Captain Jette Jones, Star Ranger

Issue #21 – Fate of the Stars

By Callidus and connie k

All rights reserved. “Captain Jette Jones, Star Ranger” © 2021 All characters and stories are not to be reproduced in any form without the expressed written permission of the authors.

Captain Jette Jones and her allies clash with Suzerain Supreme Zeta and the powerful and mysterious Goddess of Darkness over the destiny of the galaxy.

Part four

The situation is grim for Jette Jones and her allies. Every move they make and everywhere they turn, the Goddess of Darkness has been one step ahead of them.  And as the battle for Te’ Sareez escalates, the fate of the entire galaxy hangs in the balance …

Lt. Kanivia Riesga knew this was all too easy. The two hulking Diamond Warriors had led her through the palace and up the grand staircase toward Queen Ana’s residence on Serpentarius without being stopped, without anyone questioning what they were doing.

The long, wide hallway was empty. The Warriors came to a stop, pushing Riesga roughly against the wall. They faced her. One of them pulled her rayvolver from her holster. He grinned, looked at his brother and they both began laughing again. The guard who had lost his tooth pushed Riesga down by the shoulder until she was kneeling before him. He untied the wrap around his waist and slid down the long codpiece underneath.

Uh-oh.

Riesga just stared at it. She heard a grunt above her as his thick, blue cock dangled freely before her face. Another grunt, louder. So this was the way it was going to be. His lazerblade still hung from his belt and Riesga could see out of the corner of her eye that the other Warrior had his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to strike if she didn’t do what they expected.

It didn’t look like she thought it would. It wasn’t ugly or misshapen or branded with jewels. It was perfectly smooth and a lighter shade of blue than his body. There was no head, just a long, unblemished shaft that danced before her eyes like a giant, blue cobra.

There was no choice to be made. She slowly wrapped her lips around it and began sucking.

His grunting turned to moaning as Riesga worked her magic. Within minutes he was fully erect and throbbing inside the warm wetness of her mouth. She had to fight the urge to gag as he pushed his member down her throat. She reached up and grabbed his left asscheek, forcing another moan as he drove his way ever deeper inside her. He began rocking, slowly at first then with more urgency. It tasted unusual, like she was sucking on the bark of a 10-inch tree limb. She squeezed his ass harder, digging in with her nails, and the first droplets of juice bathed her tongue. The Diamond Warrior spread his feet apart to better force his hips into the helpless female’s face.

He was about to cum. She pursed her lips and raked her teeth along his foreskin. Whatever it takes.

She pulled her head back when the blue cannon fired.

Riesga hopped up just as the white jism exploded against her cheek, ripping the lazerblade from his belt. In one motion, she swung it back toward his body cutting him deeply across the stomach.

Before the other Warrior could react, she swung again, the fiery red of the lazerblade slicing through his chest. With a mighty wail, he fell backward and collapsed.

She stepped away from them, noticing even in death that the first Diamond Warrior’s cock continued to spew out thick strands of his pearlescent cream.

Riesga looked down the hallway, left and right. No one had seen, no one had heard. She wiped the cum from her face and continued down the corridor. She reached a large set of double doors. She pulled the old-style handle and stepped quietly inside.

Evening was fast approaching so that the room was nearly dark except for the thin red line out the window as the twin suns of Te’ Sareez disappeared on the horizon. Although it was quiet, Riesga thought she could hear movement, faintly, from each corner of the room. As her eyes adjusted, she realized she was the queen’s boudoir.

“Hello, Kanivia,” a voice said from the shadows.

Riesga knew the voice, even the tone.  But what emerged from the darkness she could hardly recognize. Queen Ana stepped gracefully into the half-light, her body almost slithering. Two yellow eyes pierced the night and Riesga’s head leaned back slightly, recoiling at their dominance.

“I am a firm believer in fate, Kanivia. This is yours.”

“Ana …” There was desperation in Riesga’s voice. She pled with her arms. “I’m here to get you out. To safety. Whatever you think is going on here, believe me it’s not true. Your people may not know it, but they are at war.”

“Your war is already over, Kanivia.”  Riesga forced her eyes downward, then back up. Ana’s face was the same, but her body was longer, thinner.  And green. The odd lines and contours of her face were not from makeup. “Come to me, share with me what has been unspoken between us.”

Bony arms and fingers reached out to her. Riesga retreated a step.

“No. Princess Ana, who saved my life on the space station, she would understand [See issue #4 – C&C]. Don’t you see what you’re turning into?”

“I am fulfilling the prophecy. In the caves of Shahmarana, where Zeta called up the Goddess of Darkness to take her rightful place alongside the Seven Suzerains. And I am the queen of Serpentarius, as I was always fated to be.”

“You still serve beneath Zeta, Ana.” Ana twisted away abruptly, elongating her body even more. It was unnatural. Riesga realized in that moment that the Ana she knew would never be the same. “That is not your destiny.”

Instead of turning back, Ana continued to twist all the way around until she faced Riesga again.  Her body looked like the ropelike mass of cordons from a vine tree.

“I love my sister,” she replied honestly. “Nothing would make me happier than for her to do as she pleases.”

Riesga could sense the slinking sounds closing in around her. She quickly looked from side to side, but her eyes were drawn back to Ana’s.

“I once made you an offer, Kanivia. Be my general and serve at my side.  I make that offer to you again. Join with me. And no harm will ever come to you.”

Riesga blinked hard, her face tensed. “You better take a look in the mirror, Ana. The daughter of Zarkana is unrecognizable. What would she think about what you have become?”

Riesga was hoping for a reaction but got none.

“Enough of this!” boomed a deep, feminine voice. “We are wasting precious time.”

Riesga was horrified by what she saw. A creature – more snake than woman – stood before her, with a tail so long Riesga could not see where it ended.

“If this little thing does not agree willingly, then I shall take her as my own. And serve my wishes. As my slave.”

“Ana! Get behind me!” Riesga shouted, raising the lazerblade. The shock of seeing the creature was like a slap in the face.

Ana stepped forward with a long stride. “Kanivia, don’t be foolish!” There was surprising pleading in her voice. “The Snake Queen will make you her slave! Be with me! And I will make you a general.”

“Who is the real queen here, Ana? Is it you or that creature? Tell her! Tell her you are the Queen of Serpentarius! Tell her that you rule this ground!”

Riesga couldn’t read the look Ana gave the creature. The queen fell silent and bowed her head slowly.

Immediately, dozens of large, muscular snakes emerged from the shadows, ringing the room. Riesga’s path to the door was blocked.

A realization hit Riesga like a thunderbolt. The one piece of the puzzle she had not anticipated.

“Asther Neer.  You’re Asther Neer! Or were. I don’t know what you’d call what you are now. I know all about you. I read the texts.”

Hissing seemed to come from all over the room, but the sound died before the creature. “I was,” it said. “Nineteen years ago. But Asther Neer is dead and I have been reborn.”

“You hear that, Ana!” Riesga’s shouting was urgent. “Asther Neer is dead. Zeta did this! She is the queen of Serpentarius. You are the slave.”

Ana’s bowed head rose, the yellow eyes softer. Ana stepped between Riesga and the creature. “Asther, please, spare her. I will ask nothing more of you.”

“Silence!”

The legless creature slid its serpentine body away from Ana to face Riesga again.  “I will take what I want. I control the snakes just as I control you, my long ago friend. I rule this domain, Ana. This little thing will be transformed, just as you have been.”

Yellow eyes grew dark – from yellow to green then blue, while circles of green formed along the edges. The circles began pulsating.

“Look into my eyes, helpless one.”

A lithe figure in black emerged from the crisply trimmed topiary and sprinted to the base of a towering spire on the West side of the royal palace of Serpens Soma. Midshipman Sewena Carpenter held up the gas-propelled pistol Elexa had given her, already loaded with the grappling hook. She took aim and squeezed the trigger. The grappling hook shot out with a percussive hiss, sailing high and dragging a climbing rope behind.

The hook disappeared over the railing that ringed the tower at its peak. Carpenter tested the cable then quickly looped it through two small winch devices attached to her belt at the hips. The motors began turning and Carpenter was launched up the side of the tower.

Carpenter pulled herself over the railing and onto a rooftop patio. She moved to a transparent door, then held out her hand comp to the control plate. The unlock software Elexa had provided worked through the most likely code combinations to open the door. It flashed once and the hatch swished open. Carpenter ducked inside.

She looked cautiously behind her. She got the distinct feeling someone was behind her. But there was no evidence of that.

She made her way down a bright hallway. She rounded a corner and found two female, Soman guards looking directly away from her. She quickly backed up and hugged the corner. The guards had been idly standing watch at a security checkpoint up at the next intersection of hallways.

Carpenter checked her hand comp. There were a dozen such checkpoints throughout the palace forming a tight perimeter between the more public areas of the mansion and the living estate at the center.

Carpenter reached into a pouch on her belt and removed two small metal orbs. She gently set them on the ground and they suddenly sprang to life, rolling in a tight circle around each other. She pushed her finger across the screen of her hand comp in a gentle left-hand arc. In response, the two orbs glided across the marble floor, rolled around the corner and toward the checkpoint.

The two women were oblivious to the balls slowly rolling across the floor toward them. When the orbs reached the hallway junction Carpenter tapped a small icon on her display and the balls began to slowly dispense smoke. She tapped another button and selected a “burnt food” scent to mix in.

She steered the orbs right and the remote controlled smoke bombs rolled away from the checkpoint and down another hallway, leaving a trail of smoke and smell in their wake.

One of the women said, “What’s that?”

“Food, I think. It’s gone wrong whatever it is.”

“Yeah, but that’s close. Either in there or— look, smoke!”

“Woah, that’s a lot. You better call it in.”

“Orchid station to command, this is DuVale and Pimmlin, we have smoke in a nearby hallway. Possible fire.”

“No fire detected at that location, Orchid.”

“Copy, we’re going to investigate.”

“Roger, sending a replacement unit to your location.”

Carpenter waited until their footsteps had faded. Then she rushed to the intersection and stopped just long enough to let her hand comp scramble the sensors. Once the screen flashed in the affirmative, she moved deeper into the royal estate.

There was soft music up ahead of her, droning and indistinct. She carefully picked her way down a dim corridor filled with luxurious wooden furniture and thick rugs. There was light at the far end where the hallway opened onto a mezzanine.

Carpenter crept to the railing and looked down. The room below was a large, circular event space. She estimated 40 to 50 people were sauntering about in a tranquil fashion. It was some sort of art showing. The single, round wall was filled with numerous works, many of them animated. The interior of the room was packed with similar flickering multi-colored holo displays of art that hung in midair.

Her eyes fixed on a door on the north side of the room that led deeper into the palace, toward the executive suites. That’s where Queen Kalokairi would be. But there’d be no way to reach it without being seen. She’d have to hide in plain sight.

She scanned her hand comp’s map and saw a small coat closet just outside the entrance to the gallery below. She smiled at her good fortune and made for the stairs.

Carpenter emerged from the coat closet and adjusted the garments she’d stolen. The day-to-day semi-formal wear for most Soman women consisted of a body suit with sash and a cloak for weather. Carpenter had found a floral-print sash that concealed her utility belt and its myriad gadgets. Then she’d selected a cream-colored cloak that hid her holstered weapons.

She entered the circular event space.

The crowd was even more sedate up close. The patrons were still and silent, basking in the soft glowing art and meditative music. She moved across the room to the north door. It didn’t open as she approached but the unlocking software would have that sorted out quickly. She stood nearby, pretending to examine an abstract piece that shifted and shimmered with a colorful animated effect.

As she waited, Carpenter realized that the crowd was oddly silent. They appeared to be drugged, devoid of any emotion or awareness. What’s happened to them? The only sound was of gentle, throbbing muzak. Then the door clicked. She looked down and realized that it wasn’t Elexa’s software. Someone was opening the door from the other side.

Two women entered the room, one tall and one short. They stood just several steps away from Carpenter but, thankfully, paid her no attention. She stayed still and kept up the pretense of examining the artwork as they spoke quietly.

“Think they’ve had enough?”

“I reckon, yes.”

“Then we should get them started, she doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

“Her… appetite has been stronger lately.”

“Keep that to yourself. Probably wind up with this lot if they hear you.”

“Reckon you’re right.”

“Follow me this way,” The taller woman called out to the crowd. Without a word, the entire room began shuffling toward her.

Carpenter’s eyes narrowed. This seemed odd but maybe the group was on some sort of schedule? Whatever the reason, it played into Carpenter’s plan as the two women led them through the north door.

Carpenter let a few people get ahead of her and then joined the procession. She shuffled along at the same sleepwalker’s pace as they were led out of the art gallery and into a dark hallway.

Meanwhile, on Serpens Caput, the unholy union of mind and body between Star Ranger Jette Jones and the renegade Primon known as the Goddess of Darkness is almost complete …

Jette’s body shook. It was being invaded by a powerful force which began to fill every crevasse of her mind and body.

“One final step, Jette,” the Goddess of Darkness said, her presence so sharp in Jette’s tortured mind she felt as if it were being split in two.  “Accept me. And we shall be one.”

Jette’s awareness was not on the changes overtaking her, but was instead focused solely on the sensations between her legs.  Her plump, weeping vulva was coaxing another massive orgasm. It was perverted and raw, and she was being consumed by it, swimming in it. Nothing else mattered.

“Do you accept me?”

Jette answered from somewhere broken and carnal in the depths of her mind.

“Yesssss!”

Jette’s soul, her essence, was being overwhelmed, swallowed up by a vast Darkness. And power. So much power. She breathed in deeply, filling her lungs with an inky blackness that spanned eternity itself. Touching billions of minds, a trillion thoughts. She was everywhere. The shell of her old existence expanding and reforming into a new, almighty being. She pressed into the emerging form of the renegade Primon, the scent of her femininity covering her like a Sapphic kiss. They were becoming one.

Alive. And immortal!

Crash! Boom!

Jette felt herself flying through the air! She was released from the tight grip of the strange power that was devouring her. There was a shocking, sudden emptiness. The orgasm that would have sealed her inside the Darkness forever died away. So empty. So alone.

There was another shuddering explosion and Jette felt small and weak. Her body collapsed to the floor, powerless.

A large beam from the ceiling of the throne room toppled at her feet. Pillars crashed into a thousand pieces. Gray smoke filled the room. And a voice – terrifying in its rage …

“Zetaaaaaaa!”

The two Caputian rebels stood on a rock outcropping that jutted out from the mountainside like the prow of a ship. The forest below them, at the base of Arrow Mountain, was where the enemy had surrounded their force and cut off nearly all means of escape.

“What is she doing?” The young man looked on with blunt disapproval.

Leezah, one of Queen Diamanti’s most trusted officers, followed his gaze to where the Vicar of Yasu sat in meditation. “I’m not sure.“

“This is ridiculous!” he huffed loudly. “We’re completely surrounded. The ground troops aren’t even moving to engage us. Probably just waiting for their air fighters to come in and bomb us right off the mountain.”

“No.”

K’wari stood and smoothed her crimson robes as she walked toward them. “They want us alive. Just like the prisoners in the chrome helmets we saw marching out of the hangar this afternoon. They’ve been content to wait until now. But that’s about to change.” She looked to Leezah. “Get our people ready to move. And let them know the enemy will be on us soon.”

There was a distant explosion. Then another. Leeza stepped toward the sound.  “The palace?”

“What’s happened?” the male soldier said excitedly. “Is help coming?”

K’wari smiled. “They’re already here.” She looked skyward and Leezah and the sergeant followed her eyes. Above them a ring of fire was burning in the sky. The orange glow illuminated the hull of an enormous star cruiser that had the bulbous flowing lines of a sea creature. The ship was entering the atmosphere directly over the mountain.

Leezah used a signal light to quickly beam K’wari’s orders to the other units.

K’wari’s gaze was focused on the ship. The glow faded as it completed entry and continued its descent.

“Don’t despair, sergeant. For this day the Vicars of Yasu stand with you.”

“Yes, commander.” He regarded her with a different look in his eye. “I’m sorry.”

K’wari shook her head. “It’s all right. Truthfully, it was a very long shot, mind-speaking to them out in space.”

His eyes went wide. “You can do that?”

“I’m learning to. But thankfully my friend is becoming a very good listener.”

“What’s that?” Leezah pointed as the ship slowed to a halt just a few hundred meters above them. It parked atop the mountain like some incredible sculpture. A large panel in the bottom of the ship slid open. Silhouetted against the interior lights stood a lone figure.

“Here we go.”

The figure suddenly leaped forward and plummeted toward the ground. As they drew closer it was plain that they wore only billowing crimson robes, no flight or glide pack of any kind.

“Holy bork!” shouted the young sergeant, one hand covering his gaping mouth.

“Commander?”

Suddenly a column of white light beamed down from the bottom of the ship, with the falling figure directly in its center. They slowed rapidly until their descent was a gentle glide.

“C’mon!” K’wari rushed to the area of empty ground where the pillar of light was being projected. The Vicar who dove from the cargo bay continued slowing as they drew closer. “That was quite an entrance!” K’wari shouted to a familiar, smiling face.

“Greetings, sister.” Odell winked as her feet touched the rocky ground and she stepped out of the gravity beam. “The Resolute is standing by to effect emergency rescue operations.” She gestured toward the gravity beam. “I think we could safely take 15 or 16 people at a time. Say, 30 seconds apart?”

K’wari turned to her aide. “Leezah, begin pulling our people back by squads. Whoever is closest to the enemy forces goes first.”

Leezah looked to the young man. “You heard the order sergeant, now pass the word!”
He raced off, calling, “Yes ma’am!” over his shoulder.

Just then artillery bolts began streaking up past them from the forest below. The shots were easily dissipated by the thick armor of the Vicars’ craft.

Odell watched the volley. “They clearly aren’t happy with our arrival.”

Leezah nodded. “It’s going to get very sketchy when we’re down to the last few units. Their ground forces will push hard.”

“Well then …” Odell pulled her rayff from her belt and clicked a hidden button. The chrome tube telescoped open to a meter-long staff. “We‘ll just have to push back.”

The Snake Queen slithered seductively toward Riesga. She opened her fanged mouth wide – a spray of venom shot out of the creature’s mouth before Riesga could shut her eyes.  The poison had gotten into her eyes and mouth. Her head went numb. She couldn’t feel her tongue. Her mouth dropped open as every muscle in her body went limp. The lazerblade clanged on the floor, but its sound was like a faint echo in her ears.

Everything was out of focus when she opened her eyes weakly.  Fuzzy.  There were colors in front of her, swirling and undefined before her venom-soaked gaze. The colors were like two blurry balls whirling and twirling. Green then blue then green then blue tunneling toward the black center.  Riesga was drawn into them as if their black centers were black holes.

“Ssssssssooo ssssssleeeeepy,” Asther cooed. “Sssssssoooo relaxxxxxxed. So trusssssssssting.  Look deeper, little thing.”

“N-n-n …” Riesga found it within herself to turn her head. “Ana …. save me.”

The creature’s long tail wrapped around her arms, then coiled around her hips, her legs.  She was gently lifted off the ground and pulled deliciously close to those eyes. So close they nearly touched.

“Soooo sleepy, little thing. Keep your eyes on mine while your body sleeps. Yessss. Now your mind.  Let your mind go to sssleeep.”

Riesga felt a tug on her pants, her tunic pulled up over her pert breasts. The 20-foot-long tail began to vibrate softly on her skin, like a warm, soothing blanket.  Her numb body was asleep.  She scarcely noticed her mind falling asleep as well.

“Are you asleep, little thing?”

“Yes,” Riesga whispered weakly. The creature tore the bra off her body and fondled her breasts with her small, clawed hands. Her nipples were plucked.

“Good. You and I are going on a journey together. Deeeep into your mind.” A thick, forked tongue licked Riesga across her lips, but she barely noticed. “And when you awaken from the deeeep sleeeep, you will be with Ana. As my children. My snakelets. My slaves.

“Now. You will tell me all you know. Of the invasion. Of your plans. And of Jette Jones.”

Carpenter was at the rear of the column as the group moved around a corner and turned west. Ahead, she saw the two women standing in the hallway facing them.

“Men take the right door. Women take the left,” the taller woman called out. “Then take a seat.”

Carpenter frowned. What was going on here? Why was this whole group of people silently following the woman’s instructions? And why were they being split up? She decided it was time to make her exit and ducked back around the corner and waited for the hall to clear.

The mass of bodies split down the middle and slowly siphoned out of the hallway into the two side chambers. The taller woman followed the women into the left chamber, the shorter trailed after the men into the right.

Suddenly the hand comp on Carpenter’s wrist pulsed erratically, indicating it had detected movement behind her! She spun around brandishing the gas-pistol.

Ever since Elexa had dropped her off, Carpenter felt like she was being followed. But there was nothing there. She checked the display. The unit thought something had been moving in the hallway behind her. Yet even in the dim light, she could see only shadows.

She shook her head and turned back and found the two women emerging from the side chambers. They marched down the corridor, away from Carpenter and disappeared around an intersection up ahead. She moved down the hallway after them. The pair had gone to the right, she went left. Listening intently, she stepped cautiously forward then stopped in her tracks. Someone was coming.

Blast!

If she took the right hallway, she might very well run into the two women who’d just departed. She had to double back. Carpenter raced back down the corridor and stopped at the two side chambers the art patrons had been led to. If she hid out inside she could wait for these newcomers to pass by and then emerge behind them and get going again.

Figuring she’d blend in easier with the women, Carpenter opened the left door and slipped inside.

Carpenter was in a circular room, once again. The chamber was filled with dancing multi-colored lights and deep, throbbing bass music. She took a few steps forward and stumbled, quickly catching herself on the wall. The sound was strangely disorienting. The bass notes were so powerful she felt like she were wading through hip-deep water.

There was a wide circular path that went left and right and seemed to follow the full circumference of the chamber. Within this ring was a series of open, narrow alcoves that ran from floor to ceiling.

Each stall had panels on the left and right that provided privacy from its neighbors. Each private recess held some strange steel contraption of padded armatures that almost resembled exercise equipment. Each of the contraptions held a woman, her body bent slightly forward and facing the center of the room.

Carpenter stepped forward cautiously and held up a hand to shield her eyes from the bright kaleidoscope flashing from within each of the alcoves. They were all in exact, perfect synchronization.

Before she had a chance to do more, her hand comp vibrated erratically. She turned just in time to see the hatch sliding up and revealing two pairs of legs on the other side. Carpenter rushed forward and out of sight, moving into the left leg of the circular path that ringed the chamber. She quickly made her way to the far side of room, praying there would be another door leading out.

Which, of course, there wasn’t.

Carpenter seethed in frustration, knowing she had a handful of seconds to form a plan. She had her gas-pistols and stun darts. But there were two intruders and if they each converged on her from opposite sides she’d have a tough time shooting in two directions at once.

She glanced to her right and noticed there were several empty alcoves nearby. She chewed her lip, weighing the risk, then she dove into the closest empty stall. She’d have to hide in plain sight again.

Carpenter scrambled around the steel frame and pushed herself backward and up onto the small contoured seat. There were open hoops in the armatures waiting for arms and legs.

She tried to listen over the throbbing sounds for approaching footsteps. There was heavy breathing, gasps and moaning — decidedly sexual moaning — from her neighbors to the left and right.

This was some sort of pleasure parlor! And the contraptions must be foreplay machines. What kind of art exhibition was this?!

Just then, she spotted movement. There was a circular display mounted to the inner wall of the alcove and the sheen reflected just enough that she could see the shape of two women walk past her. Guards, no doubt, doing their rounds. Making sure all was in order. Making sure all the fully clothed women patrons were … properly pleasured? One of the guards ducked her head into the alcove.

Carpenter quickly squeezed her ankles and calves into the lower hoops on the chair which left her legs slightly spread and bent at the knees. Her wrists and biceps went through the other set which held her arms forward and slightly down, comfortably bent at the elbows. In fact, her whole body was surprisingly comfortable in this pose.

The guard barely looked at her before continuing on. Carpenter started to get out of the chair when the steel hoops began closing.  She pulled at her arms and legs but they held fast. She was now trapped within the steel armature!

Okay. Don’t panic. You’ve got unlocking software and the hand comp responds to voice commands. You’ve got this.

“Computer activate unlock— woah!”

Suddenly her body surged in the steel bonds as a pulse of sound exploded within the alcove and drove straight into her body. Into several very specific, very sensitive parts of her body. The vibration surged in her chest, squeezing her breasts and shaking her stiffening nipples. Her whole body below the waist convulsed as a pulse of pure pleasure rang through her loins and left a delicious ache behind.

She caught her breath and opened her mouth to try again when another pleasure pulse hit her. Twice as strong this time. She groaned and flexed hard in the unbending steel frame as raw, erotic heat surged through her whole body.

“Computer! Activate— OH GODSSSssss!”

Another wave and she felt as if she might orgasm! She had to get out, she couldn’t sit here! She tugged with her arms until they hurt from the pressure of the rings.

Another pulse. This time at the base of her skull. The sound pushed into her head and scrambled her thoughts. Her eyes crossed as her body spasmed in the bonds. She had to… had to… do something. What had she been trying to do?

Before she could clear her thoughts another surge. A pair of them above and below the neck. Her mind switched off while her body was decidedly switched on. When her eyes rolled down from inside her skull, the screen in front of her was waiting with its mesmerizing swirls of light and color.

Carpenter hung lose in the foreplay machine and watched, hardly blinking. Then a voice echoed through the room, bouncing off every surface and booming through her simmering brain. “It is an honor to be selected for Ryaki’s harem.”

Carpenter vaguely remembered the name from her mission brief. Ryaki, executive councilor to Queen Kalokairi. “It is a pleasure to offer my body to Ryaki as a concubine.”

Ryaki had been turned by the enemy months ago. Her whereabouts in the time since had been … the thought fizzled as another near-orgasm wracked Carpenter’s body and mind.

“I will obey Ryaki in all things and feel the same pleasure I feel now.”

Carpenter gritted her teeth as the words pushed themselves into her mind. There was no way to fight it. No way to stop listening or watching. No way to escape the slavemaker she was strapped into.

The first climax took her.

Zeta pushed aside the broken body of the Diamond Warrior blocking the splintered doors to the throne room. The palace had taken a series of direct hits from the Roosevelt, turning the upper levels of the palace to rubble.

Stepping inside, she saw there was little left of the Goddess of Darkness’ nightmarish throne. Zeta scanned the room desperately, walking carefully through the debris. There was movement under one of the fallen banners which had hung from the ceiling. Pulling it away, she found Jette, breathing heavily, her body glistening with sweat and dust.

Jette’s eyes popped open. They were wild, feral. Her breathing was more like panting, as if she were a Vark hound in heat.

“Jette,” Zeta said, nudging with her foot. “Jette!”

Jette looked up at her. She appeared not to recognize her, then she began cackling. Low at first, it began to pitch higher and louder, maniacally.

“Oh, dear.”

Zeta tugged Jette’s arm to get her to stand. “Come on, Captain, time to go.” Jette’s naked, quivering body leaned into Zeta. She quickly snatched up Jette’s uniform and boots and slammed them to her chest. “Hold these.”

She pulled Jette along until they were in the hallway. She tried to get Jette to dress herself, but the Star Ranger’s head twisted from side to side like a stubborn brat child.

“The things I do for you,” she said under her breath as she hiked up Jette’s pants.

“Incoming!” the navigation officer called out, pointing toward the floor-to-ceiling view pane that looked out into space. A pair of single-seat fighters streaked toward the bridge of the Mary Victor Bruce. Their wingtips flashed with purple bursts as laser fire pelted the transparent section of hull. The helm and navigation officers sat closest to the viewer and their extensive training was evident as they both stayed calm while the energy blasts sparked harmlessly off the surface just a few meters from where they sat.

A moment later both ships exploded as a gleaming, silver Star Ranger ship rocketed past. Their fiery wreckage flew out of sight and the view pane once again framed the battle taking place 1,000 kilometers away. Tiny flashes of weapons fire shown from within the large cloud of vessels punctuated by an occasional explosion that silhouetted the larger gunships.

Rear Admiral Hartley stood at her tactical display table and watched as the holo field showed her fleet moving across the Te’ Sareez system. The current orbit cycle had all four planets in the eastern hemisphere of the system.

“Report.”

“Alpha group reports heavy resistance at Serpens Kauda,” her tactical officer said from the opposite side of the table. He pointed to a group of triangles and hexagons around the closest planet to the binary stars at the center of the system. “They’ve launched every ship they have to counter us. Except one that broke away and moved toward the outer planets.”

Hartley glanced over the holo display and found the vessel, represented by a small orange triangle that was nearing the third planet.

“A Kaudan ship, Sir. We think it’s Queen Glamora’s personal yacht.”

“Have Alpha group make every effort to secure a peaceful surrender from Kauda but keep the pressure on. We can’t break off for one ship. Even Glamora’s.”

The officer nodded and relayed her orders.

“What about Beta group?”

He pointed to the second planet and a ring of hexagons that had encircled it. “Serpens Soma has deployed their destroyers and corvettes in a defense blockade. We’ve been probing them from a distance but it’s a bit of a stalemate right now.”

Hartley nodded. “If our intel source is right about Soma having a powerful satellite weapons system then we might have to settle for containing them. We can’t afford to lose the bulk of our attack force this early. Tell Commodore Sheen to proceed as she sees fit.”

“Aye, Sir.” He tapped at his tablet and spoke quietly into his headset. He pointed to the third planet. “What about Serpens Caput?”

Hartley shook her head. “Our Vicar allies and the Roosevelt are handling that. Their reports indicate the Diamond Warriors are holding a large rebel group hostage. That’s going to require more precision than an attack fleet can muster.”

“So we’re …”

She nodded. “Yes. The remainder of the fleet is to stay on course to intercept The Orca.”

They stared in silence at the titanic holographic diamond-shaped craft which sat between Serpens Caput and the fourth planet, Serpentarius.

Hartley’s voice was tight. “Either we stop that vessel here and now or not at all.”

“Move, move!” Leezah shouted.

The squad of rebels raced from the tree line, their boots kicking up gravel as they made for the gravity beam. Once all 14 soldiers were within the white column of light, they began to float upward, gaining speed as they ascended to the cargo bay of the enormous spacecraft floating just above the mountain.

“Who’s left?” K’wari asked calmly.

“Fox Squad. They’re the last.” Leezah checked her hand comp. “They should be here in another 30 seconds or so.”

“Very well.” K’wari removed a black hand comp from her robes. It bore the golden, twin suns symbol of Serpens Caput. She pressed the device into Leezah’s hands. “You are now in command of the rebellion. This is already keyed for your access. Everything you need to know is on there.”

“I don’t understand. W-what are you doing?”

“Yeah, what she said.” Odell’s eyes narrowed. “We’re all getting out of here together.”

K’wari shook her head. “No. I have to meet someone.”

“K’wari, you can’t do this!” Odell’s face was a mix of fear and anger.

Before anyone else could speak, the last group of rebel soldiers burst out of the tree line and rushed toward them. The last two in the group were blind firing over their shoulders at something behind them. A heartbeat later, Diamond Warriors emerged from the trees with Black Widdom soldiers leading them.

“No time to argue.” K’wari clicked open her own rayff. “Leezah, get them aboard safely. And thank you for your guidance.”

Leezah waited until Fox Squad was safely within the gravity beam. She nodded stiffly and stepped inside. The last unit of rebel soldiers began to float upwards to safety.

The Diamond Warriors opened fire, their blaster bolts following the squad as they ascended, trying to shoot them out of the air. But the grav beam’s power was far greater and their shots bent around the rebels harmlessly.

The blue-skinned fighters drew their lazerblades and raced forward, trying to follow the escaping rebels. But they had to get through K’wari and Odell first.

The Vicars stood side by side as the first wave of Diamond Warriors rushed them. The glowing purple edges of steel blades clashed with the chrome rayffs. K’wari and Odell spun their staffs in quick, sharp arcs, striking back.

In a moment the skirmish was over and the only two beings left standing wore crimson robes. K’wari looked up and saw Leezah and the others step out of the top of the gravity beam and safely into the cargo bay of the Resolute.

She turned to Odell and nodded toward the beam. “Your turn. Go.”

Odell shook her head. “K’wari … this is … madness.”

K’wari smiled. “The Journey leads where it leads.”

They both turned at a commotion in the trees. A formidable looking Black Widdom stepped forward. She held a thick chain in one hand as she strode into the clearing. The chain was attached to a large steel collar worn by a humanoid woman in black armor. The Black Widdom commander marched toward them.

Odell spotted Flock and nodded gravely. “Oh. I see.”

K’wari shrugged. “I have to.”

Odell closed her rayff and returned it to her belt. Five Black Widdom slowly moved into a circle around them. She stepped inside the gravity beam and pressed her hand comp. The white pillar of light retracted up, taking Odell with it. “Live well, K’wari.”

”Goodbye, Odell.”

K’wari watched her ascent, then turned to face the enemy. The imposing commander stepped forward and glared down at her. K’wari was unfazed as she collapsed her rayff. “I am K’wari, Vicar of Yasu and commander of the rebel forces on Serpens Caput. I surrender.” She held her chrome staff out, offering it freely.

“Araneae. Supreme commander of the Black Widdom. I accept.” She took the rayff from K’wari and looked it over while two of her soldiers shackled K’wari’s wrists and placed a steel collar around her neck.

K’wari looked to Flock but her former shipmate, and lover, would not return her stare. Flock’s eyes were locked forward as if she saw nothing at all.

Araneae passed the rayff to Flock with barely a glance. She turned to her sub commander. “Get me a gunship to transport her.”

The other Black Widdom cleared her throat, awkwardly. “C-commander, all of our battle-ready ships are already engaged.”

Araneae hissed angrily. “Then get me someone else to transport this prisoner. I don’t care who. I want her onboard Goddess’ ship immediately!”

“Yes commander! I’ll find a ship at once.”

“Come pet.” Araneae yanked the chain and pulled Flock by the neck as she marched away.

Flock’s eyes cast downward as she obeyed.

Hartley gripped the arms of her command chair and stared through the forward viewport at the gargantuan ship. The vessel’s two triangular wings sloped down and away from the slender diamond of its central hull. It looked like some fearsome beast, ready to pounce.

“Time to intercept?”

“Target will be in weapons range in 53 seconds, Admiral.”

“Their shields?”

Her tactical officer checked his instruments. “Still down. We are reading a power surge. They could be arming weapons. Perhaps they can’t power shields and weapons at the same time?”

“Pray we get that lucky.” Hartley muttered to herself. Then she called out: “All fleet vessels are directed to engage and concentrate fire according to attack pattern Hartley-one.”

“Aye, Sir, all fleet vessels acknowledge.”

Hartley rocked forward and back slightly, talking to herself again. “If we could just give them a swift, hard kick.”

“Admiral, look!” a voice shouted.

Orca was moving. The two triangular wings raising up into a parallel orientation with its central hull. “Are they readying an attack?” she called over her shoulder to the tactical officer.

“Uh … I’m not sure. The vessel is changing its configuration. Also its orientation. They’re rotating on their X-axis.”

Orca was slowly spinning, the nose of ship rotating up.

“Showing us their belly,” Hartley murmured. “But why?”

“Power levels spiking, Sir!”

“Weapons range?”

“Still another 17 seconds!”

“All hands, all ships, brace and stand ready!” She pulled the chair’s shoulder belts around her body and latched them into place.

Her tactical officer pointed to the view pane. “Sir look! It’s … glowing.”

All eyes on the bridge were fixed forward as a strange green light appeared on the bottom of the enormous diamond-shaped craft. It flared in the center of the hull and then radiated outward toward the tips of its two wings. Then, the emerald ring of light surged forward through space directly at the Star Ranger fleet.

Hartley’s eyes narrowed. “Report!”

The tactical officer’s hands raced over his console. “Unknown energy wave on intercept course. Time to impact is … now!”

Suddenly the entire capital ship trembled and low, throbbing sound passed through the hull.

“Look!” someone shouted. The green ring of energy was inside the bridge. The emerald light dancing over every surface as if a circle of laser light was sweeping through the room from fore to aft.

Hartley gasped as she felt it pass through her body. She watched as it traveled to the rear of the bridge and disappeared through the bulk head. There was a stunned silence. She worked her mouth trying to form words. “All s-ships, s-stop.”

“All ships stop, acknowledged.”

Hartley shook her head. “R-report.”

The tactical officer shook his head, trying to gather his thoughts. “Uh … I’m not sure, Admiral. The energy wave engulfed the ship. All our ships, in fact. No damage reported.”

“What the hell just happened?” Hartley spun her chair back toward the view pane. Another wave was already on top of them. “Incoming!”

It passed through the ship and each person on board. Hartley felt the wave pass through her again. It was utterly unnerving. She leaned back in her chair, relaxing into the cushions.

“It looks bigger. Tactical, is it moving toward us?”

“Um … n-negative, Sir.”

“Then why is it … getting bigger?”

The tactical officer made a strange noise. “Because we’re moving toward it.”

“Helm, report! I ordered all stop.”

The helm officer didn’t reply. Hartley could see the woman’s hands moving on the controls.

“Helm, what’s going on?” No reply. Hartley unbuckled herself and moved to the helm console on shaky legs. “Rudao? What are you doing? Stop the ship.”

“T-trying. C-can’t stop myself.” The woman’s voice was quiet and tense. She sounded like she was talking in her sleep. Hartley looked out the viewer and realized that all the other ships were doing the same. Moving toward the gigantic enemy vessel.

Another green wave engulfed the bridge and Hartley dropped to one knee. She shook her head and struggled to her feet. “What’s going on? Tactical?” There was no answer. She turned and found her tactical officer in his chair, staring silently at the viewing screen.

Orca was sending dozens of the emerald rings of energy at them. One wave after another, over and over. It was like staring into a tunnel of glowing rings. One after another. Passing through the ship and everyone on board as they moved deeper and deeper into the tunnel of light.

It was beautiful. Mesmerizing.

Hartley squeezed her eyes shut and turned back, struggling to walk to her command chair. She flopped into it and punched at the console built into the arm. “Got to… override. Gotta find… the…” Her voice trailed off as another energy wave melted her thoughts. “Noooooo!” She gasped softly as he watched her own hands drop limply to her sides.

She looked up and the rings of glowing color poured into her, engulfing her ship, her crew and her mind. All their minds. All their minds trapped within the pulsing waves swelling them.

“We’ve … got to … do something.” She sunk into the chair, her eyes growing wide as her mouth dropped open. On the belly of Orca, dead ahead, a huge circular maw irised open revealing a vast docking bay. Hartley whimpered as the entire Star Ranger fleet moved forward into the belly of the beast.

A solitary tear rolled down her cheek as her will collapsed. “We must … go to Her. We must … give in to Her.”

One by one, the Star Ranger ships drifted inside. The maw closed, swallowing the entire fleet.

Zeta’s saucer-shaped ship was still heavily guarded as she dragged Jette along. She could hear distant bombs and see white puffs of smoke against the dark purple evening sky. She heard the flutter of wings and turned.

Theraphosa, her Black Widdom general, swooped down from above to join her.

“Make ready to take off,” Zeta said sharply to the two Diamond Warriors hurrying to greet her.

Theraphosa looked surprised. “Are we abandoning Caput, Suzerain?”

“Certainly not. Continue the fight. I have business elsewhere. Clear a path for me. I’m going to Serpentarius.”

Theraphosa paused a moment before bowing deeply. Her spidery legs fanned out and she flew off toward the palace.

“Grrrr …”

Zeta looked at Jette with impatient frustration. “Snap out of it, Captain! Oh, you are useless. Get inside.”

Within minutes, Zeta’s ship was clear of Caput. The two Diamond Warriors were at the controls.  Their forearms and backs were covered in jewels. They were among the most decorated of their tribe. The space was open, now that the flighting was behind them. Heading to Serpentarius, the outermost planet, the ship’s sensors could pick up dozens of ships doing battle … and one gigantic vessel in the middle of it all.

Zeta looked over at Jette, whom she had deposited in a chair nearby. Jette had wiggled herself off the chair and lay prone on the floor – both her hands buried inside her pants as she rubbed furiously.

Zeta sighed.

“Maintain course and speed,” she barked.

Grabbing her staff, Zeta stood over Jette. She indulged herself for a moment, watching the object of her all-consuming hate and lust – and everything in between – as Jette fingered herself to an animalistic climax.

She hauled Jette up by the golden collar which still clung to her neck and got her to stand. Suddenly, Jette was on her. Her tongue found its way deeply into Zeta’s mouth, her hands lewdly pawing Zeta’s ass. Their breasts and hips pressed together so tightly that their movements triggered a delicious friction Zeta felt all the way down to her toes. Zeta let herself go. She had Jette exactly where she always wanted her.

But not this Jette. She pulled back sharply.

Jette groaned in a voice that was disturbingly masculine.

“Stop! I can’t have you this way.” Zeta looked into Jette’s lust-drenched eyes. “I only hope I’m not too late.”

The purple orb spun slowly before Jette’s eyes as she lay on Zeta’s bed in her quarters. Her breathing was finally slow and even. She was fixated on the swirling movements drawing her mind deeply inside its vast emptiness.

“I’m not doing this for you, Captain. This is for me.” Zeta hovered over Jette’s body as she slowly twirled her staff. In her weakened state, it was so easy to lure Jette inside the hypnotic ball … and trap her mind there.

Jette’s mind was a blank now. Adrift in purple nothingness. Nothing, except for Zeta’s commanding voice. Zeta ran her hand slowly up Jette’s leg and squeezed her upper thigh, eliciting a breathy moan. She slid Jette’s pants down to her ankles – she caught a delicious whiff of her moistness – holding her feet together before pushing her knees apart for Zeta’s delicately probing fingers.

“Can you hear me, Jette?”

Jette’s response was slow, dull. “Yes.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

Zeta smiled wickedly. For four long years, simmering beneath her obsessive plotting to become Suzerain Supreme, was her ceaseless desire to exact sweet revenge against the woman who had blocked her ascension at every turn. Jette Jones.

“Go deeper for me now, Jette. Deeper than you have ever drifted before. Past dreams and fantasies. Down, down, down. Past awake and asleep. Farther down now. Past all of who you are and all you have been. Leaving everything behind as you tumble ever deeper down into the well of your mind.”  Zeta’s fingers probed deeper inside Jette’s pussy. She spread her two fingers wide, running their length seductively along Jette’s soft, wet walls.

“I’m going to mindwash you, Jette. I’m going to wash away everything that is not me. Zeta. Your Mistress. Now and forever.”

Zeta studied Jette’s face for any sign of protest. But now that she was hypnotized, the hate-filled animal Zeta had found in the throne room was passive. A gentle trickle of wetness bathed the palm of Zeta’s hand. The corner of her mouth and her eyebrow rose together giving Zeta a devilish look.

She began rhythmically finger-fucking Jette. Deeply, then teasingly. Roughly, then sensually.  Jette’s mouth formed an O, her only reaction was two stiff nipples which poked up proudly before Zeta’s toothy leer.

Zeta’s bed was more than a bed. Ropes and leather straps hung from every corner. A mirror – which distorted everything it reflected much larger — hung above. Below that were two thick beams. And hanging from them, strap-ons and switches, vibrators and handcuffs.

“You’re falling faster now, Jette. Every second taking you ever deeper. You can feel that, can’t you? Feel yourself falling helplessly at my command?”

Jette’s voice caught, but it wasn’t to refuse. It was out of astonished truth.

“Yes, Mistress.”

“Say yes, Mistress Zeta.”

“Yes, Mistress Zeta.”

“Oh, how I love to hear you say that, Jette. And you love saying it. In fact, you love saying it so much that you will always answer, ‘Yes, Mistress Zeta,’ when I ask you a question. And you will believe it to be true. Whatever I tell you will be the truth. And that will fill you with love.

“You will love that, won’t you, Jette?”

Jette’s breathing became uneven. Zeta’s fingers were doused with a squirt.

“Yes, Mistress Zeta.”

“You’re still falling, Jette, but you are slowing down. Now. Almost to a dead stop.” Zeta leaned close. “Stop falling Jette. You are alone and so far away. There is only Zeta in the empty well of your mind.”

Satisfied, Zeta reached above her head and pulled down two thick bands of leather.  She quickly secured one to each of Jette’s ankles and hoisted the legs up with the click of a button on a small comp she had placed on the bed. Jette’s legs were just high enough for her ass to be inches off the bed.

“You’ve never been sodomized. That’s true, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Mistress Zeta.”

“If you had you would tell me now, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes, Mistress Zeta.”

“Good. Yes. Your Mistress shall be first, as with all things. And last, as well. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes, Mistress Zeta.”

Zeta stood between Jette’s legs as she fastened a monstrous, 12-inch phallus around her hips. It dangled menacingly between her legs.

“You’re going to enjoy this, Jette. You’re going to love it. It’s going to be the greatest fuck of your life.  And it’s with Zeta!”

Jette swallowed hard. The suggestion alone was setting her off. Another squirt-squirt splashed against Zeta’s knee.  She reached down and ran a finger across her leg. She sucked it gently into her mouth, savoring Jette’s taste.

“Delicious.”

She knelt forward onto the bed with one leg and pushed Jette’s thighs apart, then ran her hands lower to open her cheeks and expose the perfect, dark pink starfish of her asshole.

Fingers plunged into Jette’s pussy and rapidly stabbed her in and out. She pulled the fingers out, forcing Jette to moan helplessly.  She rubbed her wet, sticky fingers along Jette’s opening, making it glisten in the dimly lit bedroom.

“Change in plans, dear,” Zeta whispered as she aimed the phallus between Jette’s asscheeks. “As much as I wish to keep you permanently as my own, there is one last and final duty for you to perform. It is our destiny.”

Zeta lunged forward, driving the plasticized cock into the puckered hole. Jette squealed as the intruder drove into her most private spot.

Zeta plunged in again, slamming her lips against Jette’s open mouth, her tongue matching the violent rhythm between Jette’s spasming, defenseless legs.

K’wari stood on the docking platform as the sleek ship moved closer. Its landing legs emerged and flexed heavily as the ship came to rest. It was a civilian craft and a very expensive one. K’wari couldn’t help but find humor in the thought of being taken to a prison cell in such luxury.

A moment later, a boarding ramp descended from the bottom of the ship, cutting through a cloud of steam as the engines cooled. The two Black Widdom guarding K’wari took her by the shoulders and held her fast. A figure was moving down the ramp, long legs strutting proudly. The steam cleared. A regal female form emerged.

“K’wari!” an amused voice called down. “Lovely to see you again.” Glamora, the former queen of Serpens Kauda, smiled down at her. She was only slightly beginning to show from her pregnancy. She took the chain connected to K’wari’s collar from the Black Widdom and gave it a tug as if K’wari were a domesticated pet.

She led the Vicar back up the ramp and into her private yacht. “The auto pilot will take us on an wide arc to avoid all the fighting so it might take us some time to arrive at Her ship.”

She pressed a button and the ramp began retracting. K’wari could feel the engines spinning back up, readying themselves for flight. “In the meantime, I’m looking forward to us becoming reacquainted.”

She looked K’wari over lustfully. “It’s a pity you don’t have your big stick with you. I know how you enjoyed showing me its true purpose. [See issue #3 – C&C] This way.” She laughed lightly, then tugged K’wari’s leash and led her toward the rear of the ship.  K’wari was pulled down a wide corridor to an ornate hatch. It scanned Glamora’s eyes and slid open. K’wari’s jaw dropped at what was inside.

“Mmmm, there’s something I simply must show you.”

Glamora pulled the leash again and led K’wari inside a blood-red room. It was filled with the most decadent toys and crude medical instruments one could imagine. K’wari didn’t recognize many of them. In a corner of the room three young women squealed and struggled side by side by side – their mouths gagged, hands bound behind them, legs spread wide and fixed to chairs – as feathered wheels spun rapidly between their legs and brushed tantalizingly against their clits.

It was clear — this was Glamora’s private playroom.

“We are going to have such fun!”

The hatch closed behind them.

To be continued …