Amity Series: #2 - Coercion
Kris Me
Amity Series:
#2 - Coercion
By: Kris Me
Introduction:
Storm Green had inadvertently stood on an old Keltrian transportation ring back on Earth. He found himself transported to a planet called Amity and his life had been set on a new path.
Having claimed a Lord Wizards box, Storm was charged with the quest to find his fellow wizards and reunite the planet, so the people were once again the One People. A War, thousands of years before, had ripped the people on Amity apart.
Having found his apprentice wizard, his next task was to help Ulu, the man he had rescued, find his wizard's box and stop the slavers from hunting Ulu's people. So, they set sail upon the Huracan for their next adventure.
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Copyright:
Copyright © 2016 Kris Me - All rights are reserved
This story is the work of Kris Me. Before you copy more than one page or ten percent of the content, you must contact me as per the Copyright Act 1968, Australia.
First Published by Storiesonline World Literature Company: 16/07/2016 as Amity: 2. Coercion.
Last updated: 03/07/2021.
The book cover was designed in Microsoft Paint 3D using art that is my own, copyright-free or covered by creative commons license for commercial use from https://pixabay.com/
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Declaration:
~~ Adult Themes ~~
This book is part of an erotica science fiction series. It is NOT recommended for people under the legal age to access such stories, depending on the reader's country of origin.
The books may contain what some people consider vulgar language, references to religious icons, violence, coercion, murder, and-or rape scenes.
Some scenes may describe intimate heterosexual, bisexual, gay and-or group sexual activities. If you are homophobic, you may find some scenes in this series of books distasteful. In most cases, these scenes are integral parts of the story.
Some of the books include imaginary races capable of changing their gender and/or form into other animals. Copulation, while the characters are in their alternate animal forms, may be described.
This book DOES NOT contain descriptions of bestiality or coitus between persons closely related by blood.
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Editing:
If you find any of my assumptions fabricated, I would like to remind you this is a fictional story, and I have probably taken liberties with reality, as you know it. The humanoids in this story are not based on anyone I know or have read about.
Australian based dictionaries were used for reference, and Grammarly was used as part of the editing suite. The story was written in Microsoft Word.
If you find grammatical or spelling errors, they are not the fault of my editor or proofreaders who did try to fix my work. However, I do tend to fiddle around after the fact, so all errors are my own.
If my Australian colloquialisms or terms need clarification, or you just wish to correspond, I'm more than happy to answer your emails. You can send them to:
kris.me2@inorbit.com
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The Wiki:
https://keltria.fandom.com/wiki/
The Wiki contains information about the Keltrian people, wizards, magical items, colloquialisms and adapted words that have been created for this universe. Maps, character lists and other information that may relate to this book could be found.
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This is the second book:
It is best to read the books in sequence. Some references to events or information about a character place or event might not be explained in full if mentioned or introduced in a previous book.
The Amity Series is part of the Keltrian Universe. Chronologically, this story starts before Delta but finishes around the same time. It can be read as a separate entity to the Delta series since it centres around a different planet and solar system.
However, there are links to events and characters who first appear in Delta. If you have read those books, you will have better foreknowledge if some information isn't repeated in this book.
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Acknowledgements:
Special thanks to Anna Dapter, PapaKilo14, Town Car and Johnny Sinclair, who did try to decipher my dyslexic scribbles in the original posting.
Thanks to all of the readers who have pointed out I do make mistakes and have helped me fix them. And extra thanks go to Lazeez for his support.
I hope you enjoy the story.
Kris Me
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List of books:
Amity: #1 - Storm
Amity: #2 - Coercion
Amity: #3 - Tempest
Amity: #4 - Herders
Amity: #5 - The Herd
Amity: #6 - Calamity
Amity: #7 - Cataclysm
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Chapter 1
~~ Ulu ~~
Prince Ulu and Prince Inhu paddled the canoe around the point.
They were taking their brides, Yallah and Tiki, home. They had been promised to each other at the last spring meeting. The boys had arranged to collect their brides early in the autumn before the herds came past their village on their migration south.
It would be good to have the extra help for the hunt and a nice body to warm theirs during the winter. Not that either of the very tall, muscular, handsome young men had much trouble finding a willing body to share his blankets.
As they cleared the high cliffs that formed the point, they started heading back in closer to the shore. They were enjoying the sun and sea air and the pull on their young, toned muscles as they worked together. They powered the long, wide-bodied canoe through the waves with their double-ended paddles.
The girls were in the middle of the canoe and enjoying the ride. Their bride gifts and possessions surrounded them. They were both excited to be starting the next phase in their lives with the men to whom they had been bonded. Neither was unhappy with the man that had claimed them.
The sea smashed into the cliffs to the boys' left. The undertow was strong, and the rocks at the base of the cliffs were treacherous if you paddled too close. The boys weren't too worried, as they had navigated this course many times in the last two years when visiting their intendeds.
Ulu looked up and cursed when he saw the ship. The ship must have not long left their home cove, and it was now bearing down on them. The direction the waves were pushing the canoe was into the cliffs and the direction they wished to go once past them.
Ulu assessed the situation. To turn and paddle back the way they had come was going to be a lot of hard work. They would be fighting the sea and not able to gain any speed fighting against the incoming tide. They had to keep going towards the cove if they had any chance of avoiding the slavers at all.
Ulu directed Inhu to get closer to the cliffs. At least the big ship wouldn't be able to follow them. With any luck, they would be passed the vessel before they could launch one of the small boats to catch them.
Ulu wasn't so lucky.
The lookout had seen them come around the cove before Ulu had seen the ship. They were already dropping the sails and lowering a rowboat to cut them off from reaching the cove. The Captain had guessed that with the canoe loaded down, it wouldn't be easy to manoeuvre, and the four young people in it were fair game.
Ulu now wished he hadn't been so macho and that he had thrown in the extra single paddles for the girls. He'd have run back the other way if they had been able to paddle with them. He counted six sailors dropping into the rowboat. They started rowing hard on an intersecting course.
Inhu and Ulu tried their best, paddling hard, but they had little chance of avoiding the slavers. Their lighter boat, faster speed, the cliffs and even the waves worked against Ulu's escape.
As the rowboat came up alongside the canoe, the two men who weren't rowing threw three-pronged hooks over the side of the canoe. They started hauling the two boats together.
The rowers on that side pulled in their oars while the other two men helped to push their boat into the canoe. One of the men yelled at the boys to put down their paddles and that they wouldn't get hurt if they came peacefully.
In answer, Ulu lashed out at the man that tried to grab the side of the canoe near him. He bashed the sailor in the head with his paddle, and the man rolled over the side of his boat and into the sea.
One of the other rowers grabbed Inhu's paddle, and Inhu nearly went overboard when he didn't let go. He braced his feet and hauled back on his paddle. This time, it was the sailor who didn't let go quick enough.
The boats had smacked together when a wave dropped them into a trough, and the boats lurched apart on the next crest, upsetting the sailor's balance as Inhu pulled. He joined his mate and the fish at the bottom of the sea.
When the boats had joined, one of the rowers had leant across and managed to grab Yallah. With the boys busy fending off their attackers, they couldn't stop him from pulling her over into their boat. She didn't go easy. She kicked, screamed and clawed at the sailor. He passed the struggling woman to the next man to subdue.
As the boats dropped into the next rough, one of the other sailors had managed to tie off his rope, lashing the nose of the rowboat to the canoe. He reached for the canoe again as they came together on the next wave. He held on as another man finished tying the back ends of the boats together.
The man who had grabbed Yallah then vaulted over and grabbed at Tiki, who was on the other side of the canoe. She kicked at him and tried to fend him off. Their goods being stacked around her didn't give her much room to manoeuvre.
He was able to pull her over and away from Inhu, who had tried to dive over the crates to grab Tiki. Having seen Ulu in action, the man closest to him used his oar to smack Ulu on the side of the head when he also went to stop the sailor from grabbing Tiki.
It was a well-aimed blow, and it knocked Ulu silly. Yallah started to scream as Ulu slumped over the crates. The biggest man pointed a pistol at Inhu and told him to "Give it up."
Inhu knew he had to give in. With Ulu down and the two girls being held, he reluctantly put down his paddle. The four remaining sailors manhandled the two couples into their boat and then tied them up. They then retired the canoe, so it could be towed and rowed back to the ship with their prizes.
The pickings had been slim for the slavers this trip, so at least these four captives would help make it worth their while.
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The Captain wasn't pleased that he was now short two more men.
The captives were also older than they tended to like. They were, however, young, fit and handsome enough to bring a nice price. When he looked through the goods from the canoe, he conjectured that they were newly bonded couples. The young fellas must have been eager to get their prizes home.
He could at least sell their wares and make a few extra queks (dollars). He thought about tossing the young fellas overboard. However, they hadn't managed to pick up any other lads this trip. Being newly bonded, they should at least behave on the trip if they were kept together.
He always got good money for handsome boys, and these two were at least that. If his main client didn't want them, he had other contacts that wouldn't say no to two healthy young fellas like them.
He could always get Druid Gazan to put a 'behave spell' on them for him. Being a little older, the girls weren't really a problem as they were young and pretty enough to satisfy many a client in the brothels in Trenton.
Not everyone wanted young teenagers.
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The Captain was plying his trade along the coast of Saran.
The high tides and storms they got here on the continent called Saran made it treacherous to live too close to the beaches. The main villages were placed inland by about half a klick. His sailors liked to lay in wait along the main trails and snatch the teenagers and kids from the path.
The tribes had been even more cautious this trip. The Captain decided that he had worn out his welcome. Oliver, his first mate, had reported finding new trails in the forests and lookouts. The kids and women now mostly travelled in large groups with guards if they came close to the sea.
The shore party hadn't managed to isolate a small enough group in more than a week. They didn't like to stay in one spot that long. Oliver had said that they had to kill the two male guards to claim the four girls they collected from this cove.
Unfortunately, killing the guards meant they would need to stay away for a while. It had been one of their favourite beaches, but not anymore. If they could get one, they took one of the older girls for the ship's crew. They had at least managed that from the previous group that they collected from further south.
They tossed the boys with the girl who seemed to favour them into the cells below deck. They had learned that if they kept at least one of the girls with the boys, they tended to behave better. One of the hardest things they had trouble finding amongst these people were virgins.
These people tended to start screwing at a young age. The fact that most of them had no inhibitions in screwing each other in the cells, no matter what the sex, has been a surprise to his crew. Coming into the cells and finding them all happily screwing each other would get the sailors worked up.
The Captain had to make sure that only he, Oliver and Kale, who was assigned as their keeper, had the keys. He had lost several men not long after he started trading in slaves. They had entered the cells to join the slaves and got their necks twisted for their troubles.
The slaves had then gone over the side of the ship and swum away. He had lost eight prime slaves and two sailors that trip. Unlike his crew, the slaves could all swim. They had no problems with going over the ship's side if land was still in view.
The Captain looked up into the sky and noted the storm that was building. He decided the safest thing to do was to head to deep water. While he only had twelve slaves, it would have to do. The tribes here were getting too cautious. The payment for these and their goods would get him and crew through winter at least.
He would have to go further south next trip, he decided.
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Ulu woke to find a lump the size of an egg on the back of his head.
The sailor had deliberately hit him with the flat of the paddle to knock him out but not hurt him too much. Ulu woke to find his head in Yallah's lap. He sat up gingerly to look around. They had provided a mattress of sorts and several thin blankets.
In the corner was a box that was bolted down to the deck. Upon inspection, it had a hole in the top big enough for Ulu to put his head in. Underneath was a smaller pipe that angled to the side of the ship. A sponge on a stick was chained to a bar. It hung beside a bucket of seawater. A wooden cup held in a metal hoop sat near the bucket for wetting the sponge.
In very rough weather, seawater would wash up the pipe and over the floor, soaking everything before washing back down a drain on the seaward side of the deck. It was not pleasant.
Hung higher on the bars at the front of the cell was another small bucket that a sailor topped up with fresh water once a day. A short-handled ladle hung on a short heavy chain beside the bucket.
The cells were barely 2.5m (8') square, and there were five on this side of the deck and five on the other side. They were set away from the ship's walls so the slaves couldn't damage the ship.
Inhu and Tiki were in the first cell on their side, and Ulu and Yallah were in the second cell. In the cell next to him was Azure, a girl from his village, and a girl called Olin from a village further south.
Two other girls from his village and two from another were in the fourth cell. These four girls were the youngest girls on the ship. In the last cell were the other two girls. The eight girls were all aged between fourteen and seventeen.
Ulu was not pleased with his accommodations. He asked the others if they were all right and found the girls from his village had only been taken this morning. The other four girls had been captured twelve days ago with one of their female guards.
The oldest girl, Olin, informed him they knew of at least thirteen crew members and the Captain. Valda, their guard, had killed one of the men when they were taken. They believed the Captain and the first mate Oliver had raped her for several days as punishment.
They believed she was chained up, upstairs and was being used by the crew. The sailors had to complete their duties to be rewarded time with her. As far as they knew, she was still alive.
Ulu asked if they knew where they were headed. Azure informed him that their chief guard, who had said he was called Kale, told them that they were going to Trenton. Ulu asked them to behave for him as he didn't want them hurt.
Old Druid Troy, who lived in their village, had said that he needed to go to this place called Trenton. So, they may as well let the slavers provide the ride. He would get them free somehow when they got to Trenton.
'Somehow,' he thought.
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Chapter 2
Ulu was the older and taller of the two half-brothers.
He stood at 189cm (6'3") tall. He was well-muscled from hard physical labour. His wide shoulders, solid legs and small arse were admired by many. His unusual dark blue eyes with the dark brown outer ring were hypnotic if you looked into them for any length of time.
His skin was a chestnut colour, and his nose longish and broad at the base. His lips were wide and full but not pouty. His hair was softly curled, and it fell below his shoulders when it wasn't tied back. It was as black as polished ebony with a bluish tinge in sunlight.
Inhu was shorter by 10cm, and his eyes were dark brown with golden flecks. His skin tone was a shade or two darker than his Ulu's. His shoulders were not quite as broad, and his muscles more sinewy.
He had similar facial features to his brother, with the same squarish jaw and brow and a slightly wider nose. Inhu's hair was a deep, dark brown, and it also curled more tightly, but he kept it shorter, so the curls surrounded his handsome face.
The brothers had the same father but different mothers. Ulu was two years older than Inhu's eighteen years. He was also the heir apparent to his father's rule. The men also differed in their sexual preferences. Inhu preferred women, while Ulu took whoever caught his fancy.
Ulu had little trouble in finding partners of either sex. He was considered a competent and considerate lover and ensured that his partners were pleased with his efforts. The facts being that he was well endowed and had staying power didn't hurt either. Inhu did not lack in that department either.
While Inhu wasn't as adventuresome as Ulu, he'd not had any complaints from the woman lucky enough to grace his bed. The princes rarely had much trouble with their chosen partner, saying no.
Especially as both men had reputations for pleasing their partners.
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Inhu was as bored as his brother.
Looking at his brother's wife, he decided Yallah was a good match for Ulu. She was as promiscuous as he was. Yet, he felt they did care deeply for each other. She was the oldest daughter of the ruler of the northern tribe of their six affiliated tribes.
His own new wife, Tiki, suited him just fine. She was the daughter of an Oracle from Yallah's tribe. A woman who was held in high regard by all the tribes. Tiki was a loving woman with long curly hair. It was the same shade of brown as his, and she was happy to be the only other in his bed.
Tiki was a nice tidy package, with hips wide enough to bear his children and breasts big enough to keep him and them happy. She was only about 162cm tall, but she was lovely to cuddle, and she enjoyed their time together in bed as much as he did.
Tiki was well accomplished in the women's arts and famous for her cooking. She was also a fine weaver and had been studying under her mother. Inhu felt that he was lucky that she had wished to be his.
Yallah was a princess of Tiki's tribe. While she knew the arts of women, she was very good at delegating. She was 178cm tall and very beautiful, with her dusky brown skin and full, round breasts that attracted many a man's eyes.
Ulu had no complaints about her abilities in bedroom sports either. The fact that she was happy to share him as long as he did the same, was fine by him. They often shared the third person. Their society didn't have any taboos about multiple partners or bondings.
The boys' father, Doyen Rahlu, had three bonded wives. Ulu's mother, Consort Letea, was bonded to a second husband, Opinu. When an Oracle determined that he was the father of one of Ulu's younger sisters, it was agreed that he could bond with Letea.
To Ulu's knowledge, Letea mostly slept in Opinu's bed these days, unless his father or one of the other wives joined them. As far as he was aware, all five often swapped between the two beds. They were happy enough, so he didn't worry about it.
In their society, a bonding or marriage was more for maintaining financial and political agreements and assigning responsibility for the care of children. Bonding was a contract between two or more people that indicated who owned what.
It was also to ensure that if a partner died, then the others in the relationship and any common children they had were looked after. If a bonded pair decided to go their separate ways or there was a dispute on who were the parents of a child, then the oracles were consulted. What they said goes.
The oracles and magicians were their spiritual leaders. Large tribes like the Brina had at least five of each or more. Letea was an oracle, and she had told Ulu that she believed it was time for him and his brother to collect their brides. Druid Troy had agreed.
So, the brothers had set out on the trip to get the girls. Ulu now suspected that his mother had a vision. He wouldn't fight the sailors, as he too felt that he was supposed to be on this ship and heading west.
He only hoped he could keep his people and family safe.
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Ulu had Yallah by the hips.
He was happily sliding his cock in and out of her. He had been fucking Yallah since they met at the spring meeting two years before, and he still enjoyed her every time he did. He'd fucked a lot of other people in between, but he had no problems doing her when he could.
While their bonding had been more for political reasons than for any other, he did believe he loved her. She was the one person he was always happy to come back to. The fact she, too, had played around didn't bother him in the least.
Ulu was okay with her dalliances, as she was with his. As long as, when she was in season, she didn't screw anyone else now that they were bonded, their relationship would stay healthy. Yallah had been more than happy to make this promise to Ulu.
Once she had produced an heir for Ulu, he wouldn't bother so much about who fathered her second child. Their women often only came into season once or twice a year after they produced their first child. Many of their women didn't have a second child any closer than two to five years from the previous one.
They were a long-lived race, often reaching into the middle of their second century before they died. They also didn't show their age or slow down physically, until well into their second century.
The fact women often only produced four or five children in a lifetime, and child loss before they were ten was as high as one in three, meant their populations didn't grow fast. The loss of their young people to the slavers hurt many communities.
They were a peaceful people, preferring to negotiate first and only to fight if no other option could be reached. This didn't mean they liked being pushed around, and their warriors were well trained. They also protected what they believed was theirs.
They had lived in harmony with their environment for many thousands of years. While they did invent new methods of doing things, they hadn't tended to adopt inventions that would harm their environment. They were also well educated, could read and write and studied many fields of science and magic.
They smelted metals but preferred to make items that lasted the owners for a very long time. They only took what they needed and reused the old. They didn't put a lot of store in owning many ornaments, and they dressed very simply.
They lived far enough south that they didn't need a lot of clothing to protect them from the elements during the warmer months. They grew a local variation of what we know as flax and wove fine cloth. The women liked to dye their materials in bright colours.
The women mostly wore a form of breastband or a halter top with a sarong tied like a skirt. Else, the sarong was worn as a dress and tied over the breasts. It could also be tied on a shoulder or around the neck if they chose.
Then men also wore a form of sarong called a wrap, for everyday wear. The wraps tended to be dyed in plain dark colours, and they were shorter than a sarong. They were often tied at the hip. They wore a longer version that was more colourful, as formal wear.
Some of the men and women wore a form of a linen loincloth that went between the legs and folded over a belt, so it had long flaps. They were popular when hunting or fighting.
In the colder months, they wore soft leather or linen capes that were impregnated with oils or wax to make them water-resistant. The capes were often used as travelling cloaks and for when it rained. The women often included hoods to keep their hair dry and protect their faces from the wind.
They also replaced the simple summer sandals with leather shoes or boots that had hard soles.
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Unlike the people from Galina, they knew that people lived on the southern continents.
A few years before, they believed one such group had moved into their southernmost region, which was over the equator. The messages about the new people raiding the southern villages and turned them into slaves were becoming more numerous. The elders were getting very worried about this new development.
The slavers that had Ulu and his people were a different sort. They were from Galina and traded mostly in sex slaves. They had only been annoying them for the last five years, but they had worn out their welcome fast.
These slavers preferred to take teenagers who were between twelve and fifteen. Sometimes they took older girls for their own use. They had been getting bolder of late and had been killing the guards sent to protect the teenagers.
Old Druid Troy had wanted Ulu to go to Trenton to see the druids. He had told him that he was gifted, and with the gift they could bestow on him, he would be able to learn how to protect his people better. So, Ulu was biding his time.
The ship he was on was going to Trenton. He just didn't plan to comply with the wishes of the slavers once they got there. He would find a way to free his people and see the druids. He also hoped to find where his other people were. If they were still alive, then he would bring them home, too.
He had absolutely no idea how this was to be achieved, but he was an optimist. He felt things would work out. He'd had a dream about a tall red-headed man with pale skin. Strangely, the man's face often changed, and he would grow even taller but younger.
He now suspected they were different men, but his destiny was tied to them both.
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Ulu looked down.
He watched his cock disappear into Yallah and then slide back out. He pushed in harder this time and then flexed his hips. He pulled back and did it again. He loved fucking her hard, and her groans and sighs told him that she was enjoying what he was doing to her.
He happily increased the pace and pulled her hips back into his thrusting hips until she started tightening up, and then she shivered on him as she moaned out her pleasure. She moaned again and shook harder. Ulu knew she was coming, so he happily released his seed and filled her.
He pumped into her a couple of more times, enjoying her enjoyment of him until he softened. Happy, he pulled out and flopped down beside her onto the rough mattress beside his wife. She cuddled into his arms and sighed happily.
Ulu thank the Gods the slavers had put her into the same cell as him, or he would have gone stark raving mad.
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Chapter 3
Ulu looked over at his brother.
Inhu was curled around an exhausted Tiki. Apparently, she came a lot quicker than Yallah did. She was also a grunter. He hadn't fucked her, at his brother's request. He decided it was just as well.
While she satisfied Inhu, who didn't last as long as him, Ulu had a feeling he would have got bored with her in no time. Tiki wasn't very exciting, by his standards. However, they seemed well suited, and Inhu was happy with his choice, so that was all that mattered.
At least they had put three of the older other girls in the cell beside him. Ulu had found the bars were wide enough that if the girls backed up to them and put a leg through on either side of a pair of bars, he could fuck them quite well.
It at least gave Yallah a rest now and then. After three weeks on the ship and fucking being about the only entertainment he had, he had done a lot of it. Confinement put him in a foul mood if he dwelled on it.
The young sailor called Kale, who fed them, had also proved entertaining. He liked to come down and watch Ulu fuck the girls through the bars or Yallah if that was whom he was doing at the time. Kale had even gone in and got Azure for him one day when he had indicated he wanted to fuck her.
He had put her in his cell, and then Kale had happily sat on the cargo between the cells and wanked off while he watched her ride Ulu. It was definitely more satisfying for Ulu not to have the bars in the way.
One day, for fun and to stave off boredom, when Kale came in, Ulu had dropped his wrap and knelt between the bars with his cock out. He made a fucking motion and pointed at Kale. He slid his hand up and down his cock to encourage the lad.
To his surprise, the young man dropped his pants and backed up to the bars. So, Ulu had happily fucked him. The guy had grunted quite happily and seemed to enjoy Ulu reaming him out.
Ulu found him equally satisfying, as he came very nicely on his cock. Ulu guessed it wasn't his first time. He had opened too readily. Kale had a nice trim arse and gripped him pleasantly.
Ulu even liked Kale's light beige skin and dark blonde, curly hair. He was a handsome lad for his race. He had sexy green eyes and was tall and trim, more like Inhu in body shape, but closer to Inhu's age, Ulu guessed.
The next day, Ulu offered his arse, and Kale had returned the favour. Ulu liked a bit of both, and while the guy wasn't as big as he was, he has enough to provide satisfaction. He certainly put some effort into catering to Ulu's pleasure. He even found spots Ulu didn't realise were sensual until Kale exploited them.
The day after that, Kale sucked Ulu off very nicely. Ulu guessed the lad had also had some practice at this, as Kale had really worked him over. He even teased and would get Ulu to almost come and then backed off or change the rhythm so that Ulu just couldn't get there until Kale wanted him to.
Kale even finger-fucked Ulu's arse as he worked on his cock, which only intensified Ulu's pleasure. He was glad he had the bars to hold onto because when he did come, his knees shook so hard he had trouble standing.
Kale stood and pulled Ulu's head into the bars and kissed him hard after he finished. He then said, "Thanks, Ulu, that's one nice cock you have."
Ulu watched as the lad put his pants back on and left. He was whistling a merry tune to Ulu's amusement. Ulu went and lay back down with Yallah, who was giggling at his wobbly legs.
He decided that he liked Kale. He had treated them with kindness and made no threats. He also often held a monologue, telling them what was going on aboard the ship as if he knew that they could understand him.
He had even told them that he was trying to look after Valda as best he could. Ulu could see Kale's concern for Valda, and he knew that he didn't approve of how the other men were treating her.
Ulu wondered how the boy had ended up on this ship, as he didn't come across as the slaver-type. On the other hand, Oliver, the first mate, was definitely a man he didn't like. He often came in and ogled the younger girls.
If they were near the bars when he came in, he grabbed at them, squeezed their tits and tried to feel them up. Ulu would yell at him to stop, and then Kale would appear.
Kale would remind him to not bruise the merchandise, and Oliver would snarl at Kale and leave. Kale had no qualms reporting anyone who was in here that shouldn't be. Ulu and the girls were grateful for his intervention on several occasions.
Olin even offered her services one day to see what Kale would do. Kale had looked at Ulu and asked if he minded.
Ulu had shrugged and pointed at Olin and made a fucking motion. Kale had asked her to stand at the bars and had preceded to finger fuck her as he licked her out. They all decided that Kale had a long, talented tongue, and Olin had seemed to be enjoying what he was doing to her.
Once Kale got her to come in his mouth, he got her to turn around for him as Ulu had. He had then proceeded to fuck her slow and then fast and slow again.
Ulu ended up fucking Yallah while they watched Kale doing Olin. He realised Kale was using similar techniques to those he had used on him, and going by Olin's oohs and groans, she was enjoying Kale's skills as much as he had.
Ulu even found that he and Kale were both getting off watching each other, and they also came together after they got the girls off. It had been a lot of fun for both couples.
Ulu had indicated several times that he was hungry, and Kale had nodded. He had managed to sneak Ulu and the others some extra rations now and again.
They appreciated the extra food, as Ulu always seemed to be hungry.
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Ulu's only other fun was exercise.
He had found he could hang from a crossbar and pull his body up to his knees. He could easily reach the top of the cell. The bars were a little wider, but in a square pattern, and while he couldn't squeeze between them, he could put his head through a square so that he could do pull-ups.
He also did squats, ran on the spot, push-ups and any other method of exercising his body he could think of to stop himself from going nuts. He, Inhu and the girls would have competitions to see who could do the most of anyone exercise, just to stay amused.
One of the girls had told them to keep their knucklebones from their snuffler trotters one night, and she had cleaned them up so they could play knuckles. At least it entertained them for a while. Otherwise, they talked, sang, told stories or slept.
They all agreed that Inhu was a natural storyteller. He could weave a yarn that had them all guessing as to the outcome or laughing hard. They decided Olin had the best singing voice, but Ulu wasn't bad either. Their voices worked well together when they sang duets.
Even the sailors would stop and listen to them even though they didn't understand their language.
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Ulu and Inhu listened carefully to the sailors when they talked.
When they weren't around, the brothers taught the girls some of the common words and phrases the sailors used. He felt that the better the girls understood the sailors, then all the better for them.
Old Druid Troy had turned up in their village ten years before, he had taught Ulu and Inhu his language, and it was the same tongue as the sailors. The brothers could also read and write in the Galina language. Troy had pointed out that both their languages came from the same root, but they had altered over time.
Inhu had picked up the new language the quickest, but Ulu hadn't been far behind him.
Both boys had also been taught the northern variations of the people who lived in the colder region of their continent. They realised it too was just a variation of theirs, and they still had many similar words. They had little trouble talking to the traders when they came south to visit.
While they may be pampered slaves, as they didn't get beaten or suffer any real abuse, they found being stuck in the cages, day after day, bloody boring. Their one highlight of their confinement was their bath on the deck each half week.
A week for them was ten days. Each month had four weeks, and a year was ten months. A day had ten hours and one hundred minutes to an hour. Their day was about an Earth-hour shorter than one on Earth.
The Saran were a very clean people, and going five days at a time without proper bathing was very uncomfortable for them. They didn't even care that the slavers ogled them as long as they got the chance to get clean.
On this day, Ulu was up on deck with Yallah and the four younger girls. Kale always preferred to have Ulu and Yallah with them. Kale had rigged up a bucket with holes as a shower for them.
He and Ulu dragged up buckets of water from the sea. They then filled the bucket and then hoisted it up so the girls could take turns under it getting clean. They got one bucket each, and Kale had them bring a blanket to use as their towel.
Eca was the oldest of these girls at fifteen. She had showered first and had stepped away from the others to get dry. One of the sailors grabbed her, and he tried kissing her. She was a pretty, dark chocolate skinned girl that was just blossoming. Her titties were big enough to cup, and she was lightly downed.
The sailor had her in a firm grip under one arm and was busy squeezing her tit as he tried kissing her. The other sailors started urging the bloke who had her to stick his fingers in her and see if she was a virgin.
Kale had just emptied his bucket when he heard her trying to scream. Kale said nothing. He walked up behind the sailor and swung his bucket. He smacked him in the middle of his back, and the man screamed and let the girl go.
He spun to find who had hit him and saw the kid swinging the bucket again. Kale thumped him in the chest with it, knocking him flat on his arse. Kale stood over him and said, "Don't touch the merchandise, you dumb shit."
The man looked up at the calm face of the young man. The only thing that said he was angry was the blazing green eyes. Those eyes in the calm face frightened the sailor more than he would ever admit.
Kale stepped away and gently re-wrapped the girl in her blanket, and then took her back to the group as if nothing had happened. Quite a few of the watching sailors realised 'the kid' wasn't so little anymore and guessed he wouldn't be messed with in the future.
None of them helped the sailor up, and they all suddenly found work to do.
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Chapter 4
David
David James cussed when he banged his busted knee on the old trunk.
He rubbed it and noticed the knee was swelling up again. He was supposed to stay off it for at least another week, but that wasn't happening. While in the hospital, he had been contacted by a lawyer about his Father's estate.
He owned an apartment building containing sixteen units in Cairns, Queensland. It was on the northern end of the Esplanade. The lawyer had a buyer. UNSEC (The United Nations Security Collaborative) wished to purchase the building.
David was amused to learn that his employer wanted them. The spaceport was 30km north- northwest of Cairns. Apparently, the Military wanted the units to house some of their employee's as they planned to expand the spaceport.
He currently had twelve of the units occupied, but only four had long term leases. The rest were rented as holiday apartments. UNSEC was happy to let the long-term leases stand. The lawyer said that they were offering him a reasonable price.
David would have to move because he currently lived in his father's penthouse apartment that was at the top of the four-story building with two other units. The third and second floors each had four, two-room apartments. The ground floor had five, single room apartments at the rear.
The building had an underground car park that was accessed from a side street. Out the back were a kids play area, a barbeque area and a big pool. A restaurant-cafe on the ground floor fronted the street corner. It opened until late and was very popular. The building faced the beachfront, so it was worth a lot.
David didn't really need the luxurious apartment. He was going to shift to a small house that he also owned. It hadn't been lived in for a while, and he had six weeks to move. He was hoping that his knee would be better by then and he could get back to his job.
David worked as a Drive Mechanic and the second Pilot on the Explorer Starships. His last ship, Explorer GJ05, had a misadventure when the compensators that kept the gravity on the ship stable at 1g had played up. He had busted up his knee as a result.
The ship was dry-docking on the Moon, and he was recuperating back on Earth while it was being fixed. He was taking advantage of the break to get his navigation training finished. It would make him even more versatile on the ships. He had completed his pilot's training just before his last expedition.
David had been living with his father, Paul James, since he was thirteen, after his mother, Donna, had dumped him there. He hadn't seen her since, and he was lucky if she remembered to ring him on his birthday. She had moved to Perth and had a new life that didn't include him or his older sister.
His father had been gone for two years now, and David still missed him. Paul had been a larger than life character and well-liked. He had been hit by a linger in front of the apartment building in February of 2070.
Lingers have electric motor driven fans that provide the levitation. They can also be switched over to drive a set of wheels for parking or slower driving on land, making them an all-terrain vehicle. However, they did have limitations on how much weight they could lift and sheer cost. They were still mostly used by the rich.
The idiot driving the linger, who had more money than sense, had been fucking around trying to impress his mates. He had dropped down on Paul from above when he stepped out from under an awning into the street.
It had made a mess, and they had only been able to identify Paul from the scars on his legs from a shark attack many years before. David and his five years older sister Cathy had inherited the apartments because of the accident.
Paul had also left the little beach house to David and the equivalent in cash to Cathy. The rest of the cash was split between them. Cathy was busy trying to sue the arse off the driver and the company who made the linger and anyone else she could think of.
Cathy was married, and she was more than happy to have the apartment building sold, as she had her eye on a new house. She had already blown the money their dad had left them, and it hadn't been that small of an amount. She had recently started to annoy David with stories of woe, trying to get money out of him.
David had his share tied up in a trust fund, so it was safe from his sister. He was happy to let Cathy try to sue the companies, as it kept her out of his hair. He just missed his dad.
Her husband also worked for UNSEC, and as far as David was concerned, they both had a high opinion of themselves. He knew that she'd have her share from the apartments spent in no time flat. Houses in Cairns these days were not cheap due to the building of the spaceport.
At twenty-five, David wasn't ready to settle down. The little house would meet his needs for a place to stay when not on assignment. He had sold it to the trust to protect it too. The house was old and needed a bit of TLC. The last lot of tenants had been a bit rough on the place.
He was there now cleaning out the accumulated junk.
------
David had a building firm coming in to fix the old place up over the next couple of weeks before he left again.
It needed a makeover, and he could easily afford it. To help the builder out, he was up in the attic space tossing the junk down the stairs, so he could put it in the rubbish skip he had hired.
David looked down on the old trunk his knee had collided with and wondered what was in it. He wiggled the strange old lock, and it clicked open to his surprise. He lifted the lid to find that it was full of old clothes, shirts, pants, fine leather jerkins, a heavy coat and thick socks. Each set of clothes was laid out as if ready for the day.
He looked more closely at the clothes. 'No,' he decided. They weren't that old; just the style was old fashion. The material was in excellent condition, and the clothes were very well made. It was almost as if they had been put in the truck the day before.
David had lifted the six sets of clothes off the top. Underneath were two pairs of quality leather boots wrapped in cloth bags. He pulled a pair out and kicking off his trainers, and then he slipped his foot in one. It was loose. He took it off, grabbed a pair of the thick, finely knitted socks and put them on. Then put the boots back on.
'Damn, now they are a nice fit,' he decided.
He walked around a bit and decided the half-calf length leather boots were very comfortable on his big feet. He looked at a set of clothes and then held a pair of the pants against his body. They were made of a soft woollen type fibre.
He decided that the pants might be just a tad short. David wasn't that surprised. Being a millimetre or two, shy of the 2m mark, he usually had trouble getting things to fit. He decided that if he tucked them into the boots, they would be fine.
The front of the pants had a 5cm overlap, and he realised they formed a flap. A wide drawstring pulled the back of the pants uptight and knotted through the loops on the overlay. He also found the flap let a bloke get his cock out for a piss but otherwise kept him in the pants.
He slipped one of the long-sleeved linen shirts over his T-shirt. It had drawstrings for the neckline and cuffs and was very soft and comfortable. David took the shirt off and then folded it back up onto the pants.
David looked back into the box. On the right side was a canvas-type backpack and a bedroll took up the back section. Tucked down between the backpack and the boots was a tin box about 30cm long by 20cm square. He lifted it out and found it wasn't locked.
He pushed the recessed button to open the lid. A thin book sat on top, and under it was a pretty suede bag that contained a medallion on a chain and a ring. In the other drawstring bags were a heap of coins. Some were round, some square and some triangular. They were like no currency he knew.
David didn't wear a lot of jewellery as a rule, but the chain was interesting, as it was made from at least five different metals for the links. They weren't really chunky but very finely made. The gold, oval medallion had an unusual crystal in the centre and two little pictures inscribed on it. One looked like it was a hill and the other a flaming torch.
He placed the chain over his head. It felt warm on his chest, and he felt a feeling of well-being come over him. He looked at the ring. It was made of gold and had another of the strange crystals in the central square of the top of the ring. On one side was a small emerald, and on the other was a ruby.
The fitting looked large, and he put it on the middle finger of his left hand. As it slid over the finger, it seemed to tighten. By the time it was behind the second knuckle, it was a snug fit. He liked it, and he felt happy with his find.
David sat on another chest and looked at the book. It was weird. It only appeared about 1.5cm thick and a little bigger than a standard cheap novel, but there seemed to be a lot more pages than there should be in the book. It was also written in two languages.
The pages on the left side were written like shopping lists or recipes. On some of the pages, it had extra information below. On the other page, it was like an explanation of dos and don'ts.
Every so often, David hit a set of pages written only on the left side, and they tended to read like a diary entry, but some of the dates and name places were strange to him. It took him a moment to realise that he understood both languages.
The words were in a stylised hieroglyph pattern and made him think of when he was learning Mandarin, but some symbols looked more Egyptian. He decided they were neither language but two variations that he had never seen before.
David looked down at the medallion, but it had disappeared, and the ring had changed to a simple gold band. Perplexed, he felt his chest but couldn't feel the medallion, but he knew it was there. He asked it to appear, and it did. He grinned and told it to disappear, and it did.
Chuckling, he packed the other stuff back into the chest. Reluctantly he removed the boots, put them back in the chest and pulled his trainers back on. He packed the clothes back into the box. David picked up the box and took it downstairs to his car. He would keep it, he decided.
David got busy again. He tossed the rest of the stuff from the attic that was junk down the stairs, and after multiple trips, he had soon filled the skip. He would probably need another day or two to finish the clean-up, he decided. He would need to get the skip emptied too.
Happy with his days' work, he packed up and headed back to the apartment.
------
David hauled the chest out of the car.
When he was lugging the chest into the elevator, a cute blond held the door for him. He grinned at the woman and thanked her. She informed him that she was on the third floor but then offered to help him with the doors to his place.
He looked her over. She was probably close to 175cm tall and had an admirable set of tits that provided plenty of cleavage. Her hips were rounded, her waist narrow, and her legs long and firm. He had a feeling the blonde hair was natural. Her eyebrows and the fine hairs on her arms were a light honey colour like the hair on her head.
She had lovely, soft aqua eyes. The jaw was a little too square and stopped her from being gorgeous, but it was a cute, friendly face and pleasing to the eye. The wide mouth had potential. She was lightly tanned and had a sprinkle of freckles over her nose.
The whole package fitted into his criteria for a very fuckable lady. David guessed she wasn't any older than he was, and the look she gave his body indicated she liked what she saw as well.
He gave her his best, 'I'm a nice bloke' smile, and she returned it with a sexy grin of her own.
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Chapter 5
Feeling game, David asked if she wouldn't mind helping him to his door, and she agreed.
He handed her his key card, and once the lift stopped and opened the doors, she followed him to his door and then opened it for him. She then followed him in. David offered her a drink as a thank you, and she accepted.
She was happy with a beer, and they made themselves comfortable in the lounge. He soon learned that she was visiting her sister downstairs and would be in town for another week. Her name was Kindle, and she was studying architecture in Brisbane.
David explained that he was a Drive Mechanic on the Explorers and dabbled in metalwork. He told her he was on shore leave while his leg healed, and that was why he was wearing the knee brace. She asked who else lived in the apartment, and he told her no one.
He didn't have a girlfriend, as they had split up before he went away on his last trip. She hadn't liked him being gone for months at a time. He didn't mention that his sperm had tested low, and his girlfriend knew he wasn't likely to become a daddy real soon, if ever. He wasn't marriageable material in her eyes.
David found it uncomfortable when sitting and wearing the brace, so he decided to take it off. He sat forward on the edge of the lounge and started pulling the Velcro strips off. Kindle came over to him to help. She gently helped him pull the pressure bandage off his leg. They looked at his knee.
He noticed the scarring from the operation didn't seem as pronounced as it had been, and the swelling had gone down. He also realised it didn't hurt as much as he would have expected since he had bumped this morning. He flexed it experimentally, and it was moving a lot more freely.
Kindle had knelt between his legs to help him get the brace and bandage off. She gently ran her fingers over the scars as David explained what happened on his last trip that bunged up his knee.
David was finding her touch erotic, and when she looked at his crotch, he wasn't surprised when her eyes stayed. While he didn't consider himself a big guy for his height, he knew that he had enough to satisfy the partners he had in the past.
Kindle licked her lips, making his cock jump in the loose-legged shorts. The thought of that tongue and her lips being wrapped around him didn't help. She ran her hand up his leg, and he sucked in a breath at her touch. He also found his legs spreading wider to let her hand roam.
"Someone looks like he would like to come out and play," Kindle said and ran a finger down his now pulsing cock, then back up to the head.
He looked at her in surprise and asked, "You sure?"
Kindle cocked her head as she kept running her finger up and down his cock. Her actions made him groan and lean back so that she had better access to him. He wasn't gunna say no if she was offering. He hadn't been with a girl for a while, and DJ was more than happy to be petted.
"Well, I'm on holiday, and apparently you're available. Going by the boner in your pants, you have enough to keep me satisfied as long as you've got some staying power," Kindle said.
David grinned, "It's been a while, so I might be a bit quick on the draw. But I have been known to recover quickly for a second shot with a bit of encouragement."
She eyed him off again and must have decided he would do for a bit of fun and reached for his button and zip. David was more than happy to lift his arse so she could get his pants off. He leant back into the couch and let her play. She had lovely long fingers and a nice touch.
Kindle soon had DJ begging for more. When she licked him, he groaned and flexed in her fingers. The feel of her hot mouth sliding over his cock had David pushing his hips up for more. She rubbed his balls with her thumb as she tangled her fingers in his pubic hair and raked him gently with her nails.
Her mouth slid off, and she grinned at him as her fingers still played in his hair. "You're even redder down here than on top. A real ranger."
David looked down at the hair she was referring to. "Yeah, I even get a red beard if I don't shave."
The straight red hair on his head was cut short and had a darker brown undertone under the red tips. His eyes were greener than blue, and Kindle decided she liked the slightly crooked smile as well.
She had taken an instant fancy to his long, lanky form in the lift. She liked tall guys, and he had a sexy arse. The sexy grin he had given her had also turned her on. The lovely long legs and hard-muscled forearms suggested that he was fit and toned.
The view from the back when he had put the chest down had definitely been worth the effort of helping him. The view from the front once it wasn't blocked by the chest had been just as good. He was a sizzling guy, and so far, he had displayed excellent manners.
She also liked that he was happy to let her explore. He had a long, thick cock, and she hoped he wasn't a ten-pump wonder. She went back to sucking on that cock. It flexed nicely under her administrations, and she was soon happily sliding her mouth up and down its length to warm him up.
Once happy that David was primed, Kindle stood and slipped the sundress off her shoulders. David watched as her lovely body was revealed to him. She was wearing a skimpy black bikini under the dress. He watched as she pulled the string on the halter neck, and her beautiful round breasts sprung forward.
David noted the lack of tan lines and grinned at her as she slid the knickers down. He was happy to find that he was right, and she was a true blonde. She was more honey-coloured like her eyebrows, and she had trimmed her hair to make it tidy but had still left enough for his fingers to play in.
DJ was standing proud and waved at her to come closer. Kindle giggled and straddled David's legs. She then leant in to kiss him.
He happily swapped spit with her, as one of his hands found a tit to play with and the other a sweet, wet, warm, fur-covered hidey-hole. She moved so he could suck on one of her tits as his other fingers played hide and seek. She was undoubtedly wet and willing.
David was soon happily sliding his fingers in and out of her as he sucked in one of her pale pink nipples. She happily humped into his hand as she held onto the back of the couch.
It didn't take him long to get her hips tightened up, and she was moaning nicely. He pulled his fingers out and guided her down over DJ, who joyfully wiggled up inside of her as fast as he could.
Kindle happily helped him in and was soon rocking happily on David's hips. Kindle decided that DJ was a lovely fit, and she had fun, just squeezing her muscles and making David groan on her tit when she did.
It didn't take him long to wrap his big hands around her arse cheeks, with his thumbs under her hip bones so he could help lift her up and slam her down onto his cock.
She was amazed at how quick she was coming for him. He felt so good in her, and she had no complaints about the hardware. She shivered as she came and felt him slam her down hard, and he held her as his hips tightened under her.
David grunted out his release in time with her moans of delight. She kissed him as his hips relaxed, and he happily returned her kisses as she rocked her hips on him.
"So, how long are you in town for again?" he asked her as she sat back on him.
She grinned, "Another six days."
"Do you think your sister will mind if you stay here with me?" he asked.
Kindle grinned at him. He was still firm inside her and didn't seem in any hurry to remove her from her perch.
"Nope, I'm sleeping on an air mattress, so I have no problems with a better bed and a bed warmer," she told him.
David pulled her down and kissed her again.
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Kindle stayed the six days in David's flat.
She even helped David finish cleaning out the little house. One night, he had dinner with her family. He took her to a couple of restaurants on other nights and a local stage production. During the day, he generally showed her around Cairns. The rest of the time, they screwed each other silly.
David was sad to see her go, as he had enjoyed the week with her. Both, however, knew it wasn't going to be permanent. Kindle had told him as much as she enjoyed being with him, she couldn't deal with a long-distance relationship, and she knew he wasn't going to give up his job for her and move to Brisbane.
By the end of the week with Kindle, David had noticed that he hadn't bothered putting the brace back on his knee. He had even started jogging on the beach again.
His knee wasn't giving him any grief at all, and he felt great.
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Two days after Kindle left, David met Dana.
She was 181cm of smokin' hot loveliness. David had come in from the beach and stopped to collect his mail before heading up to his room when he saw her seated behind the receptionist's desk.
She was wearing a white blouse that strained around her luscious breasts. A skin-tight, thigh-length, straight, black skirt hugged her hips. Her lovely, nutmeg hair was done up neatly in a thick bun.
David's eyes lighted on her awesome tits, and he was in lust. She must have felt him staring and looked up. DJ wiggled in appreciation as her eyes swept down his body and back up again. Then she grinned at him.
Now he was in love as well as in lust. "Hi, I'm David. I don't remember seeing you here before?"
"I only moved in last week. My parents are with UNSEC, and we have scored one of the flats on the second floor. I'm also the new receptionist," she told him.
He nodded at her. He had been a bit preoccupied with Kindle, so he had no idea who had moved into the building in the last week. When asked, he had agreed that UNSEC could move their people into the spare flats while the lawyers sorted out the fine print.
The deal was supposed to go through in two weeks, but he still had four weeks before he had to move out of the penthouse. He hoped to be shifted to his house before the last couple of days of his leave here was up.
The builders were already busy with the renovations. They had promised to be finished on time. David had offered a bonus if they did, and they were hustling their butts to get it all done.
David focused back on the vision of loveliness before him.
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"I didn't get your name," David said and gave her a friendly smile.
"I'm Dana Walsh. Do you live here, too?" she replied as she checked out David.
He grinned. "Yep, penthouse number one."
She looked at him quizzically. "Wow! You're really young to own this place," she came back at him.
He smiled, "Only for another four weeks, then I'll head back to my ship, and I will not have to worry about the place anymore."
"Cool, so I'll only be your new receptionist for the next month," she told him.
He frowned, "I wasn't aware we were getting a new receptionist?"
"Tanya quit last week. Didn't Rob tell you?" she said.
David frowned again. No, Rob hadn't. He had a bad habit of not telling David of problems until he had to. As it was, he had to pay for the repairs of things the inspector said had been let go. Fortunately, he would recoup the costs from the sale as the place was worth a mint.
His sister had bitched about paying half of the expenses from out of her share. However, since she was a half-owner, she didn't have much choice. The problems had to be fixed before the inspector gave the building the go-ahead for sale.
The same builder, who was now fixing the house, had gone through the place and fixed up all the little problems. David was happy with his work and was sure the builder would do as good a job with his house as he had done here.
"Did Rob tell you why Tanya left?" he asked Dana.
She just shrugged and shook her head.
"So why are you here now?" he asked.
"I scored the afternoon shift, so I can still go to college if I need to attend classes during the day. Marcy moved to day shift," she told him.
He nodded his head. Marcy would like the change. She lived in one of the flats with her husband, and her daughter, Melody, had started school this year. They had one of the long-term leases that UNSEC had agreed to let run. She would now work from six o'clock in the morning to three o'clock in the afternoons Monday to Thursday.
So, Dana would get the shift from three to midnight on those days. The front door and the cafe were closed then. Entry was only by keycard between midnight and six in the morning.
Rob and his wife covered the other days.
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Chapter 6
Bummer on his part that Dana had the afternoon shift.
However, he wasn't working, so he was sure he could find time to wine and dine the sexy Dana. Plus, he would still be here for four more weekends.
"Well then, at least I'll get to see your pretty face in the evenings, four days a week until I have to leave," he said.
Dana smiled coyly at him, and he got to watch her awesome arse as she sashayed to the mail slot for his mail in her high heels. With so much of their mail now delivered by emails, generally, only parcel notices and advertisements found their way to the mail slots that the receptionist monitored.
She put her key in and opened his slot. "Sorry, nothing today. Are you expecting anything?" she asked him as she closed the door and turned back to him.
He shook his head, "No, but you never know if you have gotten lucky until you do."
She grinned at him, "Yep, you never know your luck." She looked him up and down again.
"Hey Dana, 'Speed dial one', is my apartment. We do get some nuts in here occasionally. If you need me or just want someone to talk to, push it," he told her. "Gerald, the security dude, isn't really consistent with his rounds, and he only pops in about every half an hour or so after nine o'clock."
David was a little worried about her being here after eight. During the week, most of the people who lived here permanently were in their apartments by then and rarely relied on reception.
"Dad has said he is going to call me too. You guys worry too much," she said dismissively.
David was happy with her response that her dad was going to check on her. Pretty girls like her did attract the wrong attention at times.
He reluctantly said goodnight.
------
David happily chatted up Dana, all week.
He even bought her Chinese takeaway one night and sat with her to eat it. He stayed until the end of her shift. He convinced her to go to a play with him on Friday. The local theatre company had started doing comedy type plays on the weekends, and they were proving very popular as a fun night out.
He had meant to see her home after the play, but somehow, they ended up in his flat and his bed. He soon found she was one enthusiastic lover, and by the time he saw her home three hours later, he couldn't wait to see her again.
He liked the idea that he was her first lover as well. She didn't let on until he was busily trying to push DJ into her tight cunnie that he was the first to do so. He found it hard to slow down the first time, so that she got to enjoy the experience with him.
He had come in her so hard that he had seen stars. What she lacked in experience, she sure made up for in sheer exuberance. She wanted to try everything, and she had him wrung out by the time he got her to her floor. Not that he was complaining.
He had thought Kindle had been a good lover, but Dana had rung all his bells.
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The next three weeks sped by.
David spent most of the evenings that Dana worked with her. Either he helped her with her studies, or he would sit with her while he read his weird diary. Sometimes when she was busy or didn't need his help, he did his navigation studies.
He found she had a good mathematical brain, and she even helped him with his studies as he could bounce ideas off her. Her dad came and checked him out when he realised Dana was seeing him, and while he wasn't super pleased, there wasn't much he could do about it, as she was over eighteen, just.
During the second week, Dana helped David pick out curtains and chose the carpets for the house. She seemed to like the place, and that made David happy. She was a hit with the builders, even the females on the crew, and David wasn't surprised that they would stop work to look at her.
He found time to take Dana to the museum, the Daintree National Park, the Zoo and any place she wanted to go. He knew he had it bad, and he just loved being with her. The sex was pretty damn good too.
David went for his medical in the third week and got a clean bill of health from the doctor. He also had to attend meetings for the next trip. He passed his Navigation exams and could now upgrade from Engineering to Helm because he also held his pilot certification.
He could even fill in as the Drive Engineer when needed, making him very versatile. He loved working on the spaceships and being in space. Pay wise it was a big jump, too, but he didn't get into space for the money.
The sale of the apartments and his trust fund meant he was supported if anything happened to him, and he couldn't work on the ships anymore. He hoped that that didn't happen for a long time to come.
David only had four days to go until he reported to the Armstrong Space Station on the Moon, when Dana told him she was pregnant. It threw him for a loop. He was now committed to the next flight and would be gone for four months. If he pulled out, the chances of getting another deep space berth would be difficult.
There had been a flu epidemic in 2032. It had been particularly nasty and had taken out a third of the males over sixty in the world and one percent of the rest of the population. It also had a secondary virus that had affected everyone as far as fertility went.
Women found that they didn't cycle as often, and most males found that their fertility was greatly reduced. Blokes who returned low sperm counts weren't expected to get too many females pregnant unless they tried really hard.
David's count at eighteen had been bloody low, and he had never expected to become a father. The fact he managed to knock Dana up was astounding to him. He also doubted his chances of getting another kid.
He promised that when he came back, they would get married, but Dana refused. She was too young to get married, she told him. Prolonged space flights were still dangerous, and he might not come back.
Dana would have the child, but she didn't expect him to marry her. He argued that when he came back, he would get her to marry him. She said they would discuss it if and when he did.
Not to be beaten, David signed Dana up as a trustee to his trust fund and his child to be a beneficiary. He also gave her the house. If anything happened to him, he wanted to ensure that his child would be taken care of.
Unbeknown to Dana, he also changed his will and left everything else to be split between any kids that tested as his. Their mothers were to be the beneficiaries until the kids turned eighteen.
The lawyer told him that if he left it open, and he and Dana didn't work out, or if he did have a kid with someone else, then he wouldn't have to change his will a hundred times. He could always remove Dana as trustee later.
David agreed, even though he thought he and Dana would be happy together. But like the lawyer said, he was only twenty-five, and a lot can happen. The lawyer said that people didn't change their wills often, so he liked them to cover the basics at least.
David made sweet love to Dana on his final night in Cairns. Afterwards, he lay for some time, rubbing her still flat belly. Dana said she thought of calling the child after her grandfather, whose name had been Storm or possibly her mother, Raina.
David had grinned and said, "No, I think she is more of a trickster than a storm." Dana questioned why he believed it was a she. David shrugged and said, "I don't know, I just feel that it's a girl, and she will be brilliant and as sexy as her mother."
"For some reason, when I touch your tummy, I get the picture of a puzzle in my head as if she is trying to work out why she is in there and how she is going to get out."
Dana giggled at his silliness. She would miss him, but she had her own premonitions. She felt that David wouldn't be back in her life. She didn't know why she felt this, just that she did.
It wasn't the first time that she had predicted something, and it had come true. She had learnt at a young age to be careful about mentioning anything she saw in her dreams to other people. She also didn't want to jinx David coming back if it was only fear on her part.
It was with a heavy heart that Dana saw David off to the spaceport.
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David was going to be in dry dock for a week.
Since he had been hurt on his last trip, he had to undergo extensive testing to prove his fitness. He could fake that he was still injured so he could stay with Dana, but that didn't sit well with him.
Plus, now that he was heading back into space, he was really looking forward to the adventure, even if he would miss Dana. He met up with his crew and found he had passed his fitness tests with flying colours. The doctor noted that his knee was amazingly well healed.
He was dropped into the simulator to check his navigation skills, and he passed these tests with flying colours. They put him through some piloting drills for when he took over this duty, and again, he had little trouble anticipating the correct responses for the simulator.
Being a crew of six, they each had to cover as many skills as they possibly could. The helm crew tended to rotate in six-hourly shifts. On this trip, David's primary job would be the navigator. He would also fill in as the pilot when the Captain was busy and for piloting the transporter. He could even fix the drives if required and do a lot of the other maintenance.
He had flown with Adele Hasid and Carol Bishop before and got on well with them. Frederic Ramiro, Darcy West and Captain Lin Chen were new to him. Since he had passed his health tests and had the three qualifications with high scores, he had gotten the trip to Mars that he had hoped to get.
They were transported to the Armstrong SS and introduced to their ship. They were all soon busy checking stores, ensuring that the ship was ready and that nothing important was left behind. They were heading to Mars to drill for water and put up a small starter dome.
It was a massive step towards the colonisation of Mars.
The scientists believed they had found a location to access an underground water source, and his team was to drill for it. Once they had tapped the water source, erected the workers' dome and filled the tanks, the next group would take over.
UNSEC's newer and larger ship Explorer 22, would take a fit-out crew from UNSEC's Army Engineering teams to set up the big Environmental Dome and attach it to their little one.
David, Darcy, Frederic and Carol would set up the small dome that was big enough for twelve people to live in. Then they would set up the drilling rig, the water purification system and the water storage tanks.
Fred was the drilling specialist, and David and Carol were the backup operators. Darcy had the skills for setting up and maintaining the dome that was to be their home for two months. Adele and Captain Chen would stay in orbit with the ship, for the most part.
The team would also get to try out the new planetary gravity compensators, as Mars only less than forty percent of the gravity they were used to. So far, they had been effective in the new colonies on the Moon. Making both living and mining on the Moon easier.
The orbital space station near the Moon was a hollow barrel shape and spun so that it created its own pseudo-gravity at the rim, where the people lived. This made it practical for doing zero-gravity training in the cross tubes and the building of spaceships.
It was David's last night on the station, and he had finally gotten a call through to Dana. She wished him well and said she was in good health. She seemed sad, and he said he was looking forward to when he got back to her.
She told him to have a nice trip and hoped his life went well in the future, and hopefully, one day, he would get to see his daughter. He was always welcome to visit, and then she said goodbye and closed the connection.
David was perplexed. Dana had acted as if he was gone from her life, and he was just an old friend calling her and not her future. He was pissed that she was fobbing him off when he had said he would marry her, but he could do little about the situation from his current location.
He headed off to meet with his crew in the bar.
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David was introduced to Krista Smith.
She was one of the engineers who had been working on his ship. She gave him some appreciative looks, and while he didn't usually go for older women, he found her very sexy. She was from Sydney and said she would be going home soon to spend time with her family.
She made sure he got the message that if he was interested, she was. With more women than men in the world, a good looking man had little trouble finding company if he wanted it.
They had a few more drinks and chatted with the rest of the crew and other acquaintances that had joined them. The party broke up early. Krista had her hand in his lap for most of the last hour, and when the others peeled off, she took his hand and walked him back to her room.
David was a little surprised that he let her as he generally preferred a little more to a relationship than one night stands. He fleetingly thought of Dana, but then her curt goodbye got him pissed again, and he found his feet following Krista.
When Krista stripped for him, he had little trouble showing her his appreciation. It didn't hurt that he felt more horny than usual for him. He put it down to the excitement of going back into space. DJ was more than happy to say 'Hi', and David found Krista a very willing and enjoyable partner.
She wasn't Dana, but then again, Krista was very responsive and happy to get him up and then back down several times, before she walked him back to his ship, a couple of hours later. She kissed him goodbye with passion. She then gave him a sad smile and left him at the terminal for his ship.