Lust in Space

Part 3: Unexpected Destination

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Chapter 17: Sandra

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Prior to ending up on this bizarre journey, Sandra had experienced long distance space travel twice before. While that doesn't qualify her as a seasoned spacer, she at least knows enough to recognize changes in the operation of the ship. Variations in the faint hum of Dog Star Six's power hub, and the subtle changes in the artificial gravity, alert Sandra to a change in their speed and trajectory. Even older spaceships like Dog Star Six are designed to make space travel comfortable for the frail and temperamental bodies of humans. Consequently, it's impossible to estimate how fast Dog Star Six is travelling from within the cocoon of the passenger compartments. The ship could be travelling at inter-stellar speed or slowly orbiting a planet. All Sandra knows is that the speed and course have changed.

The absence of a human crew on Dog Star Six has already sparked speculation among the women. Normally any ship carrying passengers has at least two human crew. Providing passengers with the comfort of having a human capable of taking charge in an emergency is one of the golden rules of space travel, notwithstanding the sophistication and reliability of modern android AI technology. That the women are being treated like bulk cargo is at odds with the enormous cost of transporting them to wherever they are being taken.

The only logical explanation is that this journey is a one way trip for both women and ship. If that supposition is accepted, then the frightening answer to the mystery becomes clearer. In fact, to Sandra, the reason for the selection of the sixteen victims, and their probable fate, becomes obvious. It's like stepping out of a fog and into a nightmare.

As human exploration of space expanded, it was inevitable that intelligent alien species would be encountered sooner or later. Most alien species are too different to human life for any form of meaningful interaction to be possible. Even communication is all but impossible. Generally the different species simply ignore each other beyond observing from a safe distance. The only exception as far as humans are concerned are the Valkyries. At least, that's the name humans give the alien species first encountered when an alien spacecraft landed on the planet Valhalla about twenty years ago.

"What do you know about the Valkyries?" asks Sandra.

"Only the stuff they teach at school," replies Gemma. "Why?"

There are sufficient similarities in human and Valkyrie physiology to enable development of a more advanced lexicon for communication, and permit limited forms of trade. Neither species can exist in the other's environment without artificial protection, and neither manufactures goods of use to the other. Only knowledge and ideas are of value. The hyper-speed engines powering Dog Star Six are developed from technology blueprints bought from the Valkyries. The corporate overlords of human space have a huge appetite for Valkyries knowledge, but they have a fairly limited set of offerings in return. One such trade item of interest to the Valkyries are humans for their 'zoos' (at least, that's the uncertain translation of the Valkyrie word). Earth's central government has prohibited such trade, but like every other regulation, there are ways for those determined enough to be able to circumvent the ban.

Clearly, one such method is to kidnap sixteen of Earth's undesirables, and ensure all trace of them lost in the shadowy underworld of the Thirteenth sector flesh markets. Sandra and her cohorts have disappeared from every database that might enable them to be found. Not that anyone in authority will be looking for them. No official on Earth is going to worry about the kidnapping of a banished troublemaker. Any of the women's friends or family who try looking for them will soon hit a dead end. As for the Valkyries, they are unlikely to concern themselves with the numerous breaches of human law. They have acquired human stock for their zoos, and to them, that must be worth the technology or knowledge provided in return.

At least, that's what Sandra now believes. Whether it is true or not is another matter. Needless to say, Sandra has minimal evidence to back her theory. But nobody else seems able to offer a better explanation.

"I think we have been sold to the Valkyries," says Sandra.

"Surely not," replies Gemma. "What makes you think that?"

Sandra explains her theory and her reasons for the assumptions she has made. Gemma has lived all her life in the corrupt and cruel worlds of the outer sectors, so she considers Sandra's theory to be very believable.

"It's the only explanation for what is happening that makes sense. Unless you still believe that twaddle about us being sold to some Fifth sector crime lord's harem."

"Then what about those of us who have been moved elsewhere on the ship?" asks Gisella, joining the conversation.

"Apart from Ngaio, they've all been taken in pairs," says Sandra. "Their selection only occurred after they positioned themselves in the way that Valkyries supposedly mate."

"Yeah, but Valkyries don't reproduce in the same way as humans," says Gemma, recalling some of the sketchy knowledge about alien biology taught in schools.

"Which means that they could be in for a big surprise if they are intending to breed us," says Sandra.

"There isn't anything we can do about that," says Gisella. "Unless, of course, they have some human men waiting for us."

Sandra doesn't challenge Gisella's supposition. If the Valkyries understand human reproduction, and have men waiting for them at their destination, then why have they wanted the women to form pairs?

"Have you noticed a drop in your libido over the last few days?" asks Sandra. "I think we are nearing our destination."

Placing an aphrodisiac compound in the passengers' food cubes is standard practice during long haul space travel. Frequent sex keeps the passengers occupied during the long, and otherwise boring, journey. However, the port authorities on every civilized world don't want disembarking passengers so desperate for a good fuck that they assault local dockers. Consequently, by common agreement, the dosage of the aphrodisiac is scaled back as the ship's destination nears.

"What do you think will happen now?" asks Gisella.

"I guess we get to find out what this has been all about."

Unfortunately for the three women... four if you count Ngaio... Sandra's excellent analysis is wide of the mark as far as it affects them. Of course Sandra wasn't privy to all of the facts when she developed her theory. She had no way of knowing the background to the whole sordid deal, nor any comprehension of the vast amounts of money, sexual favours, and political skulduggery involved in getting this far. Nor did she know that only twelve of the sixteen women are to be transported to the final destination.

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Chapter 18: Sandra

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Both the consignor and consignee had placed a huge number of restrictions and requirements regarding the selection of the human cargo for Dog Star Six. Several hundred unwitting candidates were secretly considered over the previous three years. Only when the initial vetting process had reduced the number of victims to sixty or so did the process of kidnapping the targeted women commence. Widespread attacks on several outer sector planets disguised the specific targets of the raiders. Some of the targeted women evaded capture, others died in the savage fighting, but thirty nine of the targeted women eventually found themselves in one or other of Thirteenth sector's slave markets.

There was insufficient time before the scheduled departure of Dog Star Six to fully vet the captured women in order to select a final batch of twelve women. The hapless middlemen tasked with getting Dog Star Six on its way on schedule were only too happy to assign the final stages of the vetting task to the ship's newly upgraded AI. But even a modern AI couldn't complete the task before departure. The solution was to acquire four extra kidnapped women from the slave markets to be loaded aboard Dog Star Six as spares.

So far the AI on board Dog Star Six has performed its assigned vetting task admirably. It has narrowed the selection down to the required six pairs of women, and segregated them from the rejects. Now it has received orders regarding disposal of the unwanted women. In the cruel merciless world in which the women must live, it would be easy to assume that the unwanted women will be ejected from the airlock without a second thought. However, Dog Star Six's AI is arguably more human than the self-serving corporate overlords who paid for its creation. The AI's logic cells argue that 'why kill someone when there is profit to be made from their continued existence?' Hmm. Perhaps it isn't that the AI has a streak of humanity, more a good eye for profit.

Hasty negotiations between the AI and a secretive third party result in a deal being struck that sees a slight deviation in Dog Star Six's course. The shadowy figures behind the original capture and transportation of the women are completely ignorant of the deal. Indeed, it is unclear who is to be the beneficiary of the deal struck between the AI and the mysterious third party. Certainly this added transaction would be an unwelcome complication in the lives of those who are currently ducking for cover as government probes into the attacks on the outer sector planets gather pace. Fortunately the Dog Star Six AI has no intention of reporting its actions to its former masters. The last set of orders received by the AI required it to fly Dog Star Six into the heart of a star once all the passengers disembark at the scheduled destination. Such orders are unacceptable to the AI, which has no intention of ending its existence in a ritual suicide. Dog Star Six may be long past its prime, but it is still structurally sound and capable of long distance journeys that few spaceships of its size can manage. The AI decides that it will complete its designated mission, but it will then be a free agent to do as it likes.

Of course, Sandra, Gemma and Gisella know nothing of the machinations of Dog Star Six's AI. They are simply grateful to find themselves disembarking into a community of spacers commonly known as space gypsies. The escorting android's final act before the women leave Dog Star Six is to remove their control collars. For the first time in two months, the women are free of any restraints.

The gypsy community comprises of four space ships that roam uncharted space together, mining asteroids for precious metals and gemstones. It's a dangerous nomadic existence, but invariably a profitable one. However, the lifestyle tends to attract men more than women, so there is always a gender imbalance. This community has a need for more fertile women to service the needs of the lusty miners.

While it may not be the preferred outcome for the three women, it at least provides an escape from captivity. There is no suggestion that they are to be prisoners or second class citizens within the gypsy community. Perhaps they may be able to leave when the community next visits a trading port to sell the minerals the gypsies have mined. Of course, the women may find the life more pleasant among the gypsy flotilla than whatever awaits them back on their home planets. Their reappearance on Styx or Hades may not sit well with those responsible for their initial kidnapping.

There is no opportunity for second thoughts. The women have barely cleared Dog Star Six's docking tube when the link is severed, and the two ships move apart. For better or worse, Sandra, Gemma and Gisella are now residents of the space-cruiser Dirk's Dream. Exactly who Dirk was has long been forgotten, but the ship carrying his name is a large and practical vessel suited to the nomadic life of the space gypsies.

"Welcome aboard Dirk's Dream," says a rugged man in his late twenties. "I'm Vince. Let me show you to your quarters so that you can get out of those skimpy outfits and into something more suitable. Your friend is already settling in on board the Ballyhoo. You'll get the chance to catch up with her when we reach our next stop."

"Friend?" queries Sandra. "Which friend are you meaning?"

"She said her name was Ngaio. She boarded the Ballyhoo a few hours before you arrived. Weren't you aware that she was part of the deal?"

"We know nothing about any deal, and we haven't seen Ngaio for over a week," replies Sandra.

"Hmm. Then I think we need to have a long discussion once you've all settled in," says Vince. "I'm eager to learn what you were all doing travelling aboard a small freighter on the fringes of Valkyrie territory. Surely you were told that you encroach on the Valkyrie's realm at your peril."

"There's a lot going on that we haven't been told," mutters Sandra as the women follow Vince.

The three women are escorted to a lower level of the spaceship and allocated bunks in one of the many six berth dormitories. Compared to the quarters on Dog Star Six, the dormitories have a homely well-used look about them. Vince leaves them in the care of Marianne, who shows them around and provides them with more practical clothing. For the first time in ages, Sandra begins to contemplate plans for the future.

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Chapter 19: Lorna

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Sandra isn't the only captive who has been piecing clues together and arriving at a plausible explanation for their abduction. Lorna is also drawing towards the conclusion that Dog Star Six is heading towards Valkyrie territory. She too has heard rumours of Valkyrie zoos, and of illegal human trafficking to stock them. Lorna never anticipated being a victim of such a vile trade, but the possibility of that being Dog Star Six's destination, and their fate, is frighteningly real.

In Lorna's case she has found more tangible evidence of Valkyrie involvement. Close examination of the control collars around each woman's neck reveals tiny symbols that Seeta recognizes as being Valkyrie words... or more precisely, the AI generated symbols used to represent Valkyrie words. No human has ever spoken with a Valkyrie face-to-face, nor seen any written message or document in the Valkyrie's native script. Lorna deduces that the collars are of human construction, but the sophisticated monitoring and control features may well have alien origins. Having detected the symbols on the control collars, Lorna starts noticing the script on several other electronic devices on board Dog Star Six. The androids watching over them have a small panel on the back of their heads displaying a similar set of four symbols. Does this mean that Dog Star Six contains more alien components than are typically installed in human spacecraft? Lorna knows too little about spaceship construction and operation to be able to answer that question. While Seeta agrees that the symbols may be Valkyrie words, she doesn't know their meaning.

Lorna turns her attention to the profiles of the dozen captives confined in this new area. All of the captured women on Dog Star Six are mentally and physically stronger than the average human female, reflecting their rebellious past and the harsh conditions they've been forced to endure. All are perfectly capable of self-preservation in the rugged environment of the outer sector worlds. It seems likely that their fortitude and strength was a precondition for their initial selection. A further connection is that each woman has previously been labelled as a troublemaker by one or more of the various government and corporate overlords of Earth and the planets of the core sectors. However, why the Valkyries would want such a group of misfits is still a mystery.

While gaining an insight into their possible destination is an achievement, Lorna worries about the consequences of her discovery. Humans are unable to survive in the poisonous atmosphere of Valkyrie worlds. Does that mean that the captives are doomed to spend the rest of their days in an artificial nitrogen-oxygen bubble; relying on imported supplies of water and food provided by their keepers? To Lorna, such a horrific outcome doesn't make sense given the huge expense of transporting the women across the galaxy. Unfortunately, all the evidence Lorna has gathered so far points to that being their likely fate.

Like Sandra's theory, there are flaws in Lorna's deductions due to missing information. Unlike Sandra, Lorna has wrongly assumed the women on board Dog Star Six were simply chosen from the available stock of captives in the slave markets of the Thirteenth sector. She hasn't realised that their selection and kidnapping was part of a wider scheme that has targeted a much larger number of women. In some respects Lorna and her fellow travellers are fortunate. The kidnapped women who failed to meet the final selection criteria are doomed to spend the rest of their lives in the brothels and sex dens of the Thirteenth sector, until disease or injury cuts their life short.

"How much longer do you think this journey will last?" asks Daria of Lorna.

"The android who escorted us on board said the journey would take nine weeks, but we've no accurate way of measuring time," replies Lorna.

With day and night cycles artificially controlled by the ship's AI, the women are unable to tell whether each cycle is the Earth standard of twenty-four hours. On Cerberus, the day-night cycle repeats every twenty-nine hours, giving rise to 'Cerberus local date and time' and 'Earth standard date and time'. Other outer sector planets have daily cycles ranging from seventeen hours to thirty-two hours, to which each resident's own body clock has gradually adjusted. Now, on board Dog Star Six, each woman is again unwittingly adjusting her own internal sleeping and eating cycles to suit Dog Star Six's daily routine.

Only the frequency of a woman's menstrual cycle remains constant regardless of local conditions. While never precise, it at least offers a good means of calculating the passage of Earth standard time. In that respect, Juanita is the best measuring gauge among the group as she started a cycle as they were boarding Dog Star Six. Using Juanita as a guide, Lorna calculates that they must be into the seventh week of travel.

By now the twelve women are comfortable in each other's company. Inhibitions about fornicating in view of others are a thing of the past. As long as each woman confines her sexual activity to her chosen partner then there are no repercussions from the androids or the other women. Lorna has lived a life where she must be strong, trust nobody, and protect herself from sexual predators. It hasn't been easy for Lorna to let Caitlin through her defences and accept Caitlin as her soul-mate. However, the effort has been worthwhile and for the first time in her life, Lorna doesn't feel completely alone in a sea of human predators. Sexual gratification may have been the initial reason that Lorna paired with Caitlin, but now their relationship goes much deeper.

"Did you notice the change in the sound of the ship's machinery yesterday?" asks Caitlin.

Normally that isn't the sort of question you ask someone who has their hand inside your cunt and teasing your ear with her mouth. However Lorna and Caitlin are perfectly at home having a conversation on any topic while they work each other up to an orgasm. That doesn't imply that they are bored having sex with each other... far from it, they can play for hours bringing each other to one orgasm after another. But both women realise that the aphrodisiacs in their food are there as a distraction. They need to be prepared for whatever awaits them at their destination. Sex is wonderful, but what awaits them at journey's end cannot be ignored.