged the injured Enru with her. The Princess hoped that An and Ania would be able to stop the creature. However the pink haired royal gripped the newly acquired pistol, ready to use it if the creature should somehow make past the other women.

Shocked by the sight and the abomination responsible for killing their fellow countrymen An screamed as the monster rushed forth and while the handmaiden opened fire Ania stepped forward to take the brunt of the onslaught, more or less guided by instinct at that point in time. Bullets punctured an eye of their assailant, one of eight in total though for some reason the beast didn't fall, presumably not having penetrated deeply enough to have any further effect given what they experienced back in the corridor.

Tentacles lashed out at the thing and punched straight through the natural protection these lifeforms possessed, almost signalling their swift victory although the impact hadn't gone through completely. Stronger, denser than the monster from before Ania found herself at the mercy of the creature as she stood more or less defenseless before him, struck as the hardened armor plating sealed her appendages inside.

Regrettably the female lacked weight and without puncturing the outer hull of that beast she was essentially tied to the creature which realized the opportunity and swiftly recoiled, heaving the huntress off the ground and with the momentum he carried successfully detached her many tendrils.

In the process Ania had been tossed around the bridge like featherweight and hurled down upon one of the consoles on the far side of the room, her backside exposed to the rough surface before connecting with a vicious crunch which swiftly filled the premises with an incredibly pained shout, the huntress rolling off and slumping to the ground with seemingly any ounce of life knocked out of her motionless form, tentacles squirming chaotically before falling limply to the floor. Whether fallen in the heat of battle or temporarily incapacitated, they were down to two capable women and while her pitiful outcry had been anything but reassuring, the threat persisted even now.

Rather than dealing with their defeated comrade the monstrous hunk of an atrocity in the flesh returned to the retreating assembly and plunged through the doorway with ease, the metal merely bending around portions of his frame where his stature had grown since the last time he came through, rushing at them without respite.

A chunk of naturally produced armor plating had been torn off in the doorway given the effort he placed beneath chasing them down as he howled in pain, his right side exposed all the way down to the veiny flesh of his physique which Octavia would have an easy shot at whereas An would find herself targetted next and massive arms graced by tremendous talons at their ends lashed out at the poor female.

An fired shot after shot at the creature that charged the women. Initially the shots were fired in a panic, but eventually her years of the handmaiden training began to take over. Almost instinctively she began to look for weak spots. At once she aimed for one of the eyes and hit the creature square in the eye. The shot should have at least stunned the monster, but it didn’t seem to have any effect as it bared down the blue alien that had joined the Trixians. In fact if anything that seemed to only make the creature angrier.

Ania took moved in front to engage the creature. Her tentacles lashed out at in attempt to the stop the creature, the tentacles struck home in all the right spots. However, the creatures thick hide proved impossible to penetrate. Worse it left the Trixian’s best fighter completely vulnerable to the creature as it closed in and worse her tentacles were now at least temporary stuck to the hideous beast.

In horror, the Trixians watched as the blue skinned ally is lifted off the ground by the sheer force of the creature and tossed liked a ragdoll. Her body when flying across the room and she hit the ground with a terrible roll. Her body soon slammed into the consoles with a loud crunch sound. The blue skinned warriors body suddenly when limp only the tentacles showing any sign of life as they squirmed in random directions. The creature now turned its attention the two remaining Trixians that could stand on their own. It seemed more intent on removing any threats than trying to make a meal out of an already crippled enemy.

It first when after the greatest threat, the brunette Trixian that had managed to take out one of the creatures eyes. It immediately dove through the doorway, though it had grown to be big to fit through the door. However with a horrible noise the doorway gave way as the creature pushed its way through to attempt to dive at An.

Octavia was off to side, so saw that the part of the creature’s harden shell had been pulled free as the creature tore its way through the doorway. The Trixian royal did not want to do it, but it was a choice between the monster and her loyal handmaiden. She drew the pistol that Ania had given her and pulled the trigger. She hoped she hit the big hole in the armor and the very least severely injure the creature.