Horny Gold

Hi, ya'll! Welcome back to another episode of your third-favorite space crew! This episode (and the next) is going to lean more into the adventure side of the series. As always, I appreciate the feedback this is getting, and I'll give some insight into this episode at the end because I know many of you will be wondering if I've seenthatmovie. I have, and it is. You'll know what I'm talking about in about three pages. Anyway, buckle up, buttercup, we have an adventure to get to!

"What the hell is that?" Erwin Wu said when he entered Lucia's quarters.

"This is Jeff."

"Why is it on your shoulder?"

"Jeff is not an it, he is a male. And he's comfortable there."

"He's... comfortable..."

The star eel was indeed perched on Lucia's shoulder. Two of its eyes, black with golden oblong irises, watched him and seemed to be tracking his movements. Each eye sat at roughly the base of a corresponding limb, giving the creature 360 degrees of vision. It lifted the arm that was wrapped partly around Lucia's shoulder blade.

And it fucking waved at him.

They'd been en route to Ymir for all of two days, and Wu had mostly thrown himself into reading everything he could in the files Commandant Fredrickson had given him. He'd finally pulled himself away to restart his crew's training regimen, only to find the stowaway.

"Lucia--Dr. Lei, would you explain why you have a star eel on your damn shoulder?"

"I adopted him. For research purposes."

Wu hit the comms button next to the door. "XO, please get down here."

A moment later, Iana skipped into Lucia's room.

"Hey, Captain. Hey, Lucia. Hey, Jeff." She waved at each of them. And Jeff waved back at her.

"You know about this?" Wu asked her.

"About what?"

"About this." Wu pointed at the star eel. It mimicked his movement, pointing back at him accusingly.

"About Jeff? Sure. What's the problem?"

"The problem? Those things nearly killed her. And now she has one as a pet. Is that not obvious?"

Iana shrugged. "They make great pets. Everyone says so."

"Until it kills her."

"One doesn't pose much harm," Lucia said. "Besides, I paid for him. Didn't you see?"

Wu had seen. He'd been going through the business account and found a payment from Lucia for the cost of one of the creatures plus two-hundred coin. He didn't know what to make of it at the time, and had been meaning to ask Lucia what it was about.

A small aquarium, maybe a hundred litres, now sat in Lucia's room. She'd likely had it delivered and set up during their short visit to Ever Evening. Like every bit of furniture, it was secured to the floor. Inside were several rocks and a few colored balls.

"And no one thought to run this by me?"

"Sir, we literally had dozens of them in our cargo hold."

Wu had to walk away.

Secret pets aside, the journey to Ymir went relatively smoothly.

The crew continued their training regimen. And he noticed that the physical side of it was paying dividends for all of them. Theodora was maintaining her cut appearance; by Wu's estimation, she was in the gym no less than two times a day. But it was really apparent with Lucia and Alma. Both women had clearly gotten stronger, building lean muscle and generally filling out.

Nikki Bradshaw, their attache for this mission, mostly stuck to herself. She could usually be found in her room or in the lounge reading. Wu still didn't know what to make of her.

Alma entered the bridge while Wu held the conn. He'd been trying to work through the numbers again. It all seemed simple when he'd been planning this venture, alone in a coffin-sized crash couch on the little bit of downtime he had in between sleeping and working.

"Captain? Could I talk to you?" Alma asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Sure, what's on your mind?"

It wasn't until he looked at her that he realized she seemed nervous. Her jumpsuit was only half on, the top half folded down, and the sleeves tied around her waist. She wore a simple tank top with a stylized band logo on it, some ritzy skaz group called Islands of Solitude. She was playing with the tied sleeves of her jumpsuit, then realized she was doing it, and tucked her hands into her waist, trying to look casual.

Iana looked up from her own console. She's been interfacing with the ship systems, poring over untold terabytes of raw data, looking for ways to optimize systems.

"Ooo, I think she has something to say," the synth commented.

"Not here," Alma said. "It's a little, um, private."

Wu nodded. "As long as you understand, whatever you tell me, I may deem it pertinent to inform our XO."

"I understand."

Wu followed Alma off the bridge. He half expected her to make for his quarters, but she veered left, leading to her own.

Like Lucia, she made them her own. He expected that as they traveled, she'd acquire more decorations and knick-knacks as they stopped at various stations and planets. For now, there was a simple poster on one wall depicting an idyllic landscape from Earth; snow-capped mountains in the background of a seemingly endless forest of odd triangular trees.

There were a few stickers on her wardrobe locker, one was a pin-up girl wearing an improbably tight spacesuit and straddling an ancient-style rocket. She was holding a wrench and a syringe, bubble letters read "Get Wrecked? Get Tech-rec!" Wu recognized it as the infamous early logo of the first space rescue agency.

Alma motioned for him to have a seat on the crash couch. It was a smaller, less updated model than existed on the bridge.

She took a seat on the edge of her bed.

Wu instinctively leaned forward, not wanting to have whatever conversation this was, half reclined.

"Ensign, what in the stars is going on? You got a look like you're worried I might space you."

"No, it's not that. It's just that I guess, to start, thank you?" It came out as a question, although she clearly didn't mean it as one.

"Thank me for what?"

"Oh, you know, the whole murdering a captive that you just arrested after he attempted to steal our ship. For the fact that I'm still part of your crew and not in a brig somewhere, as would have been your right."

"What in seven systems are you talking about? We talked about that. I lost exactly zero seconds of sleep after you shot Lance. A sane government would have allowed me to have spaced him immediately."

"I thought you might say something like that," she said with a giggle. "But I still had to say thanks."

"It's not needed, but you're welcome."

"That isn't all I wanted to talk to you about. I wanted to say that I know about your relationship with Iana. And with Theodora."

"I wasn't exactly trying to keep it a secret. It's a small ship and all. Why? Does it bother you? I admit it's not the most conventional or professional thing I could be doing."

"No, it's not that. I... was wondering if you'd be open to the same kind of relationship with me."

"Alma, where is this coming from? I'm a scarred-up vet, almost 20 years older than you."

"Iana and Theodore don't seem to care. Why should I?"

"Iana's a synth that has needs, and Theodora, well, let's just say she's got some cultural considerations. But with what you've been through, even though you're young and gorgeous, I don't presume that you would want that. It certainly isn't a prerequisite for being a part of my crew."

"Honestly, I think it should be. Maybe. I saw you pull Lucia from the star eel tank. I saw how concerned you were for her. I know that she wants the same... relationship with you, too."

"She tell you that?"

"Yeah. Sort of. She's an odd duck, but I love her. She doesn't know how to flirt and doesn't know how to make the first move, but she told me that she basically threw herself at you. Wanted you to hold her down and have your way with her."

"Yeah, I remember the conversation. I'm not exactly keen on just grabbing a woman to have my way with her."

"It's a fetish, for sure. Not one I'm into, but it sounded like she was talking about free use. It's where both partners agree that one partner can use the other for sex whenever they want. It's like having a standing order."

"I would have to have a long conversation with her before anything like that happened."

Alma shook her head. "Anyway, I'm not trying to set you up with someone else. I'm trying to set you up with me. But I have to explain some things to you."

"Such as?"

"I had to do a lot of thinking about what happened to me. When I was captured, I was abused pretty badly."

"You don't have to go into it if you don't want to."

"I need to, if you'll listen."

"I will."

"Basically, they used me like a piece of meat. All of them. Sometimes it was just one at a time. One of them only wanted to use my mouth. And then they'd have parties where they'd all get trashed on booze and stims and see how much dick they could get into me. Those were hard nights. At first, I fought. I thought if I could just fight long enough, they'd figure I wasn't worth the trouble. I'd fight, and they'd beat me. It didn't take long before I didn't fight anymore. I didn't fight as much as I thought I would. I felt powerless."

"You were placed in an impossible situation. And you did what you had to do to survive."

"Stars be damned, you're so fucking understanding. Arg!" She put her head in her hands in a show of frustration.

"It doesn't make me think any less of you."

"You asked me if I was broken. And I said no. I'm not broken. But I am damaged."

"I don't believe you are damaged."

"How could I not be?"

"I believe you're hurt, in pain. But injuries heal. Pain fades."

"Kind of a heady philosophical conversation to have when I'm trying to throw myself at you."

"I would hate for you to do something you would regret. Something you talked yourself into. I'm a lot of things, but I'm no one's cure."

"You have no idea the thought I'd given this. I thought about this for weeks. Honestly, I thought about it when you rescued me. You saved my life. More so, you gave me a job and treated me like I was normal. As far as I can figure, you own me in all the ways to count but one."

"That's where it gets tricky. I don't want to own anybody."

"Of course you don't." Alma slid from the edge of her bunk, slowly crossing to him and gently climbed on top of him, pushing him back in the crash couch and straddling him. "That's why you do."

She leaned down to kiss him, hesitated, but then brought her lips to his. It was with a blend of eagerness and apprehension, trying to gauge his reaction. He kissed her back, marveling that this young, beautiful woman had seduced a scarred-up old vet like him.

It was when he attempted to put his arms around her to pull her close that she flinched.

"Sorry," she whispered, pulling back.

"Second thoughts?"

"No, it's not that, it's just..." Alma scrunched up her face with frustration. "It's just. Can I lead? Ease into this? I desperately want this. You're a damn good kisser, but I don't want to freak out if you are, you know, grabbing me or whatever."

"You steer the ship," he said gently.

Relief washed over her face, and she was kissing him again.

Anyway, it made sense that she was taking back control.

His feelings for Alma were more complex than for anyone else on the crew. Letting off steam with Iana or the sexy crew of a random research station was one thing. Taking the virginity of Theodora had been another. And while he didn't regret either, this was altogether new territory. Romantic was the word that sprang to mind despite the unusual circumstances.

Alma was no doubt beautiful. Her wavy, honey blonde hair hung just above her shoulders, framing her face. Wu felt an animalistic need surge through him. He wanted to run his fingers through that hair, wanted to grab a handful in a fist, pull her head to the side so he could kiss her neck.

He resisted.

"Take your cock out, sir," she whispered into his mouth before pulling away and standing up. She pushed her jumpsuit to the floor, revealing her simple cotton panties.

Wu responded by unzipping his own jumpsuit to the waist, awkwardly shimmying the fabric low enough to release himself.

Their make-out session brought him mostly erect, but Alma, purposely it seemed, didn't so much as glance at it. Instead, she slipped the white cotton panties down and climbed on top of him again.

She was bare between her legs, a light sheen of wetness on her almost petite lips. She gyrated her hips, pressing those lips against his shaft, pinning it against his stomach. She studied his face as she lubed him up, her curious green eyes watching his every expression.

Wu kept his hands to himself. Sure, he wanted to reach up and grab her tits, to explore her body as it moved against his. That would come later. After. For now, he was satisfied to focus on her grinding against him, her face flushing as her arousal increased.

When she was ready. She reached down between them, grabbing his cock and pointing it upward. She guided it toward her opening and began to sink down. For him, it was a slow, almost agonizing process. That animalistic urge reasserted itself, and he wanted to pull her on top of him, impale her. She sank down inch by delicious inch, only to pull up before descending again, a little further. She pressed her hands against his chest, supporting herself as she began riding him in earnest. When she finally managed to take him all the way, she let out a moan of satisfied relief.

It was as far from fucking as anything Wu had experienced. It was something else entirely. It was slow, deliberate lovemaking. The only sounds were her heavy breathing and the gentle wetshlickof her riding him.

Wu took her hands in his, interlacing their fingers, and made her push against them.

"You know, I saw you," she said, her breathing heavier. "I saw you with those sluts on the research station. I saw you fucking them. Using them. It made me so wet. I couldn't stop imagining myself in their place."

Wu grunted as she slid up and down his shaft. It was slow, almost agonizingly so. "I would have traded all of them for you. But we find our fun where we can."

She smiled at that as he pushed against their interlaced hands, pushing up like a bench press and relaxing her down. She set the pace, pushing back against his hands.

"Fun? Yeah. I agree," she said between breaths. "I liked watching you. With them. I'd like to watch you with others. I wanna watch you turn Theo into a dripping puddle. I wanna see you rewire Iana in real time." She kissed him again. "I want to see you claim Lucia. Own her. Make her scream your name."

"Why," he asked.

"Because you saved me. Because I see how strong you are. How capable. A man like you should have a whole stable of women to see to his needs. Because it turns me on watching them desire you."

She didn't alter her rhythm as she spoke. She rode him with a steady, relentless pace. He was building to his own climax with each rise of her hips.

"Do you find that strange?" she asked. "Too weird?"

"No," he admitted. "But I have to be honest. If you're in the same room as me and another lover, I might not be able to control myself like I am right now. I'd have to have you. Pull you in and rail you."

"Oh, stars, yes," she breathed.

"Maybe make Iana lick this little cunt you're riding me with. Make Theo watch as I turnyouinto a puddle."

She moaned louder. "Oh, fuck. Yes. I'm yours. You own me. You own my body. Own my goddamn soul."

Wu felt her mood change. She was daring him without saying it explicitly.

He sat up while she rode him and picked her up as he stood. She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck. His cock stayed seated inside her, and he hooked a hand under each leg. At first, he thought to carry her to the bunk, lay her flat, and rail her like that. But this was better. They were under a lower gravity, slowing their acceleration so they could pull a gravity-assisted slingshot around a small gas giant in a few hours. He lifted her easily and realized he could hold her small frame up for a long time before he tired.

So yes, he took control, but she still set the pace, pulling up on the back of his neck and then slamming herself back down, impaling herself on him over and over.

She threw her head back as the orgasm overtook her. Her reaction was perhaps more subdued, but he still found it hot as hell. She let out a series of small whimpers, like she was afraid to make noise, then she tipped her head forward to look him in the eye. Her green eyes bore into him, her mouth open in disbelief, as if she couldn't believe what was happening.

He fucked her through it. Her whole body shuddered in his arms like a seizure.

He came with her, pulling her down while he thrust up into her, emptying his balls deep inside her. She squeaked when he did, her body tensing as if she touched a live wire.

She stayed tense for several glorious seconds before going limp in his arms, nearly pulling him over when she slumped back. He had to let go of one of her legs to grab her around the back to stop her from pinging her head off the wall.

Wu set her gently on her bunk.

He climbed on top of her, not putting much weight down, not wanting to crush her, and kissed her gently.

"Fucking hell," she said. "What the hell was I waiting for?"

"You were waiting to be ready," he said, softly. "But I'm glad you were."

"You havegotto fuck Lucia now. She's gonna feel sooo left out."

Wu laughed. "Still on that? I'm not really sure I'm her type."

"You're built like a tank and own a spaceship. Captain, you're every girl's type. Also, you were gentle with me. Thank you."

"You're thanking me? This wasn't pity sex."

"No. Of course not. But it was just what I needed."

***

***

Ymir sat at the edge of human-controlled space. There were jump points beyond, but so far, that was the territory of roughnecks and prospectors. Establishing a colony on a new planet was a tremendously dangerous affair. There had been too many incidents during the initial expansion out of the Sol system that made any colony ship think twice before touching down on a planet that hadn't been thoroughly studied beforehand.

Beyond the system, there were a couple of habitable candidates, and those were occupied only by small groups of the most insane scientists the Consortium had at its disposal.

Ymir and its 20,000 residents put it between these frontier outposts and the more developed planets like Arcadia. It should, in theory, be beginning the process of becoming not just self-sufficient but self-perpetuating.

Numerous laws established in the last two centuries made private ownership of planets all but illegal. Corporations and private interests could own part or even large parts of planets, but not the whole thing. The Consortium was not interested in mega corporations owning competing power structures.

Most new colonies started as a sort of commune, with larger investment waiting until it was relatively safe and established before setting up shop. Still, there were significant fortunes to be made for those brave enough and enterprising enough to get in on the ground floor.

In this regard, Ymir was a bit of an oddity. It was founded during the war and used as a forward outpost as the Consortium pushed the Banshee armada back. Erwin Wu had even been part of several missions in the system, although he never set foot on the planet.

After the war, a group of vets from engineering and logistics pooled their resources and brought their families to settle permanently.

Although it contained many of the hallmarks of planets fit to be settled by humans, including a breathable atmosphere and a thick ozone layer, its elliptic orbit and wild swings in temperature limited immigration.