Galactic Whore

Chapter 3

Tomb Raiders

Even as I thought it, I realized that something didn't make sense. Hellfire already knew where the home planet of the crystals was. What did they need the map for? Even if there were other discoveries, useful discoveries to be found with the map, I couldn't see the group sponsoring an expedition that would pass so close to the source of their ability to enslave people. Not unless the entire ship was working for Hellfire; and I knew I wasn't.

[Is there any indication that the professor is an agent of the Hellfire Group?]

[NEGATIVE. PROBABILITY OF HELLFIRE ASSOCIATION UNDER TEN PERCENT]

[What's your reasoning?]

[

Mostly financing. Hellfire would fund the expedition through one of their corporations. The actual funding comes from the professor's personal accounts. If the expedition doesn't show a profit, he'll be bankrupt.

] It was still amazing how much better Jewel was with syntax that Crystal was.

[If he isn't part of Hellfire, then how did he manage to steal the map? The only reason the initial thefts were successful was due to the technological differences between Ralint and the Federation.]

[UNKNOWN. THEFT IS AN ASSUMPTION]

[What? You mean they may have given him one of their holy artifacts? I find that hard to believe.]

[

What if the Ralinti themselves made the initial discoveries. The map was inactive until you approached within ten meters. Once active, the Ralinti themselves could have studied it.

]

That actually made sense. Unlike many religious belief systems, the Ralinti accepted as a matter of both fact and faith, that their planet was visited by aliens in the past. I remember reading about the stir on the news vids when first contact was made with them. They were unique in welcoming the aliens with a level of expectation that was thought to be impossible. It was very believable that they would study anything in the artifacts that spoke of alien worlds.

[If the Ralinti are actively behind the expedition, then why is the professor risking his entire fortune?]

[UNKNOWN. CONSIDER THAT HELLFIRE PRESENCE IS MINIMAL IN SHIP]

It was beginning to make a weird sort of sense. I imagined myself as the Ralinti government. My precious religious artifacts had been stolen, some of them perhaps permanently. Once a protectorate, I'd discovered that the technology used in the thefts was advanced, even for the Federation and was government built. Only a powerful organization would be able to pull off such a heist. I might even know of the existence of Hellfire itself.

At the same time, the Map of the Heavens actually starts showing me a real map to the stars. My best scientists and holy men discover possible clues to the beings that came to us centuries ago. How could a protectorate world, without space flight capabilities of my own track down these clues to my past? An official expedition would take time. Having to use Federation resources would leave Hellfire, or whoever tried to steal the artifacts, ample opportunities to infiltrate. But, if someone

stole

the map and financed his own expedition, that powerful organization might be caught flat footed.

[Crystal, can you tell how recently Cassie was made a crystal slave?]

[NEGATIVE]

[

Improperly joined buds don't develop increased connectivity with their hosts over time.

]

[So it's like their development is stunted]

[AFFIRMATIVE]

I'd bet that Cassie hadn't been a slave for very long. I suspected that she was a last ditch effort to get an operative on board before we left. Because the crystals are implanted while the subject is unconscious, she would have no idea that anything had been done to her. Until she actually started being used like a puppet as opposed to as a spy, she'd have no reason to suspect anything.

Something else occurred to me...

[Crystal, who was Cassie's medical assistant, the one that didn't make it to the ship in time for departure?]

[SHIP'S FILES INDICATE A RAX CALLING ITSELF UNTOOLI]

That explained much, and was disturbing as well. I discovered a while back that the ameboid Rax could not only detect the presence of a voratex crystal, but were able to neutralize them. The fact wasn't well known, I assumed at the time, because the species didn't want to be targeted by Hellfire. If Hellfire had somehow taken the Rax out of the picture while making Cassie a slave, it would mean that Hellfire did know of their racial ability. Yes, the more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that Cassie, as a crystal slave, was the only operative from Hellfire on the ship.

My thoughts were interrupted by a beep from my pad. "Yes, can I help you?" I asked to the image forming on it.

"Madam Courtesan," came the electronic voice, obviously from a translator. I saw the Critchen on the screen must have programmed its pad to filter its voice out so I wouldn't have to sort out the translation from their natural clicking sounds . "I would like to discuss engaging your services."

"Forgive me, gentle bug, but how is that possible? I wasn't aware our species were sexually compatible." Critchen actually view the term bug as complimentary, thanks to a quirk of the first contact between them and humans; a story too long to tell here.

"It is something that I cannot discuss on an open channel. May we talk in person?"

"Of course. Shall I come to your quarters? I fear mine will not accommodate your physical size."

"That is acceptable. I am here now."

"I'll be there shortly."

I wasn't sure just how I could assist the creature. Critchen are a hermaphrodite egg laying species. Their sexual organs are the largest of any race in the Federation. Plus, they experience no pleasure from sex; it is solely a reproductive mechanism. A Critchen on a space ship would be under the influence of contraceptives that suppress its need to reproduce. Without that drug, the bug would have to have its eggs fertilized or become increasingly sick and unable to function. Eventually it would slip into a hibernation coma until another Critchen fertilized its sleeping form.

I buzzed at its door and the door opened. When I entered, I stifled a gulp of fear. While not as bad as it was in the past, my fear of insectoids was still there. I didn't know much about the Critchen, but physically, they are one of the larger exoskeleton bearing species. Their initial discovery by the federation led to a re-examination of certain assumptions about mass and size for living creatures. They were prized as members of starship crews because their exo-skeletons could contain their bodies in vacuum with sufficient oxygen for prolonged periods. Their 12 feet exuded a natural glue that made it possible for them to walk on any surface in any orientation, even in space.

"Welcome, madam Courtesan. I hope you will agree to assist me." In person, the clicks of its native tongue were a mildly distracting counterpoint to the voice of its translator.

"I'm not sure I can. Just what is the situation and how can I help?"

"My contraceptive drug has suffered contamination and is no longer effective. I have entered reproductive crisis."

"How did the drug become contaminated? I've never heard of such a thing."

"I do not know. I require your assistance in avoiding reproductive hibernation."

"How could I possibly help? I thought only successful fertilization of your eggs would stave that off."

"That is correct. There has been a recent advance in Critchen medicine that will allow you to assist. The normal reproductive cycle is for mates to fertilize each other's eggs and then swap egg bundles. Swapping bundles increases chances of successful hatching by 50%. The new advance allows the swapping of egg bundles prior to fertilization."

"I see. You want to implant your egg bundle in me and fertilize it. How do we get the egg bundle back in you? I'm not sure I could survive the hatching"

"Your concern is well founded. Your body would not develop a sufficiently massive placental mass for the pupae to consume prior to birth. They would begin to consume your body." I blanched at the thought of being eaten from the inside out. "That would not be allowed to happen," it continued. "I would transfer the bundle back to my own body once the eggs were fertilized."

I took a pose of thoughtfulness while I talked internally with Crystal and Jewel. [Can you two protect me from being eaten if things go really wrong?]

[ELIMINATION OF THE EGG BUNDLE PRIOR TO HATCHING WILL BE POSSIBLE USING SUITIBLE HORMONE SATURATION]

[

We might be able to actually generate a regenerating placental mass that would feed the pupae until they hatch

.]

[What's its position on the crew?]

[POWER SYSTEMS TECHNITIAN]

[So its loss would be serious. Not a lot of choice, is there.] My internal partners agreed.

"I will agree to the procedure. What do we need to do?"

It lifted itself on its legs and extended what looked like a proboscis. "I will implant the egg bundle with this organ. Will this fit into your body orifice?"

I took a look at it. It was quite a bit larger than any cock I'd taken in the past; some seven centimeters across and nearly a meter long. I knew I could expand enough to take the girth, but fate help me if it tried to bottom out in me.

"As long as you don't try to insert more than about 30 centimeters of length. Impalement is a particularly unpleasant form of death."

The egg planter retracted and another organ extended. I was hard pressed to see a difference between the two, except for the rougher surface of the new one. "Then I will fertilize the egg bundle with this organ. Note that this is a dual use organ and to ensure that fertilization doesn't happen by accident, vigorous, repeated thrusting motions will be needed. Normally, the entrance to the egg chamber tightens to increase the friction; the more friction, the greater the volume of semen ejected."

I couldn't help myself; I just had to smile. "That shouldn't be a problem. Human sex involves vigorous and repeated thrusts of the male organ into the female organ, as well as a tightening of the entry walls. Why don't we get started?"

"Please take a position to facilitate the process."

As a prostitute, I frequently have to deal with singularly unromantic approaches to sex. In some cases, the species in question simply doesn't see sex as a vehicle for romance but simply as a biological function. There's also the occasional customer that has a backward attitude towards professional sex. The Critchen's approach was one of the most blasé I'd encountered since Brusjin purchased me as a slave.

In spite of its greater size, lying on my back seemed like the best way to proceed. Its bed wasn't much, just a raised slab that it could set down on to give its legs a chance to relax. Once I was lying down, it extended its egg planter again and moved over me. I shuddered as my phobia tried to assert itself. I gripped the edge of the slab with my hands and spread my legs. I could feel myself lubricating and was again thankful for my partners' presence. Contact was made and the thing probed my cunt, spreading the flesh as it forced its way inside.

In spite of the fear, the penetration was actually pleasant, creating a fullness that any woman knows when getting fucked by a really big cock; almost painful, delightfully stretching, and fully satisfying. It reached my cervix and pushed on, creating more than a little pain until Crystal managed to dilate me more than normally possible. Then it just sat there and I had to resist the urge to thrust with my hips. Shortly, I could feel something oozing out of the planter, filling my womb. After a couple of minutes, I could feel myself expanding to take the entire mass inside me. By the time it started to pull out, I could see myself doing a passable imitation of being three months pregnant, with the just noticeable pooch in my abdomen. Surprisingly, it didn't stay over me, but backed off. The explanation followed shortly.

"The egg bundle can not be fertilized for at least 27 hours. Its presence should not interfere with any duties you may have with other members of the crew."

"I see. Shall we recommence in two days, then? That will give the bundle plenty of time to be ready."

"That will be satisfactory. My shift ends at 21:00 hours. Will that be acceptable?"

"Yes, I'll be here then." The ship, like most vessels in the Federation, used the universal 30 hour day that balanced the normal day lengths for the various races that made up spaceship crews.

As I was walking back to my cabin, the ship dropped out of Dolman space. After recovering from the sensation of instantly collapsing into a singularity and back, I started walking again. I didn't get far before my pad beeped at me again.

Professor Thoraxter's voice sounded when I keyed to accept the call. "Melnin, would you report to the conference room on deck seven."

"Of course, professor." The man was really getting on my nerves. Of course, it could have been worse; at least he didn't address me as "Whore".

The conference room had nine people in it, from seven different races. The professor had even hired a Gravelian for security. My breath caught at the memory of Grankt, Brusjin's bodyguard. He had been caught in the same discharge from the Sword of Ralint that had taken my husband. Thoraxter pointed me towards a chair. I didn't miss the fact that he had waited until everyone else was here before asking me to join them.

The professor started his briefing. "The planet we're approaching is called Thintel. It was surveyed by the Scout Service 53 years ago. New information has revealed the presence of ruins of an unknown species. We'll be spending a week doing a preliminary survey of the ruins. Let me make this clear; we are not on an artifact hunt. I want to generate an idea of just what and who this species was. Nothing is to be removed from where you find it unless I give permission."

He continued with the briefing, giving instructions to the individual members of the team. Clearly he was a micro-manager who preferred his subordinates to not think for themselves. I couldn't tell whether he was doing things

by the book

or not, as I've never been on an archeological expedition before. I could see the rolled eyes (a nearly universal gesture for those with the organs) from several of his staff. He finished with, "Any questions?"

"Yes, Professor. Why am I here?" I asked. I was sure I knew what the answer would be, but I wanted to be sure.

"To do your job, of course. If any of my team needs a release of frustration or tension, they can use you. Do I need to use simpler language?"

"No, you've been perfectly clear. What about the ship's crew?"

"What about them?" he asked back.

"Nothing," I replied. I didn't want to get into an argument about just who I worked for. I would just have to make things work. At least I didn't have to con my way into the landing team. I left with the rest of the team to pack for the trip to the planet surface. We would be staying on the surface for the entire week, though I had every intention of returning to get the egg bundle fertilized. Apparently, part of the expedition equipment was a series of modular shelters to be used as living quarters and work spaces.

It was only a couple of hours before we were in orbit and the shuttle was flying into the atmosphere. I had used the time to make sure the pilot would bring me back to the ship as needed. Surface shuttle flights should be boring; if they're not, then something's gone terribly wrong. The landing point was under dense cloud cover and there was rain falling from it. Once we were on the ground and the hatchway opened, the soft sound of rain drops hitting the grass (?) covered surface gave a soothing ambiance to the alien world.

It was reassuring to see the Gravelian acting with the professionalism I'd come to expect from the mercenary species after my time with Grankt. The rest of us spent the next hour erecting the shelters and spraying the catalyst on them that would take the inflatable tents and turn them hard as steel, while the Gravelian set up a series of sonic and movement sensors in a circle around the camp. I think I was the only one doing any rubbernecking, trying to see the ruins to be explored. I didn't see anything that looked like ruins. I would discover shortly that I had a vid-distorted idea of what an alien ruins should look like.

Once the camp was up, everyone grabbed an armful of laser boundary poles and moved towards some mounds about 500 meters from the camp. I watched in bewilderment as they set up the poles so that the visible beams delineated a series of rectangular areas encompassing some of the mounds in each area. I moved next to an Occampa who was sketching the arrangement on her pad. That's when it hit me; the mounds themselves

were

the ruins.

One of her six eyes fixed on me and she whispered in her lilted voice, "So you it figured out?" Occampa diction can be a little hard to follow at first.

"Yes, I think. Each mound is part of something, maybe a building, that's been covered up over time?"

"Exactly, yes. Maybe building not, though. Bad speculation is."

"I understand. Similar to assume; it makes an ass out of u and me." At her look of confusion, I added, "a play on the spelling."

"Nädren, have you completed the drawing?" came the professor's interruption.

"Yes, professor, drawing finished is. Work proceed can." As he turned away, she asked me, "Can you sex with my species engage in?"

"Yes, I'm fully capable. I can even modify my body to have a male sexual organ."

"Unnecessary it is. I word not have, but prefer own gender sex with." Curiously, the iris of all her eyes narrows to fine points.

"That will be easy enough. I am well versed in pleasuring females as well." Her body started shaking and her irises were

convulsing

in size. "Is there something wrong?"

"I abstinent for three years have been. Same gender sex a great shame among my people is."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I soothed as I ran my fingers along one of its spine ridges. She seemed to settle a bit and I smiled. "I've never had the pleasure of playing with an Occampa female before. I'm looking forward to our get together. Right after dinner?"

"I would that like. Then you I see."

If you haven't seen an Occampa before, they are one of the more unusually shaped races. Imagine a barrel like torso with three spinal ridges covered in a soft fur. At the bottom are three pairs of legs, each with a circular arrangement of six toes at the end. Their leg joints allow them to move equally well in any direction. A pair of arms are located between each pair of spinal ridges, ending in six fine, and long, fingers. At the top of their bodies are six, equally spaced eye stalks capable of independent movement and focusing. They normally use them in pairs to gain the benefits of binocular vision, but I've heard they can use three and four to perform amazing feats of triangulation (hence her ability to render an accurate drawing without measuring). Their mouths are at the ends of their arms, between the fingers.

Their sexual organs are located on top of their bodies. In both genders, they are covered by a series of interlocking bony plates that protects them from the ravages of the outside world. Needless to say, the male penal member is very long, flexible and motile. The female vaginal opening is actually very small and tight and ringed with the equivalent of six clitori. I do know that they only ovulate upon climaxing. I suspect that lesbian sex among the Occampa would involved combined masturbation and oral sex.

With the site sectored out, they started assembling some sort of equipment above one of the gridded areas. It took me a few minutes to recognize what I was looking at, thanks to the overly large size. They had set up a sonic reflection imaging system. Normally, such devices are quite small and portable, being intended to look inside a living body; part of the diagnostic systems in a medical unit. This one was nearly ten times the size of what I was used to. I had no trouble picking up the whine of the sonics.