Cegatia. The Modians had certainly done well with it. A lush, green planet, tropical and Earthlike in many ways, it floated in space as one of the crown jewels of the Modian race. With sprawling cities, arable farmland, diverse wildlife, and a mostly peaceful civilization, their globe stood heads above most other colonized planets.

Smoothing the skirt of her tea-length emerald gown as she descended the Courage’s gangway with her crew, Cegatia’s grandeur immediately struck Kai. The outdoor venue hosting this particular summit was stunning, a garden packed with odd, dazzling Cegatian shrubbery and vegetation. The shimmering sunset—really, the Epsilon 34set—dazzled in hues of red and purple. The warm breeze gently fluttered her skirt, her lungs filling with the strange but habitable mixture of gases that constituted their air. Bright, verdant trees of all shapes and sizes surrounded the ornate outdoor patio. A cocktail hour was underway, scored by light Modian music—pleasing to the human ear, but implacably otherworldly in its tones and times.

Adrian, turning to observe his incoming shipmates from up ahead, couldn’t help but look twice at her. With that dress clinging to her muscled curves and her face adorned with the rare smattering of makeup, it was hard not to. Her hair was done up, curled strands framing her face. She seemed to teeter a little awkwardly in her heels, holding her purse as though she didn’t quite know what to do with it.

Adrian found himself smiling at what seemed to be nothing in particular when, to his dismay, he felt a tap on his shoulder—his captain wanted him to meet some important people. He took one last glance at Kai before following him.

Incidentally, Adrian was not the only one at the event who had noticed Kai on this evening. A Modian, known to humans and his peers alike as simply N, also followed her with his wide, green eyes. He was an exceptionally tall fellow, with features crooked and his skin a sallow, translucent chartreuse. His thick, white hair had fully receded, surrounding his features in a curly halo. His bony fingers played idly with the tiny mezzer in his pocket—a new model, smallest form factor yet. He made his way near Kai and beamed the low, yet precise ray of wave disruption directly at her.

“Excuse me. You must be Sargeant Napova of the Courage,” N said smoothly, bowing. “I’ve heard remarkable things about you.”

Kai was caught off guard by this sudden gush of praise from a Modian—in her very first conversation with one, no less. She bowed in return.

“H-hi,” she stammered, hands anxiously balling into fists. “That’s right. And uh, thank you. I’m terribly sorry, I don’t think I know your name.”

“My friends call me N,” he said, notching the beam’s strength up ever so slightly. Brow furrowed, she stared straight into his eyes, trying to figure out whether she qualified as one of his “friends”. He smirked.

“You can call me N.”

“…Lovely,” Kai said, hesitating. “So, N. What brings you here?”

“I happen to be the appointed overseer of this region of Cegatia, called Vanidar,” N said, gesturing behind her. She turned around, observing the vista of rolling hillsides and quiet residences. “Like you Earthlings might have what you’d call a governor or commissioner, we’ve our own local bureaucracies.”

Beam strength up.

“So I’ve heard. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said.

Suddenly, all at once, her thoughts swam. She tensed the muscles in her neck and gulped.

So this was what it was like to be mezzed in the field. Markedly different from the ship’s test. A little more subtle, insidious, concentrated.

A lot more dangerous.

“And I, you,” he said in a low voice. He sent out one last little burst with his mezzer before powering it off. No need to attract attention. “I trust I’ll see you at dinner?”

“Of course.”

Off he went. Kai exhaled a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding.

“This Gemilline wellington is to die for.”

“I’ll have to ask the cook for their recipe. I could take or leave the mashed chitue, though.”

Repressed small talk burbled at Table Seven, where Kai and her shipmates were seated with the head of one of the other Modian ships. She hadn’t felt mezzed at all during dinner, which was reassuring, but her experience earlier with N had left her somewhat shaken.

At around the halfway point, one of the Modians’ impossibly short leaders arose from his seat, stood atop it, and rapped his glass with his spoon.

“Excuse me, all. I know you’re enjoying tonight’s slorge, but I’d like to say a few words. It won’t take long, I assure you,” he squeaked into a small sound amplifier. All in attendance began settling their conversations and slowly turned around to listen to the aging gentlemodian.

“Great, it’s 42,” Adrian grumbled to Kai, seated next to him.

“What’s his deal?” Kai whispered.

“Doesn’t shut up.”

“I’d just like to thank you all for troubling yourselves by gifting us with your presence on this fine evening!” General 42 began, unfurling and sorting through pages of notes before him.

“Oh,” she said, turning away and then turning back to him. “The hell is a slorge?”

“It’s a big dinner. Like a banquet.”

“Ah.”

“Hope you brought fatigues and a brush,” Adrian continued, “’cause we’re about to spend the night here.”

“Forget that, I need a diaper,” Kai hissed. “Where’s the john?”

“Inside the hall, down and to the left.”

“Thanks. That should be a good excuse to get up before—”

“To start off, I’d like to begin by properly thanking those who made this evening possible,” General 42 boomed. “Parjoor, Balker, Mixon, Dareezi…”

Damn it. Kai sat her rump back onto her chair and rested her chin in her hand in ire.

Meanwhile N, seated at a table across from Kai’s, eyed the bored-looking lady and flicked on his mezzer, subtly aiming and focusing the precise beam of waves at her head.

She stifled a yawn and tapped her fingers idly against her cheek, basking in balmy weather and sheer boredom. It didn’t help that she was still out-of-sorts from the testing yesterday. Was it so necessary for the general to drone on with dozens of names when he could just thank everyone at once? Kai’s heavy eyelids fluttered closed as she failed to stifle a second yawn, eyes remaining shut as she drifted.

“…Gasier, Nrangort, Nrangort, Shomin, Tixiarna…”

Feeling her head dip forward, she jolted awake to find that luckily, no one had appeared to notice such a slight. In fact, her table was quite crowded, enough so that hardly anyone would spot or even blame her for having a nap at the general’s expense.

“…Pinolar, Worchet, Foster, Cebuntu…”

Excellent, she could have a nap at the general’s expense. That sounded like such a splendid idea that her eyes closed right then, pulling her deeper.

Deeper.

Deeper.

Kai brought her head up again and blinked slowly. This drowsiness was to be expected, but so strong, so sudden? It felt peculiar. 42’s droning faded into mere background noise as she tried to focus. Why was it so hard to focus?

Oh.

Ice coursed through her veins as her eyes snapped open, her stomach dropping. Her head shot up, her eyes scanning the members of the function until they met N’s, whose eyes went wide at the interruption.

She glared at him. He averted his gaze, powering down his device.

“Hey, scouring pad,” Kai whispered, tapping Adrian’s shoulder. He leaned closer to her, his expression gently amused—his short, dark ringlets had begun frizzing from the air’s humidity.

“What’s up?”

“Speech or no speech, I gotta go. Is that some kind of serious interstellar offense?”

“Nah, I already saw a few get up. Knock yourself out.”

“I’m trying not to.”

Kai mused as she washed her hands, finally relieved. She’d thought this evening would be interesting, certainly, but that second mezz attempt had left her especially rattled. She felt ironically ill-prepared after such a stressful test. After all, she’d thought this evening would be interesting, certainly, but that mezz attempt had really left her rattled. And frustrated with herself. Adrian was right, how could she ascend rank with such poor decision-making skills? She thought the evening would be interesting, certainly, but that mezz attempt had left her—

Her gaze suddenly shot upwards, staring at herself in the mirror, eyes wide and alarmingly glassy.

Rattled.

Now anxious, she shut off the sink’s tap and began carefully looking around, finding nothing in the stalls. Nothing under the sink. Nothing on the ceiling. Her discombobulation increased as she neared the door, and upon flinging it open was greeted by none other than

“N again,” he said cordially, his hand in a slight wave. “Hello, Ms. Napova.”

“Sergeant Napova, to you,” she spat. He pushed past her and closed the door behind him. Her immediate instinct was to whale on him, but she thought better of it; he was twice her size and a local dignitary.

“Out with it,” she insisted.

“I dare say you’re one of the more challenging humans. My hat’s off to you.”

“What do you want?”

“Mmm, territory, we have,” he said evenly. “Arms are handled through other channels. Supplies, I’m not looking for. But manpower—or should I say, womanpower…I’m just coming up short, Sergeant.”

His smile grew, with Kai’s suspicion along with it.

“Oh, no,” she uttered. “You don’t mean…”

“Oh, yes.”

“Why me?”

“I need someone like you,” he muttered, inching closer. “I need a mate, Napova. A competent one. A beautiful one. A human one.”

“Real charmer,” she spat. “What, you don’t even wanna know my favorite color first? No wonder you have to resort to mezzing.”

“The mezzing is more of a test than anything else. And I’m sure you’ve done plenty of those.” He gave her a warm smile. To her surprise, it almost seemed genuine. “I like beings with mettle. Most of those interested in me are more interested in my power and finances than myself.”

“Wonder why.”

He chuckled and stepped closer.

“Amusing, too. I like that.”

“Don’t you dare,” she breathed, looking upwards at him as he towered over her, feeling the hot wind of his breath on her face. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”

“Let’s see who’s going to be doing the not-knowing in just a second here.”

N smiled as he revealed the mezzer at his hip and depressed its button.

In a microsecond, she slapped it from his grip. N gasped in frustration, the mezzer clattering to the ground across the room. As he dove for it, Kai leapt and shoved him aside with an elbow to the neck, causing him to fall backwards against the wall, spluttering and coughing.

“Oh, don’t make this harder for yourself!” he growled, scrambling up and grabbing her by the shoulders with all his might. Kai squirmed in his tight grip, his fingers digging into her arms, but managed to forcefully connect her knee to his groin. N hissed in pain and released her as he folded to the ground again and watched Kai run to the mezzer.

He grabbed her ankle and yanked her to the floor with a thud, then scrambled quickly to the device. His fingers firmly grasped the device and he rolled over, out of breath. Kai, resistant to pain thanks to the adrenaline in her veins, righted herself and pounced on N, her hands tight around his neck as he lay on his back.

“You fucking worm,” she seethed, tightening her grip. N grimaced in pain and arousal at the woman sitting atop him.

“Excellent work,” he choked, admiring from below the sight of the sergeant and her powerful, panting body, clad in that tight dress and a healthy sheen of sweat. “No empty praise from me. You’re one-of-a-kind, Napova. Such a shame we had to get things off to such a rough start. Because now, I have to do this.”

With that, he wasted no time blasting his mezzer at full strength directly at Kai’s head.

“Oh, cute, another one,” she laughed, suddenly feeling her head become light. As quickly as she realized it was at maximum power and the panic flashed through her body, her brain began to drain, overcome by warm torrents of static. “Funny how you think that…that that’ll…do anything…”

“Do what, dear?”

“Do anything…’cause it’s not…”

“Not doing what?”

“An…anything…” she strained, blinking rapidly as she held on for dear life.

“What’s anything?” he asked, voice paternal.

Her lips parted as though to speak, but she had no longer the words to supply.

What was anything?

Her death grip on his neck slackened; her countenance, just a moment ago contorted in indignance, gradually began to relax into a placid, distant disposition. The rage that had filled her mind drained fast, circling, disoriented, fading into emptiness.

N removed her now-limp hands from his neck and sat up, grasping Kai from under her arms as he arose, leaning her against a corner in a wobbly standing position. Judging from her lazy swaying and unfocused eyes, N was certain she was ready for him.

“Stay awake for me sweetheart, would you?” he said, patting her cheek gently. Her jaw slackened; a trickle of drool ran down her chin. He wiped it away tenderly.

“Aw, that’s a good girl. Such a good girl for me, aren’t you?”

“Nn…never…” she breathed, summoning the only word she could.

A grin grew on N’s face.

“Strong one, Sergeant. Strong, stubborn little girl. Too bad.”

N made sure the mezzer would remain pointed at her in his pocket before pressing her against the wall. He lowered the straps of her dress and tugged its bodice down, revealing her breasts—on the smaller side, but full and shapely. He began massaging them, paying special attention to her pert, pink nipples, eliciting a shuddery moan from their owner.

“Ah-ah, careful now,” N whispered, stabilizing her. “You know, you’re a very special girl, Kai.”

“Ss…sspesh—”

“That’s right, dear. You’re feeling so good now. So hot. You’re doing wonderfully. And special girls who do wonderful jobs reap unfathomable rewards.”

The room began to spin and undulate in a fashion unnervingly familiar. Something deep inside of Kai nagged her, but every budding thought was dashed by powerful pulses of pure, dazing pleasure. The adrenaline in her body pumping wildly a moment ago was now waning, replaced with euphoric languor. The physical processes of her brain were rapidly growing too blank, too enraptured, too desirous to listen to much else but her own arousal.

“Sstop…”

“How can I stop? You like this, don’t you?”

“Nuh—uhh…”

Born from her dissent, N elicited a loud, involuntary moan by placing his thick digits atop her slick mound and massaging. A satisfied smirk graced his face, his fingers working as her eyes flickered upwards and her knees buckled. He caught her and lowered her to the cold, tiled floor, leaning her against the wall, her limbs akimbo.

“You know, I envy humans sometimes. Your shows of hubris, assuming your little training sessions allow you to withstand real mezzing…” N sneered, undoing his trousers before squatting to her level. “It’s cute. There’s far more, you know, to altering brain wave patterns than you think. You’re not even close. And once you’re caught, there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it. Because it just feels too good, doesn’t it? Too good to close your eyes. Too good to drift.”

Her will teetered. Kai mustered some murmurs and hoped they were good retorts, hoped they were even words. But as he gently caressed her cheek, she realized her body was doing a perfectly good job doing the talking for her—her eyelids fluttered closed, head nodding into his hand, muscles completely slack.

“Very good.”

The phrase echoed in her mind. That warm touch certainly felt very good. Giving in felt even better. Better yet to close her eyes. To let go…

“And it feels very good when I touch you,” he uttered, his fingers parting her now utterly sopping lips. She gasped. “You more than just find me attractive—you burn with desire for me. Isn’t that right, Kai?”

“Burn…for you..” she mouthed.

“Burn for me,” he muttered, voice low and raw as he drank in her vulnerable visage. Her breath grew heavy, ragged, desperate; her head lolled onto her shoulder. Her awareness faded further as arousal coursed more strongly through her body, her lips scorching, throbbing with his touch.

On the most basal, primal level, it seemed elementary—how could she not burn with desire for a creature able to arouse such a response from her?

“Burn for you,” she affirmed.

“Want nothing more than to please me.”

“Nothing more…please you…”

“Leave your old life behind. Be with me.”

“Be…with you…”

Those words alone from her mouth almost had him then and there. But the best was yet to come. N produced his Modian Reproductive Apparatus in all its glory, tentacled and naturally bifurcated, as they sometimes came. It had certainly proved useful in fulfilling his fetish for human women—and fulfilling the women themselves.

He hiked Kai’s skirt up, pushed the soaked cloth of her undergarment aside, and slowly plunged his lower shaft inside of her, gently feathering her clitoris with the other.

“You don’t want to hurt me. I haven’t done anything to harm you, really. You just want to bring me pleasure. Pleasure me as I’ve pleasured you.”

She moaned quietly. He pumped slowly, reveling in the sight before him. He wouldn’t last much longer; everything was just too perfect; he was just too aroused. But his naturally gifted cocks never took long to please their recipients, especially when piloted by such an expert as he.

And his prize was already on the brink of rapture. It wasn’t long before her relaxed muscles suddenly tensed, shaking, her back arching, a strained cry coming from the bottom of her chest as every nerve in her body fireworked. She collapsed against the wall, fluids dripping as he, too, relinquished himself. Spurting his seed inside of her several times, he unleashed a pleased grunt and simply remained like that for a minute, breathing heavily, relishing his conquest before sliding out of her.

Suddenly, the door flung open. Stunned into silence, N arose quickly and gripped his mezzer.

“Kai!”

“Ugh, what a mess,” N grumbled. He pointed his mezzer beam, still at maximum strength, straight at the young man in front of him.

“You fucking monster, you…you…”

“I what?”

Adrian Santino’s brain rapidly scrambled, his thoughts draining, along with the color in his face.

“M-mmezzed…”

“Astute, Lieutenant. Round of applause for the resident genius of the S.S. Courage. They really are sending their best.”

“What are you…why…”

“So many needling questions from such a pretty boy.”

Adrian swallowed thickly, his throat dry, resistance in top gear but still waning fast. He’d only ever been mezzed for real a few times, certainly not so powerfully nor with such…

N sauntered up to him, grazing the back of Adrian’s cheek with his fingers and grinning.

…Ghastly intent.

“No,” Adrian managed to croak.

“Scratchy. Needs a shave,” N huffed, running his fingers along Adrian’s jaw, down his neck, feeling the younger man’s pulse racing beneath his touch as he struggled against the spell that bound him. If he had another job to do, so be it. And this one wasn’t half bad.

Glued in place, Adrian could only shiver under his touch, watching him through increasingly drooping lids, trying with all his might not succumb to the powerful tides yanking him further and further from this sordid scene.

“Not…yours,” he managed to eke out.

“Not for long,” N said darkly. “You’re dripping with desire for me. You’d be a fool to hide it.”

Adrian’s gaze dropped to N’s lips, nearing his at an alarming rate—or a rate that would be alarming if he could find it so, because the aching hunger now flooding his brain was quickly usurping any and all willpower left.

Kai’s eyelids cracked open. Her body throbbed in lusty aftershocks. Finally thinking for itself again, albeit weakly, her brain, too, ached something fierce.

Distantly, she registered what had just happened to her. A pang of violent despair gripped her heart.

But seeing Adrian with that vacant look in his eyes, backed against the wall—kissing N—all notions of her own suffering vanished.

She tried to leap up, but her legs were jelly and her feet clad in heels. Her eyes darted to the sink—perhaps she could use it to hoist herself up—but it felt lightyears away. Quietly, she dragged herself across the bathroom floor tiles towards N’s ankles, the sticky liquids on her inner thighs another stab in her gut. She wanted to say something, anything, but in this moment knew better.

Finally, laying at N’s feet, mirroring the move he’d used to bring her down, she readied her arms, and with all the might that availed her, shoved.

N only stumbled this time, but the mezzer again clattered to the floor. Adrian blinked rapidly. Kai, adrenaline filling her veins once more, yanked N by the leg with more strength and brought him down, heaving her body atop his.

“Got him,” she huffed. Still somewhat disoriented, Adrian nodded, waiting for her to disarm or disable him in some way.

But she merely froze. Her eyes met N’s and her hands went not for his throat, nor his wrists, but his chest. She performed none of the disabling moves in her arsenal. She only remained straddling him, growing wetter the longer she laid eyes on him, more panicked the wetter she got, and more blank the more panicked she grew. Desperation clouded her face, clouded her mind. Tears threatened to fall.

“Kai, what’s going on?” Adrian said, his voice concerned and afraid. “Snap out of it.”

Kai looked up at her teammate, her confidant, her best friend. She trembled.

N snickered, his hands grabbing her sinewed thighs, which before, so strong, so accomplished, now felt so small in his grasp. A tiny moan escaped her unwilling lips.

“Sorry, Lieutenant. She doesn’t want to disarm me. Or hurt me, or kill me,” N said, barely able to contain his laughter. “She just wants to copulate with me. Again.”

Adrian’s stomach dropped, his face ashen. Silently, he turned to leave, the pit of fear in Kai’s stomach blooming into panic as the door closed behind him.

“Now come to me, my pet,” N growled, his fingers grabbing her slender jaw and yanking it to face him.

In her eyes roiled a mix of fear, hatred, and ferocious lust. His arms wrapped around her and he rolled over, his large frame pinning her underneath him, her breathing labored. His hands roamed her curves with fierce, possessive greed, fingers grasping the green silk of her gown’s bodice and tearing it, his fingernails digging into her flesh. He dipped his head down and forced their mouths together in a bruising, crushing kiss, his tongue slithering between her lips. Kai whimpered despite herself, her mind again cast into oblivion as shockwaves of pain and pleasure rippled through her war-torn body.

Suddenly, shouting. Clamoring. Several people burst in, some of them human, some Modian, led by a livid, shaking Adrian. Some shoving, yelling, interrogating N. Something about the mezzer. Something about the law.

More people filed in. One of them kindly helped Kai to her feet. Another kindly placed their jacket around her. A futile attempt at modesty. At dignity.

The commotion grew. Pictures were taken. Modian officials in uniform. Questions. Answers. Kai moved her lips, but heard nothing.

She was tough. She was fine.

She left with her captain. N left with the police.

Later that evening, Kai stood at the port with her team after the immediate investigation concluded. The event had come to an early close. The night sky hung thick and cool around them, the entire crew silent. Nobody knew what to say. Nobody thought there was anything to say.

When the S.S. Courage finally pulled to the dock, Adrian turned to Kai.

“You sure you’re okay?” he murmured.

“I’m fine,” she replied. “Are you?”

He looked at her with that stupid look in his eyes, big and brown and safe and gentle. Hers, stoic, steely, and gray, twitched. Then shimmered. Her mouth quivered, her chin wrinkled.

Then, contrary to protocol, his arms encircled her, and hers him.