The Riders Of Sirius Minor Ch 18

Nine days later, the USS

Immortal

arrived at the twin star system of Sirius Minor. The ship landed very carefully at the bare bones spaceport, which was just barely large enough to handle a ship their size. The frontier world spaceport would really need a lot of upgrades to meet Survey Service standards; right now it was little more than a paved landing strip cleared from the forest with a small administrative building nearby.

Taylor and Sophie exited the ship, accompanied by Chloe Fema. There was no need for Chloe to accompany them, but after seeing Chloe in her hypnotic state, Taylor grew even more concerned about his first officer's erratic behavior and didn't want to leave her in command of the

Immortal

even if the ship was grounded on the planet. So he had left Susan Cleary in command, leaving him with one less concern.

Taylor felt a wave of sadness as he glanced over at Sophie. Sophie had a carefully studied blank expression on her face but he knew she must be feeling the same angst he was. Their negotiations were expected to last a few weeks, but after that he would be saying goodbye to Sophie, perhaps forever. He wished there was some way they could stay together that both of them could live with.

At the same time he was becoming increasingly involved with Susan Cleary. He knew it was only a matter of time before he gave into her sexual advances. Taylor knew how wrong it was, but he was so powerfully attracted to her that he couldn't help himself.

He glanced over at Sophie. She turned to meet his gaze for a brief moment. Then she turned away.

********

Sirius Minor was as beautiful as they had been told. Forests, rivers, lakes, a brilliant blue sky, and a very clean and compact metropolis right in the middle which seem to blend in harmoniously with the environment around it. They were met by a delegation of local officials led by Susannah Barrington, the colony leader, and Nils Haverstrom, her chief of staff. Susannah was an attractive blonde woman in her early 40's with an engaging smile. Nils, who was at least ten years her junior, was tall, blonde, and fit looking.

Very fit.

But something about them made Taylor uneasy. He found himself

screaning

them without realizing it. He sensed a

wrongness

about the delegation which had been sent to welcome them. He looked at each of the officials who were gathered in the large briefing room in the Executive Tower, one by one.

Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong

. There was

something

wrong with each of them. But Taylor's

screaning

ability was sadly lacking in specifics. All he got was a feeling.

Susannah Barrington paired off with Taylor while Nils talked to Sophie. Apparently Nils would be conducting the overall treaty negotiations with Sophie while Susannah went over the base requirements with Taylor. This surprised him, and he said so.

"Oh, Nils is much more suited for that sort of thing than I am," said Susannah apologetically with a smile.

"But you are suited to do base negotiations with me?" Taylor asked.

"I can if I put my mind to it," said Susannah. She touched his arm. "To tell you the truth, I've always wanted to meet you, Captain Taylor."

"Oh?" said Taylor. He

screaned

her more closely. The wrongness he sensed in her was

tenfold

what he felt in the other delegates. Her body was one massive

wrongness

!

"You're the great hero who saved the Earth, so it is said," she smiled at him. "Tell me, is it really true that you traveled to the year one billion?"

"I can't really talk about it," said Taylor. "It's classified." Taylor casually looked about the room. He screaned Nils.

Wrongness

. He screaned another delegate.

Wrongness

. He screaned Sophie.

No wrongness.

Chloe.

No wrongness.

Susannah Barrington.

Massive wrongness!

"Of course," she said, still smiling at him. "Still, I have to wonder... life in the year one billion... is it like ours... or something different?" She had a weird light shining in her eyes.

Taylor smiled. "Different. Very different."

"That's what I thought," said Susannah. "I have tried to imagine where evolution will take us in the future. I think that as our society evolves that it will become more organized, more unified, with a clearer, centralized purpose. Is that what you saw in the future, if I may ask?"

Taylor stared at her. He wasn't quite sure who or what he was looking at. All he knew is that something was

incredibly

wrong with her... but he didn't know what. "Kind of," he finally said.

Susannah nodded with satisfaction. "That's what I thought." She touched his hand. "I can't wait to begin our treaty negotiations, Captain." She stared at him intently. There was something almost hypnotic about the strange light in her eyes....

"Captain!" said Chloe. "This place is beautiful, isn't it?" She gestured to the enormous ceiling to floor windows looking out from the Executive Tower. They could see miles and miles of pristine forestland and rivers and mountains. "Nils says that the entire crew is welcome to take leave on the planet."

"You're all welcome to come," said Susannah, smiling broadly.

"We'll consider it," said Taylor.

"Sir?" said Chloe.

"We will consider it," said Taylor firmly.

Taylor said not another word until they returned to the ship. Then he sought out Sophie in the privacy of her quarters.

She looked at him expectantly. "Sir?"

"Did you sense anything unusual about the delegation sent to meet us?" Taylor asked.

"Unusual? Define."

"I can't," said Taylor. "You're a trained Passive Observer. I thought you might have noticed something. You spent a lot of time talking to Nils."

"Yes. He seemed normal enough," Sophie shrugged.

"What did you talk about?"

"We talked about... the upcoming negotiations. What I thought of the planet."

"What did you tell him?"

Sophie smiled. "I believed I called it 'pretty'. What is this all about, Michael?"

"I

screaned

them, Sophie. I

screaned

them all. I sensed a wrongness in them."

"A wrongness." Sophie frowned.

"I know, I know. It's not specific. But I've learned to trust my

screaning

ability."

"At times your ability has given us a definite advantage," said Sophie. "But it hasn't always proven infallible. Remember the planet with the sea monkeys?"

"Not the planet of the sea monkeys! You always bring up the planet of the sea monkeys, Sophie!"

"You said that you sensed a wrongness in the sea monkeys, didn't you?" said Sophie. "And yet the entire time we were there, the sea monkeys never displayed any hostile intent."

"Just because the sea monkeys didn't attack us didn't mean that they didn't have hostile intent, Sophie."

Sophie raised an eyebrow. "All I am saying is that your.. ability... is something you don't always know how to interpret. You could simply be sensing some aspect of this world that is chemically or biologically different than ours. It doesn't necessarily imply a threat."

"Just be careful, Sophie," said Taylor.

********

Negotiations began the next day. Sophie was ensconced in one of the palatial suites of the Executive Office Tower with Nils, and Taylor, two floors above them, was pouring over maps for the future Survey Service base with Susannah Barrington in another.

They worked diligently for much of the day and only stopped in mid-afternoon for a late lunch. Taylor sat at a table by one of the ceiling to floor windows with Susannah eating a well prepared meal on a table covered with a fine white tablecloth. He looked out the window. "A beautiful view," he said. "Both of the city you constructed, and the surrounding forest. You must be very proud of what you've accomplished here."

"We are," Susannah assured him.

"I notice a lot of plant life, obviously, but no sign of animals."

"There are some," said Susannah, sipping her drink. "Small creatures that resemble squirrels, or chipmunks."

"Nothing larger?"

"No," said Susannah. "Though one of our expeditions did find fossilized remains of primates."

"Primates? Are there any still around?"

Susannah shook her head. "No longer."

Taylor looked down at the city streets. They were empty. Just as empty as the day he had arrived. "Where are the people?"

"The people?"

Taylor waved his wine glass. "When I arrived yesterday, I didn't see any people on the streets. Today I don't see any either."

"They are all hard at work, building our utopia," said Susannah.

"But surely some of them would be walking around outside."

"We have a very strong work ethic on Sirius Minor," said Susannah. "We do not engage in idle walks when work is to be done." She gave him an intense stare.

"Hm," said Taylor.

"Come, take in the view." She stood up and went closer to the window. He joined her. Suddenly Taylor began to smell a musky odor.

"You can see for miles and miles up here," she said.

"It's amazing you can get any work done at all," said Taylor.

"Yes," said Susannah, smiling at him. The musky odor was getting stronger now. Taylor started to feel sexually aroused.

"You know, I feel we have a lot in common," said Susannah.

"How so?"

"We're both leaders, and as leaders, by necessity we have to be isolated from those beneath us." She ran her hand along his back, lingering at the empty space between his shoulder blades. Her fingers absent mindedly started to draw circles there.

"That's true," said Taylor.

"But what about love?" she asked.

"What about it?" Taylor asked.

Susannah turned to face him, and Taylor suddenly realized how attractive she was. Susannah was in her early 40's but in great shape, with good sized breasts and perfectly combed bright white blonde hair.

"As Colony Leader, I can't have relationships with those around me. I imagine you have the same rules in the Survey Service?"

"Yes," said Taylor ruefully, thinking both of Sophie and Susan.

"Never to feel love... never to feel the touch of a lover on your skin...." Her fingers moved up and down his arm.

Taylor started to get dizzy with arousal. Instinctively he

screaned

the musky scent around him and in his system. He sensed its wrongness. And then, without realizing he could do it, he

fixed

it! The musky scent

vanished

!

Taylor's thinking cleared up immediately.

What had just happened here?

"We're two of a kind, you and I," said Susannah. She kissed him gently on the lips.

"You've never been married? Never had kids?"

Susannah shook her head. "My career always came first." She kissed him again. "We're meant for each other, Michael. We're the lonely people at the top, and the only ones we can unburden ourselves with... is each other."

She kissed him again. And then she frowned.

Michael wasn't kissing her back.

By now he should have been overcome by her rider's pheromones. As a Hivelife recreation of the real Susannah Barrington, she had no need to wear a rider. She

was

Hivelife. But she

was

wearing a rider just for this occasion so she could seduce Captain Taylor, fuck him hard, and make a rider for him. Once Captain Taylor had been taken and properly trained, his crew would follow. Then the

Immortal

would return to Earth and infect Survey Service Command, just as Sophie Astor would be sent to infiltrate the Foreign Service with their kind.

But Taylor wasn't showing any passion at all. He just looked at her and shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said.

"You don't find me attractive? Not even a little bit?" she asked.

"I... I find you very attractive," said Taylor. "But... I can't just fall into bed with a woman I've just met."

"I understand," said Susannah. But the creature which imitated Susannah Barrington's physical form really

didn't

.

********

Two floors below them, Nils was standing with Sophie at the floor to ceiling windows, admiring the view. "You're really a beautiful woman, Sophie."

"Thank you," said Sophie.

"You must get told that a lot," said Nils.

"Yes, I do."

"How is it that an attractive woman such as yourself is still single?" he asked.

Sophie had no answer for that.

Nils gave her an appraising look. "You are in love, aren't you? Or you were."

Suddenly Sophie started to smell a musky scent. She started to get aroused.

"Why do you say that?" she said.

Nils moved his face close to her neck, making her shiver. Sophie felt a tingling between her legs. "It's written all over you. You have a sad look on your face. Especially when you look at

him

." He saw her surprised look. "Yes. I can ease your burden, Sophie. I can fill the hole he left inside of you." He leaned forward, and kissed her.

Sophie groaned as she felt a tingling from head to toe. Nils smiled, knowing the effect he was having on her. He kissed her again.

Sophie groaned again, but also pulled away from him. "No," she said.

"No?" said Nils.

"I... I can't," she looked at him. Sophie felt incredibly aroused, but wasn't prepared to have sex with Nils. Nils was extremely tall and blonde and handsome, but Sophie only wanted one man.

They stared at each other for a long moment. Sophie, realizing she could never be satisfied with another man, and Nils, genuinely puzzled as to how she had been able to resist the pheromones, to resist

him

.

At that moment Taylor entered the suite. "Sophie, are you all right? Sophie?"

"Yes Captain," she said, blinking rapidly.

"Time to go," said Taylor. "Are you ready?"

"I... I think I am," she said.

Taylor glanced at Sophie and Nils. Something had clearly happened between them. He didn't know what, but could guess.

"See you tomorrow, Sophie," said Nils.

"Yes... see you," said Sophie.

********

"He tried to kiss me," said Sophie, as they walked back to the ship.

"She tried to kiss me too," said Taylor. "Doesn't that seem strange to you?"

"There was something odd about it," said Sophie.

"Something?"

"I felt a longing for him, even though I was not attracted to him," said Sophie.

Taylor remembered the musky odor. "Sophie, I'm going to send Lieutenant Penfold to assist you in your... negotiations... from now on."

"Penfold? He's the tactical officer! He knows nothing about negotiating a treaty."

"He does now," said Taylor.

"And who will protect you from Susannah Barrington, sir?" she asked.

"I think I can handle her," said Taylor.

********

"We failed," said Nils, watching them go.

The thing which called itself Susannah Barrington said not a word.

"Shall we take them by force tomorrow?" Nils asked. "It would be a simple matter to immobilize them both and give them riders."

Susannah stiffened. "Momomomomomomomom!" she said.

She stood still for a long moment. Finally she relaxed again and spoke. "We prefer not to do the blunt approach, not unless we have to. I have read this man's record. This Michael Taylor would make a formidable adversary. He must be handled carefully."

"Are you going to try to seduce him tomorrow?"

"No," said Susannah. "I think we can try a different approach."

********

Susan was waiting for Taylor when he got back to his quarters. She was wearing her dayshirt and a regulation skirt, which showed off her creamy, young legs.

"Welcome home, Captain," she said, giving him a kiss.

Taylor gave her a surprised look.

Susan looked hurt. "I thought you'd like a warm welcome after a hard day of negotiating."

"It's nice to see you, Susan," said Taylor carefully.

She looked even more hurt. "Maybe I should just go!" She turned to leave, but Taylor spun her around, grabbed her tightly, and gave her a firm, passionate kiss.

"That's the Captain I know!" she grinned. "How did it go?"

"Strangely."

She pulled him down to the couch. "Tell me all about it!"

Taylor told her about the attempted seduction of her and Sophie, and the musky odor.

"The smell could be some kind of chemical adaptation, something in the planet's ecology, I suppose," said Susan. "But it doesn't sound as strange as you make it out, Michael."

"Why?" he asked.

Her fingers played with his arm. "You're a very attractive man." She kissed him. "And Sophie is a very attractive woman."

"True," said Taylor. "But you weren't there. When I

screan

these people, I sense something... wrong."

Susan gave him a skeptical look. "Just like those deadly sea monkeys on PR-99824, you mean? They turned out to be vegetarians, you know."

They always had to bring up the sea monkeys!

"I'm serious, Susan. Something is strange about this planet," said Taylor.

"Well, if there

is

something strange going on, I have absolute confidence that the finest captain in the fleet will find out exactly what it is," she said. She started to pull on his shirt, and in seconds had it off. Then her own shirt came next. She smiled as she saw the effect her breasts had on him.

"Help me with my control collar, will you Michael?" she asked casually, turning around to face away from him.

Taylor paused. It had only been in their last session that Susan had bared her breasts for him. Now she was asking him to take it a step further, for him to actively participate in undressing her.

Susan's breasts were beautiful.

Taylor realized he wanted to see more of them.

"Michael?" she asked again.

With very mixed feelings, Taylor unsnapped her padded control collar. It was a size too small, tied on just a bit too tightly, which sent it flying across the room as he unsnapped it. Susan laughed as she watched it go. Then she turned around and gave him a sexy smile, as he took in her warm, thick pear shaped titties which pointed straight at him. "You like?" she asked.

"I do," Taylor murmured.

Susan pressed her chest against him and they kissed again. "Oh Michael!" Susan cried. "How I've longed to feel my bare chest against yours!"

"Me too," said Taylor. "I love your breasts, Susan!"

"You do?" Susan looked incredibly pleased. She cupped them critically. "They are not as big as Sophie's. Nor are they nuclear tipped. They even sag a bit."

"I think your pear shaped breasts look

adorable!

" said Taylor.

"Pear shaped?" said Susan, her eyes going wide. "Pear shape?" she repeated again, looking down critically at her cupped breasts.

"Susan, I only meant-"

Susan laughed! She laughed and laughed and laughed! Then she gave him a giant kiss, as she ground her chest against his. "Feel my pear shaped breasts against you, darling! Have a pear! Have two!"

Taylor reached out and for the very first time squeezed one of Susan's breasts.

They were so soft!

As he fondled her tits gently, Susan gave him a look of

intense

vulnerability. Taylor felt incredibly aroused as he touched her and met her gaze. It felt like they were sharing a tremendous intimacy for the very first time. Taylor squeezed more firmly. "I like them, Susan. I like them a lot!"

"Oh, how I longed to hear you say that, darling!" She kissed him again. It felt so good! It felt so incredibly good!

Then Susan reached down and opened the clasp on her skirt. It dropped to the ground with a crump!

"Susan, what are you doing?" said Taylor, as she reached for her panties. "No, Susan, no!"

Susan frowned. "A compromise, then."

"A compromise?"

"Sure." She ran a finger over his hairy chest. "I'll keep my panties on. But in return,

you

take your pants off."

"Susan-"

"Compromise!" She said, stabbing him in the chest.

"Compromise," Taylor grimaced. He slowly removed his pants. Now they were both down to their underwear.

Susan pulled him down to the couch, and rapidly intertwined their legs. "Don't you just love compromise?"

"I'm starting to," said Taylor reluctantly. He knew he shouldn't be doing this, but he couldn't help himself!