Simon hadn't been joking when he'd said he wanted me to suck his penis every night. It had been over a week since his birthday party, and I'd managed to do it at least once per day without fail. Simon was incorrigible. He had become a blowjob fiend. But then again, so too had I.
One of the many things I liked about Simon's personality was that he wasn't shy about sex. Not at all. He was sometimes timid regarding other topics or situations, but when it came to sexual questions or asking if I wanted to play around he was very direct. We would often be talking about something completely unrelated, then out of the blue he'd ask if I wanted to suck him. It probably hadn't helped matters when I'd playfully told him that the answer to that question would always be yes. I was beginning to feel like he'd taken my statement as a personal challenge, and now he was testing me to see if it was actually true.
The funniest time had been when he'd asked the question while we were eating lunch in the galley. My mouth had been full of food at the time, and before I could swallow to respond Isaac had pretended that the question had been for him instead. He had jokingly agreed and told Simon to stick his penis into one of the recycler's refuse slots. We had all laughed heartily at this, but then afterwards we'd been forced to get serious and explain why it wasn't such a good idea for him to go around the ship sticking his space worm into strange holes. At the end of the conversation Isaac had managed one final jab at me by telling Simon that he wouldn't want the nurse bots to have to heal his small penis laceration. They had both laughed uproariously, and eventually I had reluctantly joined in as well.
Simon's direct approach to sex also meant that he was usually the one who initiated our activities, which suited me just fine. Despite my lack of sexual experience, I had always been easily aroused. All it usually took to get me in the mood was the merest thought of a boy in a sexual situation, and I was raring to go.
Whenever we played around I much preferred pleasuring Simon, and I always took care of his needs first before relieving myself. However, Simon was becoming more adventurous as well. Although he hadn't yet reciprocated sucking my penis he did seem fascinated by my ability to cum. One of his favorite games was to have me lie on my back while he jerked me off and tried to see how far he could make me shoot. The current record was my chin.
And here I was again, lying on my back while Simon straddled my thighs and stroked my penis with both his hands. I was actually proud of myself because I was now able to last for nearly a full minute before squirting, despite the fact that Simon had continually been improving his technique.
"I'm getting close," I said, breathlessly.
Simon grinned and began aiming his cannon--my penis--as he attempted to gauge the best firing arc. Unfortunately, his positioning was too high, and the largest stream only shot as far as my upper chest, landing directly on my left nipple.
"Aww," he groaned, "it didn't make it."
"What were you aiming for?" I asked as I began to regain my focus.
"Your mouth," he said, mischievously.
"Oh, is that right?" I said, chuckling. "Well, I think that since you lost you should have to lick it up."
I had only been joking, but Simon let go of my penis, which caused it to slap wetly against my stomach, then he leaned forward. He pressed the tip of tongue below my nipple as if he was just pretending that he was actually going to lick it, then he suddenly swiped his tongue across the entire thing, cum and all. He raised back up and pressed his tongue against his palate a couple of times with an indecisive look on his face, as if he couldn't quite make up his mind what he thought about it.
"So, what do you think?" I asked, smiling.
"I don't know... yet," he said, smiling back. He widened his eyes in a comical manner that was both funny and somehow cryptic.
As I cleaned myself up, he laid back down beside me. I could tell that Simon was up to something, but I didn't inquire further. I had a suspicion of what he might be planning, or so I hoped, but I'd just have to wait and see.
"Okay," I said into my com, "try to fly to me."
Simon was floating in the ship's airlock. He made a hand gesture and began moving in my direction, slowly at first, but then he quickly began building too much speed. I just barely managed to move aside as he zipped past me out into the black.
"Remember, just open your palm if you want to stop." I followed after him attempting to catch up.
Although he managed to stop, he forgot to keep his had steady and accidentally made another gesture, which sent him drifting sideways. "Ugh... this is hard."
"Yeah," I said, trying not to laugh. "You just need more practice, especially out here where there's no air resistance. You'll accelerate and decelerate much quicker."
I had been teaching Simon how to use the nanopacks to maneuver in the antigravity room. He had done well, and now he was attempting his first real spacewalk. Needless to say, he was a bit nervous. I was nervous too but for a different reason. I was worried that he might accidentally have an electrical surge and disable his nanobots again, like what had happened in the arboretum on Grenborne Station. There he had only started suffocating; if it happened out here, the consequences would be far worse.
Isaac and I had spoken with him about the dangers, but Simon had assured us that he would be able to keep his powers in check. I wanted to believe him, but I wasn't sure how much of what he said was truth and how much was just boyish overconfidence. Regardless, spacewalking was a skill that Simon needed to learn, and I had eventually conceded. I guess I leaned more toward a higher risk but greater independence style of parenting.
Parenting was an alien concept to me, much more so than actual aliens. Although I had never expected to be so close to a boy as I was to Simon, I had still dreamed of the possibility. That dream had now come true, but so too had the obligation and responsibility of raising him, which reminded me that I still needed to talk to Simon about the nature of our relationship.
I watched as Simon practiced moving in different directions. He was slowly getting the hang of it. To add more of a challenge I told him to try to follow me as I maneuvered around the ship. I flew back toward the airlock but pivoted to duck under the wing, then moved along the side and past the port missile battery. Simon was being especially careful and had fallen behind, but he was still doing well.
"This is where I first saw your face," I told him, as I paused at the port side window of the corridor that led to the helm.
"What do you mean?" he asked, confused.
"Remember how I told you that I saw you in a dream? Well, in the dream I was standing in the corridor, looking out of this window, and you were floating just outside the glass, sound asleep."
"Really?"
"Yeah," I said, "and so I started banging on the glass to try to wake you up, but you held your finger to your lips and shushed me."
Simon moved closer and peered into the ship. "That's really neat, but why do you have those kinds of dreams?"
"That, my good sir, is a mystery. I've had them my whole life, even when I was a kid. I've met a few other dreamers over the years, but no one seems to know."
"Were they humans too?" asked Simon.
"Yes, but I've heard about other species with similar abilities. I don't think it's something that's unique to humans, but then again Alliance adepts have mental powers too, so maybe humans do have a biological predisposition to becoming dreamers."
"Huh? What are those?"
"Adepts?" I asked, unsure about how to describe them. "They're kind of like elite agents for the Krenthor Alliance. Spies and assassins. They're rumored to be able to read people's thoughts, and some can even move things with their minds, like Plarrexiss is able to do."
"They sound like bad guys," said Simon.
"Well, they definitely aren't good guys. I never met one, but everyone was afraid of them. I think I saw a pair of adepts once when I was very young, questioning someone as we passed by them on the street. They were dressed in black uniforms with the crest of the Krenthor Alliance on their shoulders. I remember feeling really scared as we walked near them and wanting desperately to leave. My mother suddenly began hurrying past them, which hurt my arm as she pulled me along. I remember not caring about the pain and just feeling so relieved that they were gone."
I flew away from the window and maneuvered up and over the helm. Simon was slow to follow and was apparently still in question mode.
"What's the Krenthor Alliance?"
Sometimes I forgot just how little Simon actually knew about the universe beyond his colony. "The Alliance is one of the main human territories in this part of space. It spans about thirty worlds, including Thandyr, where I grew up... One moment, Simon."
I had turned to look toward the ship's aft section where three of the drones were busy constructing cages to hold the kemend crystals we were hoping to mine. "Isaac, can you check on the drones? I think they may be assembling the cages too close to the rear turret."
I flew forward to investigate the drone's work, and I beckoned for Simon to follow. The cages were necessary to store the kemend crystals, which required extremely cold temperatures to retain their energy. Luckily, the vacuum of deep space was cold enough to preserve the crystals, so we just had to build some makeshift cages for the journey back to Grenborne. We had stopped the ship prior to reaching the comet so that the drones could attach the cages to the hull. To begin mining the comet we'd first have to match its speed, which was fortunately on the slower side as far as most comets were concerned, then land on its surface, but it was still easier and safer to build the cages beforehand.
"About that," said Isaac, sheepishly. "I may have miscalculated the positions for the aft supports. Unfortunately the turret will need to be disabled until the cages are removed."
Isaac had made a mistake? I didn't know whether to tease him or to be concerned. I opted for the latter option. "Isaac, is everything okay?"
"I believe so," he said, sounding somewhat hesitant, "but we can discuss it later."
"Alright." Now I really was concerned. Thinking back over the last couple of days since we'd left the Drenvim colony, Isaac had seemed a bit reserved, which wasn't like him at all. Could it be that he was feeling worried or even depressed?
Simon and I continued practicing. By the time we were beginning to run low on oxygen he was doing much better, and he could keep pace with me as I raced around the ship's exterior. The drones were almost finished as well, so we'd be heading toward the comet soon.
"Kyle, what were you like when you were a kid?" asked Simon, as we put away our nanopacks and left the mudroom.
That was not a question I had been expecting, and I found it surprisingly difficult to answer. While I pondered my response I asked Simon if he was hungry, and we proceeded to the galley to get some lunch. We ordered our food and carried it to the booth, then sat down.
"I guess I was a quiet kid. I didn't have a lot of friends, and my mother and father weren't the most loving parents. They sent me away to school for most of my childhood, and I only really saw them during the holidays." I pulled up an image on my tablet of my parents and me, and I handed it to Simon. In the picture, we were posing in front of a statue at a park. I was a little older than Simon was now, and I was dressed in my gray and purple school uniform. My father was dressed in his impeccable business suit and wore a stern expression on his face. My mother had a softer visage overall, but even she seemed to lack warmth.
"Your father looks..." he began to say.
"Angry," I finished. "Yeah, he was probably annoyed with me, or with the camera bot, or with the weather. Who knows? My father was always like that. He wasn't mean, not usually, but I don't think he was much of a family man. Come to think of it though, that's how most people seemed. The Krenthor Alliance is not what I would call a happy place."
"Why not?" he mumbled with a full mouth.
"Well, its government is very strict and harsh. Most of its citizens live in constant fear of breaking a law or attracting the government's attention. The thing I remember most about the people there is that hardly anyone ever smiled, not genuine smiles anyway. Except for my mother. She smiled sometimes, at least when I was young."
Simon frowned. "Do you ever visit your parents?"
"No," I said, pausing. I wasn't quite sure how much to tell him. Our pasts were actually a bit similar, and I didn't want to upset him, but maybe it would serve to bring us even closer together. "My parents were killed when I was sixteen."
Simon stopped chewing and stared into my eyes. He swallowed his mouthful of food in one large gulp before speaking in a near whisper: "What happened?"
"To be honest, I'm not quite sure. I was away at school when it happened, and a friend of my mother came to tell me the news. She said that they had been murdered by one of my father's corporate rivals, and that they would kill me too if I didn't get off planet and out of Alliance space immediately. She bought me passage on a ship, gave me some credits, and sent me on my way."
The look on Simon's face was a mixture of sorrow and incredulity. He reached across the table and touched my hand.
His sudden act of compassion made my eyes tear up. I looked away, blinking, then sighed deeply before continuing: "That was the last time I saw Thandyr, or anywhere else in Alliance space for that matter. I never went back. I found odd jobs on various freighters and other vessels, and I traveled all across this and the neighboring sectors until Captain Arrador hired me to serve as his first officer on the Lightning Bolt."
I placed my free hand atop Simon's and gave him a gentle smile. "Sometimes life can be so cruel that it makes you wonder what it's all for. And then sometimes it can lead you to a moment that you would never have believed possible. We've both had terrible, tragic events in our pasts, but both of our lives have led us to this moment. To each other."
Simon stood up and moved around the booth to sit next to me. He hugged me tightly, and despite the odd position I hugged him back just as fiercely. He didn't say anything, nor did I. Words weren't necessary.
That is, until he asked with a sly grin: "Do you want to play around?"
Simon and I sat in our chairs on the helm as we watched Isaac land the ship on the comet's surface. The three active autocannons occasionally blasted away nearby rocks and chunks of ice, and the smaller ones were vaporized or deflected by the ship's shields. Overall, it was a smooth landing. We were in deep space, far away from any nearby stars, so the comet's temperature was extremely cold. That also meant that it had no tail and no outgassing, which made it far safer to land on and mine.
I assigned three of the drones to mining duty, while the fourth was given a guardian loadout to help defend its fellows from collisions with flying debris. There really wasn't too much else for us to do unless the drones ran into trouble, so I decided to see if Isaac wanted to talk about what he'd said earlier.
"I apologize if I've been a bit distracted these past few days," said Isaac. "I've just had a lot on my mind."
I didn't respond right away, hoping that Isaac would elaborate. When he didn't, I inquired further. "Isaac, would you care to talk about it?"
"No," he answered, rather bluntly.
His refusal completely took me by surprise. Simon and I just looked across the isle at each other in consternation.
"Please don't misunderstand me," Isaac continued. "I will tell you everything when I'm ready. Just not yet."
"Okay," I said, "but you're feeling alright? Everything is still fine regarding your changes?"
"What changes?" asked Simon.
I remembered that Simon hadn't been with us when Isaac had explained how his code seemed to be expanding on its own. He was out of the loop, so to speak, so we brought him up to speed on what Isaac was going through, and Isaac joked again about how he seemed to be growing up.
"We're like brothers," Simon said, excitedly. "That makes me your big brother!"
"I guess it does," replied Isaac, laughing.
"Then what does that make me?" I asked, curious about how Simon would respond.
"You're our big brother," said Simon without hesitation.
I flashed him a smile. That worked for me, and it was probably the best arrangement for our unique situation. I had never even considered the possibility of being a dad, and it just didn't feel right to me anyway in regards to Simon. I just didn't see myself as his father. Being his older brother, well, that somehow seemed more fitting, and I could still act in a parental role when necessary.
I kind of expected Isaac to make a joke about me being his god or his creator, but he didn't. He didn't say anything at all. I doubted that Simon noticed anything unusual, but I could tell that something was bothering Isaac. It made me wonder if including Simon in our discussion might have been preventing Isaac from confiding in me. That didn't seem to fit though.
"Isaac," I said, hoping to reassure him, "you can always tell us anything. When you're ready, we're here for you."
Simon turned around in his seat so that he was squatting on his knees, then he hugged his chair. "We love you, Isaac."
"Guys, thank you," said Isaac. "That means a lot to me. I love you too. I can assure you though, I'm okay, and I promise that I'll explain everything soon."
"That's fine, Isaac. Take as long as you need." I looked across at Simon. He was still hugging his chair, but he met my eyes.
"Actually, Kyle, there is something I would like to ask you." Isaac's tone sounded hesitant, even nervous.
"Certainly."
"If you'll recall, I told you that I would let you know if I ever required anything." Isaac paused briefly. "Well..."
"Absolutely buddy," I said encouragingly. "What do you need?"
There was another long pause. "I hate to ask this, but with your permission I'd like to purchase some equipment when we return to Grenborne. Primarily, I'd like to upgrade my computer core and expand the ship's network. I seem to have reached a limit within the ship's current infrastructure."
I was both relieved and concerned upon hearing his request. On one hand, I was glad to hear that his problem was not something more serious, like being depressed. On the other, his changes seemed to be accelerating, and the uncertain nature of those changes made me feel unsettled. Still, I wanted to be supportive of Isaac and everything he was going through.
"That's no problem at all," I told him truthfully. "Buy whatever you feel you need."
"Well," he said, hesitating again, "the equipment would be quite expensive. Probably more than we're likely to make from the sale of the kemend crystals, assuming the drones actually find any to mine."
"As I said, that's not a problem. Isaac, as far as I'm concerned, this ship is as much yours as it is mine. Maybe even more so, because it's essentially your body. Buy whatever you need, regardless of cost. Just be sure to leave enough credits so that Simon and I don't starve, and we'll be good."
He laughed. "Thank you, but I don't expect it will cost that much. You guys will still have enough credits left over to buy food and some more toys... err, sorry, figurines."
Upon hearing this news, Simon attempted to wiggle, but his awkward position in the copilot chair made it look more like a wobble. However, I found his wobble to be quite cute as well, in its own way.
Fortunately, as the evening wore on, Isaac reported that the drones had indeed struck a large cluster of kemend crystals buried within the comet. He also estimated that the size of the cluster was more than sufficient to completely fill our cages. The drones would likely be busy throughout the night, but baring any complications they should be finished by the morning.
I was in Simon's room, sitting in his terminal chair and watching as he battled with his figurines upon Isaac's playset. Josie was also in the room, perched atop the terminal, and watching the mock combat with intense disdain. Simon had attempted to incorporate Josie into the battle as a monster, but she had hissed and made a tactical retreat. I was glad to see that she had no interest in killing and dismembering our figurines. Her tastes were apparently more refined, so if her victim wasn't alive or robotic then she didn't seem to care.
Simon also had his borbind music playing in the background, and I had to admit that it was also growing on me as well. I had always preferred instrumental music, as opposed to songs with lyrics. Something about singing just made me feel uncomfortable deep down. I wasn't quite sure why, though maybe it had something to do with being forced to sing in school. In any case, Plarrexiss' gift had been a hit.
Suddenly, I jerked awake as Simon grabbed my hand. Apparently I had nodded off. "You fell asleep," he said, smiling.
"I guess so," I yawned. "I'm just so tired. Are you about ready for bed?"
"Almost," he responded, grinning even more widely. He pulled me up and led me to his bed. "Take off your clothes and climb up."
"Yes sir," I said with a salute. I was instantly wide awake, and so was my penis. I could tell because apparently it was also trying to give Simon a salute. Dutifully, I undressed and climbed up onto his castle bed.
Simon got naked as well and joined me. "Now lie down and close your eyes."
At that moment, the ship could have been on fire and breaking apart all around us, and I would have ignored it to follow Simon's commands. Having him take charge like that was so erotic that I had no choice but to obey. Plus, it seemed I had been correct about his plans, and my penis was quivering in anticipation.
I did as he said. I felt him straddle my legs, and he grabbed my penis as if he were about to play the shooting game. I took several slow breaths, eagerly awaiting what I hoped was about to happen, and then... nothing. I continued to wait, and I could feel his hands gripping my penis tightly, but still he hesitated. I opened one of my eyes. Simon was just sitting there, apparently having a staring contest with my dick.
"Hey," he snapped as he noticed me looking, "no peeking!"
"Sorry," I muttered, quickly shutting my eye.
After several long moments, I was just about to break his rule again and take a peek with my other eye when I felt him gently pull back my foreskin. Soon after, I began to feel his warm breath on the tip of my penis, then a sensation shot through my body that was so intense it made me gasp! He had licked my penis, similar to how he had licked my nipple the previous night by using his full tongue in a long swipe.
I braced myself for another lick, but it didn't come. However, with a few more licks like that I'd cum plenty. I felt him stroke my penis up and down a few times very slowly, then he paused again, briefly, before suddenly plunging the whole damn thing into his mouth!
I winced!
He gagged!
I said, "Teeth."
He said, "Swoorry..."
My penis popped out of his mouth. Simon coughed, and then he repeated his apology more clearly: "Sorry."
"It's okay," I said, chuckling. In the chaos I had opened my eyes, but I quickly shut them again as Simon gave me a stern glare.
After a moment's pause he resumed his experiment. He took the head of my penis into his mouth more slowly this time, and it was clear that he was trying to be more careful. However, as the nurse bots could attest, my penis was fairly average in size, whereas Simon--and his mouth--were a bit on the smaller side. It was still a tight fit, and I didn't think he'd be able to maintain his diligence for very long. Fortunately for him, I didn't think I would last very long.
Simon's head bobbed up and down, while his hands slid along my shaft in unison. I could feel his tongue as well as it slipped around the tip of my penis with each inward thrust. Despite the fact that this was the first blowjob Simon had ever given, it still felt absolutely amazing! And as we quickly neared the grand finale, I debated whether or not to give him a warning.
"I'm about to cum," I whispered, deciding to be considerate in case he wanted to pull away. I knew it wouldn't feel as good, but I also didn't want to trick him or cause him disgust.
In spite of my warning though, Simon continued his efforts, full steam ahead. I began to wonder if he'd heard me, but it was too late now. My penis began squirting into his mouth, and although his movements slowed in response he never pulled away. When I eventually came to my senses, pun intended, I decided to risk opening my eyes.
Simon still had my dick partially in his mouth, and as he fully withdrew it he licked the head again and then began licking along the shaft. I suddenly had a mental image of the boy from my holovid that Simon had accidentally witnessed, as he'd eagerly lapped up the cum on and around the older boy's penis. Simon seemed to be following his example.
"That was really great!" I told him frankly. "Thank you, Simon."
He looked up at me with a wide grin as he finally released his stranglehold on my penis.
"Let's do that every night, minus the teeth!" I said jokingly, partially mimicking what he'd said to me the night of his birthday party.
"Nope," he said in mock seriousness. "You have to wait until your birthday, and I'm definitely using my teeth." He gnashed his teeth together for added emphasis.
Pretending to be angry, I raised up, carefully pushed Simon onto his back, and began tickling him mercilessly. He squealed and giggled as my fingers poked and prodded everywhere they could reach. He tried to push me away with his foot, so I grabbed it and began tickling it as well. Once he was finally out of breath I pushed him back down and began to blow him as eagerly as he'd sucked me.
It didn't take long for him to finish. It never did.
"Okay, fine," he said playfully. "We can do it almost every night. I still want to play the shooting game sometimes too."
"Deal," I told him, as I wrapped my hand around his penis and shook it as if we were conducting a business arrangement.
He laughed, then said defiantly, "I'm gonna use teeth though."
I leaned in and threateningly held my mouth open above his penis with my teeth barred.
"I'm just kidding," he said hastily, "don't bite my space worm!"
I pretended as if I were about to chomp down, but then at the last moment I puckered my lips and gave his space worm a long, gentle kiss instead.
Mining the comet proved to be trickier than expected, and it was just after midday before the cages were all finally filled. Isaac reported that the comet still seemed to hold massive deposits of kemend crystals, but they were too deep for our drones to reach. A dedicated mining vessel would be needed to fully dismantle the comet to retrieve its riches, so if we couldn't mine it ourselves we could at least conduct a survey, map its surface, and possibly sell the information when we reached Grenborne.
Once the drones were all back onboard we detached ourselves from the comet and laid in a course to the site of the battle we'd also discovered on our way to Drenvim. The ship's cargo bay was empty, and I hoped we'd be able to find enough salvage to fill it. However, the battle had apparently taken place twenty years prior, so it was virtually guaranteed that most of the valuable components had long since been salvaged. At the very least we could haul a load of scrap back to Grenborne, which wouldn't bring in much money, but any additional credits would still help with Isaac's mysterious purchase.
We were about a day from our destination, so Simon and I hung out together to pass the time. We tried inventing some games in the antigravity room using his nanoball. They were fun, but they would have been even more fun with additional players, especially naked players with prehensile penises. We also tried luring Josie into the room, but she still refused to enter. Simon wanted to try carrying her inside, but I successfully convinced him how bloody dangerous of an idea that would likely prove to be--emphasis on the bloody.
On the following morning, prior to our arrival, I had Isaac take several full sensor scans of the area before we moved into visual range. I just wanted to be as thorough as possible. The battle may have taken place long ago, but the site was still a strong candidate for pirate activity or other dangers.
"Sensors aren't detecting any other ships," said Isaac, "but there is a huge amount of debris that is likely interfering with the readings. We'll need to move closer to be sure."
"Alright, take us in." Simon and I were both strapped into our chairs. I half expected some kind of trouble, so I was manning the laser lance. I looked across at Simon, who had Isaac the otter snuggled against his chest.
A large asteroid slowly came into view, and it was so big that it dominated the backdrop of the battle. Remnants of a base could be seen within several huge craters. The base had apparently been heavily bombarded numerous times and with such force that several gargantuan fractures had opened across the asteroid's surface, nearly splitting it into pieces.
We could also see a massive cloud of debris surrounding the asteroid and stretching far into space. There were several derelict ships drifting within the cloud, most of comparable size to the Lightning Bolt, but there was also a severely battered cruiser that was still partially intact. Most of the other ships had all been reduced to nothing more than skeletal husks, and it was clear that we were quite late to the party since nearly everything of value had likely already been destroyed or stripped away.
"The cruiser appears to be a thazzom vessel," Isaac noted.
"What's that?" asked Simon.
"Good news," I said, hopefully.
"Thazzoms are one of the more technologically-advanced species in this sector," said Isaac. "Their ships tend to be exceptionally efficient, and if we find anything worth salvaging it could be quite valuable."
"Isaac, can you prep all of the drones with guardian loadouts? Before we even think about attempting to salvage anything I want them to scout the area to make absolutely sure that we're alone." Something about this situation didn't quite add up. Too much of the cruiser still remained compared to the other ships. My first thought was that it was another pirate ambush, and perhaps the smaller vessels had been lured here, disabled, then picked clean.
While the drones were being outfitted with their weapons we continued our patrol. The area seemed completely still and forgotten, like a graveyard for ships, and even Simon commented on how eerie it felt. Still, there was something else in the back of my mind, or in my gut, or in some other body part that was telling me to be careful.
Simon suddenly spoke again and made me jump. "It reminds me of my ship and being in the pod. I don't like this place."
"I know what you mean." I reached across and touched his shoulder. I wanted to tell him that we could just leave and search for another site, but that would probably delay our return to Grenborne for another week or more.
"The drones are ready," said Isaac.
"Release them."
The ship momentarily came to a stop, lowered its shields, and opened the cargo bay airlock. The four drones departed and formed a defensive perimeter around the Lightning Bolt. Our shields were then brought back up, and we began moving closer to the center of the debris cloud and the cruiser.
"Send two of the drones to begin scouting the cruiser," I said. "Keep the other two with us as we do a flyby of the wreckage. Not too close though."
"Okie dokie," replied Isaac. His words were silly, but his tone was flat and lacked its normal boyish enthusiasm.
Thazzom vessels generally had a bulbous or rotund appearance, which was deceptive given their heightened speed and maneuverability. Large thick wings extended from the cruiser's sides, each several times longer than the entirety of our ship, and smaller fins extended near its fore and aft sections at different positions around the hull. It would have been a rather attractive vessel if it wasn't riddled with holes that ranged in size from individual laser blasts to gaping ruptures large enough for the Lightning Bolt to fly through.
Looking more closely at the vessel's surface, I could see burn marks scattered across the metal, with patches of goopy purple residue, and I suddenly realized what we were dealing with. "A fucking space worm!"
"Yep," said Isaac. "Sensors are also detecting faint biological readings."
"It must be nesting inside the..."
My words were cut short as an enormous phallus-shaped creature burst out from one of the holes in the cruiser's fuselage directly ahead of our ship! Its segmented body was dark blue in color, and its maw opened wide to display thousands of coarse teeth that lined the depths of its gullet.
Simon gasped and pushed back hard against his chair in terror, but the restraints kept him rooted in place! Whether he liked it or not he had a front row seat to the show.
"Taking over flight controls!" I shouted, as I grabbed the stick and quickly swerved away to avoid the monster's reach. I could see the glittering spray of one of the drone's chain guns as its projectiles pelted the worm's dense hide. Fortunately for us, the sudden distraction was just enough for us to dodge out of the way. Unfortunately for the drone, the worm rolled its body and brought the jagged barb of its tail smashing against the drone, which sent it flying to crash against the cruiser's hull!
"One drone disabled," said Isaac. "Launching missiles."
I steered the ship up and around the cruiser's side, hoping to use the vessel as a barrier against the worm's pursuit. The two missiles flew ahead of us and curved upward at sharp angles, intending to circle around and strike the worm from the rear. Our autocannons were also firing in our wake, but we couldn't see their lasers.
Space worms, or arukrawns as they were technically known, were the bane of spacefaring civilizations. They actually began life as bacteria, which inevitably spread itself throughout space by hitching rides on comets, debris, and unknowing ships, and when the conditions were just right the bacteria would metamorphose into space worms. Tiny and easy to deal with at first, the little bastards would quickly grow to enormous proportions on a diet of both inorganic and organic materials. To put it in perspective, the worm that had killed Marcus had only been about a third of the size of the fucker that was chasing us now.
Although they weren't the only critters capable of living in the vacuum of space, arukrawns were quite well-suited for life in the deep. Their segments pulled apart to release gaseous discharges to provide propulsion, and their rugged hides were extremely dense due to their consumption of rocks and metals, which made killing the bastards easier said than done. It also made it harder for sensors to detect them.
"The worm is gaining on us," reported Isaac.
"Isaac, have the other two drones hold their position and get ready to unload on this bitch! I'll lead it into their ambush." If that didn't work I'd have to either maneuver away from the cruiser to gain more speed or jump into astral space. I didn't like the idea of leaving the drones behind, even temporarily, but the ship and our lives were more important.
The Lightning Bolt was not the most nimble ship, even when its belly wasn't laden with kemend crystals, and I was certainly no fighter pilot. Still though, I managed to weave us around the carrier's wings and fins, then zipped around its underside to meet up with the drones. The bottom of the carrier was in even worse shape, with numerous holes and breaches in its fuselage, plus even more of the purple stains from the worm's acidic secretions that it used to consume the metal.
The two drones were spread apart with their chain guns pointed in our direction. I aimed the ship in between them and punched the throttle. Their guns lit up, and from our position it seemed as if they were firing at us, but Isaac's aim was spot-on and the microscopic projectiles came close but didn't touch our ship.
Just as we were about to pass between the drones, another huge worm lunged from the innards of the cruiser and swallowed the left drone whole!
"Son of a bitch!" I screamed, as I swerved the ship to the right and out into space.
"Two drones disabled," said Isaac.
"No shit," I replied. Even as I said it I felt bad, and Isaac wasn't necessarily aware of our viewpoint and what we had seen. I'd apologize later, but right now I had bigger problems. Two of them. "Isaac, let the drones fend for themselves. I need you on the laser lance."
"I'm on it," he responded. "Missiles should be striking the first worm in eight seconds."
"Good, as soon as we turn around hit the second worm."
I didn't know if my plan was going to work, but there was no time to think of alternatives. I cut the ship's rear thrusters then quickly rotated the ship using the lateral thrusters so that we were now facing our pursuers without having changed our velocity. In other words, we were now facing the worms as they surged toward us, but the Lightning Bolt continued moving away at the same speed though in reverse. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be fast enough if we didn't take them out.
The original worm had fallen behind and looked to be in pretty bad shape. The two remaining drones continued peppering its hide with their chain guns, while our three active autocannons fired blue lasers randomly at both worms. However, the second worm had apparently decided that the Lightning Bolt looked too tasty to ignore and was bearing down on us with its toothy maw agape.
"It's gonna eat us!" screamed Simon as he tried to burrow through the back of his seat.
Just then the two missiles smacked into the first worm, but we couldn't see much of the explosion since its sibling was blocking most of our view. However, what we did see was a thin green laser beam shine into the second worm's mouth, followed soon after by a green pulsing ball of energy.
I had my hand ready to shift us into astral space if the worm got too close, but luckily it wasn't necessary. As the energy pulse descended into the worm's mouth it exploded in a blinding flash! A shower of blue gore pelted against our shields, which managed to vaporize most of the blood and guts. Most, but not all. A few drops and chunks managed to worm their way through, partially coating the glass of the cockpit in specs of blue and gray viscera.
"Is it dead?" asked Simon, his voice a mixture of panic and relief.
The upper half of the worm had been disintegrated, leaving only the grotesque bottom portion dangling and slowly spinning in space. What little we could see see of the original worm through the gory cockpit seemed to suggest that it was quite dead as well, though it still seemed mostly intact, at least more so than its now half-sibling.
"Yes," said Isaac, "both worms appear to be dead."
I breathed a heavy sigh and brought us to a stop. "Isaac, what's the status of the drones?"
"Two are unharmed. Another is reporting heavy damage, but it is still responding to commands, albeit with limited capability. The drone that was swallowed appears to have been destroyed in the blast."
Damn. The drones were not easy to replace, and doing so would be quite costly. "Okay, have a drone escort the damaged one back to the ship, and see if it can be repaired. Leave the other drone to patrol around the cruiser to make sure there aren't any more worms lurking about, and be sure to keep it at a safe distance. We can't afford to lose another."
"Okie dokie," replied Isaac, this time with a note of cheerfulness to his voice. Apparently he was relieved as well.
"Oh, and Isaac," I said more softly, "I'm sorry about the no shit comment. You did great!"
"It's alright, Kyle. Thank you."
Once the two drones were onboard I took a few additional flybys of the cruiser, being as careful as possible, to allow the ship's sensors to take detailed scans of its interior. The worms had built an extensive nest within the vessel's innards, but we had apparently cleaned it out. Still though, I was extra cautious, and I had Isaac take personal control of the remaining drone as it explored the cruiser inside and out.
Although much of the exterior was in fairly rough shape, the cruiser still had a few interior sections that contained some decent tech that could be salvaged and hopefully sold for a nice sum. But the real prize was tucked away in its hangar bay. Originally the cruiser had once held a compliment of four fighters, three of which had likely been launched and destroyed during its final battle. For whatever reason, one of its fighters still remained, fully intact and seemingly in near perfect condition given its age.
Luckily, our damaged drone was able to be repaired, and with three working drones we still managed to fill the cargo bay from floor to ceiling with salvage within a couple days. The thazzom tech was quite a haul, and among the more valuable items were several of the cruiser's engine components, its navigation array, and the targeting sensors from seven of its autocannons. Isaac even found a few pieces of tech that would suffice for the items he was hoping to buy at Grenborne, but he was still keeping quiet about his project.
The fighter was much larger than our emergency shuttle, and there was no way to fit it into the cargo bay's airlock. Instead, Isaac proposed attaching it to the bottom of the hull, which required another day of work, but the payoff would be a small windfall once it was sold. That meant that our bottom two autocannons would also be temporarily disabled while towing the fighter, but it was a risk I was willing to take. Isaac assured me that we'd still be able to extend the shields around the ship with both the crystal cages and the fighter attached so that we could jump into astral space.
Simon was a bit shaken up by the space worms encounter, and I wasn't quite sure I'd ever be able to persuade him to take another spacewalk again. He had also seemingly stopped referring to his penis as a space worm, but I figured that was just a temporary trauma. I mean, they looked so much alike if you ignored the difference in color and lack of teeth. Speaking of teeth, Simon had also managed to avoid using his on several new occasions, though he still liked to threaten me with them from time to time.
Finally, with the Lightning Bolt fully loaded with as much salvage and booty that we could possibly haul, we set a course for Grenborne Station. Both Simon and I were looking forward to going back to the aquatic facility, and Simon wanted to hang out with Trindel and Varsim again. Isaac was undoubtedly making plans for his acquisitions, and I thought about renting a room on the station for a few days to give him some privacy so that he could work on his upgrades in peace. And as for me, I could definitely use a break away from the ship--preferably one in which nothing was trying to kill me.