Random Sci-Fi Round Robin

[Grendle1853]

(First, loved the Fallout 4 reference! That was awesome! Fallout is by far my favorite post apocalypse series.)

Lithan leaned against the wall of the small booth she had taken a seat in. The mess hall wasn't much on her ship. Just a couple of booths built into the walls, a small range, a now ancient rehydration unit, and a useless synthetic processor. The processor had been something she had came across and believed would be a good fit. She later found out that it was practically worthless. The machine itself was fine, but the protein and carb packets were exceptionally rare, outlandishly expensive, and an entire package was used in creating a single meal. She'd used it once, managed to make a dish from her home world *Kripotic Noodles* and then found that it couldn't make it again until she purchased more packets.

The one place that sold them was an outer satellite that priced each packet at one thousand Coalition units. She had decided that the processor would be better served as a reminder to research all new appliances before purchasing. Not it really mattered. She was nursing her second tumbler of the intoxicant, and as per the directions she had deluded it quite a bit. The fact that Jericho had managed to not only drink over half a bottle on his own and not die of poisoning spoke of his uncanny invulnerability. That wasn't quite right though. He was vulnerable. He was exceptionally vulnerable emotionally. She finished the tumbler and leaned back, her mind going to what he had said.

She was attractive. It was something she had never considered. Not that she believed that she was ugly, but at best she was average. Still, the mental image was present. Her own kind, from the anatomy books she'd had to study, were delicately built. The males tended to be roughly their size, slightly stronger, but their genitalia usually were considered compact. Judging by his size alone she had to wonder just how big Jericho was. Would mating with him even be possible? Would it fit? Would she tear open if they tried? She shook her head, her mind traveling to the places she had never even considered going.

"What's wrong with me?"

The silence around her was her only answer, "Why am I even considering this?"

The silence didn't judge, nor did it support. She leaned back, opened her jump suit, and slowly moved it down. He'd seen her breasts, her tits as he called them, and he thought she was attractive. She moved them further and let her hands move down her stomach. A soft purr escaped her throat as she neared her prize, She closed her eyes, gently touched herself and before she could even stop the mental image of him touching her entered her mind. It went to them in bed, her taking the lead, and slowly her mind began to create the most vivid images. It was certainly inspired by her reading, but at the same time she found it far more satisficing. She moaned, felt herself clench, and then cried out as she found the blessed peak she had been searching for.

A few moments later she stood. Two tumblers in, her mind clouded by the intoxicant and lust, and she looked toward the room. It wasn't a good idea, not in the slightest, but the more primal part of her mind had already taken over. She craved the intimate touch. She removed the rest of her jump suit, walking as nude as the day she was brought into the verse, and moved toward the room.

I know where you want to take this man, but part of me wants to go funny with this and start the next bit with "turns out it's quite hard to wake a drunk, sleeping, human."

[Lordfrieza]

(First, loved the Fallout 4 reference! That was awesome! Fallout is by far my favorite post apocalypse series.)

Lithan leaned against the wall of the small booth she had taken a seat in. The mess hall wasn't much on her ship. Just a couple of booths built into the walls, a small range, a now ancient rehydration unit, and a useless synthetic processor. The processor had been something she had came across and believed would be a good fit. She later found out that it was practically worthless. The machine itself was fine, but the protein and carb packets were exceptionally rare, outlandishly expensive, and an entire package was used in creating a single meal. She'd used it once, managed to make a dish from her home world *Kripotic Noodles* and then found that it couldn't make it again until she purchased more packets.

The one place that sold them was an outer satellite that priced each packet at one thousand Coalition units. She had decided that the processor would be better served as a reminder to research all new appliances before purchasing. Not it really mattered. She was nursing her second tumbler of the intoxicant, and as per the directions she had deluded it quite a bit. The fact that Jericho had managed to not only drink over half a bottle on his own and not die of poisoning spoke of his uncanny invulnerability. That wasn't quite right though. He was vulnerable. He was exceptionally vulnerable emotionally. She finished the tumbler and leaned back, her mind going to what he had said.

She was attractive. It was something she had never considered. Not that she believed that she was ugly, but at best she was average. Still, the mental image was present. Her own kind, from the anatomy books she'd had to study, were delicately built. The males tended to be roughly their size, slightly stronger, but their genitalia usually were considered compact. Judging by his size alone she had to wonder just how big Jericho was. Would mating with him even be possible? Would it fit? Would she tear open if they tried? She shook her head, her mind traveling to the places she had never even considered going.

"What's wrong with me?"

The silence around her was her only answer, "Why am I even considering this?"

The silence didn't judge, nor did it support. She leaned back, opened her jump suit, and slowly moved it down. He'd seen her breasts, her tits as he called them, and he thought she was attractive. She moved them further and let her hands move down her stomach. A soft purr escaped her throat as she neared her prize, She closed her eyes, gently touched herself and before she could even stop the mental image of him touching her entered her mind. It went to them in bed, her taking the lead, and slowly her mind began to create the most vivid images. It was certainly inspired by her reading, but at the same time she found it far more satisficing. She moaned, felt herself clench, and then cried out as she found the blessed peak she had been searching for.

A few moments later she stood. Two tumblers in, her mind clouded by the intoxicant and lust, and she looked toward the room. It wasn't a good idea, not in the slightest, but the more primal part of her mind had already taken over. She craved the intimate touch. She removed the rest of her jump suit, walking as nude as the day she was brought into the verse, and moved toward the room.

I know where you want to take this man, but part of me wants to go funny with this and start the next bit with "turns out it's quite hard to wake a drunk, sleeping, human."

(Take it where you want to my friend. Funny is fine, erotic is fine, heart felt moment is fine. I kept from going that extra step, which I did write out a hellva a sex scene, simply because I'm interested in seeing where it is taken. As for them getting together, I'm fairly sure that it's going to happen. It'll be kind of like when the barbarian gets with the wizard. The squishy magical friend will get to see a side of their muscle bound friend the others typically don't see. Also, the Squishy magical friend soon learns that it is worth toughing up a bit for what comes at the various inns and campsites throughout a campaign.)

[Lordfrieza]

(A Glimpse at what I was going to do:

Lithan lay on her stomach, and she had been somewhat right to worry. In comparison, at least from what she had read, most of the Qurien males genitalia would have roughly been the size of his middle finger. He'd proven to be far bigger. A soft giggle escaped her as she realized that even if had the opportunity to mate with one of her own kind she wouldn't do it. She didn't think that she could downsize like that. The giggling stopped as a slight burning sensation began to take. It started on the mark on her breast, but instead of remaining localized it began to work inward. She groaned as the feeling dug deeper, and then she felt it. The first shock that jolted through her body. She couldn't help it as she curled in on herself and screamed. Two arms reached round her and held her as she screamed again. This time a pained grunt came from Jericho.

"What's wrong?!" his voice was no longer slurred, it seemed the situation had sobered him up, "What's going on?!"

She wanted to answer, but the pain jolted through them both again. She felt him flip her onto her back and while she couldn't see he could. The mark was glowing, or specifically a small part of it was. He touched it, feeling the intense warmth, and he growled at situation. Something was attacking Lithan, something was attacking his woman. He picked her up and carried her toward the small medical station she had shown him before. Getting there he placed her on a table, and brought over the imaging device. While he wasn't a scientist, or a medical professional, he did understand the concept of the device itself. In truth it seemed like a mobile Medical imager that they'd used back on Earth. The difference was that it was far easier to use.

The translator microbes that she'd given him allowed him to read it, and he pressed the start button. There, under the skin of her breast, was a small microchip. It was lighting up, sending shocks, and he didn't hesitate. Knowing that it was hurting her, and believing that it would get worse, he made a small incision and pulled the chip out. The moment he did a shock traveled down his arm. He nearly dropped it, but instead placed it on the floor and stomped on it hard. The chip sent one last jolt of electricity out, something far more powerful than it had any right to be, and went still. He looked at her, seeing her at peace, and part of him wondered exactly what had happened to her.)

[Grendle1853]

(A Glimpse at what I was going to do:

Lithan lay on her stomach, and she had been somewhat right to worry. In comparison, at least from what she had read, most of the Qurien males genitalia would have roughly been the size of his middle finger. He'd proven to be far bigger. A soft giggle escaped her as she realized that even if had the opportunity to mate with one of her own kind she wouldn't do it. She didn't think that she could downsize like that. The giggling stopped as a slight burning sensation began to take. It started on the mark on her breast, but instead of remaining localized it began to work inward. She groaned as the feeling dug deeper, and then she felt it. The first shock that jolted through her body. She couldn't help it as she curled in on herself and screamed. Two arms reached round her and held her as she screamed again. This time a pained grunt came from Jericho.

"What's wrong?!" his voice was no longer slurred, it seemed the situation had sobered him up, "What's going on?!"

She wanted to answer, but the pain jolted through them both again. She felt him flip her onto her back and while she couldn't see he could. The mark was glowing, or specifically a small part of it was. He touched it, feeling the intense warmth, and he growled at situation. Something was attacking Lithan, something was attacking his woman. He picked her up and carried her toward the small medical station she had shown him before. Getting there he placed her on a table, and brought over the imaging device. While he wasn't a scientist, or a medical professional, he did understand the concept of the device itself. In truth it seemed like a mobile Medical imager that they'd used back on Earth. The difference was that it was far easier to use.

The translator microbes that she'd given him allowed him to read it, and he pressed the start button. There, under the skin of her breast, was a small microchip. It was lighting up, sending shocks, and he didn't hesitate. Knowing that it was hurting her, and believing that it would get worse, he made a small incision and pulled the chip out. The moment he did a shock traveled down his arm. He nearly dropped it, but instead placed it on the floor and stomped on it hard. The chip sent one last jolt of electricity out, something far more powerful than it had any right to be, and went still. He looked at her, seeing her at peace, and part of him wondered exactly what had happened to her.)

While not a bad idea, I think this kind of goes against the scene with the would-be rapist that was already written. I do think it has some merit though, as when we get to the crew's next destination I thought of there being slaves kept there, and this seems like a more sci fi solution then the Fallout bomb collar.

[Lordfrieza]

(A Glimpse at what I was going to do:

Lithan lay on her stomach, and she had been somewhat right to worry. In comparison, at least from what she had read, most of the Qurien males genitalia would have roughly been the size of his middle finger. He'd proven to be far bigger. A soft giggle escaped her as she realized that even if had the opportunity to mate with one of her own kind she wouldn't do it. She didn't think that she could downsize like that. The giggling stopped as a slight burning sensation began to take. It started on the mark on her breast, but instead of remaining localized it began to work inward. She groaned as the feeling dug deeper, and then she felt it. The first shock that jolted through her body. She couldn't help it as she curled in on herself and screamed. Two arms reached round her and held her as she screamed again. This time a pained grunt came from Jericho.

"What's wrong?!" his voice was no longer slurred, it seemed the situation had sobered him up, "What's going on?!"

She wanted to answer, but the pain jolted through them both again. She felt him flip her onto her back and while she couldn't see he could. The mark was glowing, or specifically a small part of it was. He touched it, feeling the intense warmth, and he growled at situation. Something was attacking Lithan, something was attacking his woman. He picked her up and carried her toward the small medical station she had shown him before. Getting there he placed her on a table, and brought over the imaging device. While he wasn't a scientist, or a medical professional, he did understand the concept of the device itself. In truth it seemed like a mobile Medical imager that they'd used back on Earth. The difference was that it was far easier to use.

The translator microbes that she'd given him allowed him to read it, and he pressed the start button. There, under the skin of her breast, was a small microchip. It was lighting up, sending shocks, and he didn't hesitate. Knowing that it was hurting her, and believing that it would get worse, he made a small incision and pulled the chip out. The moment he did a shock traveled down his arm. He nearly dropped it, but instead placed it on the floor and stomped on it hard. The chip sent one last jolt of electricity out, something far more powerful than it had any right to be, and went still. He looked at her, seeing her at peace, and part of him wondered exactly what had happened to her.)

While not a bad idea, I think this kind of goes against the scene with the would-be rapist that was already written. I do think it has some merit though, as when we get to the crew's next destination I thought of there being slaves kept there, and this seems like a more sci fi solution then the Fallout bomb collar.

Good point about the would be rapist, although I kind of thought that it was likely she, and others of her kind, wouldn't really know about it. But yeah, I love the idea of using it for slaves and or prisoners. It gives a decent idea that they are about preserving the lives of the slaves, and or prisoners, but making them realize that what they are doing will be punished.

[Grendle1853]

Turns out it's rather hard to wake up a drunk sleeping human. There she was, naked as the day she was born and in the mood to mate, only to be unable to rouse the drooling slumbering man. She had started trying to seductively whisper into his ear, then annoyed shouting, followed by frustratingly slapping at his arm. Nothing.
So it was the next day, and Lithan was sulking in her command chair. Partly out of her failure to mate, mostly out of embarrassment. Jericho entered the room behind her and sat down on the floor next to her chair. "Hi," he greeted her.
"Hello," she replied, still slightly annoyed at him.
"Sorry...about last night," he said.
Alarm bells rang in the Qurien's head. Did he remember her, naked, practically begging him for sex? "...what about last night?" she cautiously asked.
"I think I let the alcohol get to me, and may have gotten a bit too forward with you," the human explained.
You were too forward? She thought. "It's fine, Jericho," Lithan told him. "To be honest with you, I've given some serous thought to mating with you, as well." She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, interested to see what his response to that would be.
The astronaut seemed only slightly surprised. "I think...I think sex would be more than a little dangerous for the two of us," he finally said.
Lithan nodded her head. "Alright. What about licking?" she asked. That time he looked surprised. Before he could come up with an answer to that an alarm sounded from her console. "Think on that for a bit, we're coming up on Fraxx 2."

[Lordfrieza]

Turns out it's rather had to wake up a drunk sleeping human. There she was, naked as the day she was born and in the mood to mate, only to be unable to rouse the drooling slumbering man. She had started trying to seductively whisper into his ear, then annoyed shouting, followed by frustratingly slapping at his arm. Nothing.
So it was the next day, and Lithan was sulking in her command chair. Partly out of her failure to mate, mostly out of embarrassment. Jericho entered the room behind her and sat down on the floor next to her chair. "Hi," he greeted her.
"Hello," she replied, still slightly annoyed at him.
"Sorry...about last night," he said.
Alarm bells rang in the Qurien's head. Did he remember her, naked, practically begging him for sex? "...what about last night?" she cautiously asked.
"I think I let the alcohol get to me, and may have gotten a bit too forward with you," the human explained.
You were too forward? She thought. "It's fine, Jericho," Lithan told him. "To be honest with you, I've given some serous thought to mating with you, as well." She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, interested to see what his response to that would be.
The astronaut seemed only slightly surprised. "I think...I think sex would be more than a little dangerous for the two of us," he finally said.
Lithan nodded her head. "Alright. What about licking?" she asked. That time he looked surprised. Before he could come up with an answer to that an alarm sounded from her console. "Think on that for a bit, we're coming up on Fraxx 2."

(What the hell, I have a few minutes before I have to help someone fill out their graduation paperwork.)

The sight of the planetoid was something Jericho had only seen in science fiction films. Of course the first that came to his mind had been Serenity. A small part of him wanted to call the planet Miranda simply because of that reason, but he fought it back. Instead he noticed that the ship was setting into an orbit. He prepared to ask her what she was doing when he noticed that he could fully read her screen. The translator microbes that she had given to him were allowing him to fully read her language. At least he assumed that it was her language. Apparently since it was a Fraxx 2 planet there were no docking signals, no entrance vectors, and she was having to manually input everything. After a moment the computer chirped and he could feel the effect of the gravity. It wasn't Earth Normal, but it was certainly close to its moon's normal gravity. Slowly the ship lowered further until he could see what looked like multiple cities.

"Wait, this isn't right," she said as they piloted past the first full city. Even from this distance the lights of holographic billboards could be seen, "There shouldn't be anything here."

She moved further away from the city until they neared what looked like a small port. The ship landed, and a moment later the docking locks secured it into place. Her computer lit up and a creature with an avian like head looked back at her. Its eyes were pointed forward, the beak on its face looked sharp, a small scar ran from the corner of it to right below its left eye.

"You are not a registered ship here," The surprisingly female voice said, "And that means that either you're a smuggler, or someone completely idiotic. So, I'm going to make a deal with you. A thousand Coalition credits, and I will forget that you landed here. Another five hundred and you'll have your ship on our registry along with four jobs brining and exporting supplies. Of course if you refuse I will be forced to contact the Supreme Chancellor, and I doubt that she will be as welcoming as we are."

Lithan's skin changed colors, and Jericho realized that it was a set of nerves, "I... I can pay the fifteen hundred," she said almost quietly, "I don't want trouble."

The avian headed female nodded, "I'll be over to your ship in a moment, have the transfer module ready."

[MTVCCVC]

As the cargo door of the Boos opens, Lithan sees the port manager and 2 obvious bodygaurds standing in front of it. The bodyguards, also avian like creatures stood a fair bit taller than the manager or her, but she judged they at best were as tall as Jericho's chin. They are both armed with modern, but not particularly special beamer rifles. They also had a few charge packs on their belts as well as what looked like a grenade each.

Sneaking a peak over to where her friend was hiding out of sight behind a corner gave her some comfort and helped her calm down somewhat. He was observing the exit on a reflective surface with a stern, focused look in his eyes.

As the unexpected welcoming party started entering the vessel, not bothering to wait for an invitation, one of the guards very obviously hit its head on the ceiling intentionally and started making a big fuss about it.

"Not only do you arrive unannounced and uninvited to my port, but you also fly such a dangerous ship. You will compensate my associate here for his injury with another 250 credits. I presume you won't object to this?" the manager plays it up the same.

"Um..." Lithan stumbles briefly, glancing at Jericho, who gives her a nod and a hnad gesture to go with it. "Sure. I usuall..."

"You're confirmation is enough. Pay your bill, please," the female avian cuts her off and points her tablet towards Lithan.

"1750 credits," Lithan says as she moves her own tablet close to the manager's and transfers the funds.

"Excellent, thank you for your cooperation," the manager expresses with a tone of vice of a professional salesman. "Now, what bring you here?" her tone of voice shifts to ice as she and the guards fixate their glares on Lithan.

"I, uh... A client I know wanted to get a 'souvenir' from a death planet and he said he'd pay me handsomely if I got one. This was the closest planet I could think of like that, so..." Lithan goes into a spiel Jericho and her rehearsed quickly before they landed.

"How ever so unfortunate for you. Well, in any case, like I said, you will do 4 runs for me and then you can actually dock on this planet properly. You will go to this location, pick up the cargo you are given, load it up on the ship and transport it to this planet," the manager explains to Lithan while showing her the relevant information on her device. "The location is a little unsafe, so my guards will come with you," she finishes off with a menacing tone indicating that this was not up for negotiation.

"That won't be necessary. She already has a guard," Jericho steps out from behind the corner, his sword attached to a harness on his back.

The guards instinctively point their weapons at him and the manager stares at him with eyes wide in confusing. "How did you esca...?" the words escape her mouth before she is able to catch herself.

Jericho immediately pounces on the statement and the manager, gripping her carefully around the neck with his left hand and lifting her up into the air. As the guard open fire on him, he pulls the sword off his back and swings it in front to shield them from the blasts. Seeing their shots hit the large metal that so swiftly obscured their target, they hesitate for a second, which Jericho abuses to swing the sword such that he manages to slice off their arms just below their elbows. He folows the blades momentum and redirects it upwards and then crashing down upon one of the guards, slicing him in half from head to between its legs, embedding the sword into the floor of the Boos cargo hold.

The remaining guard stares at this display of brute violence in shear terror, not even noticing that Jericho reach out with the hand that released the swords handle and clenched it's fingers around the top of his skull, lifting him up into the air also, squeezing his skull far less gently than the manager's throat, as the guard starts panicking.

"Do you understand me?" Jericho asks the manager, staring at her with a dead expression, making her feel as if this creature did not care one bit if she lived or died in the next moment.

"Ye.. ess..." she exhales with difficulty.

"Good. Now, look at your guard," he instructs her.

Her frightened eyes turn hesitantly from the monster currently holding her by the throat towards her remaining companion, staring back at her with absolute terror in its eyes. As they make eye contact, Jericho squeezes with his fingers and crushes the guards skull and brain, leaving the once thrashing body hanging limp for a few moments as the manager observes what he did with shock, tossing it away like it was a discarded rag once she finally snaps back to reality.

"Do not lie to me. You have obviously another human here. You will tell me everything I need to know or I will spend however much time I need turning this entire planet into the death planet it is supposed to be, starting with you." Jericho threatens her calmly, his eyes still beaming the feeling of indifference to the alien's life and well-being. "Now, where are the other humans?"

[Lordfrieza]

"I..." she began before a shock went through and into Jericho. His grip tightened, one reflex, and then he quickly let go. The Port Manager coughed and sputtered once she hit the ground, "Gak!"

"Arieloia, what have I told you about your side business?"

"Gak!"

"I hate it when you can't speak," a voice from the tablet said, "Well, Jericho, it's been a while."

He looked at the tablet and lifted it. There on the screen was a face he had seen right before being frozen. The face had changed some. A long scar ran from what had been a pristine and beautiful blue eye down past the corner of a delicate mouth, and finally to the beginning of a neck. The right eye was no longer blue, but instead a red artificial eye sat in its place. From the look of it well over a quarter of her skull had been replaced by a cybernetic implant. She grinned, and he could see that her teeth were also replaced. Now they looked to be almost needle like, her tongue was serpentine, and she looked far less human than she had when he last seen her.

"It's been what, thirty-six years?"

"Dr. Janet Strout?"

She laughed, "Ah, yes, my precious doctorate. Do you know how much a doctorate in Astrophysics is worth here?" she asked with a hint of insane laughter, "Absolutely nothing, my associate that is slowly chocking to death on her own collapsed throat is worth more, and just barely."

"Dr. Strout, what happened?" he asked, "Why did you sell me?!"

She laughed, the insane sound of echoing, "Sell you?! Sell you?! I didn't sell you!" she shouted, her eye glowing, "I wanted to bring you here, but obviously someone in my little enterprise is wanting to FUCKING DIE!"

He watched as she stood. Dr. Strout had been absolutely beautiful before. She had the body of an academic, wide hips, smallish tits, but a sweet personality and someone that was more than happy to flirt and joke. She made him feel at ease when he went on the mission. He saw her now, her entire right arm was mechanical, her breasts had been enhanced and there was three of them instead of two.

"I was experimented on when I was found," she said softly, "They altered me, changed me, but I MADE THEM PAY!"

She laughed insanely, "I MADE THEM ALL PAY!"

[Grendle1853]

Thirty-six years... he thought for a moment. "Janet?" he asked, trying to get through her maniacal laughter. "What happened to the rest of the crew?" he asked.
"The rest...oh on our little Europa trip?" she asked. "As far as I know they finished and went back home decades ago. Only you and I were taken. You see I saw the incoming alien vessel, and when I couldn't radio you, I went out to warn you Jericho. Once the two of us were on the outside, we were taken as SAMPLES!!! They didn't bother with the rest."
"Who took us?" Jericho asked, as Lithan began trying to treat the choking bird woman flopping on the deck.
"Some bizarre inhuman alien race, advance enough to hop between galaxies. When they were done with us they sold us, one at a time to different people in exchange for different sentient lifeforms to poke and prod. The things I was sold to had their fun with me, they were amazed at just how much...augmentation I could survive. They are all very much dead now. The poor fool who bought you was at least smart enough to keep you on ice. By the time I found where you were, I was able to make a very appealing offer for you," Strout said, with an unnerving smile.
"Have you found a way to get us home?" the Astronaut asked.
"Home is far away and out of reach, but vengeance can be mine!" she answered.
"Vengeance? You said you killed those who harmed you?" he asked.
"I was harmed by the Coalition that runs this stinking galaxy! The corrupt government that rules over all these disgusting creatures! My vengeance won't be complete until I've burned them all, and ever star in this spiral spins under my heel! And with your help, I can have that!" the good doctor explained.
He stared at the image of the mad woman on the pad for a moment, a dumbstruck look on his face. "Jericho, I need your help!" Lithan said.
"Yeah...sorry Janet, I have to go. We'll talk later," he said before hanging up. "What's wrong?"
"I need to get her to the first aid station, but some implant keeps zapping her, and I can't touch her without getting zapped too," the Quiren explained.
Jericho knelt down and picked up the coughing and convulsing bird creature. He felt the zap but it was less then some of the weaponry he'd been hit with recently, so he was easily able to ignore it. After depositing the patient onto the table, Lithan carefully applied a pain killer to the poor avian, before running a scan on her. "Okay I think we can fix the throat injury, but first we have to remove this thing that's shocking her from the chest," she explained. "Or, well, you have to."
Jericho quickly grabbed a small, pointy, sharp knife from the nearby counter and said, "It's alright, this isn't the first time I carved a turkey." Lithan was sure their patient would have fainted had the implant not kept shocking her. With surprising skill, Jericho quickly and carefully removed the implant and crushed it between his finger tips.
"Impressive!" Lithan said, before sealing the wound and starting to work on the injured neck.
"It was easier then removing a bullet," Jericho said.
"What's a bullet?" the Captain asked.
Ignoring that, and seeing that she was done treating the patient, Jericho snapped his fingers above the avian's face. "Still with us?" he asked. When her eye opened and focused on him, he took it as a yes. "First, you owe us 3500 credits," the man explained, handing over the pad. While still groggy from the pain and the drugs, she was still able to make the transaction. After getting a thumbs up from Lithan, Jericho took the pad back and said, "Good. Now as soon as you can talk again, you're going to start explaining a few things to me."

[Lordfrieza]

Thirty-six years... he thought for a moment. "Janet?" he asked, trying to get through her maniacal laughter. "What happened to the rest of the crew?" he asked.
"The rest...oh on our little Europa trip?" she asked. "As far as I know they finished and went back home decades ago. Only you and I were taken. You see I saw the incoming alien vessel, and when I couldn't radio you, I went out to warn you Jericho. Once the two of us were on the outside, we were taken as SAMPLES!!! They didn't bother with the rest."
"Who took us?" Jericho asked, as Lithan began trying to treat the choking bird woman flopping on the deck.
"Some bizarre inhuman alien race, advance enough to hop between galaxies. When they were done with us they sold us, one at a time to different people in exchange for different sentient lifeforms to poke and prod. The things I was sold to had their fun with me, they were amazed at just how much...augmentation I could survive. They are all very much dead now. The poor fool who bought you was at least smart enough to keep you on ice. By the time I found where you were, I was able to make a very appealing offer for you," Strout said, with an unnerving smile.
"Have you found a way to get us home?" the Astronaut asked.
"Home is far away and out of reach, but vengeance can be mine!" she answered.
"Vengeance? You said you killed those who harmed you?" he asked.
"I was harmed by the Coalition that runs this stinking galaxy! The corrupt government that rules over all these disgusting creatures! My vengeance won't be complete until I've burned them all, and ever star in this spiral spins under my heel! And with your help, I can have that!" the good doctor explained.
He stared at the image of the mad woman on the pad for a moment, a dumbstruck look on his face. "Jericho, I need your help!" Lithan said.
"Yeah...sorry Janet, I have to go. We'll talk later," he said before hanging up. "What's wrong?"
"I need to get her to the first aid station, but some implant keeps zapping her, and I can't touch her without getting zapped too," the Quiren explained.
Jericho knelt down and picked up the coughing and convulsing bird creature. He felt the zap but it was less then some of the weaponry he'd been hit with recently, so he was easily able to ignore it. After depositing the patient onto the table, Lithan carefully applied a pain killer to the poor avian, before running a scan on her. "Okay I think we can fix the throat injury, but first we have to remove this thing that's shocking her from the chest," she explained. "Or, well, you have to."
Jericho quickly grabbed a small, pointy, sharp knife from the nearby counter and said, "It's alright, this isn't the first time I carved a turkey." Lithan was sure their patient would have fainted had the implant not kept shocking her. With surprising skill, Jericho quickly and carefully removed the implant and crushed it between his finger tips.
"Impressive!" Lithan said, before sealing the wound and starting to work on the injured neck.
"It was easier then removing a bullet," Jericho said.
"What's a bullet?" the Captain asked.
Ignoring that, and seeing that she was done treating the patient, Jericho snapped his fingers above the avian's face. "Still with us?" he asked. When her eye opened and focused on him, he took it as a yes. "First, you owe us 3500 credits," the man explained, handing over the pad. While still groggy from the pain and the drugs, she was still able to make the transaction. After getting a thumbs up from Lithan, Jericho took the pad back and said, "Good. Now as soon as you can talk again, you're going to start explaining a few things to me."

"I couldn't handle two of her," Arieloia explained through her gasping voice, "When I saw you I panicked."

She hung her head low, "You heard her, she's insane, and more to the fact she is some kind of super powered monster. Her natural arm is nearly as strong as her mechanical one. She walks in a gravity death room all day, and somehow she manages to make it," she swallowed, the sound off putting as she did, "That's not including what she does to those who disappoint her."

Arieloia scooted around for a moment and then looked up at him, "She chooses one, and brings the others in. That one that has disappointed her is strapped down, their ass positioned into the air, and she walks in with this... fake phallus that is nearly as long as my forearm!"

Lithan winced, "Please, don't go on," she said looking at the disturbed Avian, "You don't have to."

"She sticks it into their ass!" she exclaimed her voice high with emotion, "She rams it in as hard as she can, or it seems that way."

She shivered as she sat there, "I've seen a smaller one of us, frail, she was very smart, and she knew how to syphon Coalition Credits so they would not be missed. She had been doing it for sometime, but somehow, somehow Strout knew. She knew, and she did that to her! It broke her hips, when she begged for mercy she didn't stop, when she screamed for help we did nothing, NOTHING!"

She breathed out, her breath shaky, "I cannot go back, if I do... I don't want that thing in my ass!"

Jericho looked at her, "Then, you better start explaining some of what has been going on."

She swallowed, "Dr. Strout took over fifteen cycles ago. She arrived, and found that this was a dying Smuggler's hub. It wasn't hard for her to control, in fact, it was all too easy.


-----------------------------------------------------------Fifteen Years Ago------------------------------------------------------

The would be guard barely was able to defend against the twisted abomination that had found its way onto their base. What he believed the shock pistol would do against something that been shrugging off blaster fire was beyond those that had observed his feeble struggles. The abomination was a head taller than most on the planet, it was a she, and it was obvious that someone had mixed Serpinetine D.N.A. with whatever it originally was. The effect had given it a mouth full of fangs for injecting poison, living tiny serpents for hair, and nearly invincible scales that blended perfectly into what had originally been its hair. The mechanical parts, the arm, and part of the face, obviously had been done in order to ensure that the blending held.

The abomination made its way toward the room where the head of the Smugglers resided. The older Avian had seen much in his life. He'd fought against the Coalition, and lost, and finally he found this planet that was supposed to be dead. In truth the Coalition couldn't get the resources from it they wanted, so in order to make the excuse of it not being profitable they claimed it was a dead planet. What they believed to be worthless was worth more to him then all of the credits in the black. It was freedom, and he had begun building his smuggling empire here. Unfortunately the Coalition made it harder for him to smuggle within their approved systems every day. It was the fringe that held the most benefit to him.

"You'll be taking my head," he replied as he stood, "I suppose that would be just. I suppose the Coalition sent you to do their dirty work."

She stopped, cocked her head, "No," she answered, "I want them dead, all of them, they allowed things, horrible things, HORRIBLE THINGS, to happen to me. I want them dead, burned, and I want to take what is theirs and make it mine!"

he smiled, "Then perhaps a partnership?"

She moved toward him, and before he could say a word she bit his shoulder. He slumped into the chair, his eyes wide, "No, no partnership, I will learn what I can from you, and if you are useful I will find a place for you, if not, I will make an example."

The entire time, from the safety of a closet, the youngest of his smugglers watched. She had urinated all over herself, fear had gripped her and refused to let her go. Arieloia did her best to stay quiet as the male she had been mating with on the regular was poisoned and questioned.

[Grendle1853]

Jericho had just tied the bird up and left it in a corner of the cargo bay before he started to clean up what was left of her guards. "You don't believe her?" Lithan asked.
"I don't know if I believe her or not. To the people who did that to her, that's more probable, to use as a general thing...less so," he answered. "More importantly I don't trust her. That kind of instant character change doesn't seem right. To work for someone as crazy as the good Doctor has become requires telling them what they want to hear, or at least in the way they want to hear it as much as possible, and it's very likely that's what she's doing with us."
"Preying on our sympathy?" Lithan asked.
"Exactly," Jericho told her. "She was more than happy to push you around when she had the chance, then her boys to offed, her boys "firers" her, and out of nowhere we rush to save her life? So yeah, I think she's trying to play us. We'll drop her off somewhere on the next habitable world we go to," he explained.
"What, you just want to leave?" Lithan asked, surprised.
"If it was just me and Strout in a one on one, even without knowing what she was capable of, I'd go for it. But that's not the case, is it?" he asked, tossing the last piece of guard out the door, shutting it, then activating a cleaning drone to handle the blood stains, while walking over to nearest sink to wash his hands. "The good Doctor also has God knows how many men and weapons on her side, so they might be able to take me down via attrition before I even got to her."
"You don't have to convince me, I'm happy to leave this rock behind," Lithan said, heading to the bridge. "But I don't this is a problem you'll just be able to ignore forever!" she yelled back as she went.
"No, but I might be able to avoid it for a time," Jericho whispered, almost to himself.

[MTVCCVC]

AS the Boos lifted off from the planet, Jericho retreats to his quarters with the beamer rifles from the two former guards.

The sword is a very useful weapon in melee, offensively and defensively, but a ranged option will serve its purpose as well.

At first, the weapon itself seemed weird; at the same time boxy and bulky in shape, but diminutive in the how it felt in the hand. In particular the trigger and pistol grip felt small, comparable to that on toys for 12 year olds back home. It wouldn't be a problem, but it would probably take some time to get used to it.

At Earth normal gravity, it seemed light. By feel, he'd guess between 2 and 2.5 kg. He'd kill for something that light back home, especially with a scope.
The scope itself is in a boxy enclosure and some kind of augmented reality type of deal. It was apparently a plain of glass, or something close to it, with an aiming reticle projected in the center and some weird symbols in the 4 corners. If he was to guess, those were probably indicators for firemode and maybe even a round counter, but he's probably going to have to learn the standard language in this galaxy or at least the alphabet and numerical symbols.
Thankfully, some things seem to be universal even in this galaxy as above the trigger there was a lateral switch with 3 positions: One marked with a white line, one with a red line and the last with three red lines, so he assumed it was the fire selector.

After propping up his sword as a target, he tries aiming the the rifle at it. All things considered, this was quite easy and intuitive. He definitely had to hold it closer and tighter than what he's used to as what is presumably a shoulder stock was noticeably shorter than than even the shorter stocks on Earth rifles, but it didn't feel wrong.

Flipping over to the single red line setting, he pulls the trigger and one laser beam is discharged from the muzzle and hit the sword exactly where he was aiming at. Flipping the switch to the three line position, he pulls the trigger and the weapon fires multiple blasts in the second he held the trigger down. He noticed that the bottom right corner symbols changed with every shot, so it was definitely a round counter.
He didn't perceive any recoil from the weapon. It really did feel like a toy, but the scorch marks on the sword demonstrated that it was in fact a dangerous weapon, even if to everyone else but him.

Now he'd only have to figure out a way to carry it on him. It was just short of the lenght of his entire extended arm, so it wouldn't be easy to conceal, not that his other weapon was very stealthy either.

Finally, it was time to leave the room and see what Lithan was up to and if she could handle the rifle as well as if they have a new destination. There was still some cargo in the ships hold that needed delivering.

[Lordfrieza]

Over the course of the following twenty-four hours Lithan became painfully obvious of two things. The first was that the moment they could get their extra guest off of her ship the better, and the second was a lingering smell. It wasn't unpleasant, not the slightest, but it smelled slightly musty. She found her color changing when she was around it, nothing to indicate that she was in danger, or anxious, but instead darker tones. It was colors that often were associated with old tells of claiming and being claimed.

She ignored it, as much as she could, and focused on the issue at hand. They had two deliveries to be made. The first was to the Ice Planet of Tierielissly. Tierielissly was something of public secret. While there were two official settlements on the surface they were mostly abandoned. The bulk of the population had moved deep within the planet, near its core, and they had set up a massive civilization in a network of tunnels. They would have to land on the first official settlement of Issigar. The settlement was composed of spirals that stretched far into the heavens, but it was also the only one to have a ship port.

There were tells of strange beings, which walked on eight legs, and they consumed most metals. The one thing they fled from was heat, and the reason they left Issigar alone was the sixteen gates of the settlement were each surrounded with a field of energy that stayed just above the temperature that the creatures didn't like. Typically she didn't enjoy delivering items to Tierielissly. There was always a chance the energy fields could fail, that there was a mutation in one of the creatures and they could withstand the heat, but in truth the money that was being offered was too good.

Besides, it was a inhabited planet, and they could kick their guest off once they landed. She felt the guidance of the planets ports lining up with her, and soon she began to set down. As she did she noticed that there seemed to be a massive outage of power. The ship landed, the locking on the dock attached to the ship itself, and she waited for a moment while the port master connected to her.

[Grendle1853]

"It's just a power outage, there is no reason to believe there is danger," Lithan said to Jericho, as he fiddled with the fabricator.
"Just give me another minute, I'm just alternating this little laser gun so that it doesn't feel like I'm going to break the damn thing when I use it," he replied. "You already explained the giant space bugs here eat metal, so it's not like I can take my sword with me."
"I also just got done explaining that we aren't in any danger, and you probably won't need your new illegal weapon," the Qurien tried.
"Lithan, like half of all of my race's science fiction involves fighting giant space bugs," the human explained, while taking up his now more robust beemer rifle. "We're going to get into a fight, it's inevitable. It's my destiny. Though I would happily give a kidney for my old service rifle."
"You can regrow your kidney?" she asked.
"No, but we have two of them, and can survive with one," he explained. "My liver, that can regrow, as long as it's not too damaged."
"What's a liver?" Lithan asked, confused.
"Probably why I can handle my liquor WAY better than you," Jericho answered.
She sighed. "You know, violence isn't also a given," she said.
"So far it has been everywhere we've stopped," he pointed out.
"Just go!" Lithan told him, pointing towards their prisoner and the boarding ramp.
"Aye, Captain," Jericho answered, and led the way.

[Lordfrieza]

"It's just a power outage, there is no reason to believe there is danger," Lithan said to Jericho, as he fiddled with the fabricator.
"Just give me another minute, I'm just alternating this little laser gun so that it doesn't feel like I'm going to break the damn thing when I use it," he replied. "You already explained the giant space bugs here eat metal, so it's not like I can take my sword with me."
"I also just got done explaining that we aren't in any danger, and you probably won't need your new illegal weapon," the Qurien tried.
"Lithan, like half of all of my race's science fiction involves fighting giant space bugs," the human explained, while taking up his now more robust beemer rifle. "We're going to get into a fight, it's inevitable. It's my destiny. Though I would happily give a kidney for my old service rifle."
"You can regrow your kidney?" she asked.
"No, but we have two of them, and can survive with one," he explained. "My liver, that can regrow, as long as it's not too damaged."
"What's a liver?" Lithan asked, confused.
"Probably why I can handle my liquor WAY better than you," Jericho answered.
She sighed. "You know, violence isn't also a given," she said.
"So far it has been everywhere we've stopped," he pointed out.
"Just go!" Lithan told him, pointing towards their prisoner and the boarding ramp.
"Aye, Captain," Jericho answered, and led the way.

"Lithan," Jericho said as he backed up from the small flood of creatures, "Like I said, we're likely going to get into a fight."

The space bugs looked as if someone had taken a spider, mixed it with a scorpion, and then for added insanity added a dragonfly to the mix. They buzzed in the air, small organic blasts of plasma coming from their mouths. Jericho had wondered how they ate metal, and when the first blast melted a small section of the hand rail near him he realized exactly how they did. If that could do that to metal he had no doubt that it would certainly do the same to him. The blaster itself was decent for stunning them, but it wasn't killing them. Even multiple shots was doing more than being an annoyance to them. He blasted one, and watched as it fell, shook, and then began to buzz back into the air.

"Go into Space they said. It'll be an adventure they said. Maybe you'll get to fuck a green space girl they said," he griped as he shot at another one. Only this time it missed and hit a small pipe behind it. The pipe burst open, some kind of gas escaped, and there was just enough spark to set it off. Instead of blowing up it created a torrent of flame from the busted pipe. The small creatures let out a death scream, and he watched as they turned to ash, "Ah, so these bastards really don't like fire!"

With the path not blocked by the flame they couldn't proceed down, but the bugs couldn't come up either.

[Grendle1853]

Too hot...to write...

[Lordfrieza]

Too hot...to write...

I'll add something later. I might have to watch a little bit of Outer Worlds, or play a bit of it, to get a feeling for it.

[Lordfrieza]

The blaster didn't seem to do a damned thing to the things crawling around out there. The gas line, or at least that was what Jericho was going to call it, had actually managed to kill a few and seemed to keep them back. It meant that they couldn't use the staircase, but those things couldn't get to them either. Seeing how fire affected them did give him a pretty good idea. So far Lithan had been teaching him some of the basic signs at the various docking stations. It didn't take long for him to find something that stated it was flammable.

Cracking open the box itself he saw that looked like a basic tank. Lithan walked near him, and he could see her skin changing colors again, "Why are you inspecting that liquid fuel cell?"

He smiled at that, "So, how flammable is this stuff?"

She looked at him like he'd lost his mind, "Very," she said, "As in a single spark will set it off. It would take nothing, absolutely nothing, for it to ignite. The only way to get it to stop is to somehow shut off the fuel, or to remove all oxygen."

He grinned as he began looking around. She watched as he grabbed bits of hose, some wire, a few clamps, and finally he had what looked like the braking handle to a loader. He messed around with the fuel cell for a few moments until he had the hose hooked to the nozzle, the braking handle hooked to what looked like a quick valve, and finally a long metal tube at the end. He then made two sets of straps from bits of nylon cord that had been used to tie a few boxes down. He lifted the makeshift weapon and turned on the cell. She was surprised to see nothing happen. There was no fuel escaping the hoses, and the quick valve was remaining shut. There was little doubt in her mind that there was a tremendous amount of pressure building up inside of the hose itself.

The last thing he did was take apart the blaster itself. She watched as he completely dissembled it until it was down to the trigger, the blaster cell, and the reflecting crystal. As it was the blaster was even weaker now. Without the chamber to charge in the resulting blast would be little more than enough to spark a fire. Her eyes widened as he attached it to the metal tube.

"Okay," he said as he put the fuel cell onto his back, "Let's kill some space bugs."

They didn't move toward the stairs, but instead they moved toward a freight elevator. The elevator itself was something she'd seen working before, and it did a decent job. It would move down, as long as their was power, and it would bring them back up as well. She looked at him as he stepped onto it. "When we get down there, we need to find out what happened, if your clients are here, and then we need to give them their cargo. Once that happens we get paid and then we get the fuck outta Dodge, agreed?"

She nodded, "Agreed, although I am still uncertain what a Dodge is."

[Grendle1853]

"So, does the elevator run off of emergency power?" Jericho asked.
"I don't know! I don't know where the clients are, I don't know where crew of the spaceport are, I don't know why we are being attacked by the local wildlife!" Lithan shouted.
"Okay," Jericho said, easily.
The Qurien woman gave him an odd look. "Why are you in such a good mood?" she asked.
"Well I'm finally facing something in this galaxy that can put up a real fight, and I'm about to take on giant alien bugs with a fucking flamethrower! Today, life has been good to me," the human explained.
"Flamethrower?" Lithan asked.
"It's a human weapon that I've cobbled together. It throws flames onto those with whom the user vehemently disagrees," Jericho explained.
"What situations do humans use such a weapon?" Lithan asked in disbelief.
"Jungle warfare, Texan Mosquitoes...Australia," he told her.
Before she could find words, the door opened, revealing a small army of the plasma spitting monsters were waiting for them. Wordlessly the Astronaut raised his new weapon and spewed a draconic blast of flame into the swarm, causing the bugs to shriek is pain, terror, and rage while Lithan screamed in surprise and horror. The bugs quickly dispersed and fled. As the crew of the Boos walk off the elevator into the empty hallway the Captain said, "Well...it worked."
"Yes. Yes it did," Jericho said, with a smile.
"You, are WAY too happy right now," Lithan told him.
"I know, and I don't care," Jericho replied, before leading the way the down the hallway.