Planet of the Valkyries

by Callista Hawkes

  When you reach the end of the tunnel, it opens into a colossal cavern with hundreds of floodlights on gantries fixed into the rocky ceiling. Your eyes widen at what they illuminate. A vast city of towering spires and arches. Ancient and unmistakably alien. You have never seen anything like it from any alien race on the dozens of worlds you have visited. Stepping out of the cave, you begin walking along a wide boulevard, gaping awestruck at the ruined buildings stretching up on each side. There are indications of advanced technology, which given the age of the ruins, would have put the long dead civilisation far beyond any other known race. You turn a corner and see a familiar lone figure up ahead, her back to you as she studies an ornate stone sculpture in the centre of what appears to be a small plaza. It’s been more than a decade since you last saw Isla Phoenix, but you recognise her immediately. Her tall, athletic figure. The casual pose with her weight on one foot, her hand on her hip. Her long hair is dyed pink and tied neatly in a ponytail.

  “Isla!” You call out, hurrying towards her. “You haven’t changed a bit.” You see her flinch at the sound of your voice.

  “I wouldn’t say that.” She replies, turning to face you. Her eyes seem to glow in the darkness. A strange, purplish inhuman glow. You freeze on the spot, your eyes widening. “Good to see you, Kyle.”

  “Isla, what the hell happened to your eyes?” You gasp, taking a step backwards.

  “It’s a long story.” She chuckles, walking towards you. “It’s easier to show you.”

  Let her show you

  Pull your blaster on her and demand an explanation

  “Okay.” You reply, keeping your distance. “Show me.” She nods.

  “You may find this a little strange.” Isla warns you. Unable to tear your gaze from the eerie purple glow of her eyes, you arch an eyebrow. Her shoulders relax and the purple glow in her eyes seems to dim. Abruptly, she gasps, squeezing her eyes shut as a strange purple gaseous form emerges from within her. The shapeless entity dances in the air next to her and her eyes flick back open, the glow now gone.

  “There.” She smiles, glancing at the life form next to her. “I’m back to my old self.”

  “What is that thing?” You growl, taking a step back, your hand going to your blaster. “Come away from it before that parasite possesses you again!”

  “No, Kyle!” She cries out, stepping in front of the entity and shielding it from you. “It’s not like that! She means us no harm! She’s my symbiote.”

  “Symbiote?!” You reply, your hand still resting on your blaster.

  “Yes.” Isla smiles. “We found them in a sarcophagus, trapped inside the corpses of their hosts who were entombed in this city by a volcanic eruption millennia ago. We each volunteered to host one of them, but we are still in control. They are like passengers in our minds, their thoughts like whispers.”

  “I don’t like the sound of it.” You tell her.

  “It was our choice and as you can see, they will leave us when we ask them to. We are not in their thrall.” She gestures towards the symbiote and the gaseous purple entity surrounds Isla. She gasps as it merges with her again, her eyes once again glowing purple. “So, now you know our secret.” She smiles. “Henson was concerned that the military would see the symbiotes as a threat and act accordingly. I see from your reaction that his fears were well founded.”

  “I guess so.” You admit.

  “So how about I show you around the city and try and ease your concerns.” She smiles, her purple eyes gazing into yours.

  Okay

  No. The sooner you’re away from this place the better

  “I don’t think so!” You growl, pulling your blaster from your holster. “How about you stay right where you are and start telling me what the hell is going on?!”

  “Okay, okay, calm down.” Isla replies, her smile vanishing as she slowly raises her hands. “I guess we’ve all got used to the purple eyes around here. I can see how it might be alarming to an outsider.”

  “Start talking, Isla, if that’s even who you are.” You tell her, your eyes narrowing.

  “It’s still me, I assure you.” She smiles. “I’m just a little different since I came to this excavation site.”

  “What is this place?” You ask her. “It looks like a city.”

  “It is,” She nods, “Buried millennia ago by a volcanic eruption. The Xeno Archaeology Guild have been excavating all this for years. It was exciting, finding new buildings and artefacts with each passing week, but everything changed when we found the sarcophagus.”

  “Sarcophagus?” You echo.

  “Yes, a large burial chamber below the city. We found hundreds of crystalline pods with something inside. We couldn’t make out what was within and none of our scans would penetrate them. Eventually, we managed to crack one open. As we had expected, there was a husk-like alien corpse within. What we didn’t expect was the emergence of a strange, purple apparition. It seemed to float in the air before it abruptly disappeared inside Henson. It knocked him unconscious and when he finally woke up, his eyes glowed purple. He was still quite himself, but he knew everything about the city and the apparition.”

  “So it’s a life form. Some sort of parasite?” You ask her.

  “No, not a parasite. A symbiote.” Isla replies. “But yes, it’s an ancient life form. Henson told us how they had lived in harmony with the long dead physical alien race, but when the city was entombed by the eruption, they lay dormant in the crystalline pods. He asked if the rest of the team would host some of the other symbiotes. Many, including myself, were sceptical at first, but Henson showed us that the symbiote would leave him if asked. Over the next few days, one by one we each consented, envious of the enlightenment that the hosts now enjoyed.”

  “So you’re possessed by an alien.” You reply.

  “Oh Kyle, you never used to be this narrow minded!” She sighs. “I am still in control. My symbiote is a passenger, a companion and a mentor, her thoughts like a whisper at the back of my mind.”

  “I don’t like the sound of it.” You mutter, but lower your weapon and slip it back into your holster.

  “Thank you.” She smiles, dropping her hands and relaxing a little. “So, now you know our secret. Henson was concerned that the military would see the symbiotes as a threat and act accordingly. I see from your reaction that his fears were well founded.”

  “I guess so.” You admit.

  “So how about I show you around the city, try and ease your concerns.” She smiles, her purple eyes gazing into yours.

  Okay

  No. The sooner you’re away from this place the better

  “I should be getting back to the Ranger.” You reply, the purple glow of her eyes making you feel uneasy.

  “Oh, okay.” She frowns. “You’re free to go, of course.”

  “Thanks.” You reply, turning to leave.

  “Kyle, do me a favour.” She calls out. “I know you’ve got to report what you’ve seen down here, but try not to make it sound like the plot of one of those old twentieth century B movies? We’re making some wonderful discoveries here and the last thing we need is the Galactic Navy swooping in and quarantining the planet.”

  “Okay.” You reply. “I’ll stress that you’ve all willingly allowed yourselves to host these organisms. Just don’t blame me when you all get a psych evaluation before your next posting.”

  “Thanks.” She smiles. “So long, Kyle.”

  “Goodbye Isla.” You reply, the finality making her smile fade.

  An hour later, you are back aboard the Ranger and finishing your report to Captain Madison in her office.

  “So in your opinion, there was no sign that the research team were under duress?” She asks, looking up from behind her desk.

  “No, Captain.” You reply. “Though at the same time, there’s no way to be completely certain.” She leans back in her chair and sighs.

  “And you haven’t been influenced by your prior relationship with Isla Phoenix?” She asks. />
  “No.” You reply, bristling slightly at the suggestion.

  “I don’t like it,” She mutters, “But I trust your judgement, Commander.”

  “Thank you, Captain.” You reply.

  “Get us back underway.” She tells you. “We have already lost too much valuable time here.”

  “Aye, Captain.” You nod, rising to leave.

  The next morning, you awake in your quarters to the irritating chiming of your communicator.

  “Chase.” You answer gruffly.

  “You are needed on the bridge immediately, Commander.” Comes the terse response from the communications officer.

  Captain Madison glances up at you from her chair as you step onto the bridge.

  “We have a large heavily armed unidentified vessel inbound and she’s not responding to our hails.” She tells you. On the forward view screen, you can see a small green coloured vessel slowly growing as it closes in.

  “Could be pirates or a privateer.” You murmur.

  “That’s my working hypothesis.” She nods. “Any suggestions, Commander?” While she is an excellent and experienced captain, she also recognises that one of your strengths is that you are an astute tactician and tends to defer to your better judgement in combat situations. “Fight or flight?”

  Raise shields and prepare to fight

  Escape into hyperspace

  “Sure.” You grin.

  “Good.” Isla smiles. “Come on.” You walk along the wide streets of the buried city, occasionally passing other members of the excavation team, their eyes all with the same eerie purple glow as Isla.

  “I don’t think I’d ever get used to that.” You tell her.

  “I don’t even notice it anymore.” She chuckles.

  You walk for an hour around the city, marvelling at the strange and yet beautiful alien architecture and catching up on your lives since you last saw one another.

  “While I can’t say I’m too keen on the purple eyes, the pink hair suits you.” You tell her. “It was blue last time I saw you.”

  “Back at the academy.” Isla smiles at the memory. “That was a long time ago. Though I see you’ve done well.” She adds, glancing at the rank insignia on your collar. “I don’t expect it to be long until you have a starship command of your own.”

  “Maybe someday.” You reply. “I’m surprised you gave up a promising naval career yourself.”

  “I just decided the Galactic Navy wasn’t for me.” She shrugs. “All those rules and regulations. Chain of command and constantly following orders.” It’s true, she had always been quite bohemian and perhaps Xeno archaeology was a better fit for her character. She holds your gaze for a moment. “You broke my heart when you signed up aboard the Ranger you know.”

  “I know,” You sigh, “But what could I do? You were a year behind me at the academy. I couldn’t wait for you. I wanted a career. But we had some good times while it lasted though, didn’t we?”

  “We did.” She nods. “You remember that time we broke into the zero gee training facility after dark.”

  “Yeah.” You chuckle. “Our scattered clothes floating everywhere while we spun around in each other’s arms.”

  “That was a crazy night.” She giggles, stopping and gazing into your eyes. “We were good together, you know?”

  “We were.” You agree. She leans into you and presses her lips to yours, kissing you softly. While the kiss is sudden, you feel a strange sensation in your mind. A strong sense of yearning, but not your own. She pulls away, the sensation vanishing just as instantaneously as it had arisen.

  “What the hell was that?” You gasp.

  “Sorry.” She smiles, blushing furiously. “I could resist.”

  “Not the kiss!” You reply, taking a step back. “I could read your mind, sense your desire.”

  “A side effect of my joining with my symbiote.” She tells you. “The telepathic link between us means that some of my thoughts can be read through physical contact with another person.”

  “I can read your mind?” You ask.

  “Yes and I can read yours.” She replies. “But only the strongest thoughts and desires.”

  “So, you… you want us to be intimate?” You ask. Isla’s face turns an even deeper shade of red, but she nods.

  “Smooth eh?” She grins, avoiding your gaze as she brushes a few stray strands of pink hair from her eyes and shuffles awkwardly from foot to foot.

  “I’m not sure that’s such a…” You begin. Her eyes meet yours and despite the otherworldly purple glow, she is still a strikingly attractive woman.

  “C’mon Kyle.” She purrs. “It’s been slim pickings for months, stuck on this planet with a bunch of scientists. What do you say? For old time’s sake?”

  You're open minded. Why not?

  Perhaps you're old fashioned, but you prefer your women not to be possessed by strange alien parasitic organisms

  “I’ve always wanted a threesome, though I have to admit, this isn’t quite what I had in mind.” You grin.

  “This will be far better.” Isla smiles. “With the symbiote connecting our minds, each of us will instinctively know what the other desires. I guarantee, you’ve never had sex like it. Come on, I know just the place.” She reaches out and grasps your hand and again, her mind touches yours and you can sense her excitement. As you follow her quickly through the maze of streets, you wonder how much of your own thoughts she can read. You turn a corner, the harsh edifices of the strange alien city abruptly giving way to a wide sunken rocky basin.

  “I told you.” Isla beams as you stop in your tracks. Even before you peer down over the edge, you can hear the roar of crashing water as a waterfall cascades into it. The beauty of the grotto is in stark contrast to the slab sided subterranean metropolis that surrounds it. The water pours from a stream that seems to run beneath the city, emptying into a pool far below. Narrow beams of light shine through the mists of tiny droplets rising up from the frothing water and add to the ethereal atmosphere. You blink in surprise: Even in the dim light you can see figures frolicking in the water.

  “Yes.” Isla chuckles in answer to your unspoken comment, squeezing your hand as you realise the people below are behaving far more intimately than just frolicking.

  “Is this where you take all your men?” You remark dryly.

  “Maybe.” She admits with a smirk. “Come on.” She tugs your hand and you follow her along a long and narrow path winding down around the rim of the grotto. “Beautiful isn’t it?” She murmurs. “It may have been a water supply for the city or perhaps a park. Even the symbiotes can’t remember.” As you drop down to the edge of the pool, you can hear moans of delight and gasps of pleasure from the others echoing around the grotto.

  “Haven’t done this in front of an audience before.” You remark with an uncertain glance at the nearest couple as a dark haired woman vigorously rides a man in the shallows of the frothing water.

  “They’re all far too wrapped up in their own tumult of sensations to even notice we’re here.” Isla tells you. “Believe me.” You nod before stooping to trail your fingertips through the water. You are surprised to find it pleasantly warm. “The water flows from a volcanic spring.” Isla grins, pulling her hand from yours and skipping away towards the waterfall. It pours over a rocky outcropping, leaving a smooth shallow cave behind it. She disappears behind the waterfall and you can see her indistinct shape through the screen of cascading water.

  “What are you doing?” You call out, your eyes widening as she slowly peels off her uniform before casually tossing the garments out from behind the waterfall.

  “What does it look like?” She giggles as her balled up panties follow the rest of her clothes. “You want to help me scrub my back?”

  Join her

  Watch her shower

  You quickly strip off your own uniform and eagerly follow Isla, the rocky ground smooth and slippery underfoot. As you step behind the waterfall, you can see her attractive figure sil
houetted against the light shining through the screen of water. The spray from the waterfall has showered her in a fine mist, leaving her skin dewy and glistening. As she sweeps her fingers through her damp hair, you step behind her and wrap your arms around her waist, the warm spray of the water showering you too. As your palms touch her stomach, you blink in surprise as you sense her own excitement, the emotion stronger and more vivid than earlier.

  “Wow.” You breathe.

  “That’s nothing.” Isla chuckles. “Just you wait!” You kiss her neck, your lips sliding upwards as she giggles and turns her head towards you. As your lips meet, there is another jolt of energy as you simultaneously feel both her reflected excitement and your own. Like a whisper in your mind, you can feel her urging you to caress her body, to cup her breasts. You slide your hands upwards and cup the soft mounds, Isla moaning into your mouth as you gently massage them.

  “This is so strange.” You murmur as you break the kiss. “I know exactly what you want me to do.”

  “It cuts both ways.” She breathes, her hand sliding behind her back to grasp your stiffening shaft. The purple glow of her eyes burns brightly as she begins to gently stroke your length. You kiss her again, your hands obeying her unspoken instructions as you lightly pinch her swollen nipples. Her pumping hand works at a perfect rhythm, intuitively speeding up and slowing down. In answer to her yearning in your mind, your right hand slides downwards, your fingertips gliding down over her smooth pubic mound before finding her clitoris. As she moans with pleasure, your pulse races and you wonder if the excitement of this unique experience will send you to your climax too swiftly.

  “Don’t worry,” Isla purrs, “We’ve got all the time we need. Besides, if you need a break…” She doesn’t need to complete the sentence as you feel her strong desire for you to go down on her.