"Mmmm. Tell me, sweetheart," she said, "do you want Andy first, or me?"
Andy raised a slim, blond eyebrow and cocked a mischievous smile.
Dirken shook his head. He wasn't generally into men, or humans for that matter, though the occasional ménage à trois was enjoyable. "You first, Sugarplum."
She waved her six ventral belly flaps in excitement. "My pleasure!"
Andy stood and gently pressed Dirken back onto the bed as he pressed a button on the console in the headboard. The emitters around the bed glowed, and Dirken felt the pull of gravity fall away. They floated upward, gently entangling each other, flesh against flesh. Infrared emissions from the emitters sent soothing waves of warmth through his muscles.
Sugarplum pulled herself to Dirken's pulsing, erect penis. She slid her yellow-and-red-striped hands down Dirken's abdomen and through the patch of pubic hair to the base of his shaft. One hand wrapped around his testicles, undulating softly, warmly, cupping them gently. The other hand stroked up and down his stiff cock. She leaned closer still, the mouth at the top of her head coming close, then enveloping the tip with her fleshy lips.
Dirken sighed in pleasure as the warmth and moisture played over his glans, slipped down, caressed his shaft. The soft gums tightened and contracted in a wave. He closed his eyes and felt the undulations of her flesh as she pushed deeper, completely enveloping his manhood. Her long, thin tongue spiraled around his penis and rolled upward. The sensation sent shivers through his body. He gasped. Fought the urge to finish too soon.
She sensed this and pulled back, emitting a satisfied groan. Licked the base of his shaft where it met his balls. "Mmm. You are so big, sweetheart."
Dirken took a deep breath and made himself relax. Andy had stepped out of the zero-gravity field and now leaned into the doorway of the office to get Yiorgos's attention, running his hand over his tight abdomen. The cyborg looked up at Andy and shook his head. The monitor and holographic display in front of him showed a screen of characters.
Andy gave an exaggerated pout, eyes downcast and looked at the Heart at Yiorgos's feet. The escort whispered something else, but Yiorgos again shook his head and made a shooing motion with his hand. Andy turned away, glancing back once more to look in curiosity at the Heart.
Sugarplum once again embraced Dirken's cock, sinking deep onto it and stroking it with her mouth, moving in and out. This time, the dozen warm, wet tentacles at the edges of her mouth tickled the shaft, brushing back and forth in waves like so many fingers.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to relax and prolong the experience. He closed his eyes again, enjoying the exotic sensation. He and sugarplum slowly tumbled, suspended in midair.
In his mind's eye he saw amethyst eyes surrounded by lavender hair.
His belly tightened and he arched his back as he remembered the softness of Eow's fur. Her belly against him. The embrace of her arms. The scrape of her fangs along his neck.
Sugarplum stroked faster, her hand gently tightening around his testicles.
An electric shiver charged up his body. He inhaled a jagged breath, eyes wide. He groaned and orgasmed. Tensed. Convulsed into her.
She slowed her stroking. Sighed in pleasure. Seemed to savor every lap of her tongue over his organ.
Dirken closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Remnant quakes of pleasure still rolled through him. Exhaled. Allowed himself to fully relax and let his body float. Whatever 'TakTrak was paying Sugarplum, it was worth it.
Head still to the side, Dirken opened his eyes again and looked into the smiling, dark blue eyes of Andy. He had re-entered the leviton field and had matched his slow revolutions to Dirken.
Dirken reached over and touched a button on an emitter. The zero-G field slowly released, and the three of them lowered gently onto the satin sheets with Dirken laying on his back.
"Roll over and I'll give you a massage…" Andy said, his voice light and playful in a North American Earth accent, "…until you're ready for more action."
Sugarplum released him with a lick of her lips, so Dirken rolled over onto his belly, adjusting his blaster so it was comfortable and easy to draw, and propped his head up on a red, downy pillow.
Andy went to a console on the wall and adjusted it. The lights dimmed and reddened. Sultry Spanish guitar music started to play with a background of Rigellian hand chimes, tinkling in rhythm.
Sugarplum started to move to the music, her pear-shaped Rigellian body undulating in a sort of belly dance as Andy returned to the bed, sat, and began rubbing Dirken's back.
"You're very tight," the young man said, massaging hard knots along Dirken's spine, expertly applying pressure in slow circles, eliciting a brief pang and then wiping it away. "There is some severe bruising back here. I'll be careful."
"A little run-in with an Oranchian," Dirken replied, "among other things. It's been… eventful, lately."
"Mmm. You just relax now," Andy replied.
He did, though he found his right hand instinctively moving to rest on the handle of his blaster. He watched Sugarplum writhe in time with the music. Rigellians weren't generally attractive to humans, but seeing her move like she did to the music, with the red negligee softly slipping past her curves, she seemed in her element. It was almost hypnotic.
He's skilled at massage, Dirken thought, and soon he had started to relax as the man's hands worked up and down his back. Andy re-situated, leaning his bare thigh against Dirken's as he started massaging Dirken's arms. The heat and softness of his flesh started another tingle in him, already. Maybe he'd have to re-think his reluctance to have some playtime with Andy.
Dirken let his left hand wander downward, palm pressed against Andy's firm belly and slipping down past his waist and over the thong. Andy sighed in pleasure as Dirken slid his hand along his stiffening penis to the base and cupped his balls.
Dirken smiled as Andy grew fully engorged, the tip emerging from the top of the thong, hot against Dirken's palm.
"Dirk," Yiorgos called out from the office. Dirken frowned. Not now!
"I think we may have a problem," Yiorgos added.
"Oh?" Dirken said, opening his eyes again, instantly pulled out of the moment by the tone of Yiorgos's voice. Dirken's eyes came to rest on Andy's hand as the man worked the muscles along Dirken's left forearm.
Just above Andy's wrist was a branded "A."
What the fuck? Dirken thought. He'd seen enough of this to notice a pattern. This isn't coincidence. He rolled over and grabbed the escort's forearm, raising it up to show the wrist. "What is this?" Gone was the relaxation. Adrenaline coursed through him.
Andy blinked and sat back, pulling at his arm, but Dirken didn't let go. "Sorry? Is the massage…?"
"Not the massage, you idiot! That!" He pointed at the brand with his other hand. "What is it?" He felt his face flush with anger.
Sugarplum slowed her dancing and stared at them.
Andy shook his head, a nervous smile growing. "A… is for Andy."
"Bullshit!" Dirken said. He pulled his blaster and pointed it at him. "The truth!
"Oh!" Sugarplum exclaimed, and cowered against the wall.
"I… I can't…." Andy stammered.
Yiorgos appeared around the doorway to the office, duffel bag in hand. "It's the gravjumps," he said, then he noticed what happening in the bed. "They…. What's going on?"
Dirken yanked Andy's arm up to show Yiorgos. "Look! The 'A'. Do you see this brand?"
Yiorgos blinked. "I don't understand. What about it?"
"I'm suddenly seeing this brand on the wrists of people everywhere we've gone!" Dirken pointed the blaster at Andy's head. "Tell me what this is! What does that 'A' mean?"
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
WHAT THE "A" MEANS
"Oh!" Sugarplum yelped. She backed toward the door and started to press the console to open the door when, at a knowing glance from Dirken, Yiorgos pulled his mini-blaster and said, "You're not going anywhere, Rigellian."
Sugarplu
m gasped and stepped away from the door, raising her arms. "Please, don't shoot!"
Dirken looked back to Andy and shoved the blaster into his hairless chest. "I'm not going to give you another chance! What is this!"
Andy's countenance of fear dissolved like an actor falling out of character and took on a serious expression. "AVA."
"AVA?" Yiorgos exclaimed.
"It's the Heart, isn't it?" Dirken asked. "That damned sphere has something to do with AVA, doesn't it?"
Andy glanced to the Heart but didn't answer. There was only the sound of the sultry Spanish guitar music, which didn't at all fit the tension of the moment. It would seem wrong to blast a hole through the escort to the tune of romantic flamenco strumming.
"I've been seeing that little 'A' on the wrists of people for the last couple days. You're part of some secret cult or gang, aren't you?"
Andy yanked his arm free. "You will know soon enough."
"We may have bigger problems, Dirk," Yiorgos said. Dirken looked over to his partner, but kept his blaster trained on the young man. "The gravjumps," Yiorgos explained. "They're too frequent. It should have taken longer between jumps if we were headed to Nüwa."
"Shit. 'TakTrak!" Dirken backed away from Andy and nodded to Yiorgos to cover both of the escorts. The cyborg understood and waved for the young man to step closer to the Rigellian. Andy did as commanded. The Rigellian shrunk away, trying to make herself as small as possible in the corner of the room near the door.
Dirken hastily pulled his clothes back on. "Did you learn anything from their computer?"
"Tried," Yiorgos replied. "It's disconnected from the galactic networks or even the ship systems. But I did some calculations with my cerebral implant. From what I can determine, the gravjump patterns indicate only three likely star systems: Sol, Tesla, or Proxima."
"Sol? Damn it, if we're taking the Heart right back to Earth the mission'll be a complete failure!" Dirken finished buttoning his pants. He raised his blaster again toward the male escort and said to him, "What do you know about this?"
Andy just bit his lip and hardened his look. If they weren't standing in a starship cargo cube with only a few unarmored millimeters between them and the void of space, Dirken might have blasted the "A" right off the bastard's wrist to get him to talk.
Sugarplum wailed, "I don't know anything! Please, let me out!"
"Well, Dirk?" Yiorgos said.
Dirken scrunched up his face. "Don't worry. I've got a plan."
"Oh shit, here we go…."
"Get the Heart. We're getting out of here." Then Dirken gestured to Andy. "Go over there." He pointed over to the bed. They young man moved slowly toward it. "Sugarplum," Dirken said, "Go ahead and leave."
The Rigellian wasted no time. She immediately leaped to the console next to the door and pressed it, but the door just emitted a sour tone and didn't open. She tried it again and again, each time failing to open the door. "No!" she cried.
"Figures," Dirken said.
A voice emitted from the console. "Done so soon, friend Dirken?"
Dirken raised a finger at the Rigellian and pressed it against his lips. "'TakTrak!" Dirken said. "I'm just wondering if you've got any more escorts to share. Maybe a crewman would like to join? I'm feeling lusty today!"
'TakTrak emitted a clacking laugh. "My friend, I can always count on you for fun! But I have no more for you. Just enjoy what you have, and I will have you to Nüwa in no time!"
"Why have you locked the door, 'TakTrak? Maybe I would like to join you in the bridge after I've had my fun."
"Sorry, friend Dirken. After the battle we just left, my crew is a bit jumpy. Wouldn't want to alarm them with strangers wandering about."
"Then perhaps you could share your navigation with us on the computer here?"
The Rigellian let out a whimper. Dirken frowned at her and waved his blaster.
"Sorry, friend Dirken. There is a connectivity problem with the VIP suite. We will have it fixed in no time."
Dirken pointed to his wrist and then at Yiorgos, then the console. Can you hack the door? Yiorgos shrugged, then nodded. Maybe. He stepped forward and waved the Rigellian away from the door. He put down the Heart and holstered his mini-blaster.
"Alright, then, 'TakTrak," Dirken said. "I guess we'll just have to amuse ourselves the best we can."
"Certainly, my friend. Do enjoy yourself! I will let you know when we get to the Nüwa system." The intercom cut out. Dirken wondered, though, if the room was bugged and 'TakTrak knew all along what was happening in here. He'd be a fool not to bug it, frankly.
A bit of cable extended from Yiorgos's mangled right forearm, but it still wouldn't extend all the way due to damage. He had to hold his arm close to the console to try it, but he quickly lowered his arm.
"No ports," Yiorgos said. He tried to pull the console out of the wall, but it wouldn't budge. "It's constructed to prevent tampering."
Dirken growled. The so-called VIP suite was just another damned holding cell, albeit a plush one… with prostitutes. "Step back and get ready. We're getting to the bridge one way or another!"
Yiorgos stepped away from the door and picked up the Heart. He flashed Dirken a sincere look, and Dirken knew what he was thinking. Cargo cubes weren't as shielded as the rest of the ship. One misplaced shot and they would vent into space. But he saw little choice at this point. Given the metal latches, trying to kick it open wouldn't be enough.
Dirken went over to Andy and grabbed him by the arm, holding the blaster at the young man's side. "Clearly you're more than a piece of ass in a thong. You're coming with us."
"You seem to think I mean you harm," Andy said.
"Well then enlighten me, Twinkle Toes. You're obviously hiding the truth from us, and I don't think it's because you've got a present for me."
Andy nodded toward Yiorgos and the Heart. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to keep that safe and to make sure it gets to where it needs to go."
"And where is that?"
Andy didn't answer.
"Mmm hmm." Dirken tightened his lips and gave Yiorgos a look, then leveled his blaster at the door. He fired, hitting the door right where it latched. The door flew open in an explosive hail of sparks and debris.
Sugarplum screamed and ran across the room. Alarms rang from the hallway.
"Come on!" Dirken said, pushing Andy through the door. He turned to look down the corridor, blaster ready. No guards. Yiorgos followed.
The ship hummed as the Jacobian gravwell engine revved up, then they jumped again.
"So soon?" Yiorgos said. "We can't have gotten to the next jump point yet."
"He knows we blasted the door," Dirken replied. "He's desperate to get us to wherever he's taking us and had Feleesha jump prematurely."
The ship lurched and all of them sidestepped and hit the wall of the corridor. Once again they had come out of the jump too close to some gravity source, but this time it was very close, like right in the orbit or outer atmosphere of a planet. The gravplating couldn't keep up with the inertial changes. Gravity negated just long enough for them to float upward a few centimeters and pulled them twenty degrees to the right before slamming them back down. Dirken and Yiorgos managed to keep their footing, but Andy slipped and crumpled, grunting as he hit his knee against the wall.
"What the fuck is she doing up there?" Dirken asked, a touch of space sickness making his head spin. He was seriously starting to doubt Feleesha's gravjump navigation skills.
Yiorgos reached the airlock door between the cargo section and the forecastle. He pressed the console next to the door, but it just flashed red. He then tried the manual override lever on the door, but it didn't move. "Locked out," he said.
"Can you hack into it?"
Yiorgos was already putting down the Heart. "I'll try. This one has ports." Steadying the Heart with his feet, he plugged the exposed cable from his blasted forearm into the console and started pressing buttons. At first it gave the red signal again, but then he
gained access. "It's coded. This will take a while."
The ship gave another, minor lurch, as Feleesha took some sort of erratic steering maneuver. It was enough to cause Yiorgos to lose his port connection and have to start over. "Damn it," he muttered.
Dirken looked through the airlock door. The corridor beyond seemed empty, but he didn't doubt that 'TakTrak and his crew were waiting for them. He glanced back over his shoulder. Sugarplum hadn't come out of the VIP suite. He doubted she would. He then looked back at the young escort, still held by the arm. Andy was transfixed by Yiorgos as the cyborg pressed buttons on the console, then Andy looked down to the Heart at Yiorgos's feet, its dusty spherical surface peeking through the duffel bag's opening. "May AVA bring peace," he whispered.
"Got it!" Yiorgos shouted. He picked up the duffel bag as Dirken moved forward with Andy, blaster pointed toward the door.
Yiorgos pressed the console and the airlock slid open. The corridor beyond was still empty.
With Andy's arm grabbed in his left hand, Dirken raised his blaster.
They ran through the airlock…
…and immediately they were hit with dozens of yellow rays emitted from the walls and ceiling. The beams hit them like so many punches, lifting them off the floor and holding all three of them airborne.
"Suspensor beams!" Dirken grunted. He could only move a few centimeters in any direction. They were trapped.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
HUNG UP
Dirken growled in frustration as he tried to pull an arm free and then a leg, but the suspensor beams held him firm. Each point where a beam contacted felt like a bad rash, itching and stinging, pinching his skin as if pulled by a line. The dozens of beams across his body, including a particularly irritating one on the side of his face, worked together to hold him in place, held in the air. He was a human marionette.
His blaster was pointed toward the ceiling, damn it, held in place with his forearm close to his head. Looking over, he saw Yiorgos similarly held and straining against the beams, the duffel with the Heart in his left hand. Andy had a reserved look on his smooth, youthful face, not bothering to struggle.
The First Nova I See Tonight Page 17