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  “You shall be,” she promised, and then she covered him with a kiss as his tongue dived into a mouth where he avoided needlepoints, to meet with a tongue not of this earth, and he kissed her deeply, sealing his promise.

  In the next room the drapes were down, blocking the view of the settlement as Lazzarra stood looking to Mack and Cora. Then as she shed her gown and climbed on to the bed, she gestured to Mack.

  “You mate now, warrior. Fuck, intercourse...breed.”

  Mack felt his throat go tight. Lazzarra's fingers dipped to a smooth slit and parted it, where within he saw folds of glistening wetness.

  “Serve me, warrior,” she said.

  He swallowed hard, searching his mind for an excuse not to put his penis inside this vile creature.

  “I have swallowed the flesh of my own kind, Majesty. We must wait until tomorrow. My seed will not make sons today, I had one bite of the meat. I drank the blood too.”

  She smiled, then got up on her knees and patted the bed invitingly as she picked up an empty goblet from the table beside it.

  “You sit,” she said, “And spill your seed. And I drink.”

  His jaw dropped for a moment as he silently ran through her plan in his mind:

  She wanted him to wank into a goblet, and then drink his come?

  It had to be better than forcing himself to fuck her...

  “Then,” the queen added, “You sleep, and make seed for tomorrow, then we make strong sons.”

  He breathed out nervously.

  “Yes Majesty, a fine idea,” he replied, and he took off his shorts and lay back on the bed, opening his legs as he looked down at his cock and hoped he would manage to get hard.

  Lazzarra was leaning over him, her hands stroking his parted thighs as he felt her breath between his legs. He looked up with a flash of panic in his eyes as he wondered what would happen if he failed to get erect for her...

  “Mack...”

  On hearing Cora whisper his name, as the queen's head stayed bowed as she breathed on his groin, he looked up at Cora, who had pushed her robe to her hips, exposing her nude body as she slipped two fingers into her wetness and started to rub. He caught his breath, feeling an ache and a bolt of pleasure as his cock began to harden. Cora drew her fingers away, showing him the wetness that shone on her fingertips, then for good measure, she put her fingers in her mouth, licking off her own juices.

  As she let her gown drop once more Mack was solidly erect and he looked at her, silently thanking her for quite possibly saving his life, as the queen reached for the empty drinking vessel, placed it between his legs and began to rub his erection slowly and rhythmically.

  Mack closed his eyes, breathing harder as he struggled to speed up the process, finding all he could think of to excite him further was the memory of burying himself deep in Cora as she whispered words that had soon told him she was certainly not as innocent as he had assumed. He recalled the way she had cried out, the blood on his hardness as he took her virginity, and then he was coming, and he heard the queen purr with satisfaction as he spilled sharply into the goblet.

  “You rest now, sleep and make good seed for me,” she said, and he turned on his side, keeping his back to her, noticing Cora had looked away as he heard a greedy slurp and the queen drunk deeply and quickly from the goblet as if she had a raging thirst for the taste of human semen.

  Mack closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.

  “You watch him, tend to his needs, I see my people,” said Lazzarra, throwing on her gown.

  Then she left through the silken curtain, and Cora sat down on the bed as Mack pulled her closer, then feeling wrapped in a moment of safety in her arms, he wept, but wasn't sure why he was weeping.

  As the mining cart came to a sharp stop, jolting the sleeping occupants awake, Jody and Zeke woke up with a start, gasping and sitting bolt up right as they looked about in confusion, and then as Jody breathed a relieved sigh, Zeke laughed softly.

  “We did it!” he said, looking about the end of the line, where the track stopped a short distance from the mine. Up ahead, the dry lands were blown yellow with sand, here and there sprigs of greenery showed through, and there it was: They had reached the wreck of the Pharaoh 2.

  “No sign of the savages,” Jody said as she got out of the cart, pausing to retrieve the bundle of containment cables.

  Zeke jumped out, grabbed his own bundle, and together they began to walk towards the wreck of the ship.

  “What if they don't believe us?” she said, sounding worried.

  “I told you, they will believe us!” Zeke insisted.

  “But we've all heard stories about ships crashing on deserted planets...crew members going insane...”

  “I'm sure if one of us had gone insane we'd do more damage than dreaming up a tall story to send back to earth!” he exclaimed, “I've heard the true horror stories...crews left stranded, eating their dead, going insane, killing one another...We thought that tribe back in the forest were savage...They're not.”

  “No, because they're droids, programmed -”

  He stopped walking and looked at her.

  “No, not because they're androids. Because who ever set this up is a bastard savage in the first place – savage enough to create an alien tribe specifically designed to cause terror, to inflict bloodshed, physical, emotional and sexual assault – it goes without saying they designed these machines to cause maximum suffering and carry out brutal murders. No survivors, Jody. Just a planet that ends up reeking of death, crashed ships, no survivors, just bodies and body parts...carry that on long enough and it's enough to make the colonisation project want to hand this place back to the mining corporation for free!”

  She thought of Mack and the others and determination burned in her eyes as they began to walk on towards the wreck of the Pharaoh 2.

  “We have to make sure earth knows exactly what's happening here.”

  “Once they do a scan of the planet, our story will check out,” he replied.

  They had reached the ship. She entered through the open hatch and Zeke followed, they made their way up a slightly twisted walkway and on to the flight deck. She looked about the empty room, feeling a sense of sadness settle in the air she she looked to the empty seats and recalled the others. The dead would not be coming back, of course – but what of the living still trapped in the alien settlement? Could any of them really come out of this unaffected by all they had suffered and witnessed? She looked to the cracked viewing screen that gave a distorted view of the planet surface – the first view they had all seen on crash landing, and then she looked to the floor where Mack's blood was dried, smeared, leaving a dark stain.

  “Please be okay...” she said quietly, and Zeke, who was over by the controls and opening the channel to earth, beckoned to her as he began to speak:

  “This is Pharaoh 2, we are awaiting rescue but now requesting urgent assistance, please come in.”

  There was a hiss and a crackle of static.

  Jody felt her guts twist as the silence continued.

  “Maybe the powers run low...”

  “Calling earth,” Zeke said again, “Come in, please! This is Pharaoh 2, requesting urgent assistance, we are in danger, this is an emergency, we need rapid pick up, hail all ships -”

  “What is your emergency, Pharaoh 2?” came the reply, and Zeke and Jody breathed a relieved sigh together, as Zeke began to explain. And as he explained, a green light blinked on the control panel, indicating the conversation was being relayed back to the link carried by Captain Mackenzie...

  As the comm device on his wrist crackled and then voices were heard, Cora gave a gasp as she sat beside him on the bed and she grabbed his wrist, turning the dial, softening the volume as he raised the device to his ear and she leant in and listened too:

  “State your emergency, Pharaoh 2,” said earth flight control, “We are aware of your situation and have a rescue mission in place, we are waiting for the debris field to clear. Can you confirm your s
ituation has changed, and state the nature of this change?”

  “Crew members dead,” Zeke stated, “Killed by droids... former mining droids to be precise. Captain Mackenzie and his co pilot and another crew member are held prisoner in the main settlement. Requesting immediate rescue and scan of this planet, scan will confirm droid activity and non human life forms, two semi organic droids. All are hostile, the surviving crew are prisoners. We have witnessed crew members slaughtered, please send urgent assistance!”

  There was a pause.

  “Droids?” the controller said in surprise.

  Jody stepped in, speaking clearly into the comm system:

  “Yes, droids. The mines are empty the droids have been redesigned, recycled, jelly skins...the satellite controlling them is not longer set to sleep command, check it out for yourself! Please check the satellite! It's sending a hostile command...”

  “Please wait, Pharaoh 2,” the voice said, and once again, static hissed.

  Jody looked to Zeke in despair.

  “They don't believe us!”

  “Wait,” he said, as he listened to the pause on the line, “They can request the satellite's frequency be checked...they'll find it live without authorisation and then it's over to the military. They'll scan the planet, shut down the droids, send a ship for us and then nuke the place. They have to, protocol one zero – hostile artificial intelligent life, spliced tech and semi organic tissue would be classified as non human. Once hostility's proven, it's nukes.”

  Her eyes widened in alarm.

  “We have to go back for Mack and the others!”

  “We have to wait for a reply first!” he said firmly, and looked to the comm system, as nothing came back but the empty hiss of static reaching out through space.

  As Mack and Cora sat together in the escape pod, both listening to the device, they waited too, exchanging a look of surprise.

  “Droids? Jelly skin?” Cora whispered, “Do... Do they mean the tribe are androids? People from earth did this?”

  He glanced at her.

  “Shh,” he said, “We can't speak to them yet, we'll block the channel...we need to hear what earth say first.”

  And as they waited, the hiss suddenly cleared.

  “Pharaoh 2?”

  “Yes, we're here!” Zeke replied urgently.

  “We've scanned the satellite and can confirm an unauthorised signal, Pharaoh 2,” the voice replied, “Intelligence confirms the frequency is in hostile mode. There's a military carrier three hours from you, en route to earth on the slow way around to avoid the debris field. Assemble your people at the crash site and a rescue ship will be with you soon. Make sure all parties are gathered, emergency protocol may be deployed if hostile organic life is found.”

  “But we have three crew members held prisoner!” Jody exclaimed.

  “It's the best we can do, Pharaoh 2,” the voice replied, “Hostility is dealt with swiftly, do your best to assemble the crew for rescue, ETA three earth hours.”

  Then the call ended.

  Mack heard Jody say, “What do we do about the others?”

  Then he spoke quickly into his comm link.

  “This is Mack...I got the drift of that.. the tribe are droids...they can shut them down by destroying the satellite but Lazzarra and her sister have to be more – they are so organic and highly functioning...once the ship scans and finds them, it's nukes. We're going to do our best to be with you in time for the rescue ship. If not, get the hell out before the mushroom cloud hits.”

  Jody blinked back tears.

  “We're coming to get you out!”

  “I'd rather wait until the droids shut down...best way. I'm okay, so is Cora. Rik's gone crazy... I'll have to knock him out and drag him to get him away from here!”

  “Then do it!” she said sharply, “No one is getting left behind.”

  “Of course not.”

  “And you can't wait for shut down,” Zeke cut in, “They could blow the satellite just before they launch the nuke. We're coming in, sit tight, we have

  containment cables.”

  “Wait at the crash site, that's an order!” Mack said sharply.

  “Sorry,” Jody replied, “We can't do that, Mack. Everyone who is still alive is coming home. We're getting you out of there.”

  Then the link ended as Mack shut off the volume, turning to Cora as he saw a frightened look in her eyes.

  “We can't escape, they'll kill us!” she whispered.

  “First thing,” Mack replied, “I have to get Rik away from Vishcarra – maybe he will come to his senses once he knows she's a droid.”

  “A semi organic droid,” Cora replied, “That means... kind of...alive, right? Not just a machine?”

  “He thinks he's got himself a genuine alien lover! I'm pretty sure when he finds out the truth he'll wake up to reality!”

  “What if he doesn't?” Cora said.

  Mack's gaze reflected determination as he gave a reply that didn't need consideration:

  “I won't leave my best friend to die,” he told her, “If they launch the nukes and he's still on the ground, he won't die here alone.”

  Cora's eyes widened in alarm.

  “No, Mack! You're coming with me! You have to come with me, I love you!”

  He turned to her and grasped her by the shoulders, a little too roughly as she caught her breath and wondered why he had look of hard steel in blue eyes that she had once found so full of dreams and desires.

  “Listen to me, you stupid girl!” he said sharply, “We had sex under duress because our lives were threatened! We were put together in circumstances that never should have come about! I'm old enough to be your father and one day you'll thank me for turning you away!”

  “I'm not much younger than Jody, I've seen the way you look at her!”

  “Jody is quite a few years older than you, Cora! This isn't about you and me falling in love! We had sex because we were ordered to do it! I took your virginity because I had to or she would have sliced off my penis with an open razor! Get this in perspective!”

  She blinked away tears.

  “You can't stay behind for Rik!”

  “I intend to do everything in my power to force him to come with us,” Mack replied as he let go of her, “But if he refuses I may have to accept the fact that he won't be leaving this planet – if it comes to it, neither will I! He's my best friend.”

  “And if you stay, you''ll die,” she told him.

  “I know that,” he replied, “But right now, who knows what will happen? Maybe none of us will get out of here alive. All I know for sure, is we have to try.”

  She nodded in agreement, then fell silent as Mack turned over all he had learned over the comm system, and his thoughts turned to his best friend, out of his mind and unaware of the truth about his alien lover. It was then he made up his mind:

  Rik Jinx would be leaving with him when rescue arrived, even if he had to knock him out cold and drag him to that waiting ship...

  Chapter 10

  “How do we use these things?”

  As Jody asked that question, Zeke had finished securing the loop of containment cables over her shoulder, they crossed her body and glowed vaguely, like a shimmer and she felt glad the power was encased within, held secure by the insulation that covered them – harmless to a human, but apparently, potentially lethal to androids of all description...

  Zeke then stood in front of her and showed her the linked cables he wore, snapping the end of one apart and whipping it free.

  “Strike the android as firmly as you can – it causes a power cut strong enough to stun all function, or even cause burn out. One touch from one of these cables is enough. But once used, the power's gone from the cable, so you drop it and use another one.”

  “We don't have nearly enough cables for all those droids,” she replied, thinking of the sheer numbers in the alien settlement.

  “So we go in the fast way – through the guarded clearing. Their tactic is
surrounding us – we loop them and short them out, bam! Job done.”

  She couldn't help smiling despite the unserious of the situation.

  “You're really impressive, Zeke.”

  He returned her smile.

  “I told you, I'm highly trained in all aspects of space transportation security – and that includes planetary laws, all aspects – commercial too. That's how I know about containment cables. It's law, no droid user can keep a mass of the machines without adequate cable supply to use in case of malfunction...heath and safety, basically.”

  As they began to walk towards the forest, she looked ahead as across the fields, the woods loomed dark.

  “Those poor colonists” she said sadly, “They never stood a chance.”

  “I'm sure once the signal is traced, the Shine Mining Corporation will be closed down and arrests will be made,” he replied, “It can't bring back the dead but justice will be served. Hopefully they'll tighten up the mining laws, too – anyone with company license to mine can get their hands on hundreds, even thousands of those things if they wanted to! There's not enough strict regulation. I'm sure that will change when the earth learns all about what happened here.”

  “They'll only have our accounts to go by, apart from tracking the satellite signal,” she replied, “Nukes...it's a bit extreme.”

  “But necessary,” Zeke replied, “Any hostility originating from a non human life form is to be met with immediate destruction. That's not a license to wreck the universe, Jody. It's simply earth protecting its own.”

  “I see no protection for Mack and the others. We have to get them back to the ship!”

  “That's because they want to be in, out and blow this place,” Zeke replied, “And I don't blame them – the safety of humanity has to come before the lives of a few if hostility on another planet is detected.”

  “But when we know that few, it's a different matter,”Jody replied.

  Zeke set his sights on the darkening woods as they approached the opening to the forest.