Maps Fan Fiction ❯ Unexpected Circumstances ❯ The Glory of it All ( Chapter 2 )

Unexpected Circumstances

By: A-Z Mark II

Disclaimer: Don't own.

 

Chapter 2: The Glamour of it All

-

“This is Au'zetciz, fifth planet of the Hlteek system.” announced Lipumira calmly. Gen and Hoshimi blinked at the name. If it weren't for the translator mode of the nanite colonies of the two, the would have no idea what the blonde was saying; as it was, they heard her, but had no clue how one would even pronounce that inhuman tongue. “This is a protectorate world of the System Three Alliance, so there is a significantly higher level of law and order than in most free worlds.” she went on. Glancing at the two, she saw them studying the world as they got closer.

“This is something else.” marveled Gen. The system had a G-class star at it's center, not unlike the Sol system, but the planets were in an odd arrangement, with three of them sharing interposing orbits like the old illustrations of an atom. There was a molten ball of something very close to the star, and two more planets waffled along far beyond the three that formed a tight grid around the star.

“Yes. It is a gyro-type system, rather than a gravity type.” said the blonde. “Each planet has a relatively high mass - more than the gravity well formed by the star, anyway - and instead of being held in place by the gravity well from the star, they are held in orbit by the gyro effect of their gravity tracks interlocking. Very elegant. Also, very unstable.” she added. The view enlarged. On the three fast-moving planets, the two saw huge metallic-looking plates. “The pioneers had to put massive magnetic focusing field generators in place to make sure the delicate balance of the system wasn't disrupted.”

Seeing a schematic and animated demonstration of the way that the system was set up, the two were amazed that such heavy tech existed. “Wow.” breathed Hoshimi. This makes that old TV show look like the Stone Age! she thought. “Can we go down there?” she asked the blonde. Lipumira nodded.

“Yes, though there are things you need to know about such a trip.” she said. “Let's start with some basic information on me and my sisters.” she began. “We - all of us - were manufactured with banned technology and three of us were made with illegal materials, as well. Because we were made in secret shipyards of the Mystic Ones, we have no registration numbers, and therefore cannot legally enter any of the planetary systems that belong to the larger body of the space-faring species.” Seeing the two about to speak, she held up a finger. “That does not mean that I cannot enter. It just means that I do so illegally.” she said. “When I was serving the Mystic Ones, I was always met by their agent in whatever system I was in, and they got me into the systems under false registration numbers. When I betrayed them, Calion and I found a way to make fake registration files for different territories. It is not something that the Mystic Ones know about, which is why it still works.” she said, her tone going dark.

“Lipumira,” said Gen, his tone curious, “if the Mystic Ones are so advanced, why don't they know more?” he asked her. Lipumira smirked.

“Just because they are the most advanced does not make them gods; much as they like to think it does.” she said, her tone almost a snarl. I will tear them from their self-made pedestals and make them suffer as Calion and I suffered! she vowed. All their advancement cannot save them from me! For nearly a millennium, that had been her promise to her murdered partner. Pushing that to the back of her mind, she focused on the two humans. My new partners will fare better than my old one. she promised herself. “If they weren't so vain, they might have figured out how we found a way to do it, but they are convinced that they are superior to all, and that is their only weakness. Remember that.” she cautioned them.

“Oh. Ok” said the two in unison. Glancing at each other, they grinned.

“As I was saying,” Lipumira brought the conversation back to the point, “because I use a fake registration number, you have to be careful not to compromise us. Stay away from any port authority offices, and avoid telling anyone which ship you are from. Never use my full name when others might hear it, and be careful what you say in general. Do you understand?” she said. Both nodded.

“As for credits, about the only way to keep from leaving a trail is to do side jobs for either services or for universal credits. In most cases, we will be ferrying illicit goods from system to system while we search for the next piece of the star map. In the past, I have also worked as a guard, a scout, an escort, an ambassador, a ship yard manager and even did a stint in the Armada of the Docorran Empire as a fleet admiral in their war with the Kingdom of Siays.” she related.

“Admiral Lipumira?” asked Hoshimi, blinking. The blonde shrugged.

“It was work, and it gained me some important contacts.” she said. “And I was known as First Element Admiral Gweiss-Puma.” she corrected. Has it been three hundred and some years since then? she mused. Time flies. she dismissed the memories of that time. “Now, as for work, I suggest that you simply watch me for a while before attempting to make arrangements for jobs of your own.” she said.

“We're going to be doing jobs?” wondered Gen. That never happened in those space anime series! he thought, a bit resentfully. Lipumira just nodded.

“This isn't a free ride, you know.” she said, her tone teasing. “But all the same, there shouldn't be many times that you will be doing jobs on your own. I will do the bulk of it, and you should just plan to assist me for the most part.” she said. Her eyes fell to Hoshimi. “Although, there might be some jobs that Hoshimi and I will have to do alone.” she murmured. Gen frowned.

“What kind of jobs?” he asked suspiciously. Lipumira shook her head.

“Probably won't happen.” she said simply. “And if it does, we will discuss it then.” she added firmly. “Since this your first time on an alien planet, I'm going to be your `tour guide', as it were.” she said, moving past the thorny topic. “We will be getting you some clothes and supplies, re-stocking certain areas of my stores, and seeing if there is any promising leads on the location of the next star map piece.” she said.

-

The docking and berthing of Lipumira's outer form took most of the rest of the day, as there were many other ships, and her hull design required some special accommodations. As the ship was being carefully secured in one of the tractor-beam equipped berths at the top of an orbital lift, Lipumira was going over some details with Hoshimi and Gen.

Among other things, she handed Gen a mid-power focused plasma caster, handing Hoshimi a similar gun, though Hoshimi's was smaller and more discreet. Having trained them both on using the casters, she had faith that if they had to, they would be able to defend themselves with the guns. She herself was only carrying her arm blade, though that was enough, given her experience in this area. With that taken care of, she told them that they would be heading planet-side in a few minutes.

Hoshimi was looking forward to this trip, as her wardrobe was a bit limited at the moment. While functional and nice, her current clothes were not very fashionable. Besides, shopping was one of her hobbies. Gen settled the blaster on his belt, Hoshimi tucking her smaller model into her one-piece outfit's top, close to hand, but out of sight. Lipumira made sure that all the necessary tasks had been done, then led them the air lock, which now had a passage mated to it, allowing them into the stalk.

The first surprise for the two Earthers was customs. At the end of the extended access tube, they came to a simple door-frame like device, which told them to step through one at a time. Lipumira did so first, the two seeing a flicker as the device scanned her. A moment later, it informed her that she was cleared to descend to the planet below. Looking at each other, the two wondered who would be next. Finally, Hoshimi stepped forward, feeling a tingle as the device scanned her.

“Unregistered life form.” announced the device. “Searching for data.” Once more, the scan passed over her, and Hoshimi felt an almost-tingle in her mind, a feeling she had come to associate with the nanite colony doing whatever it was it did when necessary. “Logging data. Updating archive. Cross referencing. Assigning classification. Complete.” nattered the machine. “Welcome, carbon-based bi-pedal translucent life form.” Hoshimi stepped through the scanner, a frown on her face, her expression half way between annoyed and amused. Lipumira touched her shoulder.

“I told you that humans weren't common out here.” she reminded the girl. Gen stepped into the scanner. Of course, it immediately logged him as being the same as the previous one, and didn't do much more than welcome him to the planet. Now that they had passed customs, the three headed down in an express elevator, which traveled faster than the fastest bullet train, reaching nearly mach eight as it plunged toward the planet surface. In the denser atmosphere of the planet, the car was slowed by friction and some magnetic braking before finally ghosting to a stop. The front of the car simply dissolved and Lipumira led the way out into a large, airy space.

“Well, you are now the first humans to set foot on a planet outside your core system.” said the blonde. The two were looking around in awe. Dozens of different races and species were all around them, and there was so much to see everywhere. Giving the two a few moments to soak it in, Lipumira nevertheless resumed herding them along. “There's a lot to see and do, so let's just start with some lodging, food and some sight seeing.” she suggested. The two nodded.

Minutes later, they were on a street, watching several different levels of technology sharing a street and the sky over the street. Tall buildings and large arcologies dominated the skyline, while overhead were flying machines, and farther up were star ships, and beyond them was a completely alien star system. Nothing the two looked at looked familiar except for Lipumira, who always managed to be between them or right next to them when they looked for her.

With surprisingly little trouble, the blonde got them into a shopping area that vaguely resembled Earth's typical shopping areas; at least, what she had seen of them before Diane blew it all up. She suspected that if she got them somewhere that looked somewhat familiar, they would find it less shocking than going somewhere where they were more likely to find leads on the star map's next piece. Indeed, Hoshimi broke out in smiles when she saw a nice dress in the window of a shop. “Oh my god! That is perfect!” she purred excitedly. Gen smiled, recognizing the look on her face.

“We might as well go check it out, Lipumira,” he said fondly, “she won't be happy until she tries it on.” he cautioned her. Lipumira nodded.

“It's one of the things we're here to do.” she agreed. The three entered the shop, Hoshimi moving directly to the dress in the window. Examining it up close, she felt her heart rate kick up. It shone with a soft, elegant pearl-white color, with dark blue cloth accenting the Chinese-like cut of the dress.

“What is this material?” she asked Lipumira, touching the super-soft yet almost metallic-feeling material. Lipumira glanced at it.

“You would call it spider silk.” she said. Hoshimi blinked.

“Spider?” she asked, disliking bugs. Lipumira nodded.

“Yes. This material is made from the threads of a certain spider that inhabits a few of the inner planets of the Cetu Mpalu system.” she said. “They grow to a size of four meters and their silk is stronger than all but the very best alloys. It is also cool, dry and nearly impossible to tear, stain or cut.” expanded the pirate.

“Four meter spiders?” breathed the two humans, looking at each other.

“Gen, let's not go there. Ok?” begged Hoshimi.

“I'm with you on that.” he agreed readily. “A spider that big must have some big prey.” he mused. Lipumira hummed.

“The preferred prey for them is other species of spiders.” she noted.

“Cannibalistic four meter spiders.” breathed Hoshimi. “Gen, I really don't want to go there!” she repeated. Gen shivered.

“Me neither.” he agreed. Lipumira smiled at the two.

“If a star map piece is there, we will go and get it.” she said. The two paled a bit. “But only if it is a star map piece.” she assured them. Pushing the thought of giant spiders from her mind, Hoshimi turned back to the dress.

“I see you like that dress.” came a voice from behind Lipumira. The three turned to see a more or less human-looking being of most likely female gender approaching them. “It is a rare and expensive item, but I am sure you knew that just by looking at it.” said the being.

Lipumira considered the being for a moment. “Tell me, how long have you been off your home world?” asked the blonde. The being looked at Lipumira suspiciously.

“I have been trading among the stars for seven cycles now.” replied the being. The blonde smiled thinly.

“Seven whole cycles.” she repeated, her tone vaguely mocking. “Seems suspicious that you have a dress like this in so short a time.” she continued. “Tell me, what system did you pick this up in?” she asked the being. There was a momentary pause before the answer.

“I traded for this item in the markets of Heuraa.” answered the merchant. Lipumira smirked.

“Odd. This kind of silk is banned by the Council of Trade in the System Three Alliance. I'm surprised that no one has yet reported it to them.” she baited. The being began to twitch a little around the edges. “It'd be a shame if you were fined for bringing this item here.” continued Lipumira. “I hear that the fine is quite steep.”

“I…had planned to trade or sell it before I got this far.” offered the being. Lipumira frowned, as if thinking of something.

“Come to think about it, I recall hearing that for certain races, this kind of material causes various medical conditions, as well. I doubt that you will find a buyer before the Trade Council agents take note of this item.” The being began to shift colors.

“You seem very knowledgeable about this topic, femme.” replied the trader. “Perhaps you could find a suitable place to sell this item for a large profit.” he suggested. Lipumira shrugged.

“It's not to my taste.” she said blandly. Hoshimi blinked at that statement. “But my friend seems to have taken a liking to it.” she suggested.

“And it would look perfect on her!” agreed the seller. Lipumira grinned at Hoshimi.

“Try it on.” she suggested. Hoshimi blinked. Looking around, she didn't see a changing room.

“You mean right here?” she asked. Lipumira nodded.

“Sure. Why not?” she asked innocently. Trading a quick look with Gen, Hoshimi touched the material again.

“Ok.” said the girl, swiftly slipping out of her clothes and donning the dress. It was shorter than she had thought, barely below her groin, but it felt better than the finest silk, and was so slick and sensuous against her skin that she just had to have it. Also, the sleeveless top coupled with the collared neck did look incredible on her. A single glimpse of Gen's open-mouth expression sold her.

“That dress was meant for her!” exclaimed the merchant. Lipumira slowly nodded.

“It does seem to fit her nicely. And it doesn't cause reaction in her species.” agreed the blonde. “Now, about the price…” It was then that the true haggling began.

-

Hoshimi had been engrossed in shopping for the better part of a day, and it had taken some persuading to get her to call it off for now so they could find some lodging. Gen had asked why they weren't staying on the main ship, and Lipumira had said that she had her auto-repair cycles running on the bedroom and kitchen area, as well as getting some upgrades done to some of her engine systems, so they really had no place to stay on the ship.

Figuring that this would be a good chance to see alien culture up close, he let it go at that. It was with some relief that he followed Lipumira into a tall building that she said was a lodging house. After some negotiating, the three of them rode a lift up to their room, Gen eagerly awaiting a chance to put down his sizeable collection of bags and boxes that he was carrying for Hoshimi. When they reached the room, they found that they were in another alien space.

The room was fairly large, with a block-of-rock decorating motif. Looking around, Hoshimi and he tried to identify the bed, bathroom and any other useful places. It was like being in a Zen rock garden built to human scale. “Um, is this the right room?” wondered Gen.

Lipumira nodded. “Yes.” she said. “It's time to learn a new capability of your nanite colonies.” she said. “I requested a room with adaptive substance furnishings. What that means is that you control the features of the room with your nanite colonies.” Seeing twin eye blinks in response, she demonstrated her point. Touching a block, it shifted into a chair. A moment later, it shifted into a table. “You see? The way that it works is that you instruct it through you nanites. This should be fairly easy once you get used to it, and it will sharpen your abilities with your nanites.” she said.

“That reminds me, Lipumira,” said Gen thoughtfully, “what happens if we need to upgrade our nanites or get rid of them or something?” he wondered. It hadn't come up before, and Lipumira had only gotten around to telling them about the learning capability of the colonies a few days before.

“They upgrade themselves.” replied Lipumira. “As for removing them…I don't think that there is a way to do that; well, without some lethal side effects.” she amended. The two froze at her words. “Let me explain. The nanites tune themselves to you and form a symbiotic relationship with their hosts. Since they are smaller than your component makeup, they literally are bonded to you at the deepest level possible. Without them, you can't survive. Without you, they won't survive. They know this, so they optimize for symbiotic operation. Removing them will damage your bodies, and the colonies will do all they can to prevent damage to your bodies.”

Hoshimi considered that. “Lipumira, what about our children?” she asked, then blinked as she became aware of Gen looking at her. “I mean, if I have any!” she corrected herself.

“The colonies will auto-install micro colonies in the fetus, and it will grow along with the child.” replied Lipumira. “Your children will have all your learned capabilities as well as being able to develop their own new skills.” she expanded on her point. Hoshimi considered that.

“I see.” she mused. With that advantage, our children will be much better off than us. Born to space faring, they would be even more capable than Gen and I, and since Lipumira is essentially immortal while we aren't, I suppose that the nanites would be a great advantage. Even if we could remove them, I wouldn't want to disadvantage our children like that… she trailed off on the thought.

Having gone from friends in second grade, to sweethearts in junior high, to lovers in high school, she had thought of their future together before, but never in the context that she just had. I've never thought `I need this to give our children every advantage' before. Does that mean…? she let the thought trail off. Time enough for that later. she dismissed. Indeed, time was something that they seemed to have a lot of at the moment.

For his part, Gen was wondering just how he felt about Hoshimi's all but confessed plans for having children with him. Several emotions played through his mind, but none of them came out as stronger than the others. Happiness, love, fear, anxiety and lust were certainly the leaders, but he just couldn't decide how he really felt about having kids with her. Well, I mean, yeah, we've talked about this a time or two when we saw young couples out on dates, a baby in the woman's arms, but I just never really connected that with Hoshimi's dreams of being a mother. Strange. It was obvious that she planned to have kids, and I had been saving for a ring for her, but it just never hit me all at once that that is where those lines crossed! He tried to picture himself as a father, Hoshimi and he holding their first kid in their arms. His mind balked at that image, but he couldn't quite push it from his mind.

Seeing the blush on Hoshimi's face, and the somewhat silly smile on Gen's Lipumira took a moment to be glad that she was not designed to procreate. Biological reproduction seems to interfere with reasoning ability. she noted. While sex was all good and served to strengthen the bond between them, children were never part of her design, and she was honestly scared to create a being that had such total dependency on it's creators for the first several years of life. And then, there is the issue that I never know when I'll get into a fight that I won't walk away from. she considered. Being at war with the Mystic Ones was not a job that lent itself to a long, happy existence.

“Well, what are your first impressions of another world?” she asked them, moving past the last topic. “I'm sure you probably saw some things that scared you.” she noted.

Hoshimi blinked, being interrupted as she was deciding on the gender of their third child, as well as picturing how the girl would look. For the last year, she had taken to jotting down possible names for her children in her notebook whenever she came across a really inspiring one. Back on Earth, where ever her suitcase ended up, there was a notebook with three pages filled with possible names for her children. Moot point now, Hoshimi. she chided herself, letting it go for now. “Not at all.” she disagreed with the leggy blonde. A giggle escaped her lips. “Honestly, I've seen scarier and stranger things at an anime convention!” She turned to Gen. “Remember that one we went past on that date, and there were all those cosplayers running around, all dressed up like Mighty Afro Sailor Maid Taeko?” she asked. Unwillingly, Gen chuckled.

“Yes. They were all running around like idiots, then those cosplayers dressed up like Deep Gundam Space Mission R4 Special showed up and they started to riot. Didn't the convention officials call the riot squad to deal with them?” he asked his girlfriend. Hoshimi laughed.

“Yes! And when the police showed up, the two groups ganged up and rushed the police!” She and Gen began to laugh harder and harder. “Do you remember that one in the fuku shouting `Magic Transformation Jump!' as he tried to do the transformation sequence, only to discover that gravity works?” she gasped, laughing so hard she had to sit down.

“Well, it was no worse than the idiot with the Styrofoam ray gun making all those rocket motor noises as he tried to fly!” he chortled. “Did he think that that would scare the riot police?” he wondered hysterically. He and Hoshimi relived a shared moment as they slowly got control over themselves once more. From across the street at a small, cozy coffee shop, they had watched the whole sad spectacle, laughing at the cosplayers along with most of the patrons of the coffee shop. It had not taken the riot police long to restore order; especially since they were used to dealing with real rioters and hard-core trouble makers instead of idiotic cosplayers obsessed with using magic attacks and flying imaginary giant robots. The one that had jumped up to do the magical transformation had intended to land on a cop, but the seasoned riot trooper had simply stepped aside, allowing the kid to kiss the concrete sidewalk, glanced at him to make sure he was down, then stepped over him to knock another cosplayer silly with his shield.

From the time that the riot squad had arrived, to the time that the last of the cosplayers had been subdued was about six minutes. Several of the senior members of the squad had held a brief meeting, apparently deciding that it wasn't worth the cost of a pair of plastic zip cuffs to arrest any of the freaks and weirdo's, since they hadn't bothered to arrest anyone, choosing instead to give the semi-conscious group at large a severe dressing down over a bullhorn. Once that was done, they loaded back up on their busses and headed back to the station. Gen and his girlfriend had gone on to their dinner and movie date, ending up on a park bench for some making out and talking before heading home. Remembering that date, Gen had smiled and hugged Hoshimi closer to him.

“Yeah, I'd say after that, nothing will seem overly strange.” he said. He and Hoshimi had instinctively drawn together as they laughed, ending up sitting on the floor, with Hoshimi almost in his lap, his arms around her waist and her arm over his shoulder, her face against his chest. Lipumira watched them.

She might not know what a cosplayer was, or have understood why it was so funny to them, but she had gotten the answer she wanted: they would be fine adapting to life among the stars. Nor for the first time, she wondered if maybe Calion had been right when he suggested that maybe there was a larger scheme or meaning to this whole chain of events. Maybe the Nomad Star Tribe had found something in their travels that had led them to leaving a piece of the map on Earth, along with some of their genes. Maybe these humans are the key to destroying the Mystic Ones. she thought. “Come on,” she said, offering her hands to the two, “tomorrow is going to be a long day, so let's go to bed.” The two accepted her offered help standing, Hoshimi smoothing her spider silk dress as she did so.

“What's planned for tomorrow?” asked Gen, taking Hoshimi's hand in one of his and Lipumira's in the other, the two humans following their blonde partner into a side room, seeing a large block of the adaptive furniture there. Lipumira touched it and moments later, it resembled the bed on her outer form.

“Tomorrow, we will begin to secure replenishments for our stores, gather intelligence and look at the employment opportunities.” announced the blonde, her ribbons slipping off her frame as she did so. Setting her arm blade bracer aside, she slid into bed as Hoshimi pulled the short, thin dress off, leaving her naked. She still wanted to find some panties, but for the moment, she just made do without. Gen slipped off his jacket, pants and shirt, setting his blaster beside Lipumira's bracer. Hoshimi put her own energy pistol beside Gen's before joining the other two in bed. Feeling Gen's arm settle under her shoulders, she turned on her side and snuggled up to him, her leg brushing Lipumira as the blonde mimicked her on the other side of the young man.

Leaning his head down and over, he caught Hoshimi's lips with his own, the two sharing a deep, leisurely kiss. “Good night, Hoshi-chan” he breathed to her as she let his lips leave her own lips.

“Night, lover.” she breathed back, hugging herself to his side briefly. Gen turned and met Lipumira's lips, another deep, unhurried kiss being shared before he eventually softly broke it.

“Good night, Lipumira.” he said. The woman smiled.

“Good night, Gen.” she said. Surprising the two, she leaned over to Hoshimi and kissed her, her tongue slipping into Hoshimi's surprised mouth. For a moment, Hoshimi was still, caught off guard and surprised by the kiss, then she relaxed and returned the kiss. It was not the first time that Lipumira had kissed her. But even so, it wasn't exactly a common occurrence for the other woman to kiss her. She's a pretty good kisser, too! thought a small part of Hoshimi's mind as she felt Lipumira tease her tongue with her own. Letting the kiss end, Lipumira eased back a little. “Good night, Hoshimi.” she said softly. The glow from the ceiling ceased, plunging them into darkness.

“Night, Lipumira.” came the faint answer from Hoshimi. Between the two, Gen found himself with a raging erection from having witnessed the kiss. I wonder what Hoshimi thought about that? he mused, yawning. She's never said anything about girl-girl stuff - good or bad! Maybe she's curious? Or is it just that she doesn't consider Lipumira a girl in that regard? he wondered. Ultimately, he would have to ask to find out. I'll ask her about it tomorrow. he thought.

On his left shoulder, Hoshimi was wondering just how she felt herself. I'm not a lesbian. she told herself. And anyway, this might be a spacer thing, rather than a girl-girl thing. she decided. It did feel good, though. she admitted. Maybe I should ask her about it sometime - sometime when Gen isn't around! she decided. Lipumira does have nice breasts and is really pretty… she thought, drifting off to sleep, a small smile on her face.

Lipumira watched the two fall asleep. This will be easier if I do this gradually, instead of just surprising her one day. thought the blonde. Hopefully we won't have to go to some of the lengths I have had to go to before, but if we do, better for all of us if Hoshimi is comfortable with certain things. With her plan in motion, she allowed herself to slip into her light sleep cycle.

-

Gen awoke to a warm, wet sensation surrounding his groin. Soft, wet slurping sounds came from below the sheets, and as his mind came fully awake, he realized several things. First, he had the normal raging erection. Secondly, his left side was lacking a certain girlfriend's warmth, and thirdly, his right hand rested in the cool, fine strands of hair down at his hips.

Opening his eyes, he looked down, seeing a sheet-covered form bobbing up and down at his groin. Lipumira? he wondered, not seeing Hoshimi in bed with him. Easing the sheet back, he saw blonde hair hiding the face of the woman. He was distracted by her fingers lightly tickling his sack as she worked the tip of his dick like a lollipop. His dick throbbed, preparing to fire. “Lipumira!” he grunted, feeling her bury him in her throat, her tongue managing to twist around his shaft as she hummed.

That was all it took to push him over the edge, and he tightened his hold on her hair as he jerked his hips up, exploding in her throat. Five big spurts and two smaller ones filled her throat, Lipumira relaxing her muscles so it slid on down to her stomach. Once she was sure he was done cumming, she slowly drug her lips back up his shaft, keeping them tight to milk every last drop from his member. A wet, obscenely erotic pop! sound accompanied his dick escaping her mouth.

“Good morning, Gen.” she said, licking her lips free of some small residue of his cum and her drool. “Sleep good?” she asked.

“Morning, Lipumira.” he managed. “Yes, I did.” he said honestly. Ever since that first night, he had slept soundly with the girls held close to him. “Where is Hoshi-chan?” he wondered. Lipumira smiled.

“She's in the shower.” said the woman easily. “We can go join her, if you want.” she suggested. Gen's member twitched eagerly.

“Sure.” he agreed. A naked, wet Hoshimi dressed in soap suds was something that he had come to love very much. As soon as the two were out of bed, it returned to it's default form, once more resembling a slab of Formica. Sharing a smile with Lipumira, he and the taller blonde entered the bathroom to find Hoshimi under the spray in a large shower area. “Morning, Hoshi-chan!” called Gen happily, stepping behind her and hugging her to himself.

“Morning, Gen.” she said, turning to kiss him. While his tongue played, his hands fondly roamed her body, caressing her breasts before moving down toward her hips before invading her sex. “Mmm.” purred the girl, easing her legs a bit. “Feels good.” she murmured, her hand slipping behind her back to grab his dick.

Slowly pumping it, she felt it go from semi-erect to fully erect. Against her back, she could feel his heart rate pick up, his breathing deepen and quicken. She could feel her own lust building out of control, and her groin had been hot and wet since that morning. What the hell? I want some Gen, and I want him now! she thought lecherously, turning to face him, seeing the blonde mane of Lipumira beside them. Pressing herself to his chest, she hiked a leg to tuck his dick between them, feeling his hard length rubbing her soaked groin. “Wanna do me against the wall?” she all but demanded lustfully. Surprising her a bit, Gen grabbed her hips, lifting them a bit to bring his tip to her entrance.

“I want to do you everywhere.” he growled in her ear before lightly biting and sucking on her neck. Hoshimi mewed her approval of both is actions and his intentions. Twitching her hips, she felt his tip center itself in her passage. Hopping slightly, she spread her legs and locked them around his hips, her weight driving him into her passage like a nail. Her arms locked around his neck as she greedily assaulted his lips with her own.

The shift in balance caused him to stagger, but he caught himself before Hoshimi's back hit the wall. Easing her back against it, he began to hump her. He swiftly discovered a lack of good purchase, so he worked his right arm down and managed to hook it under her left leg, which he then raised up to near shoulder height, shifting her position and allowing him plenty of leverage and penetration. Always flexible from gymnastics and exercise, she had no problem with the position, and found that with the better angle, he could run the length of his dick over her G-spot - which naturally had her enthusiastic approval. Gen began to almost desperately fuck her.

Beside the two, Lipumira felt her own excitement build. Even though she had gotten some earlier, she still wanted the closeness that being with them brought her. Touching her sex, she felt her thicker juice mixed freely with the water flowing over them all. Deciding that if he had anything left after he came in his lover, she would use it, she watched the two.

Completely oblivious to the other woman, the two were climbing toward release together, every thrust bringing them closer and closer to climax. Gen was making small growling noises in his throat as he plunged into his lover like a jackhammer. Hoshimi was making small, highly satisfied sounds, holding his head to her chest, which he was greedily consuming with his lips and tongue. With the last of his control, he managed to warn his lover. “Cuming, Hoshi-chan!” he groaned, feeling his balls tighten for the second time that morning.

“Do it! Cum in me!” demanded the girl lustfully. Obliging her, he arched his back, pushing as far into her passage as he could as he blew. Hoshimi felt the hot, wet flood in her sensitive passage and it pushed her over the edge as well. Her vision grew indistinct and bright as she felt herself float away.

When she came to herself again, she was being held by Lipumira. The blonde had her in one arm, and was holding Gen with the other arm. The water was still pouring over them all. “Are you ok, Hoshimi?” asked the blonde, her voice equal parts concern and amusement. Weakly Hoshimi nodded.

“Yeah.” she managed. “I never thought it could be that intense.” she marveled, leering at the memory. Oh, we are definitely doing that again! she vowed. Looking at Gen, she realized that he was once more asleep. She wasn't sure why her lips twisted into a smug, self-satisfied smile. Guess I fucked him unconscious, and not the reverse. she gloated silently. A soft touch on her puffy lower lips brought her attention back to Lipumira. The blonde was carefully touching her sex. “Something wrong?” she wondered.

“Probably not, but I thought I should check, seeing as how you collapsed when you reached release.” shrugged the blonde. Not to mention that I am feeling aroused as well, and since Gen isn't available… Hoshimi felt a thick, sluggish stream seep from her passage. “That was a big release.” noted the blonde. Hoshimi nodded.

“Yeah. It felt great.” she replied without giving it any thought. Lipumira scooped the errant seepage up with her fingers. Watching it slowly stretch between her spreading fingers, she looked over at Hoshimi's unfocused eyes.

“Mind sharing with me?” she asked the girl. Hoshimi was nodding before she registered what Lipumira was saying.

“W…what?” she sputtered. Lipumira gently pulled the girl to herself and carefully kissed her. Hoshimi, riding the glow of her powerful orgasm, found herself melting into the embrace of the blonde. This feels good. she thought simply. Feeling fingers on her erect nipples, she instinctively cupped Lipumira's breasts in her own hands, rubbing and stroking the pink nipples, finding them to be already erect. Surrendering thought to the sensations of her body, Hoshimi followed Lipumira's lead.

When she felt one of the woman's hands drag down to her groin, she did likewise, felling the neat patch of blonde hair under her fingertips as she touched another woman's sex for the first time. She was mildly surprised to find the other woman's sex literally dripping wet and slick with lust. Unsure what to do, she cautiously eased a finger into the blonde. She was rewarded with the woman doing the same to her, quickly adding a second. Hoshimi did likewise, feeling the tightness of the other woman's sex as she pumped her fingers in and out.

Before she knew it, Lipumira was guiding her to the floor of the shower area. Reluctantly removing her fingers from Lipumira's sex, she lay back as the other woman slipped her legs between Hoshimi's, scissoring them so that their hot pussies touched. Balancing herself carefully, Lipumira began to rub her wet vulva against Hoshimi's, feeling the human girl's clit as she did so, her own clit slithering between Hoshimi's wet folds.

“Ah!” gasped Hoshimi, feeling the slick, super smooth feeling of Lipumira's sex against her own. It was completely new to her, but she was loving it. Pushing against Lipumira's hips, she felt a small orgasm roll through her, with a bigger one behind it. It feels so different from being with Gen. she thought deliriously, panting and drooling a little. Suddenly, her clit hit Lipumira's directly. With a direct hit, the two women were thrown into orgasm, the first for Lipumira, and the third for Hoshimi.

Lipumira enjoyed the feeling of release, slowly letting her hips drop away from her lover's hips. For a moment, neither moved. Then, Lipumira felt Hoshimi shift away from her. Lethargically, she wondered if she would have to talk to Hoshimi about what they had just done, or if the human girl would simply accept it and move forward like she tended to do. Lipumira got her answer a few moments later.

Hoshimi managed to get turned around and paused, seeing Lipumira sprawled out wantonly in front of her. Though she had been attracted to girls, she found herself curious about them from time to time, and had often discreetly checked out one or another girl in the showers after gym. Then, she had not felt anything resembling arousal or desire, simply curiosity. Looking at Lipumira's naked flesh, though, she felt the spring deep inside her pussy tighten. There was no need for her to think about it as she leaned forward, her lips meeting Lipumira's lower lips gently and lovingly. She smells…good. thought the girl, her tongue slipping out to see if she tasted as good as she smelled.

Lipumira's eyes snapped open when she felt the warm, soft lips of the human girl meet her slippery nether lips. Sucking in a breath, she felt her breath catch as a wet, slightly-rough tongue invaded her dripping slit. “Hoshi-chan!” she begged, feeling the oral member tease her opening before moving up to run over her semi-erect clit. A ragged moan escaped the alien as the human girl explored her.

Hoshimi was liking her experiment. Lipumira had a sharp, but pleasant taste, and she was determined to thoroughly sample it. Moving up from her entrance, Hoshimi encountered the erect clit of the other girl. While having no experience with this activity, Hoshimi did have a good amount of experience with her own body, and she figured that if it felt good to her, it should feel good to Lipumira. There's one way to find out! she thought, smiling as she brought her hands up to help her out a bit.

Gently spreading the puffy lips of Lipumira's sex, she rubbed the clit for a moment before treating it like a nipple and sucking on it gently. Through the large amount of skin-to-skin contact, she felt the taller blonde shiver. Like that, do you? she thought happily. Her other hand teasingly trailed lower, where she used her fingertip to circle Lipumira's entrance until she heard some sounds from Lipumira that sounded like begging. Moving the finger into position, she slowly, steadily pushed it all the way in, feeling the tight, slick grip of the girl's sex. Still working on the blonde's clit with her lips and tongue, she twisted and pumped her finger in her sex, soon adding another finger, and a bit later, a third.

As another orgasm washed through her, Lipumira decided that she should thank her lover for her attentions. Reaching down, she captured Hoshimi's head and gently pulled her from her task, seeing the girl lick her lips as she looked up at her. Smiling, Lipumira drew the other girl up to her and kissed her. “My turn.” she breathed as she released Hoshimi from her kiss. Sitting up, she laid the other girl back down and settled between her legs. Glancing at Hoshimi, she saw that the girl had her eyes closed, a slight smile on her face.

Looking back to the human's sex, she saw that some of Gen's seed had seeped out while Hoshimi had been busy with her. Grinning, she carefully spread Hoshimi's legs to get better access, then dove in and devoured the treat before it could go to waste. Once she had licked the outside of Hoshimi's sex clean, she carefully spread the flushed petals of her pussy and went to work on stuffed inside. Kind of like a plate of kbsur in sauce, she thought fleetingly, only better! Her tongue was longer than Hoshimi's by a good margin, and she used it to delve into the treat before her as deeply as she could. Greedily, she devoured all the delicious juice she could reach before attacking Hoshimi's clit with her considerable skill and experience. In far less time than it had taken Hoshimi to get her off, she had given Hoshimi an orgasm nearly a match for what she had gotten with Gen.

By the time that Gen had re-awaken from his nap after having Hoshimi against the wall of the shower, he saw the two girls washing off, talking quietly and giggling. Standing, he stretched. “What's so funny?” he asked them. The two flinched. His presence had slipped their minds for a bit.

“Oh, just some girl talk.” said Hoshimi. We'll talk about this later. she thought, glancing at Lipumira. “Hurry up and clean up. We have a lot to do today.” she added, smiling as she caught sight of his dick twitch at her voice. As he swiftly washed himself off, she and Lipumira stepped out of the shower and began to dry off. I can't help but think that things have finally stabilized. thought the dark haired girl as she pulled her hair out from under her spider silk dress. Tossing it to settle it, she admired her waist-length hair contrasting with the pure white dress. The super-short skirt complimented her shapely legs, and the top made her chest look bigger than it really was. Grinning at her reflection, she glanced at Lipumira, who was adjusting her ribbons. “Ready when you are.” she said simply. Her most recent lover nodded.

“We'll go as soon as Gen is dressed.” she said. Hoshimi nodded.

-

For the next four days, the humans learned about provisioning a star ship, interacting safely with alien races, the ins and outs of galactic trade and the economic setup of the star faring races. It was both eerily familiar and disturbingly different from the way that Earth's economy operated. Both found that it was understandable as Lipumira gave them more detailed explanations and examples, as well as elaborating on certain areas.

They also learned about how one went about tracking down clues to an item that no one believed existed and if they did believe it existed, refused to talk about because it was likely to get them dead. These information forays were more dangerous than Lipumira wanted to expose Gen and Hoshimi to, but it was a necessary risk, since they had to pursue the other pieces.

On the fifth day, Lipumira got an offer to smuggle some cargo to a star system in a galaxy about two hundred light years away from their current location, and she took the mission, since she felt that the odds of them learning anything in so civil an area were slim at best. Informing Gen and Hoshimi that there were departing as soon as the cargo was stored, she lead them back to the ship. Within two standard hours, she was moving away from the system, prepping for the jump to warp.

As the planetary system disappeared into the blurry, glowing warp cocoon, Hoshimi and Gen watched Lipumira. The blonde stood still on the bridge of her outer form, arms slightly spread, her eyes closed, head back. She was smiling. “Just like on Earth.” murmured Gen.

“Yes. I told you, I love to fly.” said Lipumira softly. In vacuum or atmosphere, she did love to fly.

“Do all your sisters share this love of flight?” wondered Hoshimi. Lipumira's smile slipped a little. Turning to look at the two humans watching her, she sighed.

“Let's go to the lounge. I suppose that now is as good a time as any to tell you about my sisters.” she said, her tone less than happy.

“Well, if you don't want to talk about them right now, we won't pry.” offered Gen. Lipumira shook her head, leading them off the bridge.

“You will need to know about them, since you joined my side.” she said simply. The two followed her to the lounge, finding comfortable seats. They had plenty of time in long-distance warp, so there was no rush. Once they were situated, with some drinks in hand, Lipumira began her lecture.

“As I have told you, I am one of six `ghost ships' built by the Mystic Ones to find the Star Map. We have no home port or planet or even system. The materials and technology in us are banned by nearly ever government, society or civilization in the universe. We have no attachments to anything, and until Calion betrayed the Mystic Ones and stole me, none of us had any purpose other than finding the Star Map.”

“Each of us are different from the others,” she went on, “much as a toolbox contains many different types of tools. My specialty is flight and stealth. As such, I am relatively lightly armed and armored, as you saw when I was attacked by Diane. Like normal beings, we were `born', if you will, in order, making it fairly accurate to say we have `older' and `younger' siblings.” Seeing Hoshimi about to ask, she held up her hand.

“I know what you are going to ask, Hoshimi.” she said, smiling. “Let me just put it in order, and I will tell you about my sisters as I go.” she said. When the two nodded, she waved her hand, and a hologram of a strange-looking hull appeared before them. Looking closely, they could tell that it was a design similar to Lipumira's woman-shaped own, but this one seemed to be wearing a concealing cloak. For some reason, Gen shivered at the sight of this one. Without thinking about it, his hand sought out Hoshimi's hand.

“This is the first - and therefore, eldest - of us. She is Ladow. She trained all of us, though the development of our special abilities was left to us. She was the one that recruited and trained Calion.” Lipumira paused, obviously thinking about something. “Not much is know about her, save that she is the only one that the Mystic Ones talked to directly. I don't know what her special capabilities are, nor do any of my sisters. Even Calion didn't know.” The two glanced at each other.

“Next came Diane.” said Lipumira, moving on. The familiar form of the ship that had blasted most of greater Tokyo into ash appeared. “As you know, she is very strong and heavily armed and armored. That costs her, though, in range, speed, agility and duration. Her preferred armaments are missiles and her melee weapons.” stated Lipumira calmly.

“Those hook things that she slammed into your back and sides?” asked Hoshimi, shivering in disgust. Lipumira nodded.

“Yes. She doesn't mount beam weapons unless they are external add-ons. However, she had plenty of missiles, and she can re-arm herself if given even a short amount of time and some common materials. Her workspaces are given over to weapons production and armor regeneration. That is why I was in a hurry to get clear of Earth - if she did survive, she would be able to resume the fight fairly swiftly.” The two absorbed the warnings and information.

“Next, Rain was launched.” continued Lipumira. The holographic display showed a voluptuous woman, with a kind of sheer wrap around her. Looking closely, Gen realized that he could see through her. “Rain is a communication specialized ship, and she packs the heaviest weapon of all of us.” another display came up, and the couple watched, amazed, as the ship seemed to easily open up, revealing a huge spear of energy. From the angle and movements, it was clear that this was from Lipumira's memory, and that it was taken in combat. Moments after the ship she called `Rain' opened, revealing the spear, it flashed forward and hit a planet. Immediately, the two ships peeled away and the stars blurred as they both hit high-speed warp. A moment later, the view changed, and the planet - now just a distant spec - began to glow, then suddenly, it was gone. The two gasped as the chain-reaction explosion took out the moons, then the nearest planets, before it finally destabilized the star.

“Rain's weapon is called the `Star Tear', and it can take out a fairly large system on its own. It works by causing a dimensional polarity reversal on the sub-atomic scale that renders matter within the effected area…” Lipumira stopped, seeing the two blinking at her with uncomprehending looks. “Ok, short version is it is a dimensional-yield destabilizer. Whatever gets hit by it goes away. Permanently.” she said. “And I can see that you both need some math and science courses your native world has not conceived of yet, let alone learned of.” she noted, chuckling softly. Both the humans groaned.

“Moving on,” smiled Lipumira, “Rain's defense system is that her hull composition allows beams and most solids to pass through her without harm; sort of like trying to cut water with a knife.” Once more, she paused, her smile growing a bit sad. “She and I were only a year apart, and we grew very close to each other. Calion was most often on one of us, rather than the others. Rain's music is something that you have to experience before you can understand her.” she said reverently. “Of them all, I miss her most.” she whispered. Gen and Hoshimi weren't sure if she meant to say that out loud or not. A heartbeat later, she sighed and moved on.

“You know about me, so let's move on. After me, came Shian. She is a defensive specialist. Her entire skin is a sub-dimensional refraction system that can absorb, change and redirect any energy weapon and most kinetic as well. She doesn't need beam cannons; she uses your own weapons against you. The only real way to fight her is to sucker her in close and handle her at contact distance. When I last crossed her path, I had to resort to using gravity-altering bombs to knock her out of the fight.” said the blonde. “She and I have our differences, but she always looked up to me.” she finished.

“And finally, the youngest of us all: Lipulim.” said the woman, the display showing a beautiful golden-skinned ship, who's hull was clearly adolescent in comparison with the others. “She is considerably younger than the rest of us, and barely got to know Calion before he turned on the Mystic Ones. Her exact abilities are not fully known, though she has the ability to project two-dimensional force planes that she can use to block, box or hit her opponents, as well as packing a decidedly nasty particulate wave cannon set. She is smaller, and in some instances faster than me, though she lacks my experience and skill.” Lipumira sipped her drink.

“Each of us have overlapping skills, but we also were designed to interlock, giving the Mystic Ones a powerful weapon in their search for the Star Map. During the first few eons, we six sisters forged a reputation for murderously effective operations. We laid waste to planets, stars and systems that tried to thwart us. The civilizations put bounties on us, but none were able to collect.”

“That footage of Rain's weapon,” began Gen, “was it…?”

Lipumira nodded. “A system that launched a fleet to hunt us down. While Rain and I dealt with the home system, Daine and Shian destroyed all two hundred heavy assault ships, killing all survivors.” she said simply. “After word of that spread, no other system dared to oppose us directly. There are still the merchant houses that we prey on, who build mercenary fleets from time to time, but they are more for self-assurance than for actually attempting to hunt us down. Given the chance, the mercenaries prefer to run from us than to stand and fight; especially if it is Diane, Ladow or Shian.” Hoshimi had a sad, worried look on her face.

“Lipumira, did you like killing all those…beings?” she asked. She sounds so casual about it! How many sentient beings were in that system that she and Rain blew up?! I don't know if I can take liking someone who is a mass murderess. Lipumira looked at Hoshimi.

“I neither liked nor disliked it.” she said honestly. “It is just the way it is, Hoshimi. In those days, our only will was the will of the Mystic Ones. Those that oppose them, die. That is the rule.” Seeing Hoshimi's eyes, she elaborated on the issue. “I will not claim to be pure of action, Hoshimi.” she said softly. “But I will promise you that I no longer act that way. When Calion escaped with me, he told me all that he had learned of the Mystic Ones, their probable use for such a device, and his intentions to stop them. He could have forced me to join him, but he didn't. I chose to adopt his rules, and take up his cause.”

“So, when a group of these mercenaries comes across you now, how do you handle it?” asked Gen. Lipumira was a dangerous entity, of that he was sure. But at the same time, he just couldn't bring himself to believe that she was a casual killer.

“Honestly, I prefer to simply outrun them, or to hide from them.” she said. “Combat is dangerous, and you never know what might go wrong.”

Gen looked at Hoshimi. From the look in his girlfriend's eyes, he thought that this explanation had calmed her somewhat. “Let's move back to the point.” he suggested. Hoshimi nodded. “You were saying…?” he asked the blonde.

“I was saying that we six are unique, but all of us share some basic similarities. For instance, we all share three types of engines. There are atmospheric engines for use in planetary atmosphere, sub-warp drives that we use in-system for shorter hops, and warp drives. Our exact fittings are different, but the core system and layout is the same. Lim, for instance, carries two sets of sub-warp and warp drives, which she can use in series, or in parallel. With these, she can short-warp around, making it nearly impossible to hit her, or she can enter a warp jump faster than anyone else - myself included. Her preferred attack is to bounce in and out of short-warp, hammering them with her cannons or force planes. Daine, on the other hand, just wades in and smashes all before her. Shian prefers to peel a fleet from the outside in, and I prefer to cut off small units and grind them down that way. Rain usually just ignores them, since they can't really hurt her, and none of us have ever seen Ladow fight, so we're not sure what she does.”

Seeing that all this talk about fighting and killing were not helping ease Hoshimi's concerns, Gen decided to change the subject. “So, that aside, how do you feel about your sisters?” he asked her. Lipumira frowned slightly.

“I miss Rain.” she said immediately. “Shian was fun to be with, and Lim…well, I never really got to know her well. As for Ladow and Diane, well…” she finished off her drink and poured another. “I never got along with Diane at all, and Ladow makes my skin crawl. I can't say that I miss them, or even love them.” she said.

“And this Calion guy?” asked Hoshimi. I wonder what sort of man was her lover for all that time. And did she share him with her sisters? It sounds that way. Lipumira's face closed down.

“He's dead.” was all she said. “The Mystic Ones caught up to us, and he died while we were trying to get away.” she said. It was very apparent to the two that she didn't want to think about or talk about that time. Or the man she had lost before.

“So, what can you tell us about the Mystic Ones?” asked Hoshimi, letting the question of Calion die for the moment. “Any pictures of them? Information?” she wondered. Lipumira shook her head.

“No one knows how many there are, or what any of them truly look like. We don't even know if they are one species or a group of different species with similar capabilities. That they are the most advanced race in the universe is well known. What they seek to do, or how, or why is pure speculation. Several supposed sightings of them have been made, but they are nearly mythological. That transparency is the source of their name: they are so advanced that their science looks more like magic.”

“Sounds like a secret society to me.” mused Gen. Lipumira shrugged.

“In a way. Some systems even believe that they are simply a galactic legend; a fanciful tale of the less serious species. But I promise you, they do exist and they are very powerful and extremely dangerous. We can never let out guard down, and we must never lose sight of the fact that they are out to destroy us.” she pronounced.

“Are they so mad that Calion betrayed them that they would hold this kind of grudge?” wondered Hoshimi. “I've heard of taking a betrayal hard, but how many centauries have they been after you now?”

“It's more than the betrayal.” said Lipumira. “That alone is bad enough to make them want us dead. No, the real source of their passion for killing me is that I seek to not only stand against them, but to destroy them and their influence. Therefore, I must be destroyed by whatever means they can manage, at any cost.” she said. Silence followed that comment. Eventually, she spoke again. “So, do you grasp the situation better?” she asked the two.

“It's kind of like the universe is a car. The Star Map is a glitch in the car. The Mystic Ones own the car, and want the glitch fixed, so they get a mechanic - Calion - to fix the glitch. They give him a set of tools - you and your sisters - and sit back. Only, the mechanic decides he likes the car too much to give it back, and steals it.” murmured Gen. Hoshimi blinked.

“Gen, that is the most asinine explanation of this situation I have ever heard!” she stated incredulously. “You would think you could come up with something more profound than `the universe is a malfunctioning car, and the mechanic decided to steal it instead of fix it'! Any you're supposed to be descended from this Nomad Star Tribe group? You're pathetic, you know that?” she said, giggling as she finished. Gen shrugged.

“Hey, I thought it was pretty accurate, Hoshi-chan!” he protested. Hoshimi leaned over and kissed him.

“Well, I still love you,” she soothed him, “even if you are an idiot.” she added mirthfully. Gen grinned at her.

“Idiot, am I?” he asked her, catching her in his arms. “I'll show you `idiot', Hoshi-chan!” he threatened. Hoshimi licked her lips.

“I certainly hope so!” she purred.

-

Gen wiped his brow on his sleeve. “That's the last of them!” he called to Hoshimi, who was floating in the currently zero-G cargo room. In her hand was a small touch-hologram device loaded with the specifics of the cargo. Consulting the display, she nodded.

“Good. Looks like it is all accounted for.” she said. Gen nodded. Turning to the Gkrotli by the hatch that led to the supply tube currently linking Lipumira to his ship, he waved at the vaguely shrub-looking being.

“That's all of it.” he said. The trader rustled, and a moment later, a small card floated toward the human. Catching the card, Gen checked it over briefly before tossing it to Hoshimi, who inserted it into the device she held.

“Thank you!” she called. The greenish-brown-with-yellow colored being rustled again, and disappeared, the hatch shutting behind him. Gen tapped his toe against the wall and drifted to Hoshimi's side. Looking at the display on the hand terminal, he nodded, impressed.

“Good pay for babysitting some dirt.” he said. Hoshimi nodded.

“Guess not all species value the same things that we do.” she said. Just then, they heard Lipumira's voice.

“Activating gravity generators in five seconds.” she warned them. The two immediately dipped toward the floor. Just as their feet touched down, they felt the gravity take hold of them. Looking at each other, they shared a smile. “Merchant ship is clear, and we are going to warp.” said the unseen blonde. Currently, she was on the bridge, having been keeping a lookout while they exchanged the good for their pay. This had been the second time that Lipumira let them handle the contracting, planning and collection of a job all by themselves. Gen felt that showed that she finally considered them to be ready to be full partners with her. With nearly six months under their belt since their first exposure to alien dealings, they had thought themselves ready a long time ago, but Lipumira was the final say.

Feeling the familiar sense of being in warp, the two made their way out of the cargo area and toward the lounge, knowing that Lipumira would be there by the time they arrived. Since the blonde kept the ship at a half Earth-standard G while not exercising or carrying certain cargo, the two felt light on their feet, and easily jumped up decks rather than taking the lifts. Reaching the lounge, the two found Lipumira waiting for them, a tray with some drink on it in her hands.

“Congratulations on your second completed job.” she said warmly. Hoshimi and Gen took two of the drinks, dropping into seats side by side. Lipumira took the last drink for herself and sat on the other side of Gen. “I heard from a source that someone might have a clue on the location of another of the Star Maps pieces. The source said that an information broker on Tadu 4 in the Colasire system supposedly knows about an item that sounds just like a piece of our map.” she said. “We are in long-range high-speed warp for there right now.” she finished.

“Oh, I hope he knows something.” said Hoshimi. Since the first piece, they had not seen hide nor hair of another piece. Several leads like this one had failed to pan out, so she was cautiously optimistic that maybe this one would be a real lead. “Wouldn't it be nice to find them all before more than a few years pass?” she asked Gen, somewhat excited. “We could go back to Earth as heroes!” she added.

“Um, I don't know that I would get too excited just yet.” cautioned Lipumira. “It took me almost a hundred years to find out about Earth, then another three years to find the coordinates of the planet, and after that, it took another two years to learn what I needed to know about your planet to find you.”

“Oh, but with three of us working on this, shouldn't it be a little easier?” sighed Hoshimi. She did miss her home world, if not as much as she had feared she would. Having her boyfriend with her and becoming involved with Lipumira was a big part of why she wasn't stressing about returning to Earth, but she did still occasionally feel pangs of home sickness.

“Maybe, but I'm not sure that they would welcome us back with open arms, Hoshi-chan.” observed Gen. “I mean, Lipumira might not have blown up Tokyo, but I somehow doubt that anyone would like to see her hovering over them. For all we know, they might have decided that she and Daine are in it together.” he paused, another thought occurring to him. “We might be enemies of our world now too, Hoshi-chan.” he said softly. “I'm sure that several dozen people must have seen us get pulled up to the ship, and there was probably television coverage of it as well. Even if Tokyo was destroyed, the new channels probably fed it live to the whole planet.”

“There is a strong possibility that that is what happened.” agreed Lipumira. “It would not be the first time that I have been blamed for one of my sister's actions; nor would it be the first time that those that have come into contact with me become guilty of my sins.” Hoshimi frowned.

“So we can't go back?” she asked. Gen shrugged.

“We don't know that yet, Hoshi-chan.” he soothed her. “And anyway, we agreed to stay with Lipumira at least until the Mystic Ones are gone, right?” he asked her. She nodded.

“Right.” she agreed. “But how can you be so calm about it?”

“It's not like this is going to be happening any time soon, Hoshi-chan.” he pointed out. “And we really should be paying attention to the hunt.” he said.

“You're right, but I would like to let my parents know that I'm alive from time to time.” she said, sipping her drink.

“There are ways of getting messages to Earth without going ourselves.” noted Lipumira. “It's kind of expensive, but since we are operating from the shadows, you could afford it from time to time.” she suggested.

“Really? How do they do that?” wondered Gen. Hoshimi was curious as well.

“Generally, the…'post office', you could call it,” she began her explanation, “takes the message, then waits for a ship with a contract with them goes near the planet. Depending on the development of the planet, they either drop by and turn the message over to the nearest local authority, or - as with Earth - if the local beings are of a certain level of hostility, the message is dropped from either a disposable probe, or from a cloaked ship somewhere near the target.”

“What kind of messages would they carry?” asked Hoshimi. “Most of the tech I have seen here would be impossible for my parents to use.” she pointed out. Lipumira smiled.

“While a data crystal chip would be the most effective way, you could always write you message out in your native tongue and send it like you would a normal bit of correspondence, though I would urge you to use something a bit sturdier than the normal plant fiber sheets you tend to use.” she added. “A sheet of metallic ceramic would be my choice for the undertaking.”

“We can write to our families?” wonder the two, looking at each other.

“If you want.” said Lipumira. “If you seriously want to do so, you should include as much information as you can about delivery location, and bear in mind that the more exotic the means of sending a message, the better chance of it being confiscated by the local authorities.” The two humans slowly nodded. Much of the rest of that ship day was taken up in the two of them planning a means of sending a message to their parents.

Watching and listening to the two plan and decide on what to say, Lipumira reflected on the other thing the source had told her. Getting the information we need is likely to be difficult. Since he deals in information, we can't really afford to buy it, and he isn't know to have any real weak points. So, we will have to barter for it. The kind of things that people like him would trade for is likely to be…difficult. she thought. Accepting the situation, she began to make her own plans for how she would bargain for the information.

-

“Ready to go, Hoshimi?” asked Lipumira. The Earth girl nodded. Standing, the two made their way to the front entrance of the huge mansion that the information trader lived in. As they approached the doors, they saw the house manor servant waiting for them. Silently, he handed the blonde a small data chip.

“As agreed, we are departing now.” said the blonde. The servant nodded.

“The master asks you to reconsider his offer.” said the servant. Lipumira felt Hoshimi shiver next to her.

“No. We have what we came for.” said the blonde. The servant nodded.

“Very well. A taxi is waiting for you at the front gate. It will take you straight to the starport.” he said. Lipumira nodded.

“We are going home, Hoshimi.” she murmured to the dark-haired girl at her side. Together the two made for the main gate. When they got there, there was in fact a taxi waiting. Silently, the got in, and the taxi pulled away. For the entire hour long ride, the two said nothing, each thinking about the last week. When the taxi arrived, they stepped out, and practically before the doors closed, the taxi was gone. Moving to the space they had rented for their shuttle, they boarded the shuttle and got clearance to lift off.

It wasn't until they were departing the atmosphere that Hoshimi spoke. “Lipumira, I can't…I won't do anything like that again.” she whispered to the blonde. Lipumira nodded.

“Believe me, if there were any other way, I would have taken it, but it was that or nothing.” said the blonde. “I found it humiliating and degrading as well.” she offered. Hoshimi managed a smile.

“At least we had each other.” said the girl. The shuttle increased it's velocity as they made their way toward a smallish ring of orbiting planetary debris where the gleaming silver outer form of Lipumira waited for them, along with Gen.

Gen. thought Hoshimi, feeling a tightness in her throat. What about Gen? “Lipumira, what about Gen?” asked the girl, her voice a little weak. Lipumira sighed.

“I don't know about your species enough to know for sure, but I suspect that gender is more important than species in this matter.” said the blonde. “However, since you are the expert on him, I will abide by your choice in the matter.” said the blonde. For several minutes, Hoshimi wrestled with her conscious.

“We can't tell him.” she said at last. “At least, not what really happened.” she amended. God, how did I ever go along with it? she asked herself not for the first time.

“Very well.” agreed Lipumira. “But I would say one thing about that topic,” she continued after a momentary pause. “and that is that secrets can kill; especially in our situation.” she said.

“I know that!” snapped Hoshimi, her tone tortured. “But if we tell him what really happened…” she groaned. “I can't even say it to you, and you were there! How is he going to react to knowing that I…” she shook her head.

“That you did what you had to?” prompted Lipumira. A slight head shake from Hoshimi brought up another possibility for the living brain. “Or is it that you liked it?” she wondered. Hoshimi flinched badly.

“It's not that I liked it,” said Hoshimi, clenching her fists. “it's that I was able to like it at all.” she whispered. I shouldn't have been able to like it. she thought. The fact that she had even been able to find any pleasure in their agreement made her feel filthy. And that's not even to say how it makes me look to Gen. she thought miserably. Lipumira pursed her lips as she thought.

“Hoshimi,” she said a few minutes later, “I can't say that it doesn't matter. But I can say that you should consider it no different from doing laundry or cooking. Within the contexts of the situation, that is all it was, really.” she said. Hoshimi looked at Lipumira.

“But I'm steady with Gen!” she tried to explain. “I can't…do that with some other guy without cheating on Gen!”

“Territorial instinct.” murmured Lipumira. “Hoshimi, I know this is not what you want to hear, but your social rules of behavior have no bearing here. And I think that Gen can be made to understand. After all, is being with me not cheating on him as well?” she asked.

“Um, it's not like being with a girl is cheating on him.” offered Hoshimi weakly. “Besides, it's…different; between us, the rules are different.” she finished lamely.

“I see. Do you consider Gen to be cheating on you when he sleeps with me?” she asked easily. Hoshimi had to actually think about that for an instant.

“No, not really.” she said. “Like I said, it's different with you. But what we did was just…it was like I had sex with a stranger off the street!” she complained, feeling more dirty than before. “I need a bath.” she murmured.

“I see.” mused Lipumira. “Well, how about we just do this:” she suggested, “if he asks, we say that we had sex with each other, and not make a fuss about the details?”

“I….guess.” agreed Hoshimi. “We were always together when we…did it.” she admitted. Lipumira nodded.

“And if he asks, we just casually mention that he was there as well, and let it go at that.” she finished. Hoshimi cringed.

“Fine.” she sighed. Spotting Lipumira's outer hull, she swallowed hard. Whichever way it plays out, I still feel like a filthy slut. she thought bitterly. I swear, I'll make it up to him! she vowed. It took them another half hour to dock.