Catalog #KT56719
The following is a portion of a decrypted datastore acquired during a raid by the Plundering Fleet. When cracked, the Fleet technicians were surprised to find that it contained a journal kept by an Imperial Diplomat describing the tawdry and orgiastic practices of a barbaric frontier planet. It has been traded on the black markets of hundreds of worlds. I present it here to you, the most discerning buyer of erotica, for your consideration.
-- Trader Antonius Cardin's private and restricted collection.
The planet Himeros revealed itself beneath me as the ship came out of hyperspace. The warm light of the system's primary star illuminated the surface with warm light and framed the curvature of the sphere with a golden halo. I had to admit, it was a beautiful first impression. The seas were deep blue, the islands -- and there were countless islands -- each strung like a necklace of pearls around the throat of a beautiful courtesan. I was in love with Himeros at first sight.
I took a moment to check my orders once again, reviewing what I had already read dozens of time since my assignment from the Diplomatic Corps. Most of the statistics were dry, formal -- the products of surveyors and Imperial scouts: orbital data, population and demographic info, trade goods. But between the lines things were far more interesting: Himeros was a world of pleasure.
Six months ago, when I had stood in the offices of the Foreign Minister, the planet had seemed a little less inviting. The Minister had handed me the coded packet with my next diplomatic assignment and my face must have registered surprise.
"Don't like what you see?" She asked me, a smile creeping onto her lips. "I thought you would appreciate a change of pace after your stint on Attican VII. I heard you contracted a nasty case of swamp rot -- that is, when you weren't getting shot at by the rebels. Considering that, you may change your mind about this assignment when you get there."
"It's not that ma'am," I replied, surprised that my emotions were so easily read. "It's just that I was expecting something more..."
"Dangerous? Dirty?" The Minister teased me. "Well, the Empire calls, and you may find that advancing our interests on this border world are a little more....fun than your last port of call at least."
"I didn't mean to suggest that I was questioning..."
"Of course you weren't," she said quickly, straightening her uniform. "The simple fact is that we need a good man on Himeros to make inroads in their court and get them to accept the Emperor's will without undue bloodshed; And don't fret, the locals are quite barbaric, you'll get along just fine. You know they practice slavery don't you?"
I hadn't known, because the world was not my area of specialty, but the Imperial Archives provided the rest of the scant information available. Himeros was a frontier world, just recently rediscovered by the Scout Service. The planet had been isolated, off the main trade routes for decades, and its resulting exile had led the population to strange and unusual practices. Apparently Himeros was originally the product of a freak colony ship mis-jump several hundred years ago, a not-uncommon occurrence in the earlier days of the Empire.
The colonists were incredibly lucky in one sense -- the did arrive at a habitable world, a near-perfect specimen to sustain human settlement -- but the mis-jump also damaged the life-support systems maintaining most of the colonists in cryosleep. Details surrounding the event were sketchy, but there appeared to have been targeted chromosomal damage. Almost all of the male colonists died.
With resources scant and communication cut off, the first colonists reverted to a nearly medieval level of technology, a deficit they had only recently begun to climb out of. Even stranger, the lack of men led to the adoption of polygamy and, over the long centuries, to the institution of a unique brand of slavery.
The name of the planet itself suggested the form this took: Himeros had been a Greek god of "uncontrollable desire."
Now, at last, I stared down on the planet itself: warm, inviting, fascinating, my new assignment...for the glory of the Emperor.
----
Several hours later I found myself at the entrance to the sprawling palace complex of the planet's petty king, a despot named Justin the XVII. Still, the beauty of the place was evident. Most of the planet was warm and tropical, a paradise of verdant islands and white-sand beaches and secluded coves. The palace was built on one of the more choice specimen of these islands: an idyllic perfection of geography, like something from the South Seas of old Earth.
Plants native to the tropics had been mixed with local flora, which rendered the lush jungle that carpeted these islands eerily familiar -- at once recognizable and alien.
At my arrival the formalities were brief. I was greeted at the shuttle landing pad by a representative of Himeros' King. I was told to report to the Court the following afternoon and to spend the rest of the day becoming acquainted with my lodgings and resting from my travel. With that, the King's emissary led me down a long hallway of beautiful arches and hidden gardens and flowing fountains. I took note of the dress and manner of the people I saw.
Some of the men and women dressed in anachronistic robes, often of quite sensual and revealing cut, while others wore simple linen pants and shirts, although in fanciful colors. I was also surprised to see quite a few women wearing much less than even these robes, what I can only describe as lingerie: lacy babydolls, tight-fitted teddies -- and others in nothing more than bras and panties. There were men too, showing off just as much skin. All of these scantily-clad passersby were strikingly beautiful. I assumed that they must be members of the King's harem. It was incredibly distracting, although I avoided asking any probing questions of my host.
Shortly, we arrived at a metal door set into the wall of the hallway. The King's Emissary briefly touched the keypad and ushered me into my quarters with a reminder that I was expected at court the following day. He departed quickly, and I stepped into the low light of the room, my eyes taking a moment to adjust to what I was seeing, and nearly yelled out for help.
There was a figure sleeping on the bed.
With the sound of the door closing behind me, the figure jumped up, slid off the bed and ran towards me. She was a beautiful woman, with long, brown, wavy hair brushed to one side and piercing blue eyes. As she came forward she cast aside the robe she had been wearing to reveal what was underneath. She wore a white lace shelf-bra and panties, which showed just the tops of her stunning breasts and nipples. She was physically perfect, and I had a hard time not staring at her stunning body as she moved.
"I'm so sorry, I must have been given the wrong room..." I stammered awkwardly, but before I could turn around and leave she knelt in front of me, pushing out her perfect tits and she dropped to the floor.
"Welcome to Himeros, master," she said. "I am called Kitten, and I will be your Primary if you wish it."
"Wait, I am not from this world and I am not familiar with your customs. You are telling me this is the correct room?"
