First, thank you for your patience while I got my writing groove back. This might have come a bit earlier, but I had to rewrite a large section that I was very much unsatisfied with.

This version of Chapter 4 may have some editing issues, so please bear with me. More is being written, and I have plans beyond the Coronti episode, so keep an eye open for what is to come.

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System: Amizarr BN+117 48

Orbit: Extreme outer orbit around binary system

Dane Morlund, Aboard Sunspear.

Date: 12-14-5798 GS, 08:20 hours.

The calculations flashed red for the seventh time and Dane sighed, leaning back in the pilot's seat. This was the hard part. He had to calculate a short jump that brought him within the outermost effects of the system's gravity, but not so deep in the planetary system that his wake would be detected by the navigational relays the Empire had spread around the Coront system. Convincing the ships computer that he did not want to approach the star system on the far side of his trajectory had been his first major hurdle, even after repositioning the Sunspear at the nadir of Amizarr, the nav-comp was still recognizing the fact that Coront was basically between Amizarr and Tynom, and that would land him right in the back yard of the Baroness that was blockading the Coronti, tipping them off to his presence and solidly fucking up his plan.

A thought occurred to Dane and he leaned forward, adjusting the calculations and entering a command string to bring the FTL drive to relative stop short of the beacon, and at an oblique angle so that the gravitational wake would mostly pass beyond the outer relay's sensor range. Thirty minutes of trajectory calculations, adjustments for gravity effects of the stars along the path and adding in any leeway that the comp required for un plotted navigational hazards and Dane leaned back into the chair eyeing the results.

"Don't be a bitch." he muttered, and hit the command to process the plot for errors. Two minutes later, it flashed green with a five hour window for departure.

"Good girl." He complimented the ship, and pushed himself up out of the pilots chair to get an hour of working out, a meal and a shower before he had to get dressed in his ship suit. As he worked his body to force himself awake and get his body warmed up, he pushed away thoughts of calculations and any of the hundred unexpected ways he could meet a bad end. Instead, he recalled the conversation that he and Turien had hashed out before he had sent the confirmation to the scrambled channel provided by the Baroness.

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"Are you sure that you want to take the assignment, Dane?" Turien asked him one more time as she lay half over him, under the soft sheets of his bed. After their first time enjoying one another in the holographic projections of the pool cabin, Turien had spent the night, and then placed a request to have the following night off from duties so that she could apprise Minera of the situation in person. Evidently it had gone as well as Turien had assured him it would, and that was more of a relief than Dane had expected. What he really didn't expect was that she would show up within an hour of the talk with Min, demanding another night with him. She had played it off with comments about the stiffness of the officers bunks, and the terrible food, but he could sense a kind of urgency in her movements and unconditional need for him to cum inside of her.

"I can delay the assignment for a couple of days, 'ri. But your mother wants this person back here as soon as possible." Dane watched Turien's face as she struggled not to ask for the delay, simply shaking her head.

"Fine, but.." she hesitated, and Dane could almost hear her thoughts, trying to frame her request in a way that wouldn't have him running off into the stars never to be seen again.

"I will be able to afford to stay for a while if I can get this done the way I plan to." Dane offered. Turien tilted her head up, looking at him nearly sideways, then she spun, righting herself and crawling up over him with her hands on either side of his head. Her short blonde bangs swaying as she settled her hips on his, pressing her moist vulva against his half hard cock and rocking her hips a little as she leaned down and spoke softly.

"I want to be pregnant, Dane Morlund. I want you to give me a child."..

The request had not been entirely a surprise. But the fervency that she showed in physically showing him she wasn't just talking, had been enough to inspire his ardent response. Dane had made certain that she was fed well, bathed and absolutely fucked to her satisfaction for the rest of the night. Then he allowed her to sleep, and woke her with one more session, waking her and taking her from behind while she howled and clawed at his sheets and he filled her with so many pumps of his cum that he was amazed he was not a dry husk.

Turien, to her credit, had not called in to her C.O. in an attempt to use her special assignment privilege to get out of her duties the next day. But as she walked down the gangway, he wouldn't bet against her wishing she had by the halfway mark of her shift. He believed that she had quite a bit to think about, and if she was still serious, she had some arrangements to make for the time he was on station again when he returned.

Dane too had some serious thinking to do. She had stated that by Aracien law, the child belonged to the mother unless the pair were bonded. Even then, Akharim Imperial law and society leaned heavily in favor of the mother when it came to the education and upbringing of any child. It was cultural, so Dane knew that Turien would make her stand there. She was also well established and had a career with stability, which was something that Dane wasn't situated to provide for a child. Then again, maybe her being the adopted daughter of an Imperial Baroness would have its benefits in regards stability and education opportunities.

Ah, yes. The Imperial Baroness. Dane was certain that the discussion with her would be an entirely different bucket of worms. But that would be some time after he managed to complete the assignment.

As Dane sipped his coffee from a pod-mug and gave his hair one more shake to get the damp out of it, he wondered just what the Baroness would think of Turien's choice of mate. He chuckled and settled himself into the pilot's seat, clipping his mug into the retainer designed to hold it even in rough conditions and swung himself around as he clipped into the chair and brought up the trajectory calculations one more time. He looked over his supplies. Water, food and emergency medical close to hand. Auxiliary power cells charged and ready. Fuel at %90, and power nominal. Weapons were stowed and locked, but otherwise reporting green. Shields one hundred percent and on automatic response setting, Everything was set, so he took hold of the stick and throttle, clipped his feet into the rudder controls and flipped everything over to manual. Then he reached over his head and brought the helmet down to settle snugly in place.

"Here we go." he thought to himself and flicked controls to manual, bringing the holographic lane-lines up on the inside visor of his helmet. It had taken Dane several jumps to get used to seeing them there and projected in three dimensions around the pilot's seat when the helmet was off, but he had gotten used to it and after the initial buzz of excitement, it had become almost second nature to him to know just how far he needed to turn his head to bring up any desired display, flick between panels and execute commands while still having an eye on what was ahead of him. In his estimation, it was everything that the VR of his time had ever dreamed of being.

Dane pushed the throttle up and felt the engines thrum through the hull. There may be no sound in space, but that thrum told him all he needed to know about the level of power he was putting out through the four main engines. Enough to move a New York condo into orbit, and he had just barely begun to tap into what the Sunspear had available. Slowly he pushed it further as he pulled back and realigned his ship toward the distant star in the reticle. As the relative speed reading climbed, Dane waited for the HyperLight Drive synch with the FTL, the moment it did, the count down began and he pushed the throttle the last bit to bring his ship up to the necessary speed to engage the drive.

"Nine"

Dane checked the readings, all green.

"Eight"

He looked over at the fuel gage, lots of spare fuel even after this jump..

"Seven"

He wondered what Turien was doing at that moment, and briefly remembered the taste of her skin..

"Six"

One last check on the weapons and shields, both showing green.

"Five"

"Four"

"Three"

The synthesized voice droned out the last two marks, and then the view was all multi-colored streaks and slow moving clouds of backlit gasses as the ship ceased any noticeable vibration and simply hummed.

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System: Atavrand Sector 9483, Coront.

Orbit: Extreme outer orbit outside of Oort debris cloud. +37 degrees Apex.

Dane Morlund, Aboard Sunspear.

Date: 12-14-5798 GS, 14:05 hours.

Dropping out of Hyper-light was an experience that I really never wanted to get over. The light in the bridge, and all over the ship flashed orange ten times, then went solid orange as the streaks of multicolored light from the distant suns shrank into uncountable specks of light in clumps and drifts as seen through the canopy and in the holographic representation in front of me. Even the nearest of them, Coront was only a pale yellow dot, low on the Port side through the cockpit canopy.

I gently pulled back on the throttle, reducing the forward momentum. The Sunspear's computerized flight assist interpreted that it needed to apply additional braking thrust and the ship slowed even further, my body pressing against the straps attached to my body-suit. This was one of those semi-intelligent features of the Sunspear that most of the conventional ships I had trained to fly didn't have. Base level navigation and piloting AI could be a benefit and a hindrance. But with the Sunspear, it had only taken four jumps for the computer to make the adjustments it needed to interpret my needs without additional input from me. Now it only anticipated what I wanted and made the adjustments needed for the end result.

As it was, I noted the change in the lights, from orange to a soft blue-white, while I gave the rudder more port yaw and roll, banking until I had the Sunspear angled in-system and braked more for the passage over the debris field that was almost inherently present with every star that had formed a planetary system. The inertial wake that I had brought in acted like a sonar ping, and my passive sensors picked up where the debris field began. I braked again just before climbing up over the edge of the circular arch surrounding the system and leveled out, aiming the Sunspear just over the top of the star.

I could have simply pushed the throttle to full, but the inertial wake would have set off the alarms of the sensors that were very likely right beneath me. So it was time to cut the engines, dim the ship ID transmitter, set the sensors to full passive, minimize the shield output and set the hull plates for 'cold'-silent running and wait things out in a slow drift sunward. The plan was to drift in-system and into the fourth planetary rotation as quiet as a stone. Just another drifting chunk of flotsam passing through and nabbed by the gravity of Coront. With that, I detached myself from the pilot's seat and retrieved my coffee pod. Time to review the information that would get me past the Coronti patrols.

Coront as a planet was largely covered in water. The seas separating the small continents were shallow, reflecting a light blue to green in the sunlight. What land masses there were, were covered in lakes, swamps and rivers. What wasn't swamp land, was very rich earth that supported agriculture and, most importantly, enormous stretches of forest. The trees of Coront were gigantic, boles that spanned hundreds of feet in diameter and supported great arching branches that interconnected, forming an arboreal highway for both the sentient Coronti, and the multitude of arboreal wildlife. Coront's primary export was of course the lumber from those trees, backed by their production of sea food and grain.

Among the documents I had been given, I found a very basic primer on Coronti as a species. Males and females were easy to differentiate by size and coloration. The third sex was a little more difficult, as it depended heavily on whom they were mated to, or if they were with a bonded male, female pairing. Males tended to be the largest, with darker skin and hair, the females the smallest with lighter colored skin and a variation of hues in both eyes and hair. The Ihln, as they called the third sex, had mixtures of both, light and dark skin with multi-hued eyes and hair. This was also the first time I would be encountering a quadrupedal race. Four arms and four legs. The three fingers and two thumbs configuration of the Coronti hands and feet made their aptitude for sailing easy to understand. I thought of the various sailing ships I had seen, both at harbors on Earth and in movies and knew that any Eighteenth century captain would have killed for a crew who could swarm over the rigging like literal spiders. Then again, the absolute alienness of the Coronti would have destroyed that idea instantly.

Those hands were, according to the report, extremely dextrous as well, and it was no surprise that they had managed to engineer themselves into space with extremely clever technology, according to the surveyor team and the following Imperial contact and assessment teams and xeno-anthropologists. Omnivorous, fishers, farmers and herders, the Coronti had a similar physiology and biology to humans and Araciens. With the exception of a few biochemical differences, the Coronti were essentially mammalian. The biggest problem with the information was that it was all text, and it was vague. It was extremely short of description and came across to him like some of those badly translated descriptions of an elephant to a medieval monk that had inspired drawings of fantastical creatures that had never existed on earth.

With a sigh of disappointment, I dumped all of this into Sunspear's library and medical database, including the genetic and biochemical profiles. If I was going to have a Coronti aboard my ship, I didn't want them to die because they ate bad fish.

What I did not find in the reports, left me a bit wary. The Imperial teams had obviously understated significant parts of the Coronti culture, most important to me was how they made first introductions. The protocol guide was vague, often repeating the need to be assertive but not openly combative, which left a lot of room to make mistakes. Luckily, I had some official documentation regarding my diplomatic status as a courier.. If only for this one mission.

That data crystal was the risky part. If I were boarded by an Imperial ship, I would have to make damn sure it was never found outside of the Baroness domain. It was also my ticket past Coronti's own security picket. With the regional Baroness' security cordon blockading the system beacon, the Coronti were free to travel within their own system and conduct their business as usual. The only ships that the blockade would move out of their patrol zone to intercept were those traveling in or out of the star system. That meant that any ship leaving Coront without their leave would have to do so well beyond the outer planetary orbit, or risk being tracked by their wake and be pursued under automatic suspicion of piracy and smuggling.

In this, the Sunspear was perfectly suited. Between the ship's ability to essentially vanish from sensors until I kicked in the Hyperlight drive, and the vast gulf of the Sunspear's maneuverability versus the patrol frigates, she was the perfect smuggler ship and blockade runner.

I contemplated those options as I enjoyed a steak, baked potato and steamed vegetables, and sipped at a nice red wine. All while drifting toward Coront with the patrol frigates none the wiser. Occasionally I would glance up, watching a display panel for any intercepted transmissions from the outer planetary sensor relay, but as yet, nothing out of the ordinary popped up. I cleaned up, and returned to my quarters for a shower and a bit of sleep, setting the alarm for five hours. That would put me almost within range of the first Coronti patrol route. It would also put me outside of the Imperial sensor zone and within hailing distance of Coronti CentCom communications. Which meant I could effectively drop the cloak and rev up the Sunspears engines with impunity.

If I managed to slip by all of the patrols without being detected...

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System: Cariathme ND+205 48

Orbit: Cariathme 3, Bandarr's Gateway Station, Imperial outpost.

Dane Morlund, Baronial Private sector, Volant residence.

Date: 12-02-5798 GS, 10:30 hours.

"If you manage to slip past Baroness Aroghal's fleet..a feat that I do not believe that you will manage, but if you do, you will need to transmit these codes to the Central Command communications center. They will give you the coordinates to land and pick up your passenger." Baroness Volant stated, as I rolled the data crystals in my palm.

"And the Coronti patrols?" I asked her, sensing much being left unspoken. The white haired Baroness gave a dismissive shrug, turning her face away from me.

"Avoid them." she said with an air of unconcern. One that had my hackles raised a little, but for the fee of nearly four million GalBank credits, I wasn't going to press the issue. I figured that the Sunspear would be able to handle anything, and if not, then I could always recloak and dive into the atmosphere to lose pursuit.

"The set up will take some time." I said. But evidently the Baroness was done talking about the matter.

"Send an encrypted message to the contact I gave you, Commander. If that will be all, I have other matters to attend to." She said and lifted herself out of the plush, high backed chair and turned to depart.

"One other thing, Commander." she said, turning at the door to face me. "If you encounter any difficulties.. Handle them in a way that does not involve me." she said.. and then left, closing the door behind her.

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System: Atavrand Sector 9483, Coront.

Orbit: Inner orbit, nearing Coront Prime.

Dane Morlund, Aboard Sunspear.

Date: 12-20-5798 GS, 21:17 hours. / 05:40 Coronti central time.

The sunspear's systems warmed up again as I started picking up CentCom communications traffic, I had been instructed to wait until I was at a certain distance to announce myself, otherwise residual signals could be picked up by anyone focusing on CentCom traffic. That would include the embassy and the contingent of spies among the Baroness' more diplomatic inclined personnel. So, I waited for a lull in traffic, as my ship closed in at less than one quarter light, giving Coront plenty of time to pick up my presence. Then, I tight beamed my message, sending the encrypted codes in a packet along with my hail.

"Coront CentCom, this is Sunspear, approaching at vector 115 by 28."

There was a brief pause and then the response came in.

"Sunspear, CentCom. You are not a scheduled arrival, state your purpose." two beats passed and then I was hailed on another frequency.

"This is CentCom, your message has been received. Confirm coordinates for landing." it said, and my screen lit up with longitude and latitude, down to the meter. I locked in those coordinates and flicked my eyes to the respond tab.

"Coordinates received. CentCom."

"Acknowledged, Sunspear. CentCom out."

"Maybe this will be an easy run after all." I said to myself.

Murphy must have been listening too.

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I kept a watch on my Navigation and Proximity sensor even though I was only minutes from entering Coront atmosphere. So when a fast attack ship marked as a private Coronti picket ship erupted the sphere of my sensors, with an aggressive heading, I wasn't entirely surprised. Their tone when they hailed me was another matter.

"Unidentified craft, you have entered Coronti sovereign space." The voice came across the transmitter sounding authoritative and practiced. Being where I was, and not where I was supposed to be, was only part of the issue. The fact that I wasn't broadcasting my ship's ID, yeah.. That was something else entirely. So when the voice of authority continued, it wasn't much of a surprise.

"Bring your ship to a relative stop, shut down your systems and prepare to be boarded!" This brought a smile to my face as I keyed open the tight beam transmitter.

"Coronti patrol, This ship is on a diplomatic errand. Your commanding officer may come aboard, but only your commanding officer." I tabbed off the mic and waited for a minute as they digested and consulted.

"Unidentified ship, surrender and prepare to be boarded." the voice announced, sounding like they were not in any mood for backtalk or diplomacy.

"Oh, Fuck that." I said, bringing my ship fully online and warmed up shields and weapons with a flick of my eyes. The sensors inside my helmet interpreted what I wanted and my shields sprang up, scintillating as dust particles were either vaporized or shunted away from the hull of my ship. I rolled the Sunspear around and pushed the throttle forward, reversing momentum and slewing around because of the gravity of Coront itself.

The moment I saw the other ship shift their trajectory I rolled again, this time bringing them in line with my keel and presenting my dorsal shield to them. They obliged by sending off an initial volley of pulse cannon fire, lighting up my shield but dropping it only a few percent points, which the capacitors instantly replenished as I hit the boost, aiming to pass them on their port side. I felt myself press into the pilot's seat, my hands gripping the controls and the throttle as my ship rapidly closed the distance, then cut the boost and the flight assist, using maneuvering thrusters to keep their ship in my reticle.

The oncoming ship was shaped like a short, fat arrow. The control center sat in the middle of the wedge shaped prow of the ship and four nacelles housing the engines surrounded the oval body. The entirety of it looked like a recovered and reconditioned salvage. The outer hull and armor plates were painted in several colors, and still had a variety of markings left behind from whatever they had been scavenged from. Even if the ship was less than half the length and a quarter of the mass of the Sunspear, I had to take it seriously. They obviously meant business.

I flicked my right thumb twice, shifting my weapons to pulse cannons and sprayed the length of their ship as I drew back on the stick, keeping them in the line of my forward weapons as my ship rotated end for end while passing them. Their shields flickered, almost dropping but then reformed as I completed my rotation, but now I was in line to tail them.

I felt my face drawing back in a manic grin and hit both the flight assist and the booster, watching the boost capacitor slowly drop as my momentum waned, and then began pushing into the positive again.

"Old tricks, but they work for a reason." I barked and followed it with a laugh as I started catching up on my attacker.

I had to hand it to the pilot, they gave it their best, but even while they banked, rolled and climbed at nearly random angles, I kept on them, sending triple bursts from my pulse cannons at every opportunity. On the fifth volley, I watched their shield finally drop, flicker and then fail completely and I pushed the throttle hard to overtake them.

I flicked my thumb one more time, glanced at the weapons selection to confirm and targeted the vents on their starboard side, pulling the trigger in a short burst from the autocannon, fifty rounds of high explosive ordinance crossing the distance in an eighth of a second. Then I switched to the other starboard engine vent and did it again.

The upper starboard engine's vent disappeared in a cloud of shrapnel along with a sizable chunk of the nacelle, the engine sputtered out and went cold, as the second burst of rounds impacted with the lower starboard side nacelle. The effect was a bit less than I had wanted, because the pilot had kept the throttle pushed to the limit, and rolled, slewing the ship just far enough out of the trajectory of my attack that most of the HE rounds missed. But enough of them passed through the old ship's engine that it must have hit something critical. The engine went dead and the ship began to slew to starboard with a bit of an incline that could turn into a nasty spiral if the pilot didn't shut them down soon.

I pulled back on the throttle, the flight assist interpreting correctly that I wanted to come to a stop. As I watched the port side engines guttered and then went dark, but the ship was still in a slow spin, and worse its momentum was taking it back toward the planet. Pirates, at least in most systems, carried some kind of bounty as long as they had some kind of notoriety for their misdeeds, so I reached over to the sensor panel and swept the ship for identifiers. One second. Two seconds.. The panel filled with basic data,

Kinetka patrol corvette: N50211

Recommissioned by private entity: Takhil-Savrit.

Registered commander: Jossivinda Takhan, Horonvit.

Crew Cap: 5

Cargo Cap: 12 tonnes.

"Shit. Not just some antique, but a patch job at that." I swore, still watching the corvette begin its slow tumble. I was on the verge of pulling up and continuing on my way, and leaving the ship and it's crew to their fate, but I thought about the expense of replenishing my ammunition, and the time that I had just wasted being attacked by pirates well within the patrol routes of Coront. Instead, I opened a tight beam to the corvette's com and hailed them.

"Unidentified corvette, this is the Independent Contract Ship Sunspear, Shut down your reactor and prepare to abandon ship." It wasn't like I expected anything from them, a long slew of hate and empty promises of vengeance from some pirate band or another. Instead I got silence.

"Unidentified corvette. Your starboard engines are disabled, shut down your reactor and surrender." I pushed the throttle forward just a bit. I was either going to close the distance, or perform a strafe run with a full burst from the autocannons and finish the job. More seconds ticked by, and then a voice broke the silence.

"ICS Sunspear. This is Takhil Fang, Jossivinda Takhan commanding, I..We surrender." I let out a breath that I hadn't known I was holding, and throttled up.

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As soon as I saw the automated docking span reaching out for the damaged ship I set everything on standby with instructions to the flight assist to slow the spin and bring the ship to a relative stop, and slid out of the pilot's chair. As I crossed the bridge to the central passageway, taking the shortcut down to the cargo deck I snorted at the thought that crossed my mind. I had not used the brig cells yet, though I had planned on using them for storage, and to be honest, I would have preferred that to the current usage I would be putting them to, but I would be damned if I was going to risk placing them in the crew cabin I had prepared for the envoy.

As I neared the port airlock, I took a quick detour and popped open an armor locker containing my armor and a set of weapons. I stepped in backward, making sure that my heels were firmly placed in the boot and leaned into the cavity containing my armor and kept my head up while the armor closed around me, thighs, calves and boot sabatons all clicked into place while the breast plate the flexible torso armor swung around under my arms and latched. The spaulders and upper arms enclosed, loosely attached to the breast plate and the gauntlets and bazubands slid up over my hands, gently compressing until they were fitted.

I felt a light thump of impact on the ship that indicated they had made a final lock, and pushed out of the locker, settling my helmet on my head and crossed the final distance while I watched the HUD light up with diagnostics running in my peripheral vision. I kept walking as I clipped a nerve disruptor holster to my right thigh and drew it to double check the charge. Satisfied, I slit it back in and sealed the hatches behind me as I neared the last passageway segment on the cargo deck that housed the Port side airlock, and walked through the small anteroom to the heavy reinforced hatch. The only passage I had left open lay behind me, and led to the cavernously empty cargo bay, and the brig.

Then I waited, watching the interior monitors and exterior views for anything suspicious. So far though, the Coronti seemed to have had enough and weren't seeking any last ditch reprisal but I drew my side arm anyway. The lock indicated a balance had been reached between their ship's environment and mine, and I keyed both ends, while also priming the emergency shields. I was keeping my disruptor pistol tight to my side and braced with my left hand on the butt of the grip just in case.

The Coronti party entered the lock from their end of the connection wearing a bit less armor than I had anticipated. Their bodies were covered in environmental suits and helmets, with what I assumed were thin ceramic plating covering their arms, legs and segmented body plates. Two of them moved slowly down the connector toward me while a third shorter one walked slowly behind them, then two more emerged from the damaged ship, one assisting the other who was obviously injured.

"Far enough!" I barked out. Surprisingly, that was enough to bring them all to a halt. I watched them for a moment, taking in the variety of sizes, the ones in the lead were the largest, probably males and the ones in the back were likely females due to their smaller size and slimmer build.

"Commander Jossivinda Takhan, stand forward." I said in a normal volume. The speaker below the jaw of my helmet transmitted the sound of my voice, but the ship's speakers in the transit tube also broadcast my voice within the tube itself.

Watching them all carefully, I still noticed how they moved. Their legs all ended in oddly shaped conical boots that were split into three parts, rather than the splay-fingered gloves that the description in the data crystal had conveyed. Then I realized that they were walking on their foot-knuckles, and the 'toes' were being held tucked into a kind of fist.

The two larger ones in front stepped aside, making way for the medium sized one between the two sets.

This was, evidently Jossivinda, and as they stopped, they reached up with their primary hands pulling at catches and lifting the helmet from their head, and I set eyes on the first Coronti that I would ever meet. The Ihln officer had light, sandy brown hair with thin streaks of darker brown through it in stripes from crown to nape. Their hair was cut short and fell around their mobile, deerlike ears, with their neck bared by an undercut and two long bangs that framed their face like parentheses. They had angular features that were slightly elongated but otherwise nearly human, and bore an expression of frustrated resignation.

Their eyes were colored like ice, all blues and greens that stood out from their pale skin as they glared their indignant anger at me from under high sand blond eyebrows that angled upward. They paused, their helmet halfway to their abdomen, then glanced over their shoulder at their crewmates, then crouched and set their helmet on the deck, their legs bending into a kind of squatting position.

Their crewmates jerked as their officer settled to the ground and seemed to consider doing something for a moment, then seemed to slump as they looked at their commander, then at the shields holding them hostage and back at me.

"I am commander Jossivida, of the Takhan clan." They announced, introducing themself

"I.. have erred in my ambition. I submit myself to you for judgement and disposal in accordance with Imperial law." They finished by bowing their head. The Coronti Ihln said all of this in a formal, almost ritualistic way, and I had a strong suspicion that it had meaning.

For a moment, the rest of the Coronti were still, then one of the larger ones, males I assumed, turned his head toward the other, but that one was already reaching up to pull at the catches of his helmet as well. The rest of them began doing the same, with the injured one needing some assistance from the one helping. Then they too lowered themselves in a squatting position, tucking their hind legs under them while their forelegs curled at their flanks.

Two young males, by their thin, scraggly beards and short cut dark hair. One wore his hair in a buzzed mohawk of sorts, leaving both ears visible, while the other had buzzed the majority of his hair to leave only a forelock. Then there were the two young females, they both had much lighter colored hair, though one had shaved the right side of her head and wore the rest of her shoulder length sandy blond hair in tight braids. The other wore her hair in a long asymmetrical cut that followed the line of her jaw. Both of them had light green eyes and other than the way the two females wore their hair, there was very little to tell the difference between the two as if they were twins. In fact, all of them had similar features, with Jossivinda being the exception considering that her features were slightly more angular and sharper than the others.

I took a breath, considering my options and then nodded.

"Commander Jossivinda of Takhan, I accept your surrender, and that of your crew. So long as you obey the orders I give you, without resistance or objection, and so long as you and your crew do not seek to vandalize my ship or attack me, you will remain captives until I decide what is to be done with you." I stated.

I had, according to the Imperial laws regarding pirate captives, quite a bit of leeway. I could do almost anything with them that I saw fit, up to and including spacing them for any infraction. I just hoped that they understood this. By their dour expressions and drooping ears, they most certainly did.

"As I commanded my crew, I speak for them." Jossivinda said, "I agree to your terms, Commander."

I nodded.

"Good. Here is what is going to happen. I am not going to take the chance that any of you are carrying small weapons or tools that could be used for sabotage. You are going to strip, and one by one I will take you to the brig. While the rest of you wait, there will be a force shield in place on both ends of the docking tube. I will be listening," I said reaching up and tapping the side of my helmet with my free hand. "And I will be watching." I tapped the face plate above my left eye where a camera feed was showing the docking tube and its occupants.

"If any of you start discussing violation of our agreement, I will blow the tube, and you will have a very brief excursion in vacuum to regret your choices. Am I understood?" Their expressions all showed very clearly that they did, so I nodded at Jossivinda.

"Come forward and remove your suit." I said and started stepping backward toward the airlock inner hatch. Jossivindha picked up their helmet and flowing smoothly upright and followed me with their helmet in their primary hands, their secondary hands they kept open and at their sides. I reached my left hand out to a control panel and armed the forcefield on the docking tube, sealing their crew in until I could fetch them. In the meantime, the Coronti commander had chosen an open spot on the floor of the airlock and began stripping out of their environmental suit.

Jossivindha had lightly tanned skin the same color of most mid European women, with sand colored hair and eyebrows that arched up. The suit itself was worn like some of the cold-water dive suits I had used on Earth in my younger years. Other than the seal around the neck, where it attached to the helmet, it unzipped down the back of their torso and all the way to the rearmost hips of her trunk? thorax? barrel? I wasn't at all sure what they called it.

It struck me, as they peeled himself out of their suit that they vaguely resembled a creature from old Greek mythology with their upright human-like torso and the rear half of a deer. Not a Centaur, but a Hind without the pelt, only a smooth human-like skin where they didn't have hair. They were several inches shorter than I was when in a relaxed stance, but if they stretched to the very ends of their toes they might have been as tall as myself. I imagined the males would certainly be.

For a moment, as they pulled the suit from their upper body, I thought that I might have mistaken their gender. Full, firm breasts that came to a pink nippled peak, swayed and jiggled intriguingly from their chest, below that, their belly was flat and firm and I could see the definition of her toned muscles. Then I blinked, because I thought it must have been the angle of my view. The gap between their thighs was completely smooth, without any kind of genitalia of any kind. And then I realized that they were watching me as I was looking them over, and I glanced away in embarrassment. I cleared my throat, and then stepped to one side, gesturing for them to precede me down the corridor toward the hold.

"That way." I said and watched as they passed me. They glided past me with a smooth, semi-rolling gait as their forelimbs and hind limbs alternated steps. It was almost an uncanny valley moment in that the swaying movement of their lead hips as they walked so closely resembled that of a human woman's hips, but then the second set was in counter time and again I was strangely fascinated to the point that I was looking directly at their rear almost the entire way to the brig.

That is when I noticed their sex organs were at the rearmost, which made a great deal more sense when I thought about it. Set between two firm round buttocks was a patch of light downy hair that never quite managed to cover their slit, and did nothing to cover the pink pucker of their anus. But below that was what I could only describe to myself as an extremely large clitoris, that could have been mistaken as a very small penis.

Being honest with myself, I had never been all that much of a xenophile when I was young. I had plenty of encounters with women who were into strange and experimental kinks, even one who had a kink for tentacles and had nervously showed me her collection of toys. I had, of course, delightedly tied her up, blindfolded her and used them on her much to her enjoyment. And she had been very appreciative of my participation. An appreciation that she made very clear for the rest of the weekend as we tried many variations of her toys and myself. But to be checking out an alien who was near enough a Hind...

It had me re evaluating myself on a different level. Maybe it was just the fact that I was exposed to a non-human species that was very blatantly not human, but just similar enough to be acceptable. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. There would be time enough to evaluate my thinking and my reactions to xenomorphic varieties later.

As we neared the branch of the cargo level corridor, I called out for Jossivindha to halt, then I moved up and triggered the hatch to the brig, stepping back again as it slid to one side and revealed four cells. I waved them in and waited for them to reach the first cell.

"This one." I said, pointing at the cell on the right. The Ihln turned to glance at me, opening their mouth as though wanting to say something, then complied, though I caught the expression on their face as they passed the line where the cell hatch would slide down. If Coronti expressions were anything like human facial expressions, it was a mess of worry, fear and regret.

"Good." I thought to myself, "They brought this on themself when they made the choice to use piracy as their career." Then I stepped close to the control panel and raised my hand to close the hatch, just as they spoke over their shoulder.

"Commander.."

I paused, waiting, glancing up at the small projected window in the periphery of my left eye. None of them had moved, and none had made a sound other than the small groans coming from the injured female.

"What is it?" I asked.

They paused a little longer, choosing their words, then slowly turned around to face me in the cramped cell.

"I... I know that I don't have any leverage. I don't have any right to ask what I am about to." They paused hesitating and looking determined, but unsure.

"If.. If you would contact Takhan and ask for Verionshi Taisikha.." they took another breath and hurried through. "Please consider negotiating the sale of us to her. I am sure.. I am sure you will be offered a fair price for us." They finished, and seemed a little deflated.

I stared at them for a long moment without answering, and then triggered the hatch, stepping back as it closed. I had one more view of Jossivindha through the small portal before I turned to deal with the rest of the crew. The tears on their cheeks revealed their despondency and it pinned a thought into my head that this commander and her crew might not be what they seemed.

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One by one, I led the males into the cells of the brig. It only took a brief glance to confirm that they were indeed males, but I was more concerned with watching the backs of their heads and torsos than their haunches and dangling genitals. However, as much as I was on guard against any sudden change of mind regarding their behavior, they were silent and compliant throughout. I think that this compliance must have been the factor that changed my mind about placing the two females in the last cell. Instead, when I returned to the airlock to find them standing naked, side by side, I directed them down the forward corridor to the lift, joining them in the close quarters and pressing the button to take us to the crew level. I watched their faces, as their concern over the obvious change of plans and decided to give them a small reassurance.

"Quarters have been readied for a Coronti passenger. You will both stay in them until I can decide what to do with you." I told the one who was not injured. "You will be better suited to take care of her than I, and the bed will be a better place for her to recover and heal."

I think I figured out what a Coronti equivalent to a smile was at that moment, as both sets of hairless, deer-like ears lifted and their eyes got big, then they looked at each other and flicked their ears up and down before turning to me and dipping their bodies in unison.

"Thank you, commander." they both said.

"I will need to have the medical scanner look you over first. I don't want you to die of some unknown internal injury while you sleep." I said as the lift stopped and the hatch opened, allowing us to spill out into the crew level. I had them step out first and directed them to follow the lateral passage leading to the crew galley and medical bay. Walking behind them, I let my eyes slide downward to their admittedly attractive rumps, they were well muscled, but with a pleasant jiggle and I also had to admit the sight of their swaying hips was becoming more intriguing than disturbing, particularly as their pussies were very visible.

It was as though a human woman were bent over and walking in that position the whole time, so that their pubic mounds, and lightly haired lips were clearly in my view. Once again I had to shake my head and clear my thoughts as I directed them to the med bay.

Their ears flicked up and down again as the two of them looked around, taking in the sight of clean lines, smooth panels and glossy black screens. There were no exposed conduits, plumbing or ventilation pipes. No bundles of wire or data cables. It must have been quite the contrast to every ship they had seen or been inside of up to this point. Their ears showed their focus on whatever they were looking at, and seemed to stay higher than when I had first seen them in the docking tube.

It occurred to me that Coronti expressions were partly in their ear position and attitude. I would have to keep that in mind, and watch for other similar indications of mood and meaning.

"In here." I said, pointing them to the med bay, as the clear plas-steel door slid open to allow them to enter. "I want to do a medical scan to see what injuries you have. What happened, by the way?"

The injured one straightened a little and spoke.

"I was in the engineering room when you destroyed the primary engine nacelle. The grav plates lost power after a surge and I hit a console when I didn't get my mag-boots powered up in time." She said, in a light, high voice.

I nodded and moved over to a circle on the floor. "Stand here, one at a time." Then I moved to a nearby command panel and started the med scan as the uninjured female stepped into the circle. I nodded and started the scan.

"You may feel a light tingle on your skin, do not be concerned, it is only the scan device looking for any injuries, and to establish for the computer what a healthy Coronti female should be like."

I watched the waves of light flow over the first female, the one with the braids and the side of her head shaved. The scan took less than a minute, sweeping slowly from head to toes, flowing over her cream colored skin and her perky breasts. Briefly, I wondered if all Coronti women had such high perky breasts, or if it was just these two and Jossivindha. They were pleasant, full C-cups with mouthwatering under curves and just enough fullness to create some side boob, and were capped by pale pink nipples a little smaller than pencil erasers. I sighed and clamped down on those thoughts. It had been only a couple of weeks since I had been with Turien, and already I was starting to think like a sex starved idiot.

When the first scan was finished, I nodded for her to step out of the circle, and turned my attention to the diagnostic. It compared the basic information that had been contained in the data crystal to the newer and more complete data it had just received, and declared the girl healthy and without any major maladies other than a minor biochemical imbalance from stress.

"According to this, you are quite healthy. In prime condition, actually. Now. if you will step forward." I nodded to the injured female, and she stepped into the circle while holding her left arm close to her abdomen and leaning slightly while also keeping most of her weight off of her left foreleg.

The medical scanner sent waves of light flowing over her cream colored skin, revealing the darkening areas where bruises were forming on her left side under her secondary arm and over her left hip. To be honest, I thought she was lucky. Losing gravity in a ship during evasive maneuvers could be deadly, she was lucky to have only impacted against a console in a small room, rather than being sent down a passageway and impacting a bulkhead at high speed.

I had read reports while at the flight school about incidents where crew had died from that.

An image came up on a nearby screen displaying her body and several locations were highlighted in yellow where she was injured.

"Hmm, two cracked ribs, a small fracture of your primary pelvic bone. But for the most part it is all bruising and no internal injuries." I said, then looked at the Coronti. "You are lucky." She nodded her acknowledgement, and her ears sagged a little as she thought it over, stepping out of the exam circle.

I called up the biochemical makeup of the Coronti, and requested mild sedatives for the injured female, and a topical pain reducer, and started the med-bay fabricator to make them. I handed both to the uninjured female, and explained them to the two of them while leading them past the fabricator and across the crew lounge toward the only cabin that had been reworked for Coronti occupation.

I had to use my clearance to open the door for them, and then showed them inside, then explained the shower and toilet to them and how to operate them, and the small in-cabin fabricator that would allow for them to eat without me preparing their meals. The rest they could figure out for themselves. There was a roughly Coronti shaped bed that I had put together and one bench-seat that the other could use to rest on while the other was sleeping for the duration.

"Your commander asked that I consider ransoming you to someone they named, and I am considering it." I informed them, and once again their ears flicked upward in a Coronti smile.

"However, I do not know how long that will take. For the time being, rest and allow the medication to help your body do the work of recovering from your injuries." I told the one who was being helped into bed.

"Thank you, commander. This is.. More than we could have dared ask." said her uninjured companion.

I simply nodded and backed out of the cabin, closing the hatch and locking it before heading down to the airlock. I had several alien environmental suits to stow away before I could undock from their damaged ship, and then I had to figure out what exactly I was going to do with them and their ship. Of course, all of that was complicated the moment after I had finished stowing away their gear and my own battle armor and helmet.

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"ICS Sunspear, This is Coront Patrol cutter Zemphi. Do you need assistance?" The feminine voice cut into the silence of the airlock, startling me for a half of a second before repeating.

"ICS Sunspear, this is Coront Patrol Cutter Zemphi, respond."

I took a breath, then stepped over to the airlock com panel and brought up the incoming hail to respond, setting the ship's audio pickup to follow me as I finished up.

"Patrol Cutter Zemphi, this is ICS Sunspear under command of Dane Morlund. You are a bit late for the action, Zemphi." I replied with only a little annoyance.

"Clarify, Sunspear, what is your status?" came the sharp command.

"Zemphi, I was on approach to Coront, following the beacon for Coront Central Command when I was intercepted by the ship docked to my Port side airlock. They attacked without provocation with the intent of taking my ship and any cargo. Under the Imperial maritime edict, this was an act of piracy and I took measures accordingly."

The response took less than a minute, but that gap was almost telling. Much more so was the tone and drawl of the communicator when she replied.

"ICS Sunspear, we are dismayed that your peaceful passage was interrupted in such a way, but pleased that you have managed to prevail. We would like to be of service to you and we are willing to take aboard any captives and dispose of them properly."

Something in her tone irritated me, and I could feel myself tense up a bit.

"Negative, Zemphi, I have things under control already." I responded briefly, and did my best to keep my irritation out of my voice. I entered a few commands into the airlock control panel, sealing off the Sunspear from the Takhil Fang and started heading for the bridge of the Sunspear with the intent to uncouple and back away while I considered what to do with the crippled ship.

"Commander," she persisted, her voice taking on a saccharine tone that did nothing to hide her irritation. "We have the authority to punish pirates within our own star system. Please, prepare to dock with our ship and be ready to transfer your prisoners and their ship to our custody."

The alarm bells in the back of my head started getting noisy, and I bit back my response, then gave the situation some thought and laughed.

"Negative Zemphi. I am claiming both the ship and my prisoners under Imperial Maritime law, section 34, subsection 5, parts A through G."

I gave them some time to look up those particulars of Imperial law while I entered the bridge and moved over to the pilots chair, strapping in and bringing the controls online. The H.O.T.A.S. swung up and into position while the holographic displays flickered to life on the forward viewport and around me on the control surfaces. It actually took them several minutes to review the particulars, which surprised me, but it also gave me plenty of time to consider things from my end as well.

"ICS Sunspear." The voice came back over the coms, this time much chillier than before and lacking any sweetness or subtle effort to convince me to simply give them everything without a struggle.

"You have the right to claim the salvage and the prisoners under acts of piracy, however you are now responsible for the ship and I am declaring it a navigational hazard, for which you will be liable if you are not able to remove it within the time provided."

That time would very likely be terribly unreasonable, and I could bet my life and ship on it, no doubt. But the Sunspear was nothing if not capable.

"Patrol Cutter Zemphi, Acknowledged. As I said, I have things under control. Out." I finished and cut the coms. The Takhil Fang was, all things considered, still in decent shape. Her hull was still intact, though I had severely damaged both of her starboard engine nacelles, but once repaired or replaced, she would again be flightworthy.. Even if she could stand a lot more effort to make her in her best condition. But I couldn't simply leave her in orbit as a navigational hazard to any ships rising or descending from the surface. So my best option was what I went with.

I maneuvered the Sunspear over the top of the derelict ship, and extended magnetic grapplers while guiding the ship into the best position and once I had both the Sunspear and the Takhil Fang secured together, I opened a com-link to Central Command again and advised them that I had been attacked by a pirating ship, and had captured the ship and crew. After some debate with Cent-Com, and a change in beacons, I began my descent into the atmosphere, carrying the Takhil Fang beneath me, but instead of heading to the capitol as was previously agreed on, I was descending toward the Southern Hemisphere on a course to Horovit where the Takhil Fang was registered.

On the way, I contacted the Horovit space port and had them send a message to Verionshi Taisikha requesting a meeting.

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System: Atavrand Sector 9483, Coront.

Location: Horovit Space Port, Coront Prime.

Dane Morlund, Aboard Sunspear.

Date: 12-20-5798 GS, 01:17 hours. / 09:24 Coronti central time.

I leaned my back against the cocking ramp strut, watching the wind moving the distant treetops in the muggy tropical heat. I was grateful for the shipsuit's internal temperature regulating feature, otherwise I would have been sweating and feeling like I needed to peel off my skin. Still, it had to be nearly ninety degrees, or a little over thirty-two degrees Celsius and over eighty percent humidity.

Horovit spaceport was situated in one of the highest points of the continent's low-lying swampy regions. It was a dense, rainforest covered land with uncountable waterways and rivers flowing ever so slowly through it and a great deal of land surrounding Horovit was devoted to agriculture and aquaculture. I had checked in on my prisoners, first with the young females, both resting quietly, and then on the three in the brig. The two males had settled in on the deck plates rather than attempting to cram themselves onto the narrow cot, and had simply drug the mattress down onto the floor for padding. They slept, leaning against the bulkhead, and I was content to leave them that way for the time being. Jossivindha, on the other hand, was still awake, looking rather tired when I looked into the cell through the clear inspection portal.

They must have noticed movement in the corner of their vision, because they looked up and lurched awkwardly to their feet, opening their mouth and saying something that I did not hear until I keyed the intercom next to the hatch.

"Commander," they said, "Where are Ilitsa and Aradi? I watched you bring Tomeko and Ushen into the cells.. Please.. please tell me you didn't space them." They almost sounded desperate and I held my hand up to stop them. All the while, they were staring at my face and seemingly having their own uncanny valley moment comparing my face to those whom they were familiar with, and yet the lack of large deer-like ears must have been disconcerting to them.

"They are both well, and comparably healthy. I did not have.."

"Please," they interrupted. "May I speak with them?"

I sighed, glaring at my prisoner for a moment, then turned and tapped out the commands to power up the video com inside the cell and connect it to the com panel in the crew quarters where the other two rested.

Aradi, as it turned out was the uninjured female, and she woke up when Jossivindha called her name, then blearily made her way to the com panel, urging Jossivindha to be quiet so Ilitsa could continue to sleep.

"We're fine, Jossi. Commander Morlund took us to the med-bay and checked her over. She has fractured ribs and her fore-hip as well. Everything else is just bruises." Aradi said with only a little irritation showing through her lack of sleep.

Jossivindha bobbed her head, their ears struggling to decide whether to stay up, or give in to gravity. Gravity prevailed and they fell.

"Adi.. I.. I'm sorry. We tried.."

Aradi's ears fell as well, as her head bobbed an acknowledgement.

"We knew the risks, Jossi. We just picked the wrong Imperial." There was silence after that and Aradi returned to her not entirely comfortable bed on the bench-seat, covering herself with the spare blanket, and I powered off the com.

Jossivindha stood with their head hanging low and their ears drooping until I opened the intercom again.

"Are you satisfied, Jossivindha?" I asked in a calm voice. They turned and looked back through the clear portal at me, their ears rising a little and turning toward me.

"Are you even an Imperial?" They asked bluntly. "I thought they were all dark skinned females." It surprised a laugh out of me, and I shook my head.

"Those are Aracien Imperials. I am a Human male, from Alliance space. Only recently a sworn in Imperial citizen." I explained. Their expression changed a bit, seeming thoughtful and they bobbed their head, trying to lift their ears a little.

"Thank you, Commander Morlund. I am satisfied."

That was an hour ago. After that I had retired to the officers lounge, made a connection to the local network and started doing some browsing of local product, and comparing it to the most recent market data I had from Bandarr's Gateway. There were plenty of things that might sell in the Cariathme system, but the tonnage and fuel cost would not net me much in profit, considering that Cariathme was also a living planet, and could easily produce much of the same with far less in transit fees. There were some artworks that were interesting, and I could possibly rework my cargo space to carry a shipment of live fish, but once again, the effort and fuel costs were prohibitive enough that I discarded the idea. What I wanted, was to get my delegate passenger onboard and get back to Turien.

Aside from the fact that I missed her company, I was starting to feel a little eager for the sex. Okay, more than a little. She was definitely a damn fun playmate in the bedroom, and the look of satisfaction she showed me for the days we had been together was deeply satisfying on my end as well.

Then I received an audio call from Surgical Doctor, Verionshi Taisikha of the Horovit regional hospital. I informed her of the reason I had called, assured her that all concerned were well, and that I intended to negotiate a release price for the five Coronti prisoners and maybe the ship. On the display, I observed the first expression of displeasure, and heard it in her voice.

"Sell the accursed ship." she said, her ears turned back and her eyes narrowed. "It has brought nothing but misery to the clan since it was purchased."

So, I made a call to the spaceport looking for anyone interested in purchasing a reclaimed patrol ship that was, according to the registry, over sixty years out of date, only basically armed, and in need of significant refurbishment to bring it up to usefulness. To say that was not a great indicator, would be an understatement.

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I contemplated that disappointment while staring off into the distance, and regretting agreeing to meet the good Doctor in the middle of the hot and muggy day, when a ground car approached from the access gate and pulled to a stop just outside of the blast range of my forward engines. A gull-wing door opened and Doctor Taisikha stepped clear, closing the door behind her and then approaching me. She was wearing what I would guess to be the Coronti version of a light summer dress. It draped loosely over her upper torso, and covered her lower thorax almost like Earth medieval horse barding, split in the front to her knees. The fabric was very light, almost like a loosely woven seafoam green cotton that matched her eyes. It was a look that might have been pleasant, if she were not clenching her secondary hands into fists, in spite of the loosely clasped primaries.

"Commander, Morlund?" She asked.

"I am." I acknowledged. "Will you come aboard? I can offer you refreshment and a less humid environment to talk in."

She dipped her head in a nod and I led her inside, and to the lift.

We settled in sitting at the crew table where I had left only every other chair suitable for humanoid bodies, and she made herself comfortable while I brought cool tea and some light snacks. Some salty, some sweet, and others with more variety in flavor that I had picked up on Bandarr's Gate station.

"Before we get into negotiations, I would like to know if my daughters are well." She stated, and I nodded.

"All five are in good health, although Ilitsa did have an accident during their attempt to take my ship, and has some fractures to her ribs and left fore-hip. I can show you the medical scan, as I am no medic. I had the medical fabricator produce only mild sedatives and a topical pain reducer."

She nodded in satisfaction for the measures I had taken and thanked me for being cautious in my remedies.

"Also.." She started, and her ears laid back in anger again." I want to speak to Jossi,.. Commander Jossivindha." She said, imbuing the 'commander' part with enough poison to kill.

"I will have your word that you will not attack my prisoner." I said, guardedly. From the constant unconscious clenching of her secondary hands I could tell that she was highly agitated.

She managed to take a deep breath, closed her eyes and calmed herself, then gave a short nod.

"You have my word that I will not harm the stupid ihln, but there are things that I need to understand, and some things that need to be spoken to my nehlen." She agreed, using the Coronti word for an ihln relative.

I nodded, took a drink from my glass and stood up.

"I will bring them up. In the meantime, would you care to speak with your daughters?" I asked, and the immediate lift of her ears was all the answer I needed. So I led her across the crew lounge to the hatch and pressed the key to announce our presence.

"Crewwoman Aradi, you have a visitor. Are you prepared?" I announced into the com.

"Ah.. Yes? Yes I am prepared." she responded, and I opened the hatch revealing Ilitsa still in the Coronti style nest, resting but alert and attentive, and Aradi standing near the door. I stepped clear and Doctor Taisikha eagerly entered the room, immediately taking her daughter into an embrace. I closed the door and left them to their reunion, taking my time to go to the cargo level and fetch Jossivindha from their cell. I looked into the cell and found Jossivindha laying on the piled up mattress like the males. I honestly wasn't fond of having a brig, or the necessity of it in the first place, but better that than having them in one of my crew quarters where they had access to the controls and panels that might allow them to escape and cause problems. I rapped my knuckles on the viewing portal and Jossivindha came alert, looking up.

"You requested that I negotiate with Doctor Taisikha." I said into the intercom receiver. "She is here and wishes to speak with you." I said, and then stepped to one side, triggering the hatch to open. As it slid up into the bulkhead, Jossivindha pushed themself to their feet and walked out. I directed them down the corridor, and followed behind.

"Thank you, Commander." They said over their shoulder, occasionally glancing behind them at me.

"Yeah," I coughed out. "I wouldn't thank me just yet."

When I led Jossivindha to the crew lounge and had them sit at the table to wait for me to fetch their aunt. I had to interrupt a rather intense conversation in doing so. Doctor Taisikha whispered a few short things to her daughters, and then left them both looking a little unsettled, but hopeful.

In the lounge, Doctor Taisikha's demeanor changed rather drastically. Her secondary hands clenched, and even her primaries couldn't be made to appear relaxed as she glared at Jossivinda.

"Commander Morlund, May I speak with your prisoner privately?" She asked without looking at me. To say that I was a little hesitant, would be only a hint. But in the end, I gave them the room with a reminder of her promise.

On my way to the officers lounge, I overheard enough of the 'conversation' to let me know that a mother was venting her worry, fear, frustration and outrage at their younger relative. I didn't hear any specifics, but both volume and tone were enough to convey the idea. I kept a visual watch on the situation, but cut out the audio. It wasn't needed as there was plenty of aborted slaps, and hands gripping the table between the two that I was thankful not to have to hear any of it. Was it a risk? Sure. They could both just be fantastic actors, making a show while exchanging ideas on how to take the ship, but the tear damp faced cringing Jossivindha, and the red faced, screaming Dr. Taisikha put that idea to rest. Still, I decided not to let the tirade go on any longer and returned to the crew lounge.

"..Five ships, and the ransom for their crews was enough at least to keep them from taking Nastili's farm." Jossivinda pleaded.

"Five? Five! You managed, somehow, to take three low clan interceptors and two light freighters with cargo that was needed for the mining facilities that keep Gursant factories running!" Dr. Taisikha yelled back. "You spent most of the money repairing that ugly hulk just so you could take money from other clans that are barely getting by slightly better than Takhan, you damned imbecile!"

"Alright Doctor.. I think you have had enough time to convey your thoughts." I interrupted.

Dr. Taisikha turned her fury in my direction as I left the corridor and approached the table where she loomed over Jossivindha from across the table, but one glance at my hand resting on my disruptor brought her up cold. She straightened up, taking a deep breath and let it out in an enraged hiss directed at Jossivindha.

"Commander Morlund. I will have the estate accountant contact you with our offer for my sons and daughters," she said, glaring pure ice at Jossivindha. "This one, though.."

"Yes. What exactly am I supposed to do with them?" I asked calmly.

Dr. Taisikha's gaze never left Jossivindha's face as she pronounced her conviction.

"Space them. Keep them. Sell them. Eat them if that is what your species does. Or use them as a sex slave for all I care. Clan Takhan cannot afford another of their father's ilk." She hissed and stepped away from the table, turning her eyes from Jossivindha and dismissing them entirely.

"I would like to leave, if you please, Commander." she said, and I nodded. As I moved past Jossivindha, I glanced at them. Their ears were completely limp, their face despondent and their posture bent. They had just been completely and utterly crushed and discarded by their family.

As I escorted Dr. Taisikha to the lift and through the passageways to the port docking ramp, I couldn't help but ask the question.

"Does Jossivindha not have anyone left that would be willing to offer to ransom them?"

Dr, Taisikha just shook her head. "No. Their parents were both killed in a clan conflict ten years ago. They have been a constant thorn in everyone's side since then with their talk of clan equality and resisting the council through violence."

This was new, and information that might be of interest to Baroness Volant.

"Why, if I may ask?"

Dr. Taisikha sighed, her ears low and her secondary hands flicking in a gesture I couldn't interpret.

"The council has been dominated by the high clans for three centuries now. They allow Takhan to have a seat, just like they do with the other low clans, but in reality the voice of the low clans is meaningless. Even if we had enough of a presence in the council to change anything, the high clans would simply bribe or coerce the leaders of any faction into compliance." She looked at me, probably seeking some kind of understanding, but everything she had said just sounded like internal political maneuverings to me.

She sighed and slowed her stride, then explained.

"Coront has always been ruled by the wealthiest clans. Reaching beyond our atmosphere hasn't changed any of that, and the clans who have less wealth have always struggled to retain their lands and provide for their people. Takhan is not an impoverished clan, by any means, but we are starting to feel the blade that the high clans have been holding to our necks."

"So, it is a matter of economics and political influence?" I prompted.

She bobbed her head, her ears drooping.

"It always has been. Takhan has many good people, but the majority of them are not educated enough for any of the industries that would be profitable, nor are they suitable for the trades that might take us further into the stars."

She slapped her upper fore-thighs in frustration.

"I tried my best with Jossi. I sent them to engineering school and flight school in hopes that they would commit to something better than.. Piracy." She turned to me, with a look of wide eyed surprise, then I thought, she laughed.

"But what does any of this mean to an Imperial, I wonder?" she said as we neared the airlock.

"I'm honestly not sure. But I think I may want to know this." I said, pausing at the hatch and tilting my head a bit.

"Are you sure that you will not negotiate for Jossivindha?" I asked, but she waved a primary hand in what I thought meant a negative.

"No. I do not think that I can let go of my anger with them. They are yours, Commander. Do with them what you will..." She paused as if reconsidering, then sighed and walked out of the lock and down the ramp to their vehicle, leaving me to wonder what the hell I was going to do with a Coronti who was essentially an outcast.

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System: Atavrand Sector 9483, Coront.

Location: Horovit Space Port, Coront Prime.

Dane Morlund, Aboard Sunspear.

Date: 12-22-5798 GS, 23:35 hours. / 07:52 Coronti central time.

"Commander Morlund," The Coronti in the holoprojection greeted me.

"My name is Teriast Hazali, Undersecretary to the council of Coront. I am told that you are here to transport a delegation to Cariathme to a meeting. Is this correct?"

I met the dark eyes of the Coronti male in the projection while thoughts about foppish functionaries danced around in my head. His dark hair was done up in oiled waves in a ridiculous cut that put me in mind of how the misbegotten love-child of a mohawk and a pompadour would look like. But evidently it must have been the height of Coronti fashion, so I didn't remark on it.

The purple and pink slashed tunic absolutely helped none at all.

"Yes, I am transmitting the details now." I said, selecting the files from the data crystal and sending them on a parallel channel to the undersecretary's desk.

"Ah.." He said, and examined them briefly. "Yes, well. Unfortunately there have been a few changes since this agreement was made." Teriast said apologetically.

"What...changes?" I asked, trying to keep a smile on my face, just in case the Coronti had managed to learn to read xenomorphic facial expressions.

"Ambassador Therius has unfortunately passed away. While not voiding the intent of the council to open relations with Baroness Volant, it has forced the council to select a new delegation."

I waited for the punch line. Teriast waited for the prompt. I sighed and gave it to the pompous bastard.

"How long will this selection take, exactly?" I asked.

"Oh, the selection has already been made, of course. You should expect all four of them in a matter of days." He paused, almost looking concerned, if I believed it for even a moment.

"You..do have quarters available, do you not?" he asked.

I considered dumping my prisoners, leaving the wreck of the Takhil Fang on the landing pad and simply returning to Baroness Volant without them.. for a moment anyway. Then I thought about what it would take to remodel the crew quarters, the other three at least, and simply nodded.

"Quarters will be awaiting them aboard the Sunspear." I said with as much calm as I could manage. "How soon should I expect them?"

"Oh, it should only take them three days to make the journey from the capital to the province of Horovit." He said dismissively. "I am sure that they will be inclined to take their time visiting and meeting with their fellow councilors along the way."

I wasn't buying it. Functionaries like this pompous turd had an inherent tendency to lie through their teeth, and it seemed to be something that crossed species. I let the functionary prattle on for a bit longer and then bid him a good day, whether I meant it or not, and then bent my mind toward what I needed to do to get things at least acceptably ready for four Coronti officials who would likely expect to be treated as royalty on board the Sunspear.

Just as I was about to launch myself into the work, the com chimed an incoming call again.

"Sunspear, Commander Morlund speaking." I answered.

The hologram on the projector was someone far different than I had expected. Two someones, in fact.

"Ah, Dr. Taisikha, I hope you are not calling to inform me that you are reconsidering your offer." I said.

Honestly, they hadn't been able to offer much for the four of her children, but I wasn't really in a mindset to be viscous with her either. Instead, I had chosen to lower the credit amount, in exchange for something that she could afford much easier. In the discussions with the accountant, it had been pointed out that the information on Coronti culture and medicine were very lacking, so part of the exchange was a much more complete library of information, both on the Coronti, and their physiology, cultural history and anything else they chose to throw in the pot.

Those, I believed, would become tradable information packets that I could sell to the Baroness and maybe to other interested information brokers, if I was lucky.

Another part was more of a surprise to Dr. Taisikha. I had asked for food. Both prepared and raw ingredients. And because I was always keeping track of the volume of raw materials aboard the Sunspear, I requested that she look into the purchase of compressed vegetable matter. Specifically, something that Horovit had a great deal of; Algae. Dried, compressed and packaged in containers that could be secured in my hold to be used in the food fabricators.

It was an unpleasant surprise to me that I had looked at the levels of organic material available after feeding myself for a couple of months, and then feeding five more individuals for less than four days. The increase in consumption was noticeable enough that I made the request.

And then there was the lumber, which would comprise the majority of the material that would take up the cargo hold of my ship. Heat treated raw hardwood lumber from the swamp jungle of Horovit would bring a nice price on the station as a luxury item, and if I could get Tixle to either buy or broker it, I would be assured of getting more than enough to compensate me for the release of the prisoners.

"No, Commander. In fact, I am calling to see if you are prepared for the exchange." She said, one ear rising in curiosity. Which was another thing that I had gained in the two days since we had met.

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I was gaining a little bit of proficiency at reading Coronti body language from interactions with Jossivindha and their cousins. That had started the moment that I returned from escorting Dr. Taisikha off of the ship and found Jossivindha still at the table, waiting to be put back into their cell.

Jossi had risen, both sets of hands clasped at their belly and performed the Coronti crouch that was equivalent to a bow.

"Commander Morlund. I have no clan, I have little worth, and yet I feel I do not wish to die. Please, I beg that you accept me as your servant, do with me what you will." they said, and lowered their head even more.

To say that I was stunned would be about right.

I knew that the Akharim Empire legally allowed for slavery, but to actually own someone myself had not been something I had put all that much thought into. But now, I was. It was more than simply having free labor to be used at my discretion. It was also a responsibility. But then I remembered what their aunt had said about their schooling, and my thoughts started turning in favor of the idea.

"Jossivinda, clanless.. Are you willing to become my property, to follow my orders and directions without resistance, no matter what those instructions may be?"

That must have thrown the proverbial cold water on their thoughts, and shaken them from the fugue that they were in, because they stiffened, and looked up at me. Then I watched them really consider things as they looked around themself, and then at me. A being from a completely different species, completely unknown and unpredictable. I gave them one more moment to answer, and then gestured for them to rise.

"I will give you the night to think about it. In the meantime, you will assist me in feeding your cousins." I said, and it was a bit of a test for them, as well as an introduction to Sunspear and its functions. They were startled, and amazed at the fabricator, and the food that it produced. When they asked how it was done, I wisely kept that part to myself. The twins and the young males in the cells were enthusiastic about the food, not just because they were hungry, but because Jossivindha had helped me to select something they would find palatable; a spiced fish and vegetable dish that was listed under the Thai menu.

Later, I sent a com request to Jossivindha's cell. It requested a palm print and a voice identification from them. Then it displayed a slave contract that I had come up with. That it was basically a permanent transfer of her rights to myself, granting ownership of themself to me was explicit, as were the terms and conditions under which they would serve.

I had dug around in my Imperial law library using a search function and found a section regarding legal slavery contracts and requirements. Then I adjusted it as much as I needed to include someone who was gender non-binary or gender fluid, and I reached back into my memory of some of the agreements I had made with some of my previous play partners, and blocked together a contract that was workable. It wasn't my finest work, but I needed Jossivindha to really think about what they had asked for, and be fully prepared to commit to it.

That it took them until the following afternoon to think everything through meant they were serious when they repeated the hands clasped kneel and request in front of me.

So, now I was the owner of an ihln Coronti engineer and pilot. At least that solved a couple of issues regarding labor aboard ship. I just had to train them to do the job, and I had to put them somewhere other than a brig cell.

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"Actually, yes. I am prepared to complete the exchange." I said confidently. "Your offspring are clothed, fed and awaiting your arrival." I said informatively. Which won me a small smile from her.

"Excellant. I will be at the space port this afternoon with the shipment that you requested." She said, and quickly after we cut the connection. I had work that needed doing; one new crewmember to get familiarized with using a fabricator, and four cabins that required remodeling to temporarily accommodate some Coronti delegates.

The first thing I needed to do was to inform Josie of their new task. I had taken to calling them that because of how closely it sounded to their shortened name. So, Josie it was.

I led them from their cell to the engineering room and after instructing the computer to classify Josie as crew instead of prisoner, and giving them access to the necessary commands and areas of the ship, I introduced them to the large fabricating unit, telling them how to operate it, and showing them the various menus to use to get what we were going to need for the remodel.

My part was in removing the beds that were designed for bipedal humanoids, and storing the mattresses and chairs in the hold for the few hours left before I had to release the other four in my custody.

I also took a little while and produced some basic clothing for the Coronti, mostly shorts and tunics that were made of light fabric, and some shoes similar enough to the knuckle-boots that it would not be uncomfortable for them to walk in them for a little while.

I had noticed, on closet inspection of Josie's feet, that the outer knuckles of their feet were as thickly calloused as the heels of my own feet. Still, soft heeled spacers were not hardened survivalists with calloused feet, and they would need something to keep their feet from getting cuts just walking from the docking ramp to whatever vehicle would be taking them home.

I gathered both of the males, Tomeko and Ushen and brought them up to the crew lounge to meet with their sisters. The reunion was a mostly happy one, but that happiness diminished a good measure when Aradi told her brothers that their mother would not be buying Josie's release. Tomeko, the oldest of the four, looked at me with an ears laid back scowl, but Aradi thumped his shoulder and flicked her primary hand.

"You know as well as I do that mother has always had a hard time seeing things the way Jossi does. Don't blame Commander Morlund for using the law as it was meant."

"Actually," I said, raising my hand and tilting my head a bit. "Imperial law regarding captives is quite a bit harsher than I have been interpreting it."

All four Coronti looked at me then, and I shrugged.

"I didn't have to feed you, or keep any of you alive that I didn't want to sell to labor camps. The fact that I talked to your mother is thanks to Josie. And your mother was.. Very clear on her thoughts as to what end Josie deserved. I am settling for training them to be a crewmember. But you can't say anything about that to them, so I am afraid that until I can come back around to Coront, you will have to wait to see them again."

The lounge was silent for a minute as they considered that, but then Aradi turned to me and spoke the question that they all seemed to be wondering.

"Commander, are you going to keep them?" she hesitated for a moment and then continued, "They have always been with us, even when their parents were alive, we.. We've always been more like siblings than cousins, and.."

Tomeko picked up where she left off.

"Jossi is smart, they.."

I held up a hand to interrupt them and nodded.

"I have signed a contract with them. They will be staying with me, treated well and trained to become a permanent crewmember." I said simply. "Now, until your mother arrives, I would ask that the four of you relax here. I have work to do." I said and turned for the passageway leading to the lift.

A few hours later, Dr Taisikha arrived in her ground car, followed by several freight tractors carrying the goods that I had requested. Four one tonne containers of dried, compressed algae, and six hundred tonnes of raw lumber. I met Dr. Taisikha at the bottom of the boarding ramp and escorted her back to the crew lounge to her wards. The exchange was made, I was handed a credit chit worth twenty thousand credits, and I was presented with the bill of sale for the goods waiting outside on the landing field. Then I escorted the five of them out, but just before they left, I had Dr. Taisikha hold back for a moment.

"Doctor. I am sure that you know that Coront is under a blockade, yes?"

She nodded, and her ears dipped briefly. Then one ear lifted, turning toward me in curiosity.

"That does beg the question of how you managed to evade Baroness Aroghal's picket.." she said, searching my face with her eyes.

I shook my head, and gave a negating slash of my right hand.

"Sorry, but I will not be revealing my methods, Doctor. However, if I can manage to do this again, would you be willing to act as a broker for more business?"

She jerked upright, startled at the request.

"You would... You want to do trade with the Takhan clan? In spite of what my children tried to do?" she asked, clearly disbelieving.

I smiled and laughed a little.

"Surprising, I know. But I believe that it may be lucrative for both of us, and..." I rubbed the back of my head as I wondered what had inspired me to speak up. "Eh, maybe I just think this is an opportunity for both of us that shouldn't be wasted."

She looked at me for a long moment, considering me and then nodded.

"You have my contact information. If you return while the blockade is still present, then I will consider it."

With that, she joined her children in the ground car and departed, leaving me to organize the loading of the algae and lumber.

The loading process went a bit more smoothly than I had believed it would. The tractor hauling the algae went first, backing up right to the bottom of the loading ramp, and I used grav-lifts to move the plas-carbon containers into place in the hold. I needed them to be loaded first, because the fabrication material locks were at the forward end of the hold, right near the brig. After that, the lumber was treated in the same way. I say that it went smoothly, but it certainly wasn't easy and in spite of my ship suit's self contained temperature control, I worked up a good, hard sweat in the evening humidity of Horovit.

Once the final bill was presented to the last driver, and countersigned, I closed up the freight ramp and went back inside to shower, grab some food with my new slave and join Josie in remodeling the crew cabins.

The next day and a half were a blur of scraped knuckles, growled curses and hastily shared meals between myself and Josie as we worked ourselves hard to remodel three crew cabins and one officers cabin. Josie asked me at the beginning who we were transporting and I informed them of my assignment from Baroness Volant. They did not look pleased, but they continued to work diligently. When we got around to remodeling the officer's cabin, I began asking them for their personal input on what colors to use, and how it should be decorated. Finally they asked me why their opinion mattered when some high clan dignitary was going to use it, and I laughed.

"I'm not wasting an officer's cabin on them. They can stick to the crew cabins and lounge." I said, pointedly looking at them. "I'm not trusting anyone, who isn't crew, to be anywhere near the bridge."

It took a few moments for them to catch on, but by then I was bleeding knuckles deep in unfastening the bed frame that we were working on. The rest of the work seemed to flow a bit faster after that, and their input on how a Coronti would want their surroundings to look came a bit easier. Throughout the time that we worked together, I would occasionally catch a whiff of their body scent, and I had to admit that it wasn't unpleasant in any way.

It reminded me of good healthy summer sweat, just a bit musky with some sweet undertones that put me in mind of some lovers I had spent time with hiking the coastal mountains of California. I quashed those memories before they could lead me into the more intimate scenes we had shared, like fucking in the summer sun in a secluded meadow, or the nights of camping near some swimming holes and skinny-dipping in the moonlight.

Eh, okay. So I did spend a little time and thought reminiscing about those encounters, but I tried to keep them brief.

Combined with the ever present nude form of Jossivindha, their breasts and the occasional view of their exposed slit, it had me grunting in frustration, even given the presence of their enlarged clit. I had spent a little bit of time going through the data crystals that Dr. Taisikha had given me and made some interesting discoveries. Most of the information was strictly medical, common illnesses, virology, metabolic ailments and treatments and everything surgical that would be of interest to a xenomedical professional. I dumped all of that into the ship's medical library, of course. But what I was looking for was in another section entirely. It was a medical primer on Coronti sexual reproduction and hormonal effects. The standard male and female binary applied to the Coronti as much as it would any other mammalian species, but where the Coronti strayed from that norm was in the presence of the third sex.

The Coronti had evolved under several environmental stresses, including natural disasters and viruses that occasionally devastated one gender or the other, or caused impotence or infertility. Ihln had evolved as a natural stop-gap to continue the species. They were both male and female, while not having the visibly obvious testicles. Under certain environmental and social conditions, their hormone production would spontaneously shift, and cause their body to rapidly adjust to aid in filling in for one or the other gender; either becoming more masculine in order to provide viable sperm to fertile females, or enlarging the psudo-womb to accommodate gestation of another generation.

It put me in mind of one Cambridge biology Professors publication describing genetics as being extremely selfish and determined to do anything to continue. But I had a strong bet that he had no idea to what level natural evolution would go to prove him right, particularly on the xenobiological scale.

When the cabins had all been remodeled, I told Josie that there was one more thing that needed to be done, but for this, they would need to be clothed. So I led them to the fabricator and had them assist me in creating some basic clothing for them to wear.

What they ended up with was a set of knuckle-boots for wear outside of the ship. They had thickly padded soles, or knuckle pads, with resilient, slip resistant traction on the pads. For their barrel, they wore two pairs of shorts that slid up their legs and fastened with buttons over the top of their barrel for the rear, and around their waist for the fore. Completing the set was a simple loose fitting, light tunic that they slipped over their head and slid all four arms through the open sides. I wondered if it was alright that it gave me so many flashes of their side boob, but evidently it wasn't of concern to them. Probably because after days of not wearing clothing of any kind, the change was pleasant. I deliberately selected the same shade of ice blue, flecked with green as their eyes, and the effect was perfect.

Then, I led them off the Sunspear and across the landing pad to the Takhil Fang.

"Your next task is to empty out any personal items of yours, and your cousins, that you want to keep with you in your quarters." I said to them, and the look of delighted surprise they gave me was gratifying to say the least. Then came the hug, which caught me by complete surprise. But it also made me very aware of a few things. The first was that Jossivindha had been holding themself in a lower stance around me since they had agreed to the slave contract. It had been subtle at first, and I had dismissed it entirely because my mind and body had been more occupied by the work that needed to be done.

Now though, with their head against my chest, and their arms around my body, the height difference became quite obvious. The second thing that I became aware of was that they felt good pressed up against me. Their firm, C-cup breasts mashed against my chest tickled my brain in some very pleasant ways, even through the material of my ship-suit. The next thing I became aware of was the feel of four arms wrapping me tightly to them, and how that felt. For a thousandth of a second, it was a little weird, but then the comfort of it, like a three-way group hug that only involved two people. And finally, the waft of their sweet musk that slipped into my awareness again. I had stiffened up for a moment, and it was the combination of these things that relaxed me and I found my arms settling over their shoulders while they pressed their head to my chest and murmured

"Thank you, Master."

And that, right there was the last part. They had been calling me Master since the contract was confirmed and filed in the ship's computer. It wasn't any part of the contract. I hadn't insisted on it in any way. They just took it on themself to refer to me as their Master, and I wasn't going to object.

"Go on. Go get your things. You can pass them down to me when you have them boxed up." I told them, and patted their back.

They separated from me, and nodded, wiping their eyes and quickly crawling up the side of the Fang using primaries and foot-hands all the way and keyed open the airlock, quickly disappearing inside the smaller ship.

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System: Atavrand Sector 9483, Coront.

Location: Horovit Space Port, Coront Prime.

Dane Morlund, Aboard Sunspear.

Date: 12-25-5798 GS, 06:52 hours. / 14:09 Coronti central time.

The pile of personal items was almost pathetically small. Josie admitted that being on a patrol ship didn't exactly allow for much personal material, as the cargo hold had to be reserved for anything they managed to capture, and personal quarters equated to a hammock-bunk and some wall space for pictures and maybe some small knick-knacks that could be secured in a locker. The largest items that they had allowed themselves were clothing, stuffed into their lockers and reserved for when they returned to port, If they weren't wearing their environmental suits. Space aboard a patrol craft was at a high premium.

We had completed the work with what I thought would be time to spare and relax. But my suspicion about the functionary that had contacted me ended up being correct. A conclusion made obvious when five large, green ground vehicles approached the Sunspear across the landing pad from the security gate, making a bee-line to the Port side docking ramp. I was rather grateful to the Horovit control tower alerting me to their arrival with enough time to get in a quick rinse and a new ship suit, jacket and a holstered disruptor clipped to my thigh before I had to be down on the tarmac to greet them.

The first ground vehicle to pull up was as large as a suburban limousine, but wider. The person who stepped out, and down onto the tarmac was an older Coronti woman dressed in clothing similar to what Dr. Taisikha had worn, but in different colors, and with a broad stripe of gold from shoulder to fore-hip. She approached me as the other vehicles came to a stop behind hers and several Coronti stepped out and began unloading cases and bags while still others stepped clear of the vehicles and simply stood idle.

"Commander Morlund, I presume?" She said in a soft alto voice as she entered the shade of the Sunspear and halted at the foot of the ramp.

"I am." I responded as I looked her over, again. "And although I have a suspicion of who some of your people are, who am I addressing?"

She dipped into a slight bow and I responded in kind.

"My name is Iliaro Echand, Council secretary of the council of Coront." she introduced herself, then gestured up the ramp to the Sunspear's hatch. "Perhaps we could speak inside your ship, Commander?"

I hesitated, glancing past her to the crowd of Coronti swirling around the vehicles, but nodded and led her up the ramp. Once inside, I turned to the intercom and called for Josie.

"Josie, the delegates are here. Come down and help them find their way to their quarters. Let their staff handle the baggage." I said, ignoring the indignant huff from the Council Secretary. It may have been a bit on the rude side, but this was my ship, and establishing the rules and expectations early would prevent headaches later.

As we passed down the corridor to the lift, Council Secretary Echand was taking in the interior of the Sunspear, and finally commented as we entered the lift.

"From the data transfer, I was not expecting a luxury passenger ship." she remarked.

I nodded acknowledgement.

"Good thing that is the assumption you made, Council Secretary. Because this is not a luxury passenger ship. It is a combat cargo vessel with a luxurious interior design and some amenities." I clarified with my eyes on the lift hatch. Then I turned and glanced at Echand who was looking at me with her ears turning this way and that in confusion.

"A..combat cargo vessel." she echoed as the hatch opened and I led her along the passageway to the crew lounge.

"Yes. Armed, armored, shielded, but still a cargo vessel. A fact that I have had to demonstrate once already since entering Coront system." I said, inviting her to be seated at the table as I took a seat meant for bipeds. She settled herself in and brought her eyes up to meet mine.

"Ah, yes. I was appraised of the events surrounding your arrival and change of route. Aside from the fact that your encounter was with a small group of amateurs, in a recommissioned patrol ship, I think you may want to reconsider your position regarding the threat level of Coront's..less civilized spacefarers."

I simply stared at Echand, knowing that my 'lack of ears' was disconcerting to Coronti who based much of their communication on the tells they provided. That seemed to work in my favor, because she coughed lightly in discomfort.

"Well, Such matters aside," she said, changing the subject of conversation. "The council expects the safe and comfortable passage of the delegates from Coront to Cariathme in a timely fashion. The Delegates will not be requiring any detours for sight seeing, nor will they allow for taking on any additional passengers. This is to be a discrete diplomatic mission." She said, and I watched her eyes and ears, picking up some subtleties in what she was saying.

"I believe what you mean to say is that any discovery of your delegates being transported out of the system is to be avoided. Particularly by the Imperial ships controlled by Baroness Aroghal." I said, bluntly.

Council Secretary Echand gave a brief bob of her head, with her ears turned toward me in confirmation.

"Fine." I said. "That is what I will do. There are of course ship rules that the delegates will need to follow. The officers section is off limits, as is the cargo hold and engineering, for obvious reasons. They are required to remain in this lounge area for the duration of transit."

"I am sure that they will understand ship security, Commander." she acknowledged. "And with these accommodations, I am sure that they will have very little to find fault in regardless of the constrained movement."

I nodded my satisfaction just as the first group of delegates and their aids were bringing aboard their luggage.

I grunted and turned my attention back to the Echard.

"I believe that the journey should take no more than twelve days, but that will depend on how tightly the Aroghal fleet is patrolling. My attention will have to be on piloting the ship for the duration, so the delegates will need to be self-sufficient. At least until we dock at Bandarr's Gate station."

The Council Secretary's ears rose and fell as she considered this, and glanced over her shoulder as a male delegate emerged from one of the crew cabins expressing his displeasure with the small quarters.

"Honestly, with a ship of this size one would expect to be placed in more suitable accommodations." he said, directing his words at Josie.

"I'm sorry, Councilor. But these are the only cabins that we have available." They said apologetically.

I turned my eyes to the Council Secretary and tilted my head toward the councilor. "You may want to correct the councilors' misconceptions before I lift off. I am not going to have time afterward."

Secretary Echard's ears continued to rise and fall as she stood from the table and approached the Councilor gaining his attention and freeing Josie to return to the docking ramp to guide the last two councilors and their aides aboard.

Sunspear's systems were running well within tolerances, with only one minor inefficiency in the ventilation system. I called Josie to the bridge and pointed to the section and told them it was most likely a filtration set that needed changing, but if the sensors were the problem then they would have to change those out. I needed Sunspear's systems running at their best before liftoff, because I wouldn't have any time to deal with them myself until after we made the first jump back to Amizarr, and from there I would need to do at least three more jumps to feel like I would be far beyond the ability of the Imperial sensors to track the jump trajectory.

I sent them off on the errand and comm'ed a request to Horovit tower for the most recent telemetry report for the system.

Five days doesn't change all that much on the grand scale of things, but knowing the precise locations, trajectories and speeds of comets and other navigational hazards could mean a hell of a lot more when trying to avoid emissions like shield flare and pulse cannon activation where there aren't supposed to be any ships.

What I got back required a bit of time to parse through. Including the various Imperial patrol routes and speeds, because those would be very important if I wanted to avoid being identified from emissions or from the outside chance of a visual detection.

Studying the system telemetry had taken a while, but I had been glancing over at the ships system readout from time to time as well, and the sensor indicator hadn't changed, so I keyed the intercom.

"Josie, what's going on with that filtration unit?" I called out.

It took them a couple of seconds to reply, and they seemed a little flustered.

"I'm sorry Master, I am getting to it." they said and grunted with a little effort.

"Hurry it up. I want to get us prepped for launch in the next half hour, and I have to brief our passengers before then." I let the com go dark and It took them another twelve minutes before the ventilation status went green at all points, but it was done and I left the bridge to get the delegates situated for the ride.

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System: Atavrand Sector 9483, Coront.

Location: Horovit Space port, Coront Prime.

Dane Morlund, Aboard Sunspear.

Date: 12-25-5798 GS, 11:03 hours. / 19:48 Coronti central time.

"My name is Commander Dane Morlund, and I will be taking you to Bandarr's Gateway in the Cariathme system." I said introducing myself and reviewing the reason they were aboard my ship.

"As you know, once we leave orbit, we are going to spend a number of days slipping past Baroness Aroghal's patrols. This means that we cannot allow for any emissions. No communications, and only the most essential electronic usage that could be mistaken for residual background radiation." I looked from one Coronti to the next to make certain I had their attention.

The oldest of the four, the Ihln Councilor from Hasqela clan kept their eyes on me and their ears attentively aimed in my direction. They seemed to be the most responsible of the group, so I nodded in their direction. Of the two females, one seemed a little put out to have to spend her time aboard a starship, and kept glancing toward the cabin that they were assigned for the voyage. The other one had their eyes on me, but their ears were conveying some kind of half interest that I hadn't seen in a Coronti before. I couldn't spend the time trying to figure it out, however and my eyes moved to the male.

Councilor Auvold seemed bored, and was only paying the slightest attention to me as I informed them of what the outbound trip would entail.

"Once we have reached a point sufficiently outside the perimeter sensors, we will be on a jump warning," I gestured vaguely at the crew lounge. "The lights will turn yellow, and that may be all the warning I will be able to give you to get back to your cabin and secure yourselves into the hammock prior to the first jump. After that, and depending on whether we are detected, there may be up to three more jumps before I feel that we can stand down and take a rest before we continue our passage to Cariathme." I paused, glancing from one to the next. "Do you have any questions before we launch?"

"I do, Commander." said the one who had been examining me.

I nodded for her to ask.

"So, you are a human, is that correct?" She asked.

I nodded. "Human, male, and recently sworn citizen of the Empire. Yes."

"Really.."

Her ears lifted in a smile as her eyes roamed over me again slowly.

"Is.. she eye-fucking me?!" I wondered to myself, but my thought was interrupted by the Ihln councilor.

"Delawn, For Satemi's sake. Let the Commander do his job so that we can conduct our business in Cariathme. If you wish to satisfy your..curiosities.. at that time then you may indulge yourself." they said with a minor note of distaste in their tone.

I blinked, twice, not being sure how to take that and just shook my head and returned to business.

"During the outbound trip, my engineer, Josie may be available at times to help you with any issues you have learning the fabricator controls, or if you have problems using the intercom. Just be absolutely certain that it is an emergency before you do so. Everyone get ready for liftoff. It could be a little turbulent, but I will try to make it as smooth as possible." The four councilors dipped their heads ever so briefly, and I turned to Josie and nodded my head toward the bridge.

"Josie, let's get this ship back where she belongs." I said and led the way to the bridge.

Lift off and departure through the atmosphere of Coront wasn't as rough as I had thought. Although the humid equatorial air was thick, Sunspear handled it with the strong steady ease of a condor over the Andes. A little rock and sway, but nothing so hard that anyone would have been thrown around in the lounge. Still, it was a good thing that I had them take seats for the time it took to reach the upper atmosphere and ignite the main drives. I took one more look at the telemetry and plotted the course that I needed to reach the jump point, then I hit the drives hard and felt the inertia press me back into the pilots chair.

Josie, in the meantime, was studying everything that I did, and when I did it. I gave them what explanations that I could spare time and mind for, but eventually it was time for them to go aft to make sure that no one was still sending communications, and warn them of the upcoming power outage.

Ten minutes later we were coming up on the black line, and Josie was still not on the bridge. How they ever managed to command even a corvette class ship was starting to be questionable.

"Josie. We're coming up on blackout time. Get up to the bridge." I commanded and tried to keep my voice level. They appeared two minutes later, a little disheveled and a little out of sorts. I gave them a hard glance but they avoided eye contact.

"I'm sorry, Master. One of the councilors demanded I repeat the instructions a third time." they said, but by the way they held their ears, that was not all that was going on, and it was confirmed by the flush of their cheeks.

"This is no time to be getting derailed by councilors, no matter how important they believe themselves to be, Josie. Please keep that in mind for this trip." I said. Although I said it as gently as I could. I'm pretty sure there was still an edge to my voice because their ears dropped and their secondary hands fidgeted in their lap. I took a breath and flashed the internal lights yellow twice, then I started shutting down non essential power, and dimmed the ship's transponder to zero output. With five more minutes of roaring engine output, I cut the flight assist, switched the sensors to passive and shut down the engines, switching the ship's systems to cold-mode.

The only time I would heat up the engines from here on out, was for a course correction if and when I was certain that there was no one around. I had Josie go aft to the officers lounge and make a pod of coffee with cream from the cold box that we had stocked earlier that morning, then I advised them to take the opportunity to go to their quarters and get some sleep. For me, there wouldn't be any.

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System: Atavrand Sector 9483, Coront.

Passing ninth planetary orbital path. Outbound to

Dane Morlund, Aboard Sunspear.

Date: 12-27-5798 GS, 03:51 hours.

My eyes were gritty and my attention was beginning to wander, and that was deeply problematic at this time, because any small mistake or misinterpreted signal on the sensors could mean running into a patrol, or tripping a perimeter sensor. Either of those would push me to heat up the drives far ahead of when I wanted to, and that would mean leaving a gravity wake trajectory that could be analyzed by a nearby patrol cutter. I had to get some sleep, and trust that Josie would wake me up if there were an issue, so I unclipped myself from the pilot's seat and went aft, looking for my engineer.

They weren't in their quarters studying the engineering diagrams and schematics that I had made available to them, and they weren't in the officers lounge taking a meal either. Which left either engineering or the crew lounge. I turned toward the crew lounge, because engineering was the least likely of the two.

The scene that I stepped into stopped me two steps after I passed through the hatch into the lounge.

The two female councilors were seated together, talking and pointedly ignoring what was transpiring across the lounge from them at the far wall. The older ihln councilor was studiously reading from their datapad, with their ears tucked back against their head until they caught sight of me in the hatch.

The male, however, was looming over a cornered Josie, pressing them against the wall of the lounge to my left, and groping their breast with a secondary hand while keeping my engineer from leaving with his primaries hands on either side of them.

"Come on, you little swamp mucker. All I want you to do is provide me with a little service in my cabin. That's what you are here for, isn't it? Your weakling human's little servant slave?" He said with a tone of mockery.

Josie's primary and secondary hands were clasped at their belly and their ears were held down as her eyes kept looking away from him. Their rear hips and legs were tucked under them and shivering as though afraid. She didn't even see me when I entered, at least not until I called out to the councilor accosting my engineer.

"Councilor." I said, trying my best to sound politely insistent. But he ignored me and kept gripping Josie's breast, twisting at the nipple.

"Councilor." I said with a little more volume.

He took a breath and sighed, irritably.

"Yes, what is it..commander?" He finally replied with a mix of exasperation and contempt.

If I had been less tired, I probably would have thought things through.

If I had been less tired, I would have also likely been aware that my feet had taken me across the lounge in five steps, building up momentum.

If I had taken a few less stimulants and gotten more sleep, the shocked sound of the ihln councilors voice might have made me aware of what I was about to do.

"Commander!"

"Oh, my." said another more feminine voice.

But it wouldn't have stopped the grip and pull of my left hand, nor the momentum of my right fist as it swung down hard, impacting on the Coronti males jaw with a loud thud that rocked his head around on his neck and sent him sprawling to the floor in a tangled heap of insensate limbs.

I stood between his unconscious body and Jossivindha, breathing hard and staring at him, waiting for him to get to his feet. But he didn't. He was out cold, and I realized that I was furious. I turned my fury on the three remaining councilors, and when I spoke, I didn't fully realize the volume I was using.

"LISTEN UP!" I bellowed in the confined space.

"And listen very well, because I will only say this once." I looked from one to the next as I spoke with as much forced calm as I could manage.

"This is the ICS Sunspear. I own this ship, I am its commander, and on this ship I am the one and only true God. When I give a command, it will be obeyed without backtalk or debate, like your lives depend on it." I lowered my voice to a fury filled hiss as I finished.

"Because. It. Does."

I looked at each one, noting that I actually had their absolute attention this time.

"I was contracted to bring one delegate from Coront to Cariathme. One. That means I have three spares that I can escort to the airlock and send them on a long cold walk home." I nodded as it sunk in and their ears lowered.

"So when I tell you that none of you are to harass, disrespect or put your hands on my engineer," I paused pointing at Josie. "I had better not hear of or witness any one of those happening for the duration of this voyage. Am. I. Understood."

All three councilors rose, hands clasped before them and dipped into bows, heads lowered.

"Yes, Commander." The ihln councilor said for them. I stared at them for a moment, then turned my head to look at Josie who was crouched low on the deck, their head bent and their ears tucked back. Somewhere in the action their tunic had torn leaving their breasts exposed. I brought my hands up and gently took the torn edges and placed them together.

"Josie." I said softly, getting their attention.

"Yes Master?" they replied in a whisper.

"Are you alright?"

They looked up with wide eyes and flushed cheeks and gave me a nod. "Yes, Master. I am."

I gave them a smile, one of the facial expressions that I had explained to them as a sign of being pleased. They tried to emulate it, but it was a little awkward on a face not used to using those muscles for that purpose.

"Why don't you go back to your quarters and get washed up and changed. I need you to watch the sensors while I get some sleep. Okay?"

They bobbed their head and lifted their ears in a flick.

"Yes Master." They acknowledged and I helped them to their feet and sent them on their way. They scampered across the crew lounge and through the hatch quickly, clinging to their torn tunic the whole way.

I turned back around and looked at the still unconscious councilor and growled, then looked at the ihln.

"Explain to this one, in terms that will penetrate his thick skull, why he is one mistake away from breathing vacuum." They nodded acknowledgement and I gave the other two a long look. One was staring contempt at the male on the deck, the other, Delawn, had eyes only for me, her face flushed and her breathing a little rapid. I couldn't tell if it was fear or something else, but I was too damned tired to figure it out. I turned and walked back to my quarters, got in the shower and let the heat and pulsing waves wash the exhaustion out of me. Then I gave myself a passing attempt at drying off before collapsing into my bed. I was out before I realized it.

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System: Atavrand Sector 9483, Coront.

Location: Outer orbit, nearing jump point.

Dane Morlund, Aboard Sunspear.

Date: 12-28-5798 GS, 21:32 hours.

I had slept, and by the stiffness of my arms and legs, I had probably slept too long. By the ache in my bladder that woke me, I was absolutely certain that I had slept too long. I groaned as I rolled out of bed and shuffled to the lavatory, and emptied my bladder, noting in passing that I had not put my ship suit in the reconditioner when I came back from.. Whatever it was that I had been doing. Almost forty two hours, on edge, and without sleep was a horrible idea and whoever had signed me up for that shift was going to hear some pretty harsh words from me the next time I met with them.

I was still in pretty bad shape, to be honest. Bad enough that it wasn't until I met eyes with Josie, or rather looked at their eyes while they were seemingly transfixed on something around my belt level, that I realized I had left my cabin searching for coffee and breakfast.

I cleared my throat, and was a little dismayed by the gravel that I had to talk around. But it brought Josie's eyes up to mine.

"Coffee.. And food." I said vaguely. I think I was trying to rationalize why I was standing in the officers lounge without wearing any kind of clothing, which I had just deduced might have been the issue.

"Y..Yes Master." Josie replied, their cheeks flushing under their cream colored skin giving them a rather pretty pink color all the way down the neck of their new tunic.

"Uh.. right. I should... go get dressed then." I said and returned to my quarters to splash some cold water on my face in an attempt to wake up. Then I enlisted the fabricator to make a second ship suit, and placed the rather rank smelling one in the reconditioner. I vowed, once again, to have a word with whoever it was that had me spend so much time in the pilot's seat for so long and dove into the shower, turning the water to an icy cold spray to finish the process of shocking me awake.

I probably screamed. Like a child. But hey, No one heard me.

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"Master, are you alright?" Josie asked as I emerged from my cabin, freshly bathed, fully awake and suited up. I looked at them and tilted my head in a curious gesture that they had grown familiar with.

"I thought I heard you scream, is anything wrong?" They asked, their ears trembling a little in concern.

So much for no one hearing me.

"I'm fine, Josie." I said, trying to assure them that everything was copacetic.

"Uh.. As you say, Master. Your food and coffee are waiting in the lounge." They said and hurried on toward the bridge, glancing over their shoulder as they went. They were likely going to keep their eyes on the sensors. I turned toward the officers lounge and received a pleasant surprise when I got there; a large mug of dark coffee, creamed properly and a big plate of biscuits and sausage gravy, accompanied by a small vial of Tabasco sauce and a stack of bacon. Josie must have been doing some research on their master's habits, and used the fabricator history menu to see what I liked.

At that moment, I could have kissed them, but my stomach had ultimate command, and I sat down to pacify its rumblings.

After satisfying the dangerously hungry space dragon inhabiting my guts, I cleared the plates and placed them in the recycler, but I kept my large pod of coffee with me as I headed to the bridge. When I got there, Josie was occupying one of the four seats on the command bridge. This one had been replaced with one more suited for Coronti. They had their eyes firmly on the scanner with their back turned to me as I crossed the distance and stood behind them giving the scanner a look over for my own satisfaction.

Three patrol ships on a heading taking them away from us, and no sensor satellite com-pings in the area. I glanced out through the forward view portal at the broad array of stars ahead of us and sighed in satisfaction.

"Master," Josie said softly.

"Hmm?" I acknowledged while taking another sip from the pod in my hand.

They turned their head and looked up at me, brushing one of their bangs back away from their face.

"Master, about... About what happened in the crew lounge with Councilor Auvold.." they started hesitantly. I scowled as I remembered what happened and sighed irritably.

"It's been dealt with." I said, trying to write it off.

"That's.. that's not what I meant to say, Master. I.." They hesitated for a moment, their ears rising and falling then turning both their eyes and ears toward me hopefully. "Thank you, Master. For standing up for me."

I smiled, and couldn't resist bringing my hand up and stroking their cheek, then combed my fingers back through their sandy blonde hair. And once again I caught the lightest whiff of their scent, musky and sweet, and some part of me suddenly felt very possessive of them.

I didn't even catch myself until after the word had already passed my lips.

"Mine." I heard myself say, and by the widening of their eyes, so did they.

I pulled my hand away from them and placed it behind my back, turning my head and taking another sip of my coffee to hide my embarrassment.

"Eyes on the scanner, Josie. We're not out of here just yet." I said, trying to sound authoritative and not completely unnerved by what I had been doing and what I had almost been thinking.

"Y..yes, master." They said, pausing a beat or two before complying and putting eyes on the holographic representation of the surrounding seven hundred and twenty degrees of mostly empty space. Though one of their ears was turned attentively back toward me.

"I am going to go check on the councilors. When I get back, it will be your turn to get bathed and grab some sleep."

"Yes, Master. Thank you." They said, and I caught the honest exhaustion in their voice. I moved toward the hatch and glanced back at them again just before I stepped through. They had their eyes diligently on the scan, tracking the patrol and making sure the Sunspear wasn't on a trajectory to intercept any asteroids or uncharted bodies floating around in the void between us and free space.

There was some undefinable thought in my head that I couldn't quite get a grip on, and I was struggling to bring it to the surface as I walked the corridors to the crew lounge. Then I shook my head and dismissed it for later.

The crew lounge was quiet, and for a moment I thought that it was empty, until I caught a small movement in the recessed pit where a circle of benches surrounded a small game table in the middle of the lounge.

It was the older Ihln Councilor, nesting in a pile of blankets and reading. They were looking at me and I gave them a nod of acknowledgement.

"Ah, Commander. Good, I had hoped to speak with you." they said, laying their datapad down and gesturing for me to approach with their right primary hand. I walked over and settled myself down across from them.

"I was just checking in on you and the others before I took over for Jossivindha on the bridge." I said, explaining my presence.

Their ears wiggled a little in pleasant acknowledgement. It was something like a smile, and I realized that there were so many expressions that the Coronti did with just their ears that I would be studying them for a good while before I thought I knew everything they meant.

"The others are sleeping, of course." They said, explaining the absence of the other three councilors.

"I meant to speak to you, Commander, about the incident earlier."

I sighed, and gestured for them to continue.

"Councilor Auvold has been censured for his indiscretions, and I will be filing the official report and censure when we arrive at Bandurr's Gateway. Until then, he has been confined to quarters."

I held up a hand, to interrupt.. "Councilor.." I stopped and sighed.

"Forgive me, councilor, for not taking the time to learn your names before now."

"Avientol of the Hasqela clan." they stated simply. "You may call me Avie, if you please."

"Avie, then." I said, and they nodded. "I may have taken the issue a bit too far, but I tend to be very.." It was their turn to hold up a hand to interrupt, and I fell silent.

"There were extenuating circumstances, and I felt that I should make them clear for you Commander." they said. I stared at them for a moment and then nodded, holding my hand out, palm upward in a gesture meant for them to continue.

"Commander. I understand that your acquisition of the slave Jossivindha is a very recent one." They said, their right ear lifting as they tilted their head asking for confirmation. I nodded.

"How much of Coronti biology are you familiar with, Commander?"

I gave a half shrug, and sighed. "Honestly, not much."

They nodded, their ears dipping and rising in humor.

"I thought not. Else the issue might not have become so...volatile."

I waited for them to expand on that, taking a sip of my coffee to help keep my mental gears greased.

"In my eighty seven years of life," They stopped as I choked on my coffee, and brought my sleeve up to dab it from my lips as I swallowed and coughed.

"Eighty seven?" I asked, completely bewildered. "You.. I'm sorry, councilor, but by human terms you don't look over fifty at the most." and honestly, they didn't. If they had been a human, they would have been solidly listed under 'Hot Fifty' in the singles ads.

Their ears, flicked rapidly and a secondary hand laid on their chest. I hoped I hadn't just deeply offended them. Then they laughed and I saw a bit of a blush.

"Oh, Commander, thank you. I hadn't thought that a compliment from an alien would be so appealing."

I held out my hand and waved it dismissively as I looked away.

"Apologies, councilor."

"Ahem.. No matter. What I was attempting to say is that in my life I have only seen an ihln in such a state a few times. Your Jossi, they have had a recent experience that was very stressful, yes?" They asked as though already knowing the answer.

"I.. I guess that you could say that." I answered vaguely. But they nodded anyway.

"Your Ihln slave has been under quite a bit of stress. As such, they must have begun a hormonal shift within the last few days." They reached out their left primary hand and took up a drink pod of water, pausing to sip at it and contemplate me with their eyes. I blinked, feeling quite lost in the conversation.

"I would not expect a human to have been able to detect the pheromones," they said, pausing again as though hinting, leading me to the conclusion that they meant for me to find.

"Musky,..slightly sweet.." I said unconsciously, and they nodded.

"Precisely. For a Coronti male, they can be rather distracting. They are not true female pheromones, but they are close enough that it often prompts behaviors that can be socially unacceptable." They sipped their water again, watching me grind through the implications.

"Are you telling me that Jossivindha is.. In heat?"

Avie snorted their laughter and waved the idea off.

"Coronti are not base animals, Commander Morlund. They are not in heat. They are..changing." They set their water down on the table and clasped their hands together, all four of them, in a pose reminiscent of a patient teacher with a slow student.

"In my lifetime, I have come to the realization that 'becoming' for an Ihln, is as much a matter of will as it is physical, biochemical changes."

I frowned, trying to review what I remembered of the medical texts and synopsis from the data crystals that Dr. Taisikha had given to me.

"And you know this, because?" I said, doubtfully.

"Because in the two times that I have endured significant stress and a threatened hormonal shift, I chose to remain Ihln." They said.

All I could think to ask, and it was probably the dumbest question, was "Why?"

Councilor Avientol leaned back from me, looking at me for a moment.

"If you ever repeat this, I will deny it flat out and for all time." She warned me. I nodded accepting what she meant.

"I may act as the reserved and dignified official, Commander Morlund, but I very much enjoy being Ihln. I do not have to choose being male over female, taking my mate over giving myself to them. In being Ihln, I get to enjoy both."

I must have blushed a little, because they actually giggled, their ears flicking in genuine humor.

"They are making themself receptive, Commander. And it isn't for the sake of councilor Auvold."

They held up a hand, as I opened my mouth to say something. "That is not to excuse him for his misbehavior. He is a spoiled third son of a high clan Arch priestess, and a retired prime councilor, and has never been told no by anyone who didn't have the standing to enforce it."

They reached out and took up their water again, sipping and then returning the pod to the table. "Your Jossi simply got caught up in bad timing by an undisciplined male while they were subconsciously pouring out their invitation to their chosen."

I think my mind was blown and skipping several gears at that proclamation, but I was reminded that I had to take my shift or Josie would fall asleep at the sensors.

"Thank you, councilor." I said, half distracted as I stood up.

They gave an ear flick of a smile and nodded.

"Rest your mind regarding councilor Auvold. I have him well in hand."

I nodded, and turned toward the bridge with my head spinning.

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System: Atavrand Sector 9483, Coront.

Location: Outer orbit, Approaching first jump.

Dane Morlund, Aboard Sunspear.

Date: 12-29-5798 GS, 07:12 hours.

I reached out and flicked the ship's interior lights to standby as Jossivindha joined me on the bridge and took her position at the engineering station, while also monitoring the sensor scan.

I started warming up the engines, checking the readouts carefully for any problems and raising the navigational shields to standard output. Then I keyed up the intercom while pushing the throttle forward and felt the rumble of the engines through the hull as the ship leapt forward and started gaining speed.

"All ship, All ship. Stand by for jump. This will be the first of three, so strap in and remain in your cabins until further notice." I cut the com, flicked the standby lights three times and glanced at Jossivindha.

"How's the scan looking, Josie?" I asked while running the calculations for the first and second jumps through the nav comp.

"All clear, Master." They said, watching the holographic sphere and the central dot representing our position in the actively scanned area.

"Good enough. Let's get out of here." I said, turning my attention back to the array of holographic and physical controls in front of me. The relative speed readout was climbing slowly, but in steadily increasing increments as all four primary engines roared their fury into the stars sending the vibrations of their song throughout the hull.

5 AU, 10 AU, 16 AU, 32 AU...

When it hit fifty seven Astronomical Units, the Hyperlight synched with the drives and I cut in the Hyperlight drive, smiling as I watched the stars become threads of light. Then I heard a gasp from my right and turned my head to see Josie staring wide-eyed at the forward view port.

"First time in hyperlight." I said, and honestly, I couldn't blame them. I must have had that very same reaction the first time I made a jump, and I was grateful to have never lost that sense of magic and wonder.

"It..It's beautiful." They said in a breathy voice, and I turned my head, eyes back on the sight and I couldn't agree more.

We had managed to slip by all of the Aroghal patrols, and even avoided detection by a sensor satellite that had pinged the navigational beacon two hours before we were far enough outside the system to make the jump. If it had made the report ping fifty minutes later, it would have contained a report of our gravitational wake, and the patrol armada command would have been alerted to the presence of a blockade runner making a get away. As it was, the next ping and report would happen five hours too late for them to use their sensors to get a wake trajectory reading. The Sunspear was free and clear for all intents and purposes, but I was going to make the triple jump far outside of the Imperial borders anyway. I didn't see any point in giving Aroghal's people, nor any of Volants who might leak the information, any reason to think that Sunspear had been anywhere in the area.

Josie and I both remained on the bridge for the fifteen minutes it took to cross forty eight light years, and into the gravity well of the next star.

It was an F-class star that glowed a sullen egg-yolk orange, but it was also exactly what would be needed for the next leg of the journey. I grinned in malicious humor as I kept the Sunspear aimed toward the sun even as the Hyperlight engines shut down for the required cool down time, and still I aimed inward, bringing us even closer to the sun while Josie made whimpering noises to my right.

"Deploy fuel scoop, Josie." I said to my unnerved engineer. And from the corner of my eye I watched their shaking hands fumble at the controls until the fuel scoop read deployed.

"Fuh..Feul scoop deployed, Master." they said, confirming what I already knew. And still I aimed Sunspear toward the fiery hell that was Pardimot Sector 79, FG 923.

Closer and closer. I kept an eye on the external temperatures until I hit the mark I wanted.

"Reading Heliosphere." I said and pulled up, turning Sunspears back to the blazing orange ball of hatred and fury and scooping up the free flying hydrogen particles to fuel the reactors that powered Sunspear's drives, shields and most of her systems.

Jossivindha, once of clan Takhan leaned forward and stared in a mixture of terror and awe through the polarized view screen at the star that we were belligerently circling, using our momentum to defy its insatiably hungry gravity. Then she let out an exalted Whoop that sparked my own laughter, and I turned a smile their way.

We kept skimming off Pardimot's hydrogen for another fifteen minutes until the fuel gauge read full, and then peeled away on a course that lined us up for the next jump. I flicked the intercom and alerted our passengers.

"Jump imminent. Stand by."

"It's a good thing those money wallowing, high clan paper pushers can't see this, or they would be making a mess on the deck." Josie said derisively, referring to the councilors who were strapped into the comfortably blind ignorance of their bunks.

"Ahh, maybe not all of them, Josie." I said, with one councilor in mind. "One of them seems to have a bit more steel in their spine than the others."

Josie looked at me for a long, considering moment and then cracked.

"You mean, other than the knives they have been taking and calling it politics?" I laughed again and graced them with another smile. I was feeling a little surprised at how comfortable Josie made me feel after a very short time, and I was also feeling rather hopeful about what that meant for us working together. The silence stretched out between us as the external temperatures receded, and the hyperlight engines neared the point where they had cooled enough for the next jump. In the meantime, I was busy pummeling a series of questions in the back of my mind regarding what the councilor had said.

I had always considered myself pretty solidly heterosexual, but what did it mean, then, in light of this attraction and possessiveness I felt toward Josie? Step back from that, and what did it mean when that attraction was for someone who was so obviously nonhuman? Turien was..honestly close enough to human that it hadn't really affected me much. It was actually kind of hot, in a way, because the differences were just more things to explore with her. I loved licking her ears and feeling the shudder that went through her entire body, and the way she gripped my cock when I was inside of her and did it.

Turien had playfully punched my shoulder and called it terribly unfair that an alien would know her weakness almost from the first, when her favored lover had taken years to discover it. And that led me back to Josie, and the idle ponderings over what their weak points would be.

"Coming up on jump, in ten.." They announced, bringing my attention back to the controls in front of me. I turned the hand on the throttle, placing my thumb on the trigger for the hyperlight engines and held ready.

"Three..two...one..Mark!" Josie called out, and I hit the switch. The Hyperlite engines roared as they took us into another tunnel of lights and illuminated distant, multihued nebulae.

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System: Carsatz Sector 21-G 142.

Location: Inner system, climbing to Azimuth +58.

Dane Morlund, Aboard Sunspear.

Date: 12-30-5798 GS, 17:00 hours.

"Alright, Councilors." I announced through the intercom. "You can escape from your cabins and stretch your legs. We will be here for ten hours before the next series of jumps." I said as I set the nav-comp on autopilot and Jossivindha set the scanners to alert us to any bodies or ships on an intercepting course.

"Ohh, ouch. I thought being cramped into a corvette with my cousins was uncomfortable." Josie complained as they stretched and bent, trying to work out the discomfort of being strapped into a seat for thirty four hours. Which, it wasn't. Considering that Josie had been free to leave the bridge and go to their quarters to relieve themself from time to time.

"If I am not mistaken, those old corvettes don't have grav plating. And you had other pilots to relieve you." I remarked as I stretched out a cramped leg and hobbled toward the hatch separating the officers section from the command module.

"True.. But as much of a regurgitated heap of junk as she was, I loved the.. Aghh!" Josie's fond response turned into a pained yelp as they lurched to their right, crashing into me, and I instinctively grabbed them.

"What's wrong?" I asked, looking them over as they grasped at their right fore-leg as it was curling up under them.

"Cramp.. Oh, Satemi's tits!" she gasped as their leg started to straighten only to curl again. Their eyes closed in obvious pain.

"Come on, let's get you into a hot shower and loosen it up." I said, dragging them into my quarters and over to the shower. I quickly shed my ship suit, only hesitating for a second before committing to the needs of my crew. Then, once naked, I pulled their tunic and shorts off of them and dragged them, objecting and making excuses, into the hot shower with me.

"Wait, Master.. I can.. I should be doing this for myself.. Wait!"

I reached over to the controls and turned on two more of the shower heads, setting all three for a good hot pummeling pressure and pushed Josie against the bulkhead to keep them from making some kind of self-sacrificing escape to tend to themself on their own.

"Put your hands against the wall and be silent." I ordered them, giving them a sharp smack on their rump. They went quiet and and instantly they complied, placing their hands, primary and secondary, flat against the wall. I crouched down and took hold of their still curled foreleg and began massaging the muscles gently at first, then with more intention as I found which muscles were standing rigid and tense under their soft skin.

"Oooouuugghh.." Josie groaned, half in pain and half in pleasure as I used my hands to work out the tension and coaxed their leg muscles to relax. Slowly their right foreleg extended and their forefoot spread out on the smooth floor of the shower, but I continued because I knew plenty about cramps. The bastards could act like they were done, and then just sneak right back and take away all of a person's happiness again.

Top to bottom I worked their foreleg, even spending a little time with their toes, eliciting a moan of delight from them. The next instant, they froze up and I heard them speak with a very unsure voice as a secondary hand touched my shoulder.

"Master.. I'm.."

"Hands on the wall." I said, cutting them off. I heard the hand slap back onto the wall and a shiver run through them, and even through the thick steam of the shower I could smell the musk and sweetness. It was just the slightest whiff, but there was no mistaking it.

"I had a conversation with Counselor Avientol, about what happened with Auvold. More to the point, Why it happened." I was running my hands up and down their leg, and then moved my hands to their right rear leg, causing another shiver to run through them. Up and down, and then slowly up as I stood up and caressed their wet skin, my left hand traveling up between their thighs.

"When I presented you with the contract to become my slave, you interpreted it in a way other than just as a ship servant, didn't you?"

They shivered and hesitated until my left hand slid up and caressed the slit of their pubic mound, eliciting a squeaked confirmation.

"Yes, master."

I nodded, though they couldn't see the gesture. They had their face turned into their right primary arm, attempting to hide the blush on their cheeks and muffle the gasps as my fingers explored their slick folds slowly. I slid my fingers forward, encountering the engorged clitoris and then back again. Their clit wasn't as large as I had thought it would be, but it was still stiff and protruding from their folds, jutting forward like a miniature penis.

"You read the contract, and everything I put into it, fully, didn't you." I said, and it was less of a question than a statement of fact. One that they acknowledged with a nod of their head, still hiding behind their arm and a gasped confirmation.

"Y..yes, master."

I placed my right hand on the spine of their barrel, running it from their rump to their waist and back again while the fingers of my left hand slid back along the engorged folds of their pussy. They were slick with their juices, and the scent of their musk was becoming thicker in the steamy air.

"Are you a deviant, Jossivindha?" I asked, as a minor surge of sadism crept out of its long slumber from the back of my mind.

"Are you a pervert who secretly wants to be taken by an alien?" I pushed. They moaned and shivered as I kept stroking them, caressing their skin and sliding the fingernails of my right hand up the spine of their torso.

"Answer me, Jossivindha." I demanded as I watched them shiver and struggle internally.

They whimpered, and their rear legs pressed together over my fingers. I drew them back and brought them down on her rump with a sharp smack that startled them.

"Answer." I said in a calm voice, and slid my fingers back between their shivering thighs.

"Nn..nn" they shook their head in denial, ears down and quivering, but their hips started pushing back against my left hand, seeking more even as I denied it, teasing their folds and stroking my ring and middle finger along the brief length of their clit.

"Mm..Master" they pleaded in a whimper.

"Answer." I said again, this time with more authority, as I kept stroking them, teasing their slit and laying my thumb on their puckered anus, my fingers slipping along the sides of their clit, taunting them, teasing them and sending shocks through them that I could see traveling through their whole body. I brought my right hand up and curled my fingers into Josie's short hair, gripping it and pulling their head back enough to make them gasp.

"Master!.. Yes.. Yes..please. I'm a degenerate..a pervert." she confessed in a yelp as the fingers of my left hand pressed together more firmly, still stroking their clit as my thumb made circles around her pucker and then bent and pressed inward.

"Is that why you so eagerly threw yourself at my feet when I beat your Fang?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"N..no, yes..I.. Unfff!: they grunted as my fingers kept stroking their clit, moving a little faster to encourage them to a more honest confession, and my thumb pushed inside of them a little.

"I..I've always wanted to..huh huh.. Wanted to..belong to..someone. Please, Master." they begged as their haunches began to buck and sway a little, little shivers of eagerness running through them as their juices started to cover my palm. Their feet slid, moving their hip toward me and encountered my rigid length. They froze mid-buck as they felt my cock press against the skin of their hip, and they finally lifted their face from their arm and looked at me over their shoulder. Their eyes met mine as I continued to caress and stroke their clit, and my thumb pushed further into them, pulling a moan of humiliated pleasure from them.

"Plleeeaaasee master.." they whined, and I let go of their hair which made them whimper in objection. I had seen all of these cues before. But they had been from human women that had already been well versed in the games adults played. This was an alien, who had evidently never known these games, but had felt them in their heart a hundred times already.

"What do you want, slave." I said, intent on making them say it.

"Take.." they gasped. "Take me.. Use..use me, please, Master." They said between groans as their rear hips curled and bucked, pushing back on my thumb and making it sink deeper inside of them as their ice-blue eyes lost their clarity.

I brought my right hand up, my gaze never leaving those eyes and smacked their rump sharply, making them yelp. Their breathing was fast and the scent of her need was thick in the air, combining with the steam and filling my head. I smacked their ass again sharply, using the back of my hand on their other ass cheek.

"Please.." they begged again and I could see them nearing the point of breaking. I moved slightly, removing my left hand and reaching again for Josie's hair. Grabbing them by the hair and pulling back, I guided the head of my cock along their slit, moistening it with their own juices and then, with no more warm up than their own eager lust and reluctant, humiliated confessions, I drove my length into them. They were tight, and slick, and hot and their inner muscles clenched at the invasion of their vulnerable insides. Jossivindha yelped and their hands clenched on the wall, but the yelp turned into a moan and their hips pushed back, wanting more. And I gave it to them, backing out just a little before pushing more of my length into them, then out and back again. Five times I did that, each thrust making them grunt and whimper until my hips pressed firmly to their haunches and they loosed a lust-filled groan of satisfaction and pleasant discomfort.

"yeeesss.."

I laughed a little as I leaned forward, my right hand releasing their hair and slipping around to grip their full breast, wrapping my hand over it and digging my fingernails into their skin, which brought a hiss of pain from them. Then my left hand slipped under their barrel and covered their pubic mound, trapping their elongated clit under my palm as my fingers played with their labia.

"Is this what you needed, my little pervert?" I asked, taunting them.

"To be taken and used, fucked with an alien cock to get your degenerate thrills?"

They whimpered, shaking their head in denial until I drew my hips back and thrust into them again, and then again harder.

"YES!... Yes, Master!" they screamed into the shower, even while they still shook their head, trying to deny my words. "Yes.." they finally said, hanging their head and clawing at the smooth wall.

"Yes." They whimpered as I moved my hips again, this time slowly sliding my cock in and out of them, feeling every clench and ripple of their inner muscles grasping at the shaft of my cock until only the head was within, then just as slowly I pushed back into them.

"Yes..master. I..I've always been a degenerate,.. A freak.. A pervert.." they confessed as I slid in and out of them, bringing groans and whimpers from their lips between words.

"I've never been... satisfied..ugh. Yes.. with males.. I've.. never ohhh.. Girls..were.. Never enoouuuuggghhh..."

I smiled as I started to speed up the pace, my right hand gripping their breast and pinching at their nipple, getting me a squeak and a shiver as I thrust into them again, my left palm sliding back and forth, stroking their clit faster.

"Oh..oh, Master.. Yes!" I felt them shiver and their inner muscles spasm once, then again as they clenched around my cock and let out a hissed scream as they came. I didn't stop though, I just kept fucking them, stroking their clit and gripping their breast to use as leverage for the fucking that had only begun.

I pulled my hips back and drove my rigid girth into them harder, the impact of my hips against their haunches making loud wet slaps that sounded sharp even in the dense fog of the shower as I used them for my own release. I felt them stiffen again, their juices running over the palm of my left hand and out around the girth of my cock as it slid in and out of them while they came again, and this time they couldn't suppress the scream.

"YEESS!! MASTER..Yes!"

It was that final break that tickled my brain just right and I felt my balls clench up and the shocks of electric pleasure run through me from the head of my cock right into my brain until I slammed my hips into them and groaned as I filled them, my cock swelling inside of them and spilling my seed in their depths in hard pulses, one after another to the point that it started to spill out through their tightly gripping folds and down their thigh to be rinsed away by the falling water.

Both of us leaned against the smooth, relatively cool surface of the wall, both of us needing the support just to stay upright. Josie had their head resting on the wall between their primary hands, but those were slipping down as their muscles went more and more limp from exhaustion.

Between us, I could still feel Josie's inner muscles clamped around the shaft of my cock, refusing to release me from their depths. Occasionally they would pulse, almost milking more of my seed into them, but eventually their grip in my cock loosened enough for me to slide out of them, and I stepped back, watching as my seed spilled from between their puffy, abuse reddened folds and slide down their inner thighs until it disappeared in the wash of water, mixing and diluting it until it ran down the drain.

"Master?" Josie's voice broke into my contemplations of their backside and brought my eyes up to theirs. Their ears bounced up and down, as those green flecked ice-blue eyes suddenly turned bashful and their cheeks reddened beyond the shade of blush that had been earned by our passion.

"Am.. am I pleasing, master?" they asked, and I could hear the need for reassurance in their voice. "Am I.."

I interrupted them by pushing away from the wall and stepping in front of them, wrapping my arms around them and bringing their face up to mine.

"Yes, My little pervert." I said, then I kissed them, making it a slow, deep kiss that conveyed my meaning more fully than words as I pulled them firmly against me. Even through half lidded eyes, I could see their shocked blush, and then they melted into me, all four arms wrapping around me and their secondaries gripping my ass cheeks to press even more of me against them.

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