Chapter 8

Inta does the ‘Dallas’ Part 2

It was early in the morning before many of the passengers woke. Will strolled down a corridor in one of the passenger cabin sections of the ferry ‘Dallas’, just one of the many hundreds of similar hallways, walls populated with a seemingly unending number of cabin doors on either side. His only clue that something was amiss, that uneasy feeling of being stalked, eluded him, and until he pinpointed the cause and dealt with it, he wouldn’t allow himself to relax his guard.

He reached the end of this passenger cabin corridor, checked the time on his watch, and then went to the lift to bring him down to the ferry’s communications office on the Concourse mezzanine. After a short lift ride and a brief walk, Will arrived at the Comm Office just as they opened for the morning.

He had sent word back to Penrose through Jeremey a couple of days ago, and Will stopped at the Comms office daily to see if he had any messages. For the last three days, there had been none.

As Will entered the office, he was greeted by the same skinny attendant who seemed to be the only one ever manning the desk.

“Good morning, Jasper. Any messages for me yet?” Will asked his query, which was almost a canned greeting by this point.

“Good morning, Sir. As a matter of fact, we do. It was received about an hour and a half ago, encrypted with your public key. I’ll route it to booth four,” Jasper said, punching a few keys on his console.

Will thanked him, then entered the booth and closed the privacy door. The terminal displayed the encrypted message addressed to him. He selected it on the screen, inserted his crypto stick into the kiosk, and entered his passcode to open the message. Commander Michaels’ face appeared, and then the message began to play.

The Commander’s tone was terse but professional. “Mr. Focault, Let me first thank you again for the tech you provided to station security. We’ve only partially rolled out the devices, and they have already had an impact. We expect to have them fully implemented throughout the station by the end of the month, again thank you. I received the message from your friend down in Station Maintenance and it took me a couple of days to confirm a few details.”

Michaels paused, looked down at some reports, then continued. “An arrest was recently made as part of an anti-corruption crackdown. The individual in question was a station flight controller charged with taking bribes in exchange for information on vessels coming and going at Penrose. A communicator was confiscated, which had contact information for known associates of the Cortez crime organization, who have been suspected of being involved with piracy in this system, as well as many other crimes. The timing of some of this individual’s communications coincides with the departure of your vessel, suggesting that you or your ship has caught the attention of the Cortez Organization. If I were you, I would suggest that you inform Dallas Security at once. I’ve already sent out a high-level alert to the Command Crew of the ferry to be on alert.”

Michaels paused, rubbed his forehead over his eyes, then continued. “I don’t have any more specific information in...” The commander shuffled around some more reports, looking for one in particular, and then opened it when he found the one he was looking for. “In regards to the Slaver incident on the station, further investigations turned up nothing, a complete dead end. They’re like ghosts,” he sighed, then said, “That’s all I have for you today. Good luck, Mr. Focault. Stay vigilant, protect your family. Michaels signing off.” Then, the recording ended.

Will scowled and shook his head. It wasn’t much to go on, but at least it was enough to bring to Dallas Security, who would surely increase their presence in the maintenance bay where the Nestia was berthed.

He took a copy of the message and then exited the privacy booth. On his way out of the comms office, he thanked Jasper, the attendant. Once out on the mezzanine overlooking the Concourse, he spoke softly to Interface, who was always listening in his ear. “Hey Inta, have you guys headed out for breakfast yet?”

“Yup,” she replied cheerfully in his earpiece. “We’re on the tram now and should arrive in a few minutes.”

Will smiled. Inta’s upbeat disposition never failed to brighten his day. “Fantastic. I’ll meet you at the restaurant.” He paused. “Love you, Silver Girl.”

“I love you too, Will,” Interface replied, voice thick with emotion. “We’ll see you in a few.”

Will turned from the mezzanine railing and headed to the restaurant to meet with the crew. Foot traffic steadily increased as passengers woke and headed out for the day, slowing his usually fast walking pace. Will made his way through the growing crowds and arrived at ‘The Tanaran Skillet’, the little brunch restaurant that had quickly become their favorite spot. He only needed to wait a few moments, and then others arrived. Inta and June greeted him with kisses, and Ben hugged him warmly.

“Haven’t seen much of you in the past couple of days,” Ben observed after releasing him.

“Yeah,” Will said, shrugging his shoulders. “Let’s go sit down; We’ve got some things to talk about.”

They went inside, and the hostess sat them at a booth in the corner. She poured coffee for all but Inta, who got a glass of water. When the waiter came to the table, he took their order and returned to the kitchen. Will sipped his coffee and then cleared his throat.

“So I received a message back from Commander Michaels on Penrose,” Will began. “He said that they had arrested someone who was passing information to some shady people in the ‘Cortez Organization’, whoever they are, and we’re on their radar.”

Ben straightened in his seat at the mention of Cortez. “What kind of information did Cortez receive?” He asked, brow suddenly furrowed with concern.

“It wasn’t clear to Michaels, but he did know that it was one of the traffic controllers from the station that was arrested,” Will said, picking up on Ben’s elevated level of concern.

“Franco, the pirate that Shanghai’d my street gang to serve on his ships, worked directly for Cortez,” Ben explained. “Cortez controls most of the illegal activity in the systems surrounding Bourdan, piracy chief among all the other nasty stuff he has his fingers in. One of the ways he targeted ships was through informants like this traffic controller. If I had to guess, he didn’t appreciate the mess we made of his ships when we escaped that system in the nebula, and he’s looking for retribution.” Ben paused, thinking. “The Nestia is a ship with unique capabilities; if he got reports from the other ships that we ran from, then I can imagine that he might be very motivated to get his hands on the ship.”

Everyone around the table was silent while they contemplated what that meant. Will spoke first. “It fits with what we know so far, and the fact that I picked up on something the other day, says that they’re on board somewhere, laying low.” Will pressed his lips into a tight line. “I especially don’t like the fact that we know that there is danger nearby, but we can’t carry weapons per Dallas Security. We might need to consider limiting our time out and about.”

June and Inta looked crestfallen at the suggestion that they limit their activities on the ferry. “Are you sure that’s necessary? There’s lots of Dallas Security all around,” June said defensively.

“As the old saying goes, ‘when seconds count, Security is only minutes away.’ These people are trained and highly motivated, and if we don’t have a way to properly defend ourselves, we’re sitting ducks,” Will stated bluntly, aware that he was proposing that they hole up on the Nestia for the rest of the trip, squashing Inta and everyone’s plans for fun and entertainment for the next couple of months.

For the last several minutes, Ben had a faraway look in his eyes; then, his focus suddenly snapped back. “What if we can be armed at a moment’s notice?” Ben asked cryptically.

Will looked at Ben and then the others, unsure where he was going with that question. “Well, if we can defend ourselves, that changes the equation. What do you have cooking in that brilliant mind of yours?” Will asked.

“Inta and I have been developing an instantly deployable pressure suit, in case of emergencies, like a rapid decompression event or the like. It ties us more directly to the Nestia and would allow us to be pulled safely back to the ship. I already have a prototype of the gauntlet ready.”

Ben rolled up the sleeve on his right arm and showed off a silver bracer fitting tightly on his forearm. “This button here signals Inta to activate it, though you could ask her verbally as well. Inta?” As soon as Ben asked her, Inta’s glowing blue eyes brightened in concentration for a moment, and the silver bracer poured down his forearm, encasing it and his entire hand in a shiny, metallic glove.

Ben held his hand out, flexed his wrist, and wiggled his fingers, showing off their flexibility. “Inta, can you send me a wrench from the engineering workstation?” He asked as he held out his gloved hand, palm up.

No sooner had he asked Inta, a silver-coated object slid out of 4-D space into his hand, then the silver drew back, revealing a small, red-handled monkey wrench. “Now, picture instead of a wrench, we have Inta send a weapon from the armory,” Ben said, waiting for the other’s feedback.

“That’s brilliant!” Will said with a wide, appreciative smile on his face.

“Does it need to be a bracer? Can it be a little smaller, maybe like a bracelet?” June asked.

“Maybe in the next iteration. I need to finish the design for the full suit first, that way we can have something space-rated at a moment’s notice. I’ve watched more than my share of people thrown out of airlocks; it’s not a pleasant way to go,” Ben said, shuttering at the memory.

“When can June and I get a bracer? These would be useful, and I would feel better knowing that we can be armed in a blink if need be,” Will asked.

Inta reached over the table and placed her hands on Will and June’s right forearms. Silver flowed from under her palms, encircling their limbs with the same bracer that Ben wore. “Done. Now you all have one,” she said, pleased with herself.

Will and June inspected their bracers, admiring their fit and how they felt more like second skin than a bulky piece of jewelry. They then rolled their sleeves back down their arms, covering most of the bracers.

“Inta, is there anything else you need to prepare to be able to send us weapons when we need it, like setting up a special rack or something?” Will asked.

“Yeah, I’ll need to modify the design of the pistols and rifles to incorporate a bit of precursor material, inside the grip handle, but until then, I can hand it over from another one of my instantiations on board. I’m working on it as we speak,” Inta said, delighted she was helpful.

“Sometimes I take for granted just how amazing you are,” Will said, admiration shining in his eyes. “I don’t know what we’d do without you.”

Inta’s smile widened as she soaked in Will’s praise, and the blueish glow in her eyes flared just a little brighter.

Just then, the waiter returned to the table. “Have you all decided what you’d like to order?”

Will ordered an omelet and hash browns, Ben absent-mindedly ordered the same, as his mind was occupied with details of the suit design; June ordered two eggs and toast, and Inta said she would be satisfied with a refill of her water.

After the waiter left, Inta spoke up. “If we’re done talking about heavy subjects for now, I’d like to talk about something that’s recently developed.” She had their attention. “Last night after the book club, I caught up with that Toparian from the other day, or I should say he caught up with me. His name is De’noke, and I’d like you to meet him.”

“Sure, honey,” June said. “I’d like to figure out why he triggered your memory like that.” Will and Ben nodded in agreement.

“That’s good because we’re chatting at the bookstore right now; do you mind if I ask him to join us here?” Inta asked.

“Sure, the more the merrier,” Will said.

Inta paused a moment, seeming to be waiting for a response in the conversation the Toparian was having with her turtleneck-wearing instance. “He’s on his way. He should be here in just a few minutes.”

The waiter returned to the table, his serving tray laden with their meals. Before he left, Inta asked for two cups of herbal tea, and the waiter politely smiled and went to fetch the tea. The waiter’s timing was impeccable; he brought the tea out just as the towering Toparian spotted Inta sitting in the back of the little restaurant.

He walked over to their table in the swaying gait typical of Toparians, and Inta jumped out of her seat and greeted him with a hug, which surprised him, but he returned warmly.

“Everyone, this is De’noke. De’noke, this is June, Will, and Ben, my Family.” They greeted De’noke warmly, taking their cue from Inta.

“It’s truly nice to meet all of you.,” De’noke said in a measured cadence.

“Please, sit with us,” Inta said, sliding a nearby table out of the way so he would have room.

“Thank you, Inta,” he said, lowering himself to a comfortable kneeling position so that he would be only slightly taller than everyone seated.

“I ordered you some tea,” Inta said with a smile and offered him a cup.

“Thank you, that’s very kind.” De’noke sipped his tea and winced, the temperature a little hotter than he liked. “So you’re Inta’s family. She’s told me a lot about you,” he said, his voice full of tentative curiosity.

“Yeah, we found each other and realized that we were better together. How much detail did Inta give you?” June asked.

“She told me much, but left out some of the more,” De’noke paused, “painful details. Enough that I understand how much of a harrowing ordeal it must have been. I am glad that you found your way through it.” His soft brown eyes were full of sympathy.

“Thank you,” June said, placing one of her hands on one of his large, long-fingered ones resting on the table. “And what about you? What has brought you aboard the ‘Dallas’?”

De’noke smiled. “I am part of a group of Toparians who are traveling to establish a new Grove, a colony if you like. It is a deep part of who we are as a people, to cast our seeds far and wide, to bring life and light with us as we spread the forest of our people throughout the galaxy,” he explained.

“That must be a difficult proposition,” Will commented. “After the last great Diaspora, there mustn’t be very many new worlds left to colonize.”

“We do not require new, unclaimed worlds. Our Groves coexist symbiotically with a great many different species. Convincing them that we don’t mean to take over but just want to live among them can be a challenge.” De’noke’s expression became wistful; a hint of sadness and worry crossed his face.

“How long have you been traveling?” Ben asked from around a bite of his omelet.

“Far longer than we had originally hoped; almost two years now. Our original destination was Bedarius Four, but the agreement we had with the government there fell through after we were in transit, and we were forced to pivot and find a new home for the Grove. No small feat; we had been in negotiations with the Bedarians for a better part of a decade.” De’noke’s frustration was clear on his face.

“That’s awful,” June said sympathetically.

“Indeed. The only place that would accept us without lengthy negotiations was much farther away on a moon in the Candara system. We are traveling to Centrailia to transfer to another ferry heading there. I expect we’ll finally arrive in another eighteen to twenty months.” De’noke sighed in resignation.

“Wouldn’t it have been better to cancel the trip and go home?” Ben asked. “Forced to settle on a destination based solely on whether or not they’d accept you quickly seems less than ideal.”

“That is not the Toparian way. The religious among our people would say it is our divine purpose, to grow the Grove and spread the Great Forest, but the more secular view is that it is part of our biological drive, the impulse to spread and grow our species, not dissimilar from many other species. But we cast our seeds before us, never behind. Partly due to our societal mindset, but more due to biological imperative. We can only live in a very narrow band of population density, too few, and the population can’t sustain itself. Too many and the population chokes itself out. We must spread,” De’noke said, thoughtfully.

“De’noke and his people are fascinating,” Inta said. “And he’s an archaeologist. He’s been sharing some of his fascinating research with me.”

“Yes, and Inta has, um, shared,” De’noke said, blushing, “some of her memories with me. One of her recently re-emerged memories seems to be an uncanny match for a mural from an archaeological site I had been excavating on my homeworld of Topar.”

“Show them the mural,” Inta urged De’noke. He pulled his tablet out of a pocket, scrolled to the full-color image of the mural, and then handed it to June, sitting between Will and Ben. The three of them looked at the image on the tablet, paying close attention to the single pair of silver feet in the crowd of feet, and nodded appreciatively.

“De’noke said that he’s only scratched the surface, and there’s likely much more to be uncovered,” Inta said.

“This is the first solid lead we’ve come across into what happened to Inta’s people. I think we need to go to Topar,” June said with conviction.

“I agree,” Will said. Ben nodded his head vigorously on the other side of June in agreement. “But I think we’ll need a guide who knows the ins and outs of this and any other site like it. What do you say, De’noke? Would you be willing to go back to your homeworld and be our guide?” Will asked. Inta looked into De’noke’s eyes, pleading.

De’noke’s brows furrowed as he pressed his lips together tight, looking conflicted. “As enticing an offer that is, I can not be parted from my mate; she needs me right now.” Looking around the table at the friendly, concerned faces, he decided he was safe to share more. “She is in her time to seed, but due to unforeseen complications she is unable, and now is bravely suffering through it. I must be with her to tend to her and see that she is as comfortable as possible.”

June squeezed De’noke’s hand. “If there’s anything we can do to help, please don’t hesitate to let us know,” she said, her voice full of compassion. The others around the table nodded in agreement.

“I’m not sure if there’s anything more to be done, but I appreciate the sentiment,” De’noke said gratefully. “However, about your situation, I can reach out to a colleague still on the homeworld and see if she would be willing to be your guide in my place. She is young, still only a maiden, but she is almost as familiar with the sites and my research as I am. In the meantime, I can meet with you and teach you as much as I can about my research until we reach Centrailia.”

“You can stop by the bookstore as often as you’d like or can,” Inta offered. “It’s hardly ever busy and there’s a quiet reading corner with a couple of comfy chairs, perfect for deep discussions. I think you’ll find I’m an excellent student.”

“I’m sure you are,” De’noke said, amused. Then he rose to his feet. “It has been wonderful to meet you all. I will contact my colleague and let you know what she says as soon as I hear from her.” Then, his attitude became more serious. “Please know this, your quest for knowledge closely aligns with my own, and I will do everything in my power to aid you.” A chorus of thanks came from the group, and De’noke bid them a good day and left, presumably to attend to his mate.

After De’noke left, they finished their breakfast, paid the waiter for the meal, and left to go about their day.

“Alright gang, be good. I’m off for another circuit,” Will said, giving Inta and June a kiss and Ben a pat on the shoulder.

“There’s an awful lot of ground to cover. Do you have a methodology for selecting where you’re walking?” Ben asked, curious.

“Not really. You’re right, there are way too many decks and hallways to cover effectively with one person, so I’m consciously not choosing where to go and let instinct guide me. I’m hoping that randomness plays into my favor and leads me to something,” Will said, shrugging his shoulders.

“Well, good luck,” Ben said as Inta and June looped their arms around his waist and headed to the tram to take them back to the Nestia. Knowing what they’ll probably be getting up to shortly, Will sighed and wished he could partake. But because he loved them, he turned and walked in a random direction, hunting those who hunted them.

“I’d like to know how the fuck he keeps doing that!” Campaan muttered after issuing the command to relocate yet another spotter. Without the web of discrete cameras throughout the passenger decks, this Will guy would have tripped over his spotters a dozen times in the last few days alone. The rest of them were easier to keep track of, seeming not to possess the preternatural instincts of this thorn in his side.

And now there was another contact these marks have made that he’ll need to keep tabs on, though admittedly, a four-armed, seven-and-a-half-foot tall person would be easy enough to spot. Compaan had a lot of balls in the air to juggle now, but it should be over in just a few days.

That thought didn’t soothe him like he would have liked it to. They had already slipped his grasp once, and these small quirks of behavior made him feel uneasy, which is why he sent out Charlie Team and began planning and preparing for a fallback plan should this next attempt not succeed. He didn’t like second-guessing himself but hated to fail more.

On top of that, there was more than his reputation on the line for this job; Cortez was not known to be forgiving of failure. But with great risk comes great reward, and he was sure that he and his team would be rewarded greatly when he was proven successful.

On the tram ride back to the maintenance bay, June and Inta leaned against the back wall while Ben stood just in front of them. “I completely forgot to ask,” June told Inta, “how was your book club?”

Inta giggled. “It was less book, and a lot more club, if you know what I mean,” she said in a smokey tone.

“Ooh, tell me all about it,” June said, hungry for all the juice details.

“Well, it started with everyone sipping wine and taking turns reading pages from a cheesy romance novel. Very meek and mild-mannered. As we read on, I could feel them all getting wound right up, then at the first juicy part; it was all ‘lesbo-a-go-go’. I loved it. And Mary, in particular, loved me,” Inta said in a swoon from the memory. Then, her tone changed to one of concern. “The atmosphere was to die for; I was just gobbling them all up, but then I realized a problem. I could make a real mess of the situation. If I shot a load into them, it could unwittingly start the Bonding process. Thank goodness Mary had a condom, which I filled nearly to bursting inside of her.”

Inta sighed, then continued. “The whole thing is supposed to be a fun, commitment-free hookup where they can play in a safe environment. I don’t think I can risk it and go back.” June hated to see the look of disappointment on Inta’s face.

Then Ben turned around and chimed in, listening in to their conversation, his dick hardening in his pants. “What about all of the water you drink? Didn’t you say you used it to squirt when Will and I eat you out?”

June and Inta paused and looked at each other quizzically; then wolfish grins spread across their faces.

Ben turned with one eyebrow raised as the two women began conversing between themselves low and conspiratorially. “What are you up to?” He asked with a nervous smile on his face. Neither said anything as June mimed locking her lips with an invisible key, then tossing it over her shoulder. She and Inta giggled and continued to talk in low, hushed voices. Ben smiled and shook his head. Whatever they were planning, it would probably end up as fun for all of them, so he let them be.

The rest of the tram ride was full of whispers and giggles, and as soon as they got back on board the Nestia, Inta and June disappeared into the ship, to where Ben did not know. He decided to spend some time on the suit design and headed to the ‘soon to be’ kitchen, where he left his tablet and found Inta assembling the smaller of the two refrigeration units their kitchen design called for.

“Where’s your partner in crime?” Ben asked jovially as he grabbed his tablet from the new dining room table.

“You’ll find out, soon enough,” she said cryptically.

He laughed, then went over and gave her a light kiss. “Okay, be that way.” Then he went to the Bridge and sat in his usual seat where he knew he would have quiet so he could focus on the intricate geometries of a fold-away helmet.

A few hours later, as Ben was putting the finishing touches on the visor portion of the suit design, Will walked up the short flight of steps to the bridge consoles next to Ben. “How’s the design coming?” He asked, squinting at Ben’s handiwork.

“It’s coming along nicely. The arms and chest components are complete; I’m just putting the finishing touches on the helmet,” he said, panning and zooming the design on the tablet for Will.

Will struggled to understand Ben’s design; his blueprints were 2-D flat projections of the actual 4-D objects, and the intricacies and minuteness of some details were difficult for Will to follow. Blinking his eyes, he decided he trusted Ben to whip up a top-notch design, and Inta would provide the secondary review as quality control checks. Between the two of them, the design was sure to amaze.

“Changing the subject,” Will said, “where are the girls up to?”

“I’m not sure, but they’re definitely up to mischief,” Ben said, chuckling. “They were all whispers and giggles on the tram back to the ship, then they disappeared somewhere.”

“If you would like, we could use your help with our ‘mischief’. We’re in the mess hall on deck six,” Inta said into Ben and Will’s earpiece, not elaborating further than her location.

Ben looked at Will and wiggled his eyebrows, and Will smiled and shook his head. “Come on, let’s go,” Will said.

They rode the lift to deck six, and as they stepped out, the unmistakable sound of June and Inta’s playful laughter echoed down the corridor, sounding every bit like the tinkling of music to Will.

Will and Ben stopped at the mess hall door, and though they shouldn’t have been, given the amount of mischief the two girls usually get up to, they were surprised by what they saw. Both June and Inta were on their knees in front of the nutritional dispenser in the mess hall, Inta naked as usual and June bare to her waist, her jumpsuit partially unzipped, with the jumpsuit arms tied around her waist, pert tits bouncing as she giggled.

Both of them were almost completely covered in what appeared to be copious amounts of jism, as if they had just participated in a marathon bukkake session. Their faces and breasts were covered, and their hair was plastered flat to their heads with the stuff. June’s smiling face had tears running down the corners of her eyes, with some of the whitish glops still dripping out of her nostrils.

The nutritional dispenser they were kneeling in front of had been modified slightly. Instead of the innocuous nozzle that usually dispensed the paste-like foodstuff, it had been replaced by an exact replica of Inta’s silver cock.

“What we need help with,” June began explaining, smiling as she swiped a dripping lock of hair out of her eyes, “is a taste test. We’re pretty sure we got the consistency correct, but we need to verify that the taste is just right.” Then she crooked her index finger and beckoned them closer.

Ben and Will laughed out loud and walked over to the gloop-covered girls kneeling on the floor. “Ben first,” June said definitively, unzipping his jumpsuit and freeing his already hard cock. She wasted no time and swiftly stuffed his hard rod into her mouth, pumping the base hard with one hand in a fist and gently massaging his balls.

“Oh, Fuck!” Ben groaned at June’s expert ministrations. Letting his cock pop out of her mouth for just a moment, she stuck her middle finger in her mouth, coating it with her saliva, then pulled his member back into her mouth, bobbing her head up and down the length, expertly stimulating him. The hand of the saliva-coated finger pushed between his thighs and then parted his ass cheeks, then jammed her wet finger into his puckered hole hard and fast up to the third knuckle, the way she knew he liked it.

Between her pumping fist, bobbing head, and vigorous prostate massage, Ben blew quickly, holding the back of June’s head as he came hard into her mouth. June didn’t swallow and tried to hold all of his discharge in her mouth, but his volume of emissions was too much; it puffed out her cheeks, and a large amount leaked past her lips and ran down her chin.

Her eyes smiled, and the corners of her lips turned up around her rather large mouthful; then she turned to Inta and gave her a big kiss, sharing Ben’s load. The girls then swished his seed around in their mouths as if tasting some fine wine, exploring its texture and taste. Satisfied with their evaluation, they swallowed the load and stuck their tongues out of their mouths, verifying they were ready for the next taste. “And now for Will,” Inta said in a low sultry tone.