Chapter Eleven
The breeding bays below were getting frisky, couples pairing up in various poses. Several others were using the feeding pillars, their asses bouncing as they fucked the slurping pockets without a care in the world.
This all served as a poignant reminder of what she had given up to remain in control.
It was so unfair!
After all this was over, she was going to go on a good long vacation with her lover and get away from all of this nonsense.
Temporarily
.
The worries and concerns crowded back into her head and she shoved them aside as she strode onto the bridge. "Situation report?" she barked, stepping around a curve as she descended towards her chair.
The Proctor spun about, head frills glowing red as she clasped her hands together respectfully. "The maneuver is complete, Mistress. We are in position behind the sun."
Kate grunted as she noted Jackie standing next to her command chair, her attention spearing the display on a small console that had sprung from the floor. "We do not appear to have been detected so far, Captain," she announced. "The general vicinity is clear of all drive signatures."
"Good," she replied, taking a seat and setting her elbow on an armrest. She braced a fist against her bony chin as she stared pensively at the screen. "Of course, there wouldn't
be
any if someone was lying in wait."
"I can't locate anything that has a mass larger than a bus," continued Jackie. "Unless they've laid a minefield, we're probably safe."
"Probably," muttered Kate, her mind racing.
Should she test one of the objects for explosives? No that was being a little
too
paranoid, and if they cracked one open, they might draw attention to themselves.
She sat back, folding her hands over her thighs. "Anything from the Gray Dawn yet?"
"No, Mistress," slurred the Proctor, her tentacle legs spreading out so that her body slumped in front of Kate. "We are not expecting them for a couple more minutes. However, we have registered the target vessel via our relay satellites."
Kate sighed. It was the hardest thing to do, to
wait
, and yet here they were. There was nothing to do, nothing to distract them from this boredom.
She flexed her fingers, clicking the edge of a fingernail off the horned plate that had become her face.
"Any activity at the jump point?" she asked, feeling restless.
"No, everything is quiet, ma'am," reported her navigation officer, Dolohn. "Still nothing on the EM and gravitational bands."
Annoyed with herself, she was about to snap out another request when he spoke again. "There's something happening now, Captain, would you like to see it on the main screen?"
"Pull it up," she requested, sitting up in her seat.
At first, there was nothing more than the blackness of space and a view of a ship docked to a space station. The station itself was nothing remarkable, an oblong, chunky brick made up of several modular components. Overall, it was nothing more than a warty protuberance.
It had all of the usual docking facilities, however, and it was positioned next to a valuable asteroid that was pockmarked with the telltale signs of core drilling. Why would a noble be visiting here? Perhaps it was a sort of 'show the flag' mission, or a political event to pretend that the upper class had solidarity with the workers.
Whatever the case, the docked ship sparkled in the light of the sun, its swooping curves and majestic nacelles making it look like a swan parked next to an ugly duckling. This wasn't even the largest of its ship class, being only a cruiser, but it had more than enough firepower to take out Kate's vessel in a one on one fight. She was hoping it wouldn't get the chance.
Her attention shifted as bright lights sparkled near the jump point. The vertical entry bars flashed, warning of an incoming ship. Blue, green,
red
, and now here came the gravitational distortion that always preceded a small rip through space.
A curvature was briefly visible between the jump bars, and suddenly a ship was
there
, the circular saucer of the invasion ship appearing between the wispy tatters of broken space. "Mistress, it's the Gray Dawn," confirmed Dolohn, his voice trembling as the slug around his neck gave him a rewarding squeeze.
"Good," she replied, nervously tapping her fingers against the arm rest. She watched the movement of the ship, feeling almost as though she could reach out and
touch
it. "Monitor their communications and put them directly on screen when they occur. I want to know exactly what they're saying to each other at all times."
A soft beep sounded, and an overlay appeared over the ship, showing a middle aged alien with a decorative sash secured about his neck. "Unidentified vessel," he said in Slanadorian, his words being automatically translated by the computer. "There is no scheduled traffic at this time. Please send your ID code and purpose for being here."
Kate steepled her fingers. Everything depended on how Doris handled this encounter. It would take several minutes for the open tear in space to dissipate, which meant that if they caught on too soon, their prey could run into the jump gate before they had a chance to catch them.
Hmm, but if they guessed that was the intent, even if they thought they were trapped, they would avoid using it, because they would have no idea what the endpoint would be. They could be stepping into a trap within a trap.
Damn, she wished she had thought of that! Once their forces had grown further, that might actually be a valid strategy. She'd have to keep that one in her pocket for later.
The screen beeped again, and the alien on screen looked displeased. "Your identification has been accepted, ESS Drake, but your presence here is not acceptable. We are not allowing visitors for the next two days, unless your situation is an emergency."
Kate turned to Jackie. "It doesn't appear to be going well. Doris can't show herself on camera, as a Slanadorian ship can't be seen to be captained by a Plaxx infested human. We need another way."
Jackie rested her hands on the console, peering up at the Proctor. "Well, there is
one
option. We could use
her
."
Kate gazed at the mind controlled alien, her mind stirring. Yes,
she
had some form of authority, and perhaps with her assistance they could deceive the station controller. That posed other problems, however.
"Is there any way to disguise where our signal is coming from?" she asked. "If we break in, they'll detect our presence right away."
Jackie shrugged. "I don't know. I would have to defer to one of the crewmembers who knows this ship better."
Dolohn raised his hand hesitantly. "We could try to bounce our communications off the satellite and through the Gray Dawn's communication array. It
might
look like it's coming from them, if the station doesn't examine the situation too closely.
Unfortunate.
It wasn't that she didn't
trust
the brainwashed crew, but whatever they did would be risky.
Extremely
risky. Should she commit themselves to this mission?
The alien on screen was becoming increasingly agitated. They didn't have much longer before a rash decision was made. It was better to make one of her own before that happened.
"Okay, let's do it," she said more confidently than she felt, getting up from her seat. She took a step to one side, ushering the Proctor into the position she had vacated.
Jackie joined her, the two of them grabbing spare seats at an empty console. The Proctor appeared a little confused, so Kate sent a pulse through the control network. <<Pretend to be your old self,>> she commanded. <<We are low on fuel due to an engine breakdown and need emergency maintenance so that we can be on our way.>>
The crystals pulsed, and the alien's eyes glowed blue. Her back straightened, her stance changing to her old, severe posture. She looked every inch in control, in command of the situation. Excellent.
Dolohn punched a sequence into his console. "It's all set up, Mistress," he said nervously, giving her the side eye. "Should I proceed?"
"Do it," she ordered, wrapping an arm around Jackie, but before the command could be executed, another box appeared on the screen.
Kate's legs shivered as she recognized the alien - the sharp angles of her face and the fat tubes that ran over her forehead. The alien's mouth spread wide in a toothy grin.
Khanja.
"What is the matter,
administrator?
" she asked, her tongue dripping with apparent sarcasm. "What reason do you have for denying us? We need emergency aid."
Taken aback, the station agent scowled. "If it's truly an emergency, we cannot deny you, but you will stand off and submit for inspection before entering the security threshold."
Before he could continue, another chime sounded and a new signal appeared. This one was assigned the label 'ESS Goodhead' and was promoted to the center of the screen by one of her helpful bridge crew before she could ask for it.
A haughty alien filled the box, similar in appearance to the Proctor. Well,
before
Kate had turned the regal alien into her pet.
The arrogant air she emitted seemed to typify the upper echelons of Slanadorian society, and her extensive collection of jewelry marked her as such. Golden rings decorated her head tubes at regular intervals, a chain running down to a glimmering red jewel that rested on the center of her forehead.
Her neck was emphasized via a rippling necklace with overlapping ovals that looked like fish scales, dropping low enough to slide between the slope of her breasts. Her top was cinched tight, showing off her assets, her curves cupped by a sheer red dress made of a filmy, opaque material.
