With a silver cane in one hand that she hardly needed anymore and a carafe full of coffee in the other, Diana circled the table, offering to top off half-empty mugs. At the same time, Ben and Inta busied themselves behind the kitchen counter, whipping up waffles, bacon, and eggs for anyone who wanted it.

  Frase, fascinated by the daily ritual, found an unoccupied counter in the kitchen area to prepare the Toparian’s simple breakfast of tofu-like Dram for the Grove members scattered around the table. Her attention frequently wandered across the kitchen to the silver girl and her peachy ass that wiggled while she worked. Ever since she had ‘earned her silver’, as she put it, officially bonding with Inta, Frase had stuck near an instance of the silver girl as often as she could, pressing her to ‘re-affirm’ her bond as frequently as she could sneak the silver girl away.

  Knowing she was being ogled, Inta turned her head and gnced over her shoulder, giving Frase a wink and mouthing the words silently, “ter,” with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

  “You’re getting around pretty good now,” Will commented on Diana’s mastery of her new limbs, “you hardly need that cane at all.”

  Diana gave Will a proud smile. “Inta says that I’ve almost completely integrated with it. She thinks it might be complete as soon as a week.” After Diana finished pouring coffee for everyone, she set the carafe in the middle of the table and then sat in an unoccupied seat to eat her breakfast.

  Taking a small bite of bacon, Diana chewed and swallowed dantily. “Inta said I should practice my control as often as I could, and since my manual dexterity isn’t quite to where it was, before,” she paused a moment, leaving the rest unsaid, “I’ve decided to wait on the charcoal sketches and try my hand at sculpture. Wanna see?” she asked, to which the whole table responded in the affirmative, excitedly.

  Diana held out one silver hand, palm up, and closed her eyes in concentration. A silver stem slowly sprouted a few inches from the center of her palm. The top of the steam rippled and blossomed into the petals of a rose as silver thorns adorned themselves along the stem. She opened her eyes to the sounds of ‘oooh’ and ‘ahh’ from everyone at the table. Diana’s face lit up, beaming with pride.

  “Well done, Sweetheart, you’ve come so far,” Inta told her encouragingly. “Do you want to try and take it to the next level and give it some color?” she asked, encouraging her to stretch herself even more.

  Diana closed her eyes again, focusing hard. As they watched, the silver of the rose petals slowly softened into a metallic pink. Diana opened her eyes and gave a little frown, but Inta reassured her immediately.

  “That’s fantastic, Honey! Form is one thing, but coloration and texture are very difficult. It takes a lot of practice. It’s amazing that you can do so much so soon!” She walked behind Diana’s seat and leaned over her shoulder to demonstrate what was possible. She reached over, hugging with one arm and caressing Diana’s silver arm with the other, intercing her fingers with Diana’s. The skin of Inta’s whole body shimmered and took on a beige tint, matching her skin tone to Diana’s natural skin, her hair the exact shade of brown as Diana’s. The only visible sign that Inta wasn’t human was the soft blue glow of her eyes.

  “You’ll get the hang of it soon, I promise,” Inta told her as she faded back to all silver. “Then you’ll be able to look like how ever you please.” Diana smiled at Inta’s encouragement, then hugged the silver arms that hugged her.

  After everyone had finished breakfast and sat around sipping their coffee or tea, Thea strolled in, looking a little bedraggled and sleepy, wearing a permanently etched grin. The others around the table grinned at one another, waiting for Thea to sit before giving her the third degree.

  She pulled out a chair, and as she sat, her grin was momentarily punctuated with a slight grimace, which bloomed into an even rger smile.

  June leaned forward with a shit-eating grin on her face. “Okay, spill. I want all the gory details.”

  Before Thea could respond, Ben asked from the kitchen as he cleaned up, “You want any waffles or anything?”

  “No, that’s alright, just coffee, please. I already had breakfast with the Boys,” she said, as her smile brightened a kilowatt or two.“Oooh, now it’s ‘The Boys’,” June said, practically bouncing in her seat. “Tell me everything; what was it like?”

  “Like being caught in the center of a fuck-tornado, the epicenter of a seven-point-oh my god, on the sexual Richter scale. If I’m being honest, it was as good as Inta’s two day fuckfest on the Dals, if not better.” Thea’s eyes focused off into the distance, remembering the previous night’s activities.

  “You all certainly made a mess to rival the one on the Dals,” Inta said, smirking, as she plucked a bit of what looked to be white rubbery tex from Thea’s hair. “It took me nearly an hour to clean up after you all went to breakfast.”

  “DETAILS!” June demanded emphatically. “I want you to describe every juicy moment, blow by blow,” June said, fully aware of the double entendre.

  “I can give you a video pyback,” Inta said, then turned to Thea, “If that’s okay with you, of course.” Everyone at the table was well accustomed to the knowledge that Inta saw everything that happened on the ship, plus the fact that just about everyone seated at the table had been intimate with everyone else at the table made them all comfortable with each other’s tastes and proclivities.

  “Absolutely,” Thea agreed enthusiastically. “I’d love a chance to watch it again from a different perspective,” she said, knowing it was only family at the table, “And I’m sure the Boys won’t mind; they’re very communal, in that way.”

  An empty wall behind the dinner table dispyed a view of the Caimar sleeping quarters, so half of the seated people had to crane their necks to see. The room started empty, but then a crowd of Caimar engineers rushed into it, bearing Thea aloft. Breakfast coffee and tea were sipped quietly as every set of eyes watched Thea being attended to lovingly by the randy engineers.

  Inta artfully cut and edited the recording of the action, capturing the event's fvor as it unfolded, as the crowd writhed and worshipped the object of their collective desire. As Thea, on the repy, was encased again in solidified cum, Ben scratched his chin, pondering. “I wonder what evolutionary advantage that gives them?”

  Thea smiled dreamily, “Zarvok told me it has to do with how ‘agressively feral’, his words, the Caimar women become during mating. As he tells it, the women in charge of their society are the epitome of cool, deliberate, thoughtful reason when making decisions impacting matters of State, but in the heat of passion, they literally go wild. Over the eons their ejacute evolved to provide a sedating effect, while physically restraining them as it hardened. Otherwise, half the male popution would be crushed to death beneath a sexually rampaging female.”

  “I know the feeling,” Will said jokingly, which earned him several pyful punches to the shoulder by the women seated nearby.

  June’s eyes were sparkling with mischief. “So, are you going to have another session tonight?”

  Thea ughed out loud at the suggestion. “Even if I wasn’t so sore already that I’ll be walking funny for the rest of the week, they have a super long refractory period and won’t even be able to get hard, for at least couple of weeks. Lucky thing for me,” she said, leaning forward a little, rubbing her ass.

  “The more for us,” June said hungrily.

  Thea ughed out loud again as the others around the table smirked. “I’m afraid the only thing getting in between these thighs for the next couple of nights will be bags of ice,” she said, earning chuckles from around the table.

  After the ughter subsided, June turned to Thea with a more serious look. “We’ve got another eight hours before we reach Sasan; when we arrive, do you want to pilot the Nestia in?”

  Thea’s reaction was instantaneous. “Hell yeah, I do. Back on the Dals, it’s frowned upon to have the Captain pilot the ship. Besides, I bet the Nestia’s a hell of a lot more fun to fly; the Dals only flies in straight lines and never nds, which is half the fun.”

  “Great!” June excimed. “Meet me on the bridge in six hours, I’ll give you a systems rundown, and then you can bring her in.”

  “Perfect. Time enough for a nap,” Thea said with a yawn.

  ****

  Rhenna and Emily had worked te in the med bay, putting a sizable dent in the crates of supplies piled at the entrance before calling it a night. As soon as they decided to call it for the night, Rhenna excused herself and left almost immediately, leaving Emily wondering if she had said or done something to offend.

  Rhenna headed back to her room, exhausted, and pnned to flop directly into bed and pass out cold. Riding the lift to her deck, she rolled her shoulder, trying to ease the achy cramp, which threatened to lock up the muscles under her shoulder bde. She stepped into the corridor and headed to her room when, seemingly by chance, Inta was walking the opposite way.

  “Good Evening Doctor. Did you and Nurse Sloane make some headway today?” Inta asked cheerfully.

  With the opposite hand still on her sore shoulder, she replied. “Why yes, we managed to get a great deal done today.”

  Inta gnced at Rhenna as she held her shoulder, then gave her a peculiar look. “You know, as Majordomo, it’s my job to take care of the ship, its crew and their guests,” she stated. “I’m also an excellent masseuse; why don’t you give me five minutes with that shoulder and I’ll have it all loosened up so you can get some good rest.”

  Rhenna looked down at the innocently smiling silver girl and decided it was a splendid idea. “Sounds good; only a fool turns away a good shoulder rub.”

  Inta turned and followed Rhenna to her room. Once inside, she pulled a rge pillow from a closet and set it on the table in front of one of the seats. “Please sit here, lean forward, and rest on this. It’s best to rex the muscle group during a chair massage,” she instructed.

  Rhenna did as requested, leaning forward on the pillow until she was comfortable. Inta stood behind her and, to one side, cpped her hand loudly and rubbed her hands together vigorously, warming her hands.

  As Inta began squeezing and stroking the taut muscles in her back, Rhenna felt the warmth of Inta’s hands seep into her tired muscles, rexing them and starting to undo the knots that had formed.

  Inta smiled as Rhenna let out a low groan of contentment and continued to work Rhenna’s tight shoulders. As she physically attended Rhenna, Inta examined the swirling colors of her aura. There were lots of soft, flowing purples, some streaks of yellows indicating residual anxiety, but there was also a subtle blue undery of sadness running deep beneath it all. As her hands kneaded muscle, her eyes tracked the blue of her aura until she found a tightly wound knot in her aura, looking like fabric twisted tight into a knot.

  It was old, something Inta could tell she had been carrying for a long time, judging by how tightly the lump in her aura was knotted, possibly even from birth. ‘Well, I am giving her a massage,’ Inta thought and reached for the knot, seeking to soothe this old trauma. With gentle, insistent waves of warm energy, the blue knot rexed and unfurled like the tightness of Rhenna’s trapezius.

  “How’s that, better?” Inta asked, her ministrations slowing.

  Rhenna gave a low, contented sigh. “Oh, that’s just lovely,” she murmured softly as Inta finished, a pleasant smile spreading across her face.

  “Perfect,” Inta replied with satisfaction. “If your shoulders give you any more trouble, let me know and I’ll give you another shoulder rub, okay?”

  “Mmm hmm,” Rhenna’s sleepy reply came, partially muffled by the pillow. Inta stepped back, smiling, then left the room.

  The next morning, Emily stopped by the mess hall on her deck and grabbed a coffee. Still unsure if she had slighted Dr. Teanoda the previous night, she decided to try to make it up to her. Not knowing what she liked, she grabbed a cup of tea and coffee for Rhenna to apologize for any slights she may have given her.

  Rhenna already had another crate open and was stowing its contents when Emily arrived. She knocked on the frame of the open door. “Morning, Dr. Teanoda,” Emily said, announcing her presence. “I wasn’t sure if you preferred coffee or tea, so I brought one of each, and a little sugar and milk, in case you wanted that too.”

  Rhenna paused, head down, in front of the small refrigeration unit she was stocking. Emily watched her take three deep breaths before responding. “That’s very considerate of you, Ms. Sloane,” She said without looking up. Then, with a final deep breath, Rhenna got up from kneeling in front of the little fridge, closed the door, and walked to the front to greet Emily.

  Emily held up both cups of warm brew and offered them to Rhenna. “Coffee or Tea?” she asked warmly, holding the mugs aloft.

  “Tea, please. Bck,” Rhenna told her. Emily gave her an immense, warm smile as she handed it to her. Rhenna thanked her, and they sat and sipped their warm beverages for a few moments before needing to get back to work. “This tea is quite good,” Rhenna commented. “I’ll have to ask the majordomo where she got it.”

  “I’m sure she’d give you some to take with you after this is all over,” Emily said, with the faintest of frowns fshing across her face. She immediately changed the subject. “So Dr. Teanoda, I’ve never met a Linyphiidae before; what’s your homeworld like?”

  “Please, call me Rhenna,” she said cordially, then continued. “I’m not surprised you’ve never met one of us before, most of us tend not to be travelers, though merchants do get around to most of the local star ports; silk and pharmaceuticals are our biggest exports.”

  Rhenna sipped her tea. “Ansuil is a beautiful world, wide open country sides of forests and farmnd, dotted all over with rge metropolitan cities. We Linyphiidae reside mainly in the cities, driving the engines of industry, while the Caballus thrive in the rural areas, tending the farmnds and grassnd. They tend to prefer an agrarian life style though some do live and work in the cities.”

  Emily watched Rhenna’s expression turn slightly wistful at the mention of the Caballus, and even though she knew it would be impolite to ask, something drove her to try to understand everything about this fascinating person.

  “And what about you?” Rhenna asked before Emily could delve any deeper and unravel the mystery of this spider dy. “Where are you from? What is your family like?” The way Rhenna looked deep into her eyes as she asked her questions caused her face to flush slightly with a surge of unexpected pleasure from capturing Rhenna’s interest.

  “Well, there not a lot to tell, actually. After my medical training, I only had a couple of jobs before this mission. As far as my family goes, pretty ordinary by human standards. Mom remarried after Dad died when I was eight; Bob’s a decent man, makes my Mom happy, but I still miss my Dad sometimes. We had a pretty big family to begin with, lots of aunts, uncles, and cousins, but now including my step-father’s, it’s huge. We get together once a year; a big affair. We all get together at my Grandfather’s camping lodge, a compound really, enormous and on a nice peaceful ke. We just about fill that pce to the rafter with people. It’s always a wonderful time.”

  Rhenna sat back, idly stirring her tea, as Emily described some of the crazier characters from her extended family. She couldn’t help but smile.

  “Do you have a big family?” Emily asked, sitting with her feet up on her chair, knees tight to her chest as she took a sip from the coffee mug she held with two hands.

  Something about seeing Emily folded up on the chair tickled a part of the back of Rhenna’s brain that she chose to ignore. “Yes, as a matter of fact I do,” Rhenna expined. “Linyphiidae families,” she paused, looking for the right words, “ work differently than human families; my family is quite rge, like yours. I am the fourth youngest of twenty-six sisters and nineteen brothers, not counting our Caballus companions, who are more like a close, extended family than anything else.”

  Emily’s brows furrowed in confusion as she tried and failed to unpack the statement. “Woah, hold on, you have forty-eight siblings? How did your mother have time to do anything but have kids?!” she blurted and instantly regretted how it came out. “I don’t mean that she gets around; oh geez, I mean, that’s a lot of kids to look after.” Her face went bright red with embarrassment, having fully stuck both feet in her mouth. She hid her face behind her drawn-up knees, deciding to quit while she was behind.

  Rhenna gave a good-natured ugh, then cleared her throat, adamantly refusing to acknowledge how seeing Emily posed with her knees drawn up tight was doing something to her. Whatever was stirring in her had no appropriate pce here and now.

  “No, It’s fine, I know you don’t think my Mother’s a ‘woman of loose morals’ or some such non-sense. That’s how it typically goes with us. Female Linyphiidae are extremely long lived, and continue to have children well into the ter part of their lives, with the aid of the Caballus.”

  Emily rexed, seeing no offense had been taken. And having been put at ease, Emily allowed her curiosity to guide her. “Tell me more about the Caballus on Ansuil; I don’t think I’ve ever heard of them before.”

  Rhenna smiled as she sipped her tea. “That’s because they are even less inclined to travel abroad than Linyphiidae. Almost to a person, they prefer the quiet country life. They are deeply in tune with the natural cycle of things, and enjoy simple pleasures; watching the sunset, farming, working the nd in the summer, bringing in the harvest in Autumn.”

  “And how do they rete to the Linyphiidae?” Emily asked, continuing to probe.

  Unexpectedly, Rhenna sighed, looking a little sad, and Emily immediately felt terrible for pushing. But Rhenna didn’t mind opening up to this inquisitive young woman. “The Caballus and Linyphiidae have existed together longer than our recorded history,” she expined. “We live in symbiosis; our two species are deeply intertwined.”

  Seeing that Emily needed a deeper expnation, she continued. “The Caballus are a strong and sturdy people; they fall in love and mate, but due to a quirk of their biology, aren’t fertile and aren’t able to have children until they are introduced to a Linyphiidae,” she said vaguely. “For our part, we Linyphiidae mate, and the males fertilize the eggs females carry for the rest of their lives.”

  Emily noticed the subtle way Rhenna talked about it, as if it were distant, happening to others but not her. Deciding it might be the source of Rhenna’s discomfort, she sat on that insight, not wanting to make her new friend feel worse.

  Rhenna continued. “But, we can not incubate our eggs, and will remain undeveloped unless incubated in a host.”

  The light bulb suddenly went on for Emily. “The Caballus!” she said excitedly.

  “Yes,” Rhenna acknowledged. “In return for incubating our young, Our hormones unlock their fertility, allowing them to have children of their own.”

  Emily’s eyes widened as her imagination ran the whole gamut of implications. “So what’s that like?” she asked innocently.

  Rhenna’s wistful smile returned. “In our family, the first time is usually a big event, much like you describe your family gatherings. Most of the extended families of the Linyphiidae and Caballus gather, drink, and dine together. The Broodmark is an important milestone, for both species, and is celebrated as an auspicious occasion.”

  “With such big family, it must be a regur occurrence. You’ve been to a lot of these?” Emily pushed, enthralled by the idea of it.

  “Well actually I’ve only ever attended one; it was my sister Tera’s Broodmark. I was small, maybe ten or twelve years old at the time. She was fifteen years older than I was, and I remember her being extremely nervous during the cab ride away from the city to the highnds where the family of Caballus lived.”

  Rhenna’s eyes drifted. Looking off into the distance, she immersed herself in the memory and told Emily her story.

  ****

  “Mother,” young Rhenna asked, “where are we going today?” Cassia smiled softly, pulling the small girl close. Then she gnced at Tera, another of her daughters, seated opposite her in the cab. Cassia smiled at her, and Tera fidgeted in her seat, blushing.

  “Today’s a big day for your sister,” Cassia told her, “she will be meeting and selecting her broodmare.”

  “What’s that?” Rhenna remembered her younger self asking innocently.

  Cassia stroked her younger daughter’s hair and replied with seemingly infinite patience. “When a Linyphiidae gets to be a certain age, they meet a male Linyphiidae they like who then fertilizes the eggs they carry. Then ter, they meet one of the Caballus people and choose them to be their broodmare.”

  “Do they fall in love?” young Rhenna asked, feeling like a secret world was suddenly being revealed to her.

  Cassia thought for a moment, carefully choosing her words. “We care a great deal for them, and they us; our two peoples have a long history of living together on this world and have grown close, sharing each other’s strengths and defending the other’s weaknesses.”

  “Symbiosis?” young Rhenna asked, trying hard to act like she belonged in this adult conversation.

  “Exactly right,” her mother replied. “The Caballus live close to nature, and grow most of the food we eat. We live in the cities and provide the technology that makes both halves of our society stronger. And biologically, we rely on one another. A long time ago, they used to be a short-lived species, only seeing a few dozen winters before succumbing to old age. We are exceptionally long lived, but struggled to maintain the size of our popution. Working together, we solved each other’s problems, our symbiotic alliance forged a brighter future for both our people.”

  The cab they rode in finally stopped, having arrived at their destination. Rhenna’s mother got out first, followed by Tera and little Rhenna. The cab had stopped in the courtyard of a chateau overlooking a valley covered in vast fields of crops and grazing grounds of the estate. The warm wind blew softly over the sun-kissed valley, caressing Rhenna’s face and tussling her hair. She could see dozens of workers, looking deceptively small in the distance, attending cattle, pruning vineyards, and haying fields.

  The enormously oversized front doors of the chateau opened wide, the sounds of a rge happy gathering spilling out. Leaving the doors open, someone came out to greet them, bounding down the steps excitedly onto the cobblestone pavers of the driveway. She towered over little Rhenna, who looked up in astonishment, easily twice the size of her mother and sister. She was one of the Caballus that they had come to see. Belying her size, she walked softly on six powerfully muscled legs, ending in feet with thick, dexterous toes. She wore a long yellow tunic with belts between her two sets of broad shoulders, and her long face wore a welcoming smile, partially obscured by her long flowing blonde hair.

  “Cassia, it is so good to see you. I’ve missed you,” the woman called out in greeting as she rushed across the courtyard.

  “Andromeda, I’ve missed you too.” As soon as she was close enough, Andromeda reared up after her first shoulders and wrapped her nimble front legs around Cassia, hugging her warmly, lifting her off her eight long legs.

  “Oh stop it, “ Cassia said, ughing.

  The much rger Caballus woman ughed, setting Cassia down, still hugging her. After a long while, she finally released her, stepped back, and looked at the two young Linyphiidae with her friend.

  “And who are these two beauties with you?” Andromeda asked.

  “Andromeda, let me introduce two of my daughters. The little one here is Rhenna,” Cassia said, gesturing to the little girl hanging back shyly behind her mother, “and this is one of the ‘Guests of Honor’ for tonight's festivities: Telera.”

  Andromeda hurried over to Telera and embraced her warmly. “Honey, I'm so excited to finally meet you, and everyone else is too.” She held her by the shoulders at arm's length, admiring her. “You've grown into a fine young woman.” Then, remembering the others waiting inside, she said, “Dear me, where are my manners? Please, please, come inside.”

  They followed Andromeda into the house, Rhenna’s mother and sister first, and Rhenna trailed behind. The house was already crowded, with people chatting in every room. Andromeda led them deeper into the house; the chaotic din filling the space seemed to have a happy anticipation to it. They entered a rge room with several long tables running the length of the hall. By Caballus custom, there were no seats; instead, the tables were tall enough to stand at. Rhenna was too short to see the tabletop, but the adults occupied spots around the tables, with plenty of room for those still scattered throughout the house.

  Looking around the room, she recognized that many attendees were Linyphiidae and distantly reted. Aunts and cousins stood at the tables, smiling and talking with the Caballus men and women across the table from them.

  Rhenna’s mother leaned down and whispered in her ear. “You may go into the other room, if you’d like. There’s a table more your size with some snacks; I think some of your younger cousins are already there. I need to bring Tera around and make introductions. Please behave yourself.” Cassia gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head, then took her other daughter by the hand, who was starting to look nervous, and led her around the crowded room. Cassia was beaming with pride as she showed off Telera to everyone.

  Rhenna wandered into the other room and found the smaller table den with sweet cakes and other treats, which her rambunctious younger cousins had already half-devoured. She watched them, hopped up on sugar and poorly supervised; some were at the table, getting more treats, while some who had already had their fill were pying a game of tag, running up the walls and across the ceiling, trying to avoid each other.

  “I am much too old for the kiddie table,” Rhenna thought as she stood in the doorway, straddling the adult and kid areas. So she went back and hung close to the wall to see what the adults were doing.

  A few moments ter, Andromeda, with an arm wrapped around Cassia’s shoulders, raised her voice over the noisy chatter. “Everyone, can I have your attention, your attention, please,” she practically yelled. The cmor died down, and everyone turned to look at Andromeda.

  “First, I’d like to thank you all for coming and sharing this special occasion with us; someone’s first Broodmark is an important milestone in their lives, and also serves to strengthen the ties between our two families and people.”

  The crowd responded with cheering and cpping. Once they quieted, Andromeda continued. “We have always welcomed the Teanoda cn into our homes and hearts, and today, we will welcome one more, Tera.” Another round of hoots and cheering erupted as Tera held her mother’s hand tightly, looking nervous and almost pale. Cassia patted her daughter’s hand reassuringly. Smiling widely, Andromeda raised both hands, signaling for quiet.

  “Tonight, the Broodmark will bind young Tera to our house and with one of my daughters: Sarah, Jennah, Isabel, or Patricia.” On cue, four younger Caballus women walked single file into the room, all wearing expressions that were a mix of nervousness, uncertainty, and anticipation.

  Andromeda guided them to the small dias at the end of the hall, in front of the rge gss doors overlooking the backyard and the fields beyond it.

  As the sun was set behind them, it seemed to Rhenna that the four wore halos of golden light.

  Following tradition, it was Cassia's turn to speak. “The Broodmark is as mysterious as it is ancient, and reveals itself as it always has, in primal fashion.”

  The attendees were silent and leaned forward in rapt attention, hanging on her every word hungrily.

  “The girls will now each receive a kiss from Tera, and then the Broodmark will reveal itself,” Cassia said solemnly, pcing a hand on the small of Tera's back, urging her forward.

  Rhenna watched from the back of the room, enthralled, as her sister approached her four prospects, not realizing at the time that there would never be a ceremony like this for her in the future.

  She noticed her sister behave oddly as she closed the gap to the four Caballus women. Her breathing was shallow and rapid, and even from across the room, she could see that Tera's eyes had dited so much that the whites had disappeared, leaving only fathomless bck pupils.

  Tera stepped up to Sarah, the first in line, pced a soft hand on her cheek, and gently kissed her on the lips. Jennah was next, received her kiss, and then Tera moved on. As she leaned forward to kiss Isabel, Tera stopped short and turned her head with a jerk, sniffing the air and looking back at Jennah.

  Excited murmuring swept through the gathered family members as they saw Jennah’s face flush and eyes widen, looking like a hunted animal. Tera turned her whole body towards Jennah, who suddenly jumped back in panic, scrambled for the handle of the gss door behind the dais, and ran out, sprinting across the backyard and into the fields, fleeing in terror. Tera was after her in a shot with surprising speed. The Caballus physique was built for running at speed over long distances, but the long, graceful legs of the Linyphiidae made them excellent sprinters.

  As the two took off outdoors, one chasing the other, the gathered family members startled Rhenna with a raucous roar of excitement. They all ran out into the backyard, carrying their drinks, to watch the excitement unfold.

  Little Rhenna ran after them and pressed her face against the gss of one of the closed doors. The backyard was lower than the house, so Rhenna could see over the heads of the adults as they ughed and whooped. She saw Andromeda wrap an arm around her mother’s waist and whisper something in her ear, to which she responded with a ugh she covered with one hand.

  Off in the distance, silhouetted by the setting sun, she saw the outline figures of Tera and Jennah sprinting through the tall grass. Tera was gaining ground, and when she was close enough, she leaped into the air, nding on Jennah’s back and bringing her to the ground. The crowd in the backyard erupted in joyous cheers, everyone turning to one another, congratuting each other. Rhenna remembered being extremely confused by their response, not fully understanding what had just taken pce.

  As the sun set, Rhenna strained to see what was happening in the patch of trodden grass, far on the other side of the field, but could only make out an occasional, indistinct silhouette. Soon the sun sank below the horizon, and with it, went any chance of catching what was going on.

  The mood of the festivities swiftly became one of celebration; people raised their gsses, made toasts, and drank their wine. Cassia, in Andromeda’s arms, caught sight of Rhenna looking confused and all alone, so she put a finger to Andromeda’s lips while whispering something, then went to Rhenna.

  “Mother,” Rhenna said, confused and a little scared, “What’s going on? Is Tera and Jennah okay?”

  Cassia chuckled softly and gave her youngest a caring smile. “Sweetheart, everything is as it should be. This is the way of the Broodmark. Tera and Jennah are now joined in the same way as Andromeda and I are.” Rhenna looked past her mother to see Andromeda looking back at the two of them with complete adoration.

  Rhenna’s eyes went wide as saucers, and her mouth hung open in sudden understanding. “You mean, aunt Andromeda and you…”

  “Yes, Honey,” Cassia said patiently. “I was once in Tera’s pce and gave Andromeda the kiss. And yes, she ran and I chased her down,” she said, her eyes filling with potent memories. Andromeda came up behind Cassia and put an arm around her shoulders. “We will be staying for the weekend,” Cassia told her daughter. “Andromeda has set aside rooms for you and your cousins.”

  “Your room is on the first floor, down the hall, first on the right,” Andromeda offered over Cassia’s shoulder.

  “Where will you be sleeping?” little Rhenna asked innocently. Both Andromeda and Cassia smiled at the same time, despite themselves.

  “I’ll be sleeping… upstairs,” Cassia said with a smile that Rhenna didn’t quite understand. Then, her mother hugged her. “It’s getting te, Honey; it’s your bedtime. Go get ready, and I’ll tuck you in.”

  “Mother, I’m not a baby anymore,” Rhenna said indignantly at being embarrassed in front of her mother’s friend.

  “No, I suppose you’re not,” Cassia replied wistfully, seeing the woman she would become in her young daughter. “Still, it’s te. Off to bed now, scoot,” she said with a kiss on the cheek and patting her head. After all the excitement, Rhenna was getting a bit sleepy, so she accepted her mother’s kiss and then padded off to find her room. Looking back, she saw the two of them holding each other close, and then her mother grabbed Andromeda’s hand and practically dragged her up the stairs.

  ***

  Emily sat bewitched and didn’t dare interrupt during the entirety of Rhenna’s tale for fear of dispelling whatever magic had rexed her enough to share such a personal memory. Emily watched Rhenna’s face reflect the echoes of emotions from long ago mixed with those of the present dance across her face; Emily was spellbound. She could tell that the story had surfaced in Rhenna, something that caused her considerable heartache, and she struggled to suppress it, even now. What that could be, she could only guess, but she felt privileged to have been entrusted with it.

  Emily hesitated only for a moment, then pced a hand over Rhenna’s, a wordless acknowledgment of the pain and a silent promise that it would get better. Rhenna gnced down at their hands, then up to Emily’s face, beaming like a ray of sunshine, and she smiled too.

  They finished the rest of their drinks in silence, then returned to work. Rhenna returned to the fridge she was stocking, gncing back at the stacks of supplies that needed to be taken care of. She caught a glimpse of Emily bending over low at the waist, reading a bel to determine which she would unpack next.

  Rhenna stared hard at her heart-shaped ass, pert as Emily bent over, then spun quickly back to her work as the shapely nurse found what she was looking for and stood back up.

  ‘For all that is sacred, what is wrong with me?’ Rhenna cursed silently. ‘Breath, Rhenna,’ she told herself, ‘it is inappropriate and physically impossible. You can’t do anything; you won’t do anything,’ she said repeatedly in her mind. Focusing on the work helped, but as Emily occasionally carried a box past her as she worked, Emily’s soft, natural scent was thick in the air, causing Rhenna’s nethers to flutter. It was going to be a long day, she decided.

  ***

  “Welcome to Sasan, Nestia,” the flight controller called out. “I’ve been asked to informed you that your pickup is waiting on Lybica Station; I’m sending a flight pn now.”

  “Thank you control, flight pn received,” June replied. “En route now. Nestia out.” Reaching over from the Tactical station where she sat, she pointed at the blinking indicator on the Navigation terminal in front of Thea. “There’s the flight pn they just sent. Tap it to open and review it, and if everything looks good, tap the accept to log it as the new flight pn.”

  Thea nodded and proceeded as June expined, setting the new flight pn. “Easy enough, all of the controls are pretty much where I would expect them to be,” she said approvingly.

  “Inta and I spent a lot of time reworking the controls until they were as close to Standard yout as possible. The manual controls were more intuitive, but I had no context for just about everything else, alien in the truest sense of the word. I couldn’t wrap my head around it at first.”

  Thea knew what she meant; even after getting to know the people in Inta’s orbit, and though she had come to care for the silver girl deeply, Inta was a soul out of time. Inta had an amazing capacity to learn at an astonishing rate, but she had precious little context of this time and pce to hang it all on. Inta was still an isnd unto herself in many ways, making her the most foreign being in the gaxy. Thea pitied her and vowed to do what she could to ease her loneliness. Thea blinked away the sad thoughts of Inta’s predicament and focused on the task at hand.

  Lybica Station was of Terran design, simir to Penrose, but several times rger. It had at least three times as many ‘hoop and spoke’ structures connected to a central cylinder, reminiscent of when stations needed to spin for faux gravity.

  Deftly, Thea eased the Nestia into their designated slip and disengaged the gravity drive just as the docking cmps thudded on the hull, locking her into pce. Then, with a couple of commands tapped into the control panel, set the power core to ramp down to an idle.

  “Well done!” June congratuted Thea. “If you didn’t have to go back to the Dals eventually, I’d petition Inta to make you a permanent part of the crew, like yesterday.”

  Thea gave her a wistful smile. Though it wasn’t her intention, June reminded her that her lovely holiday would eventually end, and she would return to the Dals, this time as Captain. She knew it was her duty, and she would have to part with this beautiful group of misfits; the sole consotion was that she had received an update that the Dals would be in dry dock for several more months than initially pnned due to the Admiralty deciding to capitalize on the Dals’ newfound fame, or infamy depending on your perspective. They ordered an upgrade to the critical systems and a full re-styling to make her the pleasure cruise star of the Ferry fleet.

  “Whose turn is it to help me greet the new arrivals?” Inta asked over the crew’s earpieces. They had made no pns; instead, they were just winging it, whichever was close and avaible.

  “I’m with the Toparians in the Grove, I’ll go,” Will volunteered.

  “Keeping some lovely Maiden company, I assume.” The smile on June’s face could be heard in the timber of her voice as she verbally ribbed Will.

  “If you must know, several. But duty calls,” he sighed in faux resignation. “Until next time, dear Maidens, I will miss…” Will’s hammy acting was broken up by several fistfuls of flying grass hitting him in the face and then exploding into a shower of greenery, followed by the near-hysterical ughter of several maidens.

  Laughing, Will continued spitting bdes of grass as he stuck his tongue out at his three assaints and headed, sputtering, out to meet the Silvestrian contingent.

  When Will arrived, Inta was already at the door, bouncing on the toes of her bare feet, waiting for the airlock pressure to equalize. He put an arm around her shoulder and kissed her cheek as she slipped an arm around his waist, pulling him close.

  In short order, the doors opened, revealing the waiting Silvestrians on the other side. Their team consisted of thirty rugged-looking individuals, all muscur and powerfully built. Their feline countenances set with grim determination. The group must have been recruited from all over the pnet; the range of fur-coloring patterns indicative of the wide variety of environments they came from. The team lead stood front and center of the group, a rge duffle bag slung over his shoulder. His jet-bck, panther-like fur absorbed the light around him, making his yellow eyes stand out even more.

  He approached Will and Inta and stuck out his hand, which Will smiled and grasped. With a firm handshake, he said, “The name’s Tarek, Tarek Dargan. I’m the lead for this crew,” jerking his head back and the rest of the Silvestrian contingent.

  “Will Foucault, mechanic for the Nestia,” he said warmly. “And this is Inta, the beating heart of the ship.”

  She offered her hand to Tarek, who took it softly. As he gently shook her hand, he stared intently, his yellow feline eyes penetrating and predatory.

  Inta smiled broadly, held his gaze, and watched as the rounded muscles of his shoulders rippled. “Oh, I think I like this one,” Inta’s voice whispered in Will’s earpiece while her physical instance remained smiling silently at the new arrival.

  “What Will means is I’m the ship’s majordomo,” Inta said aloud, “responsible for making sure the crew and guests aboard the Nestia are comfortable and well taken care of,” she said in a suggestive tone.

  “Intriguing; I’ll be sure to let you know if I or any of my team need your assistance,” Tarek said, still holding Inta’s hand in his. He gave her a toothy smile, sharp white canines in sharp contrast with his bck fur. He let go of Inta’s hand and turned to his team.

  “Okay everyone, let’s make this quick so we can get underway,” he shouted to his team. Each carried a rge duffle bag and pushed a hover cart den with gear. Addressing Will and Inta again, “My team’s bringing across our equipment. We travel fast and light; this is everything so we can shove off as soon as we’re all on board,” Tarek said in a much more ‘down to business’ manner.

  The Silvestrian search and rescue team pushed their loaded hover carts into the cargo bay, and Inta directed them to a spot where they could store their equipment without it being buried amongst the rest of the supplies.

  As they filed past, Will noticed a familiar orange and brown furry face amongst the team members streaming past. “Kestra? Kestra Cinss? I didn’t expect to see you here,” he called out to the familiar countenance of the Chief Logistics officer of the Peirault Centrailia Shipyards.

  The Silvestrian woman stopped and turned and looked at Will with an expression first of surprise, then mirth. She set her duffle bag down, leaning it against her cart, then walked over to Will, smiling. “I’m Tenara, Kestra’s sister,” she corrected him. “She told me she met a couple of odd spacers a while back.” She looked him up and down appraisingly. “She said they flirted with her during their entire meeting.”

  Will’s emotions oscilted wildly between guilt and embarrassment; though he liked to get into mischief as much as the rest of the crew, he was slightly mortified that it had become part of his reputation.

  Tenara couldn’t hold back any longer and broke into loud ughter. “I’m sorry, just having a little fun at your expense. Don’t worry, I know how my sister is. She would have been all over you like a badger on honey if she had the chance,” she said, holding out her hand in greeting.

  Will shook the offered hand and was surprised by her forward demeanor but recovered quickly. “Your sister mentioned she had contacts on Sasan, I’m assuming she meant you?”

  She gave a little ugh, shaking her head. “No, that would be Grandfather. He’s the Head of the family and sits on the Governing council. I’m a lowly search and rescue grunt,” she said modestly.

  “It’s a happy coincidence meeting you, then. What are the odds that you’d be on the team for this mission?” Will asked.

  Tenara’s expression darkened. “As soon as I heard they were calling for volunteers, I rushed to sign up,” she paused, taking a heavy breath, thoughts weighing on her mind. “Kestra and I have family on Khosrow. An uncle, working there as a geological engineer, and his family.”

  Will immediately understood the potentially grim implications. “And you hope to find them,” he said sympathetically.

  “I WILL find them,” Tenara’s eyes fshed fiery determination, not allowing herself to consider any other alternative.

  “And we will help in any way we can,” Will comforted her as best he could, earning a small, grateful smile and a nod from Tenara.

  Their chat was interrupted by the loud ughter from Tarek Dargan, who was still chatting up Inta, who joked along with him. Inta was leaning against a wall, chuckling at whatever Tarek had said. He braced himself, leaning over Inta with one arm, standing close, half caging her in.

  “He just doesn’t quit, does he,” Tenara said quietly of Tarek, rolling her eyes. “Even by Silvestrian standards, he’s quite the man-slut; pretty sure he’s propositioned all of the women on the team and probably got lucky with most of them.” She chuckled softly. “It’s fortunate for him he’s extremely good at everything he does, on and off the job.”

  “Personal experience?” Will asked, knowing the reputation most Silvestrians had and sensing that Tenara was comfortable with the topic.

  “Ha! He wishes,” she blurted, eyes full of mirth. “He’d be more to my sister’s tastes, loud and over the top. She definitely would have allowed herself to be bent over a dozen horizontal surfaces by him already. I’m a bit more reserved,” she confided, feeling safe with Will to do so.

  “By the looks of it, he’s hitting it off with Inta,” Will observed. “If there’s one person in the gaxy that has a higher libido than he seems to have, it would be Inta.”

  “Mmm Hmm,” Inta whispered into Will’s earpiece. “I think I’m going to enjoy having Tarek on board,” she said, voice dripping with hunger.

  “Insatiable,” Will chuckled under his breath at Inta’s antics.

  “Huh? I didn’t catch that,” Tenara said, looking confused at Will.

  Will gave her a sly smile. “Oh, nothing. Just commenting that I think Inta’s going to take one for the team and give Tarvek more than he bargained for. I just hope she doesn’t wear him out before we get to Khosrow.”

  “Uh huh. Sounds like Tarvek,” Tenara smirked. “I need to go stow my gear with the others,” she said, throwing her duffle on top of the cases already on her anti-grav cart. “If you’ll excuse me,” she said, pushing it over to where the rest of the search and rescue team were unloading their gear.

  While Tenara and her team organized and put away their gear, Will watched Inta take Tarvek by the hand and lead him off somewhere private on the other side of the cargo hold.

  “I’m helping him blow off some steam, my love,” Inta whispered in his ear. “I can tell he’s as nervous about this mission as everyone else, and I’m soothing him in the manner he’s most accustomed.” Will nodded imperceptibly, knowing that Inta usually knew precisely what everyone needed. They must not have gone far; within moments of Inta and Tarek disappearing, Will felt the echoes of Inta’s pleasure rippling through the air.

  Once the Silvestrian team had their gear stowed and in order, another instance of Inta appeared from a different doorway than where she and Tarek had gone off through. “Hello, everyone,” Inta chirped. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to your quarters for the duration of your stay.” Dutifully, the group slung their duffle bags over their shoulders and followed Inta to the lift.

  ****

  The mountain of crates and cases piled at the front of the medical bay had shrunk by half as Emily and Rhenna made significant headway in putting the supplies away. They worked diligently through the morning, falling into an efficient rhythm. They worked well together, Rhenna noted mentally, and she found it easier to be around Emily while they were busy. As they worked, they chatted about their training and assignments early in their careers, growing comfortable in each other’s company. Taking a break, they brought their lunches back from the mess hall and sat on a couple of empty crates as they ate.

  “...Then after my time there, I found a position at Penrose Station, which brings me here,” Emily said between bites of her sad.

  “I haven’t really traveled much during my career,” Rhenna expined while munching on her sandwich. “My graduate and doctoral studies were all on Ansuil, as well as my residency, then I transitioned directly into the Health and Wellness Ministry in applied pharmaceutical research, working my way up until I was running a b of my own.” Emily waited patiently as Rhenna took another bite of her sandwich. “I was on track for a deputy minister position, but then Khosrow happened, and I knew I had to help. I found out that the AAN had put out a call for assistance to their members and immediately volunteered, though it probably will cost me that position.” Rhenna looked down and stared at her sandwich for a moment. “Of course, my mother was furious when I told her, but I knew I had to do something.”

  “Your mother doesn’t approve of you being on this aid mission?” Emily asked.

  “It’s more nuanced than that,” Rhenna expined. “My mother has always been extremely ambitious; she is the Minister of Health and Wellness, a very important, prestigious position, and has been working hard at getting my sisters and I installed in positions that will strengthen the family’s reputation and power.” Rhenna wrinkled her nose in distaste of the notion but then sighed. “Beyond the power pys and machinations, she does love her daughters, including me, but her grand designs didn’t include her intended successor going off script and running away on some desperate mission of mercy. I’ve always been the odd one and a bit of a thorn in her side at times.”

  Emily contempted Rhenna’s soul-baring comment while chewing a crouton. “You’re a thorn in her side?” she asked.

  “Well, yes,” Rhenna’s composed facade slipped a moment as uncomfortable uncertainty crossed her expression. “In some ways,” she said, choosing her words carefully, “I’ve certainly worked hard enough in my career that part of her legacy is ensured, but…” she hesitated, then continued,” let’s just say I’m not everything she had hoped her children would be.”

  The turn their conversation was taking clearly made Rhenna uncomfortable, so Emily pushed it in a different direction. “So, I’m curious; have you ever seen a ship like this one before? Back on Penrose Station, I have a friend in the naval traffic control. He told me there was a bunch of stuff about this ship and the crew that seemed weird to him. For instance, their transponder registry entry doesn’t include information about a home port. Who doesn’t have a home port?”

  “Pirates?” Rhenna offered, the topic well outside her expertise.

  “I asked the same thing. Pirates usually lie and fake the data from their transponder so as not to arouse suspicious. They simply don’t have one.” Emily shrugged her shoulders and took another bite of her sad. “He also told me that the Nestia’s design doesn’t match anything he’d ever seen; who builds ships like this?”

  Rhenna wiped some crumbs from the corner of her mouth with a napkin. “Maybe it’s a military prototype?”

  Emily shook her head. “Naw, I can’t imagine a navy sending such an odd prototype to a backwater like Bordan. Not to mention the crew; do any of them seem the military type to you?”

  “Well there is an Urarc on board,” Rhenna offered.

  “But just one, as far as I can tell. Plenty of them have passed through Penrose, and there was alway a group of them, operating as a squad or cn or something. Never just one,” Emily countered, putting away her now empty sad bowl and taking a sip of juice.

  “The crew seems very nice though; tight knit, close,” Rhenna said, sharing her observation.

  “Yeah, they’re sweet people, which makes the whole thing even more curious,” Emily said as she put her empty lunchware on a nearby counter, pnning to bring it back to the mess hall at dinner. Rhenna finished her meal shortly afterward and put hers on the counter next to Emily’s.

  “All I can say for certain is that, when it counted the most and there were people in need, they volunteered without hesitation,” Rhenna commented. “It could have taken another week or two to find transportation for the aid we’ve assembled; time, I’m sure, that the survivors on Khosrow don’t have.”

  Emily nodded. “All the weirdness aside, I don’t have any reservations about the crew. They all seem like really good people. I even heard that a Captain from the Inter-Pnetary Ferry Services is taking their shore leave with them. Strange way to spend your time off, if you ask me.”

  “Speaking of time off, my lunch is done. Ready to get back at it?” Rhenna asked.

  “Yup, sure am!” Emily chirped and gave Rhenna a big smile, sending tingles down her spine, stoking that odd warmth in her core she had thus far successfully suppressed and ignored.

  Rhenna watch Emily bound into action, diving into the diminishing stack of supplies to be stowed with gusto. Emily bent over, digging into a crate, peachy ass inadvertently on full dispy, and Rhenna internally groaned as the butterflies in her stomach suddenly went hyperbolic. ‘Get it together,’ she admonished herself silently, took a cleansing breath, then took another case of the specialized Ansuil medications to a refrigeration unit to put them away.

  They worked in companionable silence for about an hour when the whistle of the ship-wide public address system sounded. “Hello, attention everyone,” Inta’s voice could be heard clearly throughout the room, “I have been asked to announce that the AAN central relief coordinators have requested all team leaders gather for a mission briefing. Please meet in the command center in thirty minutes. Thank you.” Inta signed off cheerfully.

  “Well, that’s me,” Rhenna said to Emily. “You okay working alone for a bit?” Rhenna winced at her own words, sounding a little too clingy to her ears.

  “Sure, I’ll be fine until you get back. You can give me a run down when you return,” Emily responded, stretching to put some items on a top shelf, causing her blouse to ride up exposing her midriff.

  Rhenna’s eyes widened, and her heart began beating loudly in her ears. ‘I’d like to give you a run down, alright,’ she responded in her mind, and even as she thought it, chastised her herself.

  “Well, I’m off then; be back soon.” As soon as she stepped into the hallway and the door closed behind her, she paused, leaning against the wall with one arm.

  ‘What hell, Rhenna!?’ Her face contorted from the exquisite torment of being close and spending time with that excruciatingly delightful nurse. She knew it was wrong on so many levels, and even if Emily had feelings for her, the demands of the sudden and unexpected assertion of Rhenna’s biological drive required that which Rhenna was certain Emily couldn’t physically provide.

  If Rhenna’s calcutions were correct, the requirements of her suddenly active needs would likely cause Emily great harm. The need to use Emily to satisfy herself and simultaneously protect Emily from her said needs pyed a cruel tug of war, tormenting her.

  “I will get through this,” she whispered aloud to herself as she straightened up, brushed the front of her tunic, then headed up to the command center, every step away from the med bay a relief and torture.

  When Rhenna entered the room on the command deck designated as the command center for operations, she noted that the other team leaders were already seated at a long table with one or two others from their teams. June and Will, the Nestia’s captain and tactical officer, were also sitting at the table, while several others of the Nestia’s small crew leaned against the wall or sat in chairs just behind them. Inta stood by the door and greeted her as she entered.

  “Hello, Dr. Teanoda, you’re the st to arrive. I brought a seat up for you and set it at the conference table with the others,” Inta said helpfully.

  “Thank you; that’s very considerate,” Rhenna responded. Then, she sat in the offered seat, wondering if she had brought it up from the lower deck or whipped it up out of nowhere again. Looking around the gathered group around the table, Rhenna saw the look of shared purpose on each of their faces; she could tell that the vast array of skills and talents brought together here would complement each other well.

  As Rhenna got comfortable in her seat, she took several cleansing breaths. She felt her calm and bance return; nothing about the people in this room triggered any feelings or inexplicable urges. It was Emily. Something about the nurse affected her in ways Rhenna couldn’t have anticipated. It was deep and primal, something hardcoded in her genetics. She felt a want, no, a need for the nurse, and now that she was not in her presence, Rhenna could evaluate her situation somewhat objectively.

  Memories of a family gathering when she was still a child fshed through her mind. A crowded chateau in the country filled with ughing, happy people. Her usual poised and graceful sister, Tera, looking feral and hungry, walking along a line of young, nervous-looking women, pcing a single soft kiss on each of their full lips. The happy roar of cheering from the assembled guests.

  She pondered why these memories would surface now, after so many years, while they waited until the screen at the end of the table fshed with the Gold and white Altruist Action Network logo, snapping her out of her reverie.

  The logo faded, repced by an image of a sharply dressed man sitting behind a rge desk. The pcard on the front of the desk read, “Enrique Dunovar, COO.” His well-tailored suit highlighted his thin but muscur frame, and the sweeping locks of his lightly salt and pepper dark hair hung just above his brow.

  A small portion of the screen held a window that showed another group of people attending the meeting remotely, waiting patiently for it to begin.

  “Why is the chief operating officer handling coordination and doing briefings? The executives usually only handle the big picture stuff,” one of Pete Flinders's team members leaned in and whispered.

  “He’s probably working the politics of the situation,” Flinders replied. “If he personally coordinates relief efforts, then he can cim the glory afterwards.” The man beside him grimaced with distaste. “I don’t like the bureaucratic politicking any more than you, but so long as he’s effective, dealing with ick is a small price to pay.”

  “Thank you, everyone,” he began, his tone honeyed and appreciative, “ for gathering to attend this meeting; the Team from Partha is also on the call, remotely, while they wait for your arrival.” The folks in the smaller window all waved.

  “I’d like to begin by thanking you for volunteering your time and talents in Khosrow’s desperate hour of need. I don’t need to tell you the impact you’ll have on the people there; I am proud to be associated with you fine people.” Around the table, a shared look of pride shone on their faces.

  “This briefing is intended to bring you up to speed with what we’ve learned so far,” Dunovar said as an assistant, just off-screen, handed him a data tablet. “We have made contact with a small, sub-sea mining team operating from an offshore derrick on Khowsrow, The Nethernds. It seems they were in deep enough waters that when the tsunami passed, they were retively unaffected. At the moment, they are the only ones on Khosrow that are still in possession of an operational Q-net terminal, which is why details thus far have been sparse.”

  As Dunovar spoke, Devens circled the table and handed data tablets to those seated. “I’ve already sent you the details gathered thus, which Ms. Devens is graciously handing out now,” Dunovar continued, “Once the crew of The Nethernds lost communications with the mainnd, they managed to connect to Khosrow’s weather satellites and begin a pnet-wide survey of the affected areas.”

  His image on the projected screen was repced by several images taken from orbit as he continued talking. “The geography of Khosrow is somewhat unique in that the topology of the pnet’s hemispheres are radically different from each other; the western hemisphere is where most of the popution has settled, due rgely to the expansive fertile low nd continent. All of their agriculture is located in the heartnds with rge popution centers on the coasts.”

  He paused as a wide image of the poputed continent filled the screen. It was long and narrow, running North to South for several thousand kilometers but roughly a thousand East to West.

  “The tsunami swept across this single continent in a massive wall of water, estimated to be at least four hundred meters tall.” The projected image shifted to a split screen of several satellite photos of ruined cities, destroyed farmnds, and obliterated towns. Gasps escaped the lips of several attendees while others silently held their hands over their mouths in horror.

  “Do we know what caused this?” Tarek, the Silvestrian team leader, asked hotly. “Was it an earthquake or oceanic meteor strike?”

  Dunovar’s image returned, and he shook his head. “Sadly, it doesn’t look like the tsunami was of natural origin.” The projected image changed again, showing several towering mountain ranges jutting straight out of the ocean. “The Western Hemisphere has hundreds of mountain ranges like these, rich in mineral deposits, most notably, Tantarium.”

  The dispy changed, showing two satellite images side by side of the same mountain range, clearly a before and after, eliciting murmuring and at least one gasp at the sight. The image on the left showed a craggy mountain range dotted with excavating equipment and dozens of support structures built, clinging tenaciously to its steep slopes. In the second image, an entire mountain had been id low, apparently slipping into the sea. The image showed that the ocean had recimed most of the area once occupied by the missing mountain, and part of the two peaks on either side partially colpsed into the vacancy.

  “Based on the images you see here,” Dunovar continued solemnly, “we believe that there was some sort of mining accident leading to the colpse of the entire mountain. That much mass suddenly falling into the sea created an enormous wave that traveled across the globe and struck the poputed continent.”

  “How could they have let this happen!” Tarek Dargan shouted as he stood, pounding his fists on the table, as his feline ears twitched in fury. “How many people died because of their greed?!”

  No one at the table spoke, but their expressions suggested they were unanimous in their indignant agreement.

  “I agree,” Dunovar said, attempting to calm raging emotions, “but there is nothing that can be done to undo this. We must focus instead on those who still suffer, and aid them in their recovery.” There was a sudden fierceness in his eyes. “Those responsible will be held to account in due time.”

  Dargan glowered furiously, his tail whipping back and forth behind him, but eventually took his seat.

  Dunovar continued. “I have had extensive conversations with the board of Leviathan Corp., the owners of the derrick, and with the operating crew. They have graciously agreed to allow us to use ‘The Nethernds’ as a base of operations from which we can unch our relief efforts. Our primary focus needs to be setting up infrastructure for the dispensing of aid, starting with the popution centers and working out toward the rural areas. Mr. Dargan,” Dunovar said, referring to the Silvestrian team lead, “will determine where to begin rescue efforts and divide up his search and rescue team as efficiently as possible. Team leader Kreb and his Caimar engineers will focus on restoring local infrastructure which will aid immensely in the relief efforts. The rest will establish field facilities and logistical support for dispensing aid and medical treatment for those in need.”

  The AAN coordinator set his data tablet down and rested his elbows on his desk, intercing his fingers. “That’s all the information we have at this time; I’ve been assured that as developments happen, we’ll be informed, but you all will likely need to evaluate the situation on the ground and pivot to meet the challenges as they present themselves.” He straightened up in his chair and looked around the table.

  “This is an extraordinary group, and I know that the people of Khosrow are lucky to have folks like yourselves rushing to their aid.” He paused, smiling. “I am proud of you all, and I will continue doing my small part in helping you with your important work. Good luck, everyone; I will provide any updates I receive as soon as I get them.” As he reached for the comms control on his desk, he said, “Thank you all. Dunovar out,” and ended the transmission.

  Knowing there was still a tremendous amount of work left to do in the med bay, Rhenna left the command center with those still at the table making small talk or talking about other preparations that still needed to be made.

  On her way back to the med bay, Rhenna decided to make a quick detour to the mess hall and grabbed a mug of coffee for Emily and a cup of tea for herself, a small gesture that she hoped would make Emily happy. While waiting for the lift, Rhenna looked at the mug of coffee in her hand and realized that making Emily happy also made her happy. ‘When did that start?’ she thought to herself.

  Emily was picking through a case of supplies near the front of the med bay when Rhenna arrived.

  “The briefing ran a bit long, so I thought we could use a quick ‘pick-me-up’,” Rhenna said, offering Emily the hot beverage.

  She accepted the mug of coffee with a grateful smile. “A clear sign you’ve worked too long together is when the other person knows exactly what you need when you need it, and I really needed coffee.” Emily took a long sip and sighed. “Ah, that’s so good. Thank you so much.”

  “It’s no trouble, I assure you,” Rhenna replied. “I just thought you could use some,” she said with a smile she couldn’t restrain.

  “Well, thanks all the same,” Emily affirmed. Then, without pausing to think, she leaned in and gave Rhenna a peck on the cheek to show her appreciation.

  As her lips lightly touched Rhenna’s cheek, they jerked back like an electric spark had struck them. Emily raised her hand to her face and touched her lips, eyes wide in confusion, then furrowed her brow as she started to feel strange. Her heart began racing, beating out of her chest, and light perspiration dotted her forehead. She leaned back against an examination bed as her senses heightened, combined with a feeling of unease, like she was waiting to see which direction the tiger in tall grass would jump out at her.

  Blinking rapidly, trying to shake whatever this was, Emily looked over to Rhenna and was about to ask if she could help diagnose what she was experiencing and stopped dead. Rhenna had a hand on her cheek where Emily had kissed her, and her eyes looked into the distance at nothing as the rate of her breathing increased.

  Rhenna’s head slowly pivoted, and her eyes locked onto Emily. More swiftly than Emily could react, Rhenna lunged forward and, holding a hand to the back of Emily’s head, kissed her full on the lips. Forceful and passionate, Rhenna held the kiss for several seconds before releasing her.

  Dread anticipation repced Emily’s unease as she watched Rhenna’s pupil dite so that the whites of her eyes were no longer visible and were entirely bck. Twin bottomless pools of need and hunger stared at Emily, activating a primitive part of her brain responsible for self-preservation. ‘Run!’ it screamed, and with every other thought driven out of her mind, she did.

  The tea Rhenna had brought her dropped to the floor, abandoned, as Emily turned and ran in panic. Rhenna, the sudden embodiment of Emily’s primal dread, stood between her and the med bay door, so she turned and fled towards the back, weaving between the exam beds in desperate hope another door was present at the far end.

  The predatory trigger of fleeing prey ignited Rhenna's long-dormant hunting instinct. Like a shot, she gave chase, leaping effortlessly on top of the nearest bed and running across it effortlessly.

  Emily had no real chance of escape; she was slow and sluggish compared to Rhenna’s swiftness and agility. She only managed to make it halfway across the med bay before Rhenna pounced and caught her in front of the odd, gss-lidded sarcophagus. Emily grunted as she was knocked to the floor and pinned there, Rhenna holding her down with a feral look in her eyes.

  Emily thrashed and screamed as Rhenna bit through the rough cloth of her coveralls, sinking her, until now, hidden fangs deep into the muscles of her shoulder. Emily’s eyes went wide as venom surged into her bloodstream, and a sudden wave of calm swept over her. Emily’s mind quieted, and with a rexation that unclenched her muscles, a warmth began radiating from her shoulder, spreading to her whole body.

  Rhenna retracted her fangs and stood triumphantly over her prey. Emily’s face held an expression of peaceful acceptance as Rhenna’s dark eyes pyed over her, trailing down the rest of her body, coolly evaluating her catch. Then she reached down, gripped Emily’s coveralls in both hands, and pulled, ripping it in half as if made of paper, exposing the pin white panties and sports bra she wore.

  Emily moaned as the combination of cool air on her skin and ever-increasing heat in her veins cshed like storm fronts, pebbling her nipples and lighting sparks in her core. Rhenna carefully removed Emily’s boots and shredded clothes and picked her up, holding her limp form in her humanoid arms and front arachnid-like legs, holding her close, tenderly cradling her, Emily’s head resting on Rhenna’s bosom.

  The warmth of Emily’s body was intoxicating. Rhenna leaned forward, breathed in the scent of Emily’s freshly shampooed hair, and shivered in delight. In another dispy of raw strength, the panties and sports bra were torn in half and allowed to flutter to the floor, leaving Emily completely naked in Rhenna’s embrace.

  Emily gazed up at Rhenna through half-lidded eyes and tried to say something, but she could express nothing more than incoherent mumbling and low, needful moans as the venom-induced heat in her core ramped up to an inferno.

  Still a rag doll in her hands, Rhenna bent Emily’s legs and brought her knees close to her head as the spinnerets at the end of her chitinous abdomen began working rapidly. Her hind legs brought long, sticky strands of webbing forward under her body as her forward legs rolled Emily over and over, wrapping the gossamer strands around her, restraining her limbs, and holding her knees in position, dispying her suddenly dripping cunt lewdly.

  But the pleased expression slipped from Rhenna’s face as her rational mind surged to the fore and temporarily reasserted itself. She looked down at Emily’s naked, partially cocooned form, and though her face was half obscured by thick webbing, the dopey, hungry smile she wore was clearly visible as she looked up at Rhenna, wondering why she stopped. Emily tried to articute words of encouragement for Rhenna to continue but could only moan her displeasure that she hadn’t.

  The overwhelming urges that had driven Rhenna subsided enough for her rational mind to stare at what she had just done in horror and shame. ‘It was never supposed to be like this,’ she excoriated herself. Though she knew this was the way of her people since the dawn of time, she had thought her aberrant biology had stripped her of these primal instincts.

  “Broodmark? With a Human!? I don’t think it’ll even fit!” she said to no one in particur as she paced back and forth in front of the webbed and waiting Emily, whining pitifully and unintelligibly moaned words beginning to become clearer as the paralytic portion of Rhenna’s venom cleared her system.

  “Reen - naah,” Emily managed to croak pintively. “Neeeed. Oooou. Pleeease!”

  Rhenna's blood began heating once more. She knew that the paralytics in her venom cocktail muted the aphrodisiac components and would soon wear off. Emily would soon be entirely out of her mind with uncontrolble lust, and Rhenna herself wouldn’t be far behind her. It was one of the reasons evolutionary biologists theorized that Linyphiidae bound their broodmares so they couldn’t go running off and Brood with anyone besides the one who initiated it.

  But with a human! Such a thing had never been done. The Caballus people on Ansuil were rge and sturdy with strength and constitutions to withstand a Broodmark. Humans, by comparison, were small and frail; this could go bad, very bad.

  “Rhenna!” Emily pleaded, the crity of her words indicating the paralytic was almost clear of her system, but not the aphrodisiac component. Trussed up like a turkey, and her knees up, squishing her breasts together, she wiggled and strained against her bonds, waving her ass and exposed nethers unintentionally amping Rhenna’s already racing heart. “Oh god, Rhenna, I’m so empty. PLEASE, please touch me, anything. I’m on fire…” she cried, begging for relief that only Rhenna could provide.

  As Rhenna stood there, her rational mind at war with her unreasonable instinctual needs, a prominent bulge formed under her tunic where her humanoid and arachnid halves met. Emily’s moans and pleading were like hammer blows to her rational mind, shoving it deep down inside her as primal instincts rose and suppnted it.

  Once again fully feral with desire, Rhenna whipped off her tunic and fell on Emily’s bound form, revealing the wraps binding her breasts and her massive cock-like ovipositor, still growing as it engorged with the flow of blood.

  Rhenna knelt over Emily’s bound form, kissing the half of her face not buried under yers of webbing, rubbing the base of her member through Emily’s exposed, dripping wet folds. Unable to contain herself any longer, she ceased fighting and gave herself to her urges. Gripping Emily’s face gently in her hands, she locked her lips over Emily’s and kissed her deeply. She pushed her tongue past Emily’s parted lips, both needing to taste the other as though it were the only way they would survive this.

  Rhenna’s tongue slithered and explored Emily’s inviting mouth, savoring her taste and the feel of her teeth, tongue, and the insides of her cheeks. Emily’s eyes shot open wide in surprise when more of Rhenna’s impossibly long tongue kept pushing into her mouth, filling it and moving past, sliding deep into her throat.

  Rhenna continued to grind on Emily’s wet cunt as she continued to tongue fuck her deep in her throat. Emily gurgled a moan past the wriggling warm meat blocking her airway, trying to thrust her hips up, seeking more friction. She was starting to see stars from ck of air when Rhenna slurped back the welcomed intruder from her mouth.

  “FUCK!” Emily shouted when she finally could fill her lungs again. “God, Fuck me, Rhenna, I need to feel you in me. FUCK ME WITH THAT MONSTER!” she yelled with abandon, not caring if anyone could hear her or not.

  Rhenna looked down between their pressed bodies to her ovipositor grinding between them. For just a moment, her rational mind rose, panicked, to the forefront. In comparison to Emily’s tiny frame, it looked obscenely rge and long; the base of it ground against her pussy, and the tapered tip y on Emily’s sternum just below her breasts, as thick around as Emily’s well-toned thighs. It was as clear that it would gore her, just as clear that neither Rhenna nor Emily cared.

  Now fully in a rutting fugue, completely out of her mind with lustful need, Rhenna dragged her monster member down across Emily’s clit, resting the long, tapered end against her slick opening, which elicited a passionate excmation of delight. “Oooh, Fuck! Yes!” Emily cried out through gritted teeth.

  Rhenna’s vision had narrowed, and only Emily’s silk-bound form could be seen, the sounds of her impassioned pleas heard, the heady smell of her dripping arousal in the air scented the air; there was only Emily and Rhenna’s burning need to possess and fill her.

  She pressed the tapered head of her ovipositor inexorably inward, Emily's pussy stretching greedily to consume it. Even though her desire for Rhenna’s offering knew no bounds, her flesh had limits; her sopping opening, though slick with her desire, could manage to accommodate barely half of the taper before she was stretched paper thin. Her animalistic moans and gasps urged Rhenna on. So, holding Emily’s hips tight, Rhenna viciously thrust deeper, knowing only that she wanted, needed to plunge deeper, straight to Emily’s quivering core.

  But Emily’s moans and cries of passion violently snapped to screams of pain and agony, jarring Rhenna's psyche and spping her back to reality. She looked down between Emily’s thighs and saw the thin stream of blood flowing from where she was tearing Emily in half with her oversized member.

  Hastily, she withdrew, and Emily, driven mad with desire by the venom flowing in her veins, resumed begging and pleading for Rhenna to fill her.

  Rhenna knelt before Emily’s open thighs, the promised nd beaconing, denied by the reality of the limitations of their incompatible physiologies. Even as Emily urged her on, two conflicting emotions warred in Rhenna; the maddening need to fill and consume Emily, consequences be damned, and a deep desire to protect Emily, even from Rhenna herself.

  The longer Rhenna waited in indecision, the louder Emily’s pleading became until a dam burst in Rhenna’s heart and mind; even though she desired this woman more deeply than she had wanted anything in her life, she could not cim her. Tears filled Rhenna’s eyes and soon were falling freely as she sobbed in acceptance of her heartbreak and loss.

  Rhenna knelt weeping between Emily’s open and inviting legs, Emily herself oblivious to everything but her aching need. Rhenna began summoning the inner strength to stand and find some other way to soothe Emily when she felt a soft, warm hand on her shoulder.

  Inta stood there with a kind, supportive look on her face, looking to ease their suffering. As always, Inta was intimately familiar with everything that happened aboard the Nestia and watched with piqued interest as Rhenna and Emily started working together. Right away, Inta spotted that the shades and textures of their aura were subtly complimentary, and as they worked, they slowly grew into a nicely fitting pair.

  Inta found the first moments of falling in lust and love were by far the sweetest, so she made doubly sure that the two were kept free from her influence, making it clear that this was theirs and theirs alone. So when what should have been a joyous, ecstatic union became a woeful dirge, she couldn’t stand by and let it happen.

  “Rhenna, Honey, it’ll be okay. I’m here to help,” Inta soothed, pcing an arm around the sobbing Linyphiidae’s shoulders.

  Rhenna looked up at Inta with sad, puffy red eyes. “No, no, it won’t. This won’t work,” she said between sobs, gesturing to Emily, still begging. “I’m a fool; it was never going to. And now I’m punishing Emily for my folly.”

  Inta took Rhenna’s face in both hands and turned her head to face her. “It will. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I can help.” Rhenna looked at her in disbelief, unable to fathom how she could help. “How?” she asked, defeated but willing to try anything.

  “Let me be your Interface. You wish to mate? Let me be your intermediary, your proxy.” Inta offered.

  “You don’t understand,” Rhenna said, her sobbing beginning to pick up again, “the venom is half of a recombinant endocrinal exchange,” Rhenna tried to expin, “During Broodmark, if the pair is compatible, a kiss will trigger it, beginning the mating. Then the venom and finally impntation of eggs completes the process. We’ll both be locked in this limbo, halfway through the process forever.”

  Inta smiled and shook her head. “Yes, I know. Let me be your interface, a size adapter, if you will, between the two of you. I can take both of you easily enough,” Inta said with a devilish smile.

  Understanding what Inta was offering slowly dawned on Rhenna’s face but was swiftly accompanied by doubt. “I don’t see how; you’re even smaller than Emily. Besides, how would you pass my eggs?”

  “The emotional bond the two of you have already developed is strong; I’ll be the conduit for your physical connection.” Even kneeling, Rhenna was slightly taller than the silver girl; Inta cupped Rhenna’s face with one hand and brought her in for a kiss. When their lips met, Rhenna was surprised to feel a strange, almost electric charge build between them; trying to contextualize this feeling, she pictured it as a soft golden ribbon gently encircling the two of them, loosely tying them together. Her hands explored Inta’s soft, small body through the fabric of the sun dress she always wore. As Rhenna’s hands slid down Inta’s back and rubbed between the twin globes of her ass, moving forward seeking her honeyed core, she was doubly surprised when Inta’s dress simply melted away, revealing what hid beneath.

  “You’re a …” Rhenna began to say, breaking the kiss.

  “Hermaphrodite, yes,” Inta said, interrupting her, “and so much more. I can be exactly what you and Emily need.”

  With her other hand, Inta reached down and stroked the underside of Rhenna’s twitching ovipositor, sending a cascade of electricity and goosebumps up her spine. Rhenna's eyes rolled back in her head, and she moaned at Inta’s delightfully tender touch, causing a pulse of lubricating pre-cum to spurt from her almost painfully hard member. The renewed scent wafted into the air, and catching a sniff of it, Emily moaned loudly in urgent need.

  Releasing the kiss for a moment, Inta caught Rhenna’s emission in her hand and sthered it all over her already hard, silver shaft. With a quick peck on Rhenna’s cheek, Inta turned to Emily, silk-bound and moaning wantonly, desperate for attention. With her hand slick with Rhenna’s pre-cum, she caressed Emily’s sopping wet folds, gently rubbing her entrance with her fingers as her palm rubbed against her clit.

  Itna was rewarded with a deep guttural moan from Emily, almost a growl, in reaction to her fingers covered in Rhenna’s emissions. “Ooh, Fuck! Yes, yes, YES!” A fresh wave of wetness drenched Inta’s hand as she drove Emily to a maddening new height, starving for the release that thus far had eluded her.

  Inta bent over Emily’s bound, supine form, pointed her ass directly at Rhenna, and reached back between her silver legs and smeared Emily’s juices all through her own pewter folds and fingered herself in front of Rhenna’s, who watched closely, hungry and, wide-eyed. Inta crouched, leaned forward, and pressed her silver cock into Emily’s cunt with a loud squelch, presenting her wet silver snatch.

  Confusion rocked Rhenna’s already shaky hold on reality; her baser instincts compelled her to lean close to Inta's ass, pulling in deep breaths of the scent of her sex. With her nose almost pressing into the glistening wet fold before her, her animalistic drive was confused by conflicting information. Rhenna’s rational mind had almost entirely retreated to the background; her bestial urges needed Emily; the pussy before her wasn’t her Broodmare but was faintly scented of her. Inta shifted and ground her cock deeper into Emily, eliciting more pleas for a hard fucking, her silver cock extracting more of Emily’s juices, only to squirt it forcefully out of her puffy silver pussy, drenching Rhenna’s face with a concentrated bst of Emily’s wetness.

  Like a light switch, the pupils of Rhenna’s eyes filled her eyes once again with bckness, an outward sign that her rational mind had submerged and the broody beast was all that was present.

  Rhenna growled and grabbed Emily and Inta together and bit hard into the back of Inta’s neck, releasing a second dose of venom through her fangs deep under silver skin. Though unaffected by the venom, Inta y patiently as Rhenna manhandled Inta and Emily together, spinning them over and over rapidly as her spinnerets swiftly covered the two in another thicker yer of silk, binding them together.

  While Rhenna feverishly worked her spinnerets, Inta’s legs shrank away, leaving only her and Emily’s asses sticking out of the tight wrapping of webbing, ready to accept anything Rhenna had to give.

  The beast, currently in charge of Rhenna’s body, satisfied that her prey was sufficiently bound and could not escape, finished webbing the joined pair and dropped them unceremoniously on the floor with a soft thud. Inta pulled a fresh dollop of Emily’s juices with her cock buried in her and expelled it out of her silver pussy, letting it dribble down her slit and make a puddle on the floor. Rhenna’s nostrils fred, and then she reared back, lining her huge ovipositor up with Inta’s sopping entrance.

  Incensed, Rhenna rammed forward with a roar, burying herself deep into Inta, stretching her pussy to ridiculous proportions to accept something so rge. Simultaneously, Inta’s cock mimicked Rhenna’s thrust, ramming her silver cock into Emily, filling her wet channel to the limits of her warm walls, but not so much as to tear her tender flesh. Emily groaned in deep satisfaction, once again driven to the edge of bliss but still needing more to send her over.

  Rhenna’s pulled out sharply, almost all the way out, and thrust viciously back into Inta’s cunt, as Inta mirrored her motions in Emily’s, on a smaller scale. Rhenna grunted with building satisfaction as Emily whined in pleasure; Inta remained the silent partner, pulling Rhenna’s pre-ejacute and squirting it deep into Emily while simultaneously sucking in Emily’s drooling cunt juice, coating Rhenna’s member, stretching her obscenely. Inta was contented to be the conduit with which the two lovers fucked each other senseless.

  Rhenna’s thrusting increased to a savage intensity, which Inta replicated with high fidelity for Emily until Rhenna’s fingers dug deep into Inta’s hips and drove as deep as she could go. Inta felt the tapered tip of Rhenna’s ovipositor stretch and force open her cervix then open, locking it into the deepest part of her.

  Inta matched Rhenna’s st angry thrust, feeling Emily’s cervix loosen and accept Inta’s facsimile deep into her inner sanctum, locking in the same way. Rhenna grunted and growled as her ovipositor pulsed and rippled in Inta’s pussy as she felt the first lump work its way into her, stretching her inner walls even more.

  Emily shook and convulsed as Inta’s cock rippled and pulsed deep in Emily, who began shrieking in anticipation, half a breath away from glorious relief from her brutally unending edging.

  Rhenna’s first egg was forced into Inta, a firm but flexible spheroid, roughly the size of two fists clenched together. Knowing instinctually this was the penultimate conclusion of their union, Inta passed this first egg down through her cock, pushing it deep into Emily with the same rippling motions that Rhenna had used, forcing it along.

  Emily’s face grew pale, and sweat beaded on her face under the strain of accepting such a rge object. She continued to convulse as Inta worked the egg deeper. The moment the slippery, flexible surface of the egg contacted the inner walls of Emily’s uterus, the final barrier to her ecstasy broke, and she climaxed hard, her body going ridged. Inta felt Emily’s euphoria wash over her and fill the surrounding space, and surprisingly, Rhenna climaxed simultaneously in response. Inta observed that Rhenna and Emily’s aura finally matched in color and intensity, swirling golden hues surrounding them, linking them as one.

  Locked in a shared, prolonged climax with Emily, Rhenna’s ovipositor continued to pulse, forcing a train of long pent-up eggs into Inta’s depths. However, Inta struggled to push the one into Emily and realized this would be her limit. Sensing that Rhenna’s need was born of years of denial, Inta accepted that she would take everything Rhenna needed to give.

  So, for the next twenty minutes, Inta pushed and struggled to stuff Rhenna’s egg into Emily as Rhenna marched a seemingly unending stream of eggs into Inta, swelling her to ludicrous proportions.

  With every egg Inta accepted, she managed to stretch Emily a little further, aided by whatever effect the hormones coating the egg had on Emily’s uterus. Ten, twenty, thirty eggs Rhenna pumped into Inta, the surplus built up from years of abstinence. Inta finally deposited Rhenna’s egg with one st push, and Emily let out a strangled squeak before passing out. A few more eggs ter, Rhenna was finally spent, and as the st of forty-seven eggs nestled in Inta’s depths, Rhenna slumped over, ying across the top of her silk-bound lovers.

  Groggy, Rhenna pulled her softening member out of Inta with a loud ‘shlurp’ and crawled up and pced a soft kiss on the half of Emily’s face uncovered by webbing before falling beside her, pulled her bound brood mother close, then draped an arm and several legs over her protectively before slipping into an exhaustion induced sleep.

  Inta y wrapped up, entwined with the two, basking in their afterglow, watching their auras softly pulse in time as one. Not wanting to disturb their slumber, Inta rexed in their shared warmth for a moment but realized she was resting her whole weight on Emily. Wrapped up together as they were, with Rhenna’s load of eggs, she didn’t want to make her uncomfortable as she dozed, so she slipped into 4D space for a moment, reappearing next to the sleeping pair.

  Inta looked down at the two of them and smiled. The peaceful looks on their faces and feelings of contented satisfaction were more than enough to satisfy her. Inta hopped up on a nearby exam bed, rolled onto her side, stroking her belly full of eggs, luxuriating in the feeling, and settled in to watch them breathe softly in their sleep.

  Rhenna woke, still groggy, and looked down at the warm, web-wrapped form she was snuggling. Emily’s eyes were still closed, resting peacefully. The events of the st few hours came rushing back to Rhenna, and her cheeks burned with shame and guilt at what she had just done to Emily.

  Quickly raking a sharp fingernail between the webbing and Emily’s skin, Rhenna freed Emily from her silk bindings and pulled her close, waking her.

  “I’m so sorry, Emily,” Rhenna cried, tears flowing freely from her eyes. “You didn’t ask for this. I couldn’t control myself, and now… and now…,” she said, unable to complete her thought as she sobbed.

  Sleepily, Emily reached up and touched Rhenna’s cheek. “And now, I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life,” she said, smiling softly, catching Rhenna by surprise, halting her tears.

  “But, but, I basically drugged you, and took you against your will,” Rhenna confessed, her eyes downcast in shame.

  Emily ughed softly. “Against my will? Hardly.” Rhenna’s eyes went wide in surprise. “There was something about you the moment I met you; I didn’t know how to express it. You’re beautiful,” she said with a soulful look. “I guess I’ve always had a thing for spiders.”

  Rhenna’s dismay turned to hopeful disbelief. “Really?” she asked, eyes pleading that Emily’s words were true.

  “Yeah, really. And holy Fuck, was that hot as hell!” Emily cooed, nuzzling into Rhenna’s bosom. “I never realized how much I’d enjoy being tied up and fucked six ways to Sunday. It was perfect, and beautiful, like you.”

  It was Rhenna’s turn to blush. Then concern crept back into her expression. “But now, we’re Broodmarked,” she expined, “my body will always need you, and yours mine.” Her face scrunched up. “It’s never happened before between a Linyphiidae and a Human. We don’t even fit together,” she chagrined, her blush growing deeper.

  “W-we could, eventually,” Emily said coyly, taking Rhenna’s hand in hers. “Have you ever watched human porn? Size queens are a whole thing.” The quizzical look on Rhenna’s face caused Emily’s face to redden with embarrassment. “You know, girls who like,” she coughed into her fist,” to be stretched by really big…” Emily stopped abruptly, suddenly catching sight of Inta on a nearby exam bed, lying on her side, zily stroking her enormously swollen stomach, wearing a dopey, love-struck face.

  “Oh, don’t stop on my account,” Inta told Emily. “I love watching two people fall for each other. It’s the sweetest thing, in my opinion.” Rhenna and Emily looked down at her csped hands, then into each other’s eyes, and Inta let out a big sigh, rubbing her swollen belly.

  “By the way,” Inta asked seriously, “what happens now to the eggs that Emily and I are carrying? Are they alright? None of them have the spark of new life.”

  Rhenna’s expression morphed into one of sad regret. “That’s because I’m infertile,” she said bluntly. “During the time most young Linyphiidae mate and fertilize their eggs, my libido was non-existent.”

  “Certainly not the case now,” Inta said with a devilish grin.

  Rhenna gave Inta a crooked smile. “Yeah, I guess. But when I was younger, I was the peculiar one, an oddball who was never focused on what everyone else was. While the other hatchlings were off pying games, I’d be at home reading. When their fancy turned to mating with the males, I was in the library studying or in the b working on one project or another,” she said with a self-deprecating chuckle. “I was singurly focused, causing my mother no end of worrying, but my mind was unfettered from the quote-unquote ‘normal’ concerns that usually pgued the young. My marks were stelr, and I earned my doctorate in record time. The youngest on record, but I never understood what I was missing.” She pulled Emily close, wrapping her in a hug with her long arms. “Until today, that is.”

  Emily reached up with one hand and caressed the light gray skin of Rhenna’s cheek, the other resting unconsciously on her abdomen. That detail didn’t escape Rhenna’s attention, and she pced a hand over Emily’s. “I’m sorry, I can’t really give you what that egg should really be,” Rhenna told her wistfully. “I’m sterile, and all my eggs are just bundles of protein and hormones.”

  Emily turned in Rhenna’s arms to face her and hugged her fiercely. “That’s fine by me, so long as you keep stuffing them in me; I still feel wonderful, like I’m a little high or drunk or something,” she said with a giggle, causing Rhenna to smile.

  “That would be the hormones,” Rhenna said, giving her a slight squeeze. “After a few hours or so, the euphoric feeling will wear off and you feel normal again.” Rhenna received a pout from Emily for her expnation. “As much as I like hormoned-up Emily, I really like sober Emily, too.”

  “Aww, you like me,” Emily purred, snuggling closer to Rhenna.

  “Oh, and I pn on making you a proper, what did you call it? Size queen, that’s right. Before you know it, I’ll have you stretched out nice and good.” That earned her another slight drunken giggle. “But serious for a moment, you should understand what carrying a few of these will mean for you.” Then, looking at Inta, still bloated, lying on her side on the nearest exam bed. “How many exactly did we put into her? Not many, by the looks of her,” Rhenna said, leaning in closer to inspect Emily’s stomach. “I kinda lost count; wasn’t in my right mind.”

  “Just one,” Inta said cheerfully. “I hung onto the rest of them,” she said with a pat of her hugely distorted belly.

  Rhenna narrowed her eyes while looking at Emily. “Hmm, given the usual hormone load per egg and your size difference from a Caballus, I would estimate that the euphoric effects will st for another four or five hours.” She smiled at Emily, whose head lolled slightly as she continually ran her hands all over Rhenna’s still-naked body. “After that, the unfertilized egg membrane will begin to rapidly deteriorate, through which the amniotic protein will leak out. I suspect you’ll absorb most of it, though you may have some discharge. I’ll have to monitor your condition closely to understand how your body reacts.”

  Rhenna’s eyes lit up with curious fascination. “As far as I know, you’re the first human who’s ever Broodmarked with a Linyphiidae; I can only make educated guesses as to how you will be affected.” Emily gave her a look of concern, but Rhenna held her close and stroked her face. “Nothing negative, I promise. The Caballus reap many health benefits from their symbiotic retionship between our species.”

  “Mmm, symbiotic, sounds lovely,” Emily cooed, a drunk and dopey smile.

  Rhenna smiled at her adoringly, stroking her hair as she held her close. “Yes, Love. We are. It will be different than how the Linyphiidae and Caballus have been linked traditionally, but now we are irrevocably intertwined.”

  “And I will continue to help you both until you no longer need or want me,” Inta added, shifting her packed stomach as she y on her side.

  “For which I will be eternally grateful,” Rhenna replied. “We are well outside the bounds of conventional Linyphiidae wisdom when it comes to our union, and I suspect we will need as much support as we can get.” She furrowed her brows as she began considering the future. “In addtion to the challenges of biology, I fear there will be social repercussions to deal with back home; I’m no stranger to pushing the bounds of tradition, but I have no idea how people will react to the news of a Human - Linyphiidae Broodmark. It has been considered sacred since before written history; the idea that this could happen at all might upset some.”

  Rhenna bent her head, considering the woman in her arms who lightly traced the line in her flesh where her soft humanoid half transitioned to a chitinous exoskeleton. “But for now, it’s enough; I have found something that I’ve never dared dream would be possible for me.”

  Yawning, Rhenna arched her back, stretching out the tightness of her muscles from sleep, then tried to peek at the chronometer on the wall partly obscured from where she sat on the floor with Emily.

  “What time is it? How long did we sleep?” She asked ckadaisically.

  “You were out for eleven hours and forty-two minutes,” Inta said with precision. “We’ve picked up the st team from Partha and are already en route to Khosrow.

  “Damn!” Rhenna excimed as she looked over to the stack of supplies that still needed to be stowed. “We’ll never get everything put away before we arrive now,” she said, “Especially with Emily still coping with the after-effects of the Broodmark.”

  Rhenna ran a hand down her face, panic creeping into her voice. “I can’t leave Emily on her own for a little while yet, and I certainly can’t ask any of my team to help; I’m sure they wouldn’t react well.” Her eyes darted back and forth as she tried to formute a solution. “No one else knows our medicines well enough to know how to handle and store them properly, not to mention all the regur supplies Emily was dealing with.” She was working herself up for a proper panic attack, but before she went too far, Inta interrupted her spiraling thoughts.

  “Don’t worry, Honey, I can help. You tell me what to do, and I’ll get it done.” Rhenna looked at her with incredulity; Inta y on the exam bed with her stomach swollen ridiculously out of proportion; Rhenna wasn’t even sure she could stand under her own power, let alone navigate the narrow spaces between some of the beds, walking back and forth through the med bay, pack as full of eggs as she was.

  “I don’t mean this to be rude, but you’re hardly in any shape to help,” Rhenna said, stating the obvious.

  “Oh, is that so,” Inta retorted as her massive expanse retracted and shrank to her usual petite but curvy proportions.

  “I.. But… How… Where…” Rhenna stammered, trying unsuccessfully to articute her confusion.

  “Don’t worry. I just tucked them away somewhere safe,” Inta said, running her hands down her once again ft stomach. “If I’m honest, being stuffed with eggs is pretty hot; I love the way they feel rolling around, rubbing up against everything inside me,” she said with a slight shiver. “Gives me goosebumps thinking about it.” As she hopped off the exam bed, her usual blue and white sun dress blossomed from nowhere like some magician’s sleight of hand.

  “Well, even with all that,” Rhenna waved her hand in Inta’s general vicinity, regaining some of her composure in the face of the incredible, “ there is more work than one person can do in such a short amount of time.”

  “Not if you tell me what goes where and what to do,” another Inta said, walking through the door into the med bay, “and me,” said another Inta, “Or me,” said a third instance, following close behind the others.

  Rhenna stared numbly at the four Inta’s standing around her, waiting for instruction. “Yup, this is the weirdest day ever.” She sat, taking it all in for a moment, then when she got over the shock of it, made up her mind.

  “Well, okay then, here’s what we need to do…” she said, then issued orders for the several Inta’s. They scurried back and forth, efficient and coordinated, stowing supplies. Rhenna was shocked at the level of coordination between them all; they wound their way through the exam beds, managing not to get into each other’s way; sometimes, they would hand off items, fire brigade style, or simply bring them straight to where it needed to go. It struck Rhenna that she was watching the Inta’s dance, a strange ad hoc choreography that maximized efficiency.

  With Emily curled up in her p, eyes closed, and wearing a rge smile, Rhenna watched the Intas work, giving the occasional instruction when they handled any sensitive material. She ran a finger along Emily’s chin, who practically purred in response, and thought, ‘I guess this is going to work out after all.”