Galactic Whore Ch. 03

I wondered over to get a discreet look at the image on the screen. The Rawulf operating the device seemed to know what he was doing, and he soon had a three dimensional picture of what was under the mounds of dirt. Nädren was drawing the sketch on her pad while several others where making observations about the structure. From the comments I overheard, it seemed to be the consensus that this particular set of ruins was the remains of some sort of building. No one speculated on the purpose, based on the scans, but it did seem to have five interior divisions.

They proceeded like this for most of the remaining daylight hours and I soon found myself bored. The only reason I stayed on the site was to allow Crystal and Jewel to access the data storage of the team members' pads. I'm sure they had more fun than I did; both were in Voratex heaven when unraveling a lattice structure, as they call the data streams.

Apparently, someone on the team was a decent cook, and the expected meal of ration packs was not on the menu. I recognized parts of several species' culinary offerings and thoroughly enjoyed the fierce battle they waged on my taste buds. It was during dinner that I had to ask.

"Excuse me, I was wondering why Nädren was drawing on her pad. Wouldn't a holographic recording be more efficient?"

Gothen, the Rawulf answered. "It would be if she was anything other than an Occampa. Her species has the widest range of visual reception of any form of life known; from low energy gamma rays to high energy radio waves. The sonic scanner used a form of false color in her visible spectrum to encode properties that are not visual properties, such as density and chemical makeup. Her drawings then take those colors and retranslates them into the properties scanned. It ends up being incredibly efficient in terms of data storage."

"Ah, I had known about their visual acuity, but not that you had managed to use it so effectively."

Once dinner was finished, I followed Nädren to the quarters she shared with another team member who had apparently agreed to give us some privacy.

There was no need to remove her clothes and I shed my own quickly, sensing that she would not appreciate the visual appeal of a slow reveal. I started by simply caressing her body; getting a feel for what excited her. Unlike many species with fur, rubbing her fur against its grain brought trills of excitement and encouragement to continue. She settled down on her base to give me better access to her entire body.

Her hands wandered, seemingly randomly, over my body without any regard for what areas were stimulating my own arousal. It took me awhile to realize she was stimulating herself with the combined hand and mouth actions she was undertaking. Apparently, her hands and mouths were erogenous zones. I started to pay close attention to her appendages, going so far as to take individual fingers into my mouth to suckle on. A deep purring started and I could see the plates covering her sex vibrating and loosening.

I kept up my ministrations, walking around her to give equal time to her entire body. Occasionally, I would tease her sex with light caresses along the exposed portions. Her lubrication was milky white in color, and was far slicker than what I produced. The tastes I sipped in my ministrations were a curious combination of bananas and garlic. While not a mixture I would seek out, it wasn't unpleasant.

"More, please. I need more," she pleaded as her plates fully retracted.

I ran my hands through the pooling wetness, feeling her pussy clenching open and shut. Each time I passed a hand over one of her erect clitori (they stood out almost two centimeters), her body shuddered and gave that keening trill that signified her intense arousal. I climbed on the post that served as her bed and reached over her to bring my mouth and tongue into action. To make up for the lack of enough hands, I used the entirety of my face, as well as my mouth, to stimulate as close as possible to what she was used to from her own race. One of my hands penetrated her pussy, bringing a deep purr of satisfaction from her. I fucked her with my hand, stretching her cunt like a male Occampa's cock Her clitori

angled in so that my hand rubbed all of them as I fucked her. It didn't take much of this stimulation for her to cum. Her body shook and her pussy clenched on my wrist like a vice. I clenched and unclenched my fist in an attempt to imitate the actions of a male cock ejaculating.

I spent additional time with her, bringing her to two additional climaxes. She tried to play with my body as well, but was hampered by a lack of knowledge of how to get me off. This sort of thing happens occasionally when you're a prostitute. It's something you learn to live with. It would be out of place for me to try to instruct her.

The next morning, the team continued with their exploration of the site. I really couldn't follow much of what they were doing, other than to note that they were uncovering one of the areas, exposing one of the foundations. Most holos show archeologists using hand held instruments when they bother to show archeologists as something other than tomb raiders. This crew was using high tech devices that cleared the surrounding dirt and debris away fairly quickly. I suspected that the sonic scans done yesterday were guiding the excavators.

Several times, the clearing was halted so someone could retrieve a revealed piece of something, an artifact perhaps, and bring it out. The recovered piece would be scanned with a hand held device and data recorded on someone's pad. I couldn't get close enough to see just what was being recovered.

[Crystal, Jewel, what do you make of the site?]

[ARTIFACTS ARE ORGANIC MATERIAL]

[They are not living, however.]

[So we're taking about what, bones of some sort?]

[UNKNOWN]

[Depending on the species, it could be anything from excrement to the equivalent of pieces of wood from an artifact of some kind.]

It was midway through the day when they recovered something even I recognized; an externally laid egg of some kind. From what I've been told, the shape of an egg is nearly perfect for its function and every species that lays eggs has the same shape. The egg caused quite a stir when it was scanned.

"Professor," one of the team called out. "there's an intact infant in this egg."

Excavation came top a halt. "Any indication of species type?"

"It looks like a mammalian species, quadripedal with two manipulative appendages. There's a light covering of fur on the infant."

"Can you tell if it's related to the bones we've been pulling out?"

"At first guess, I'd say no. The bones seem to be from an avian species, based on the large hollow spaces in them."

"What was a mammalian egg doing buried with an avian?" asked one of the other members.

The professor's voice was quick and harsh. "Don't make assumptions! There's no reason to think this is a burial site. It could have been a nest raider was killed with the egg he procured. Stick to the science, people. Tullen, Havil, take the second area and start excavating. Let's see if we can figure out what this really is."

The two unpacked another set of equipment and started the process in another cordoned off area, one not adjacent to the one already being worked. Watching Archeology is actually quite boring; nothing like the holo programs. Apparently, doing the work was also somewhat boring. I found my services used quite a bit. The professor wasn't happy with my returning to the ship twice to meet the needs of the crew (and get the egg bundle fertilized).

On the sixth day, things changed. I and one of the human team members were returning from my tent when we heard a cry of excitement from the dig site. We rushed over in time to see the professor taking something from the scanner it had been lying on.

[Crystal, what is it?] He was ahead of me.

[THE EGG THE PROFESSOR IS HOLDING IS STILL VIABLE]

[Viable, as in it can still be hatched?]

[AFFIRMATIVE]

[This doesn't make sense. They have dated the ruins at 50,000 years in age.]

We had reached the site itself and picked up on the conversation.

"...check the dating of this section. Maybe it's from a later addition to the burial site."

"At once, professor."

"Professor, what do you want to do with it? If it does hatch, we have no way, or even any idea how, to care for it."

"Havil, think before you speak. We can't permit this to hatch. We'd be in quarantine longer than some of our lifespans." The professor was exaggerating, of course, but had made his point. "Record everything you can about the development and life processes, then we'll put it into cryogenic suspension."

I heard the whine of the pulse rifle charging just before the gravelly, reptilian voice. "Professor, there's been a perimeter breach. An energy source has appeared on my scanners." The Gravelian was looking around, as if he didn't know where the energy source was, which struck me as odd.

"Where? Where did it come from?"

"It didn't come from anywhere, it just appeared, as if a dormant machine had come to life."

[I can confirm the bodyguard's statement. A power source has activated five meters this way, and ten meters down] Jewel had turned me to face in the correct direction.

[Is it dangerous?]

[POTENTIALLY. IT IS BUILDING IN STRENGTH]

Strom had been reporting the same data to the professor while we had consulted in my head. The professor ordered a new sonic scan of the area, to reach deeper than the original, which had only gone three meters deep; deep enough to map the ruined structures. Meanwhile, Nädren had been scanning the viable egg with both the scanner and her own eyes.

"Professor," she exclaimed, "the infant in this egg is different from the others. There is an extra organ in its throat. It's also emitting sounds in the ultrasonic frequencies."

"Why can't Tullen hear it?" Yeltri can hear and speak far into the ultrasonic frequencies.

"It's very low volume; I doubt it can penetrate the shell, which is an excellent sound insulator."

"Is there any type of modulation?" he asked.

"I don't think so. Let me put it on speaker."

I'm not sure why she would do that, given there were only three people here that could hear it; and she didn't know that I could, thanks to modifications by my friends. If I were to describe the sound, my first thought would be that it was white noise. Everything around me seemed to fade into the background, not impinging on my senses. I was vaguely aware that Tullen was crying out at something, but it didn't seem important. The only person who seemed to be doing anything was Strom, the bodyguard. I did think it strange that he would be attacking the egg with his scather.

The world seemed to jerk back into place. Tullen was on the ground, blood seeping from his ears. There was a lot of shouting and milling about as people became aware of what had just not(?) been happening. I knew there was no one else on the team who was a medic, other than Tullen himself, so I moved to him and looked him over.

[What happened to him?]

[EARDRUMS RUPTURED FROM SONIC OVERLOAD]

[He also seems to be in a coma. There's no higher order brain activity.]

I shouted over the din. "We need to get Tullen back to the ship!"

My cry galvanized people into action. Strom was in sentry mode again, and I wondered over to him.

"How did you manage it? Everyone else seemed to be incapacitated."

"There is a species of predator on our world that uses sonic attacks. We evolved the means to shut our hearing off at will."

That's an ability I would have killed for years ago when I was trapped in meetings. "Is what happened related to the energy source?"

"I can't tell. It was from the egg. The energy source is strengthening." He turned from me, towards the Thoraxter. "Professor, we should leave the site. The energy source is getting stronger and may be dangerous."

"Do we have time to complete the new sonic scan?"

He thought for a moment, and then nodded. Three people took Tullen away while the rest began to work again, this time with a new sense of urgency. I hovered near enough to the scanner so that Crystal could transfer the results to my virtual room. I still couldn't figure out how the professor knew about this specific site. There was nothing in the enhanced map data that said to dig here.

The new scan took 30 minutes and then we all cleared away from the site. The shuttle had returned from taking Tullen to the sick bay. Strom had left his perimeter monitors at the site and was watching the energy source like a hawk. The team started going over the new data. I took the opportunity to talk with our Garvelian.

"What's happening with the source?"

"The power readings have stabilized, though I can't see why they would."

"Have you figured out what kind of energy it is?"

"That's why I'm concerned. It's the same energy readings you would get from a Voratex slave."

"There's a voratex crystal buried there?"

[NEGATIVE]

Strom confirmed Crystal's assessment. "No, definitely not. It's as if someone has devised a means to duplicate the type of energy that the crystals emit."

"Wait a minute, I didn't know Voratex slaves could be detected without an intense medical scan." I didn't count my ability to detect them vis-à-vis Crystal and Jewel.

"It's a recent development, very secret. Very few people know about it. We can't afford to let those using the crystals know that they can be detected."

I was dumbfounded. "If it's so secret, why did you casually tell me?"

"Because, prior to his death, Grankt told me of your special status."

Grankt. Brusjin. The loss hit me again. I forced myself to ignore the memories. "How did you know who I was? I've changed my appearance."

"The detector is a passive scanner, not active. It detected the presence of two crystals. Only Susan Valenshenko would have a second crystal, especially after the disappearance of the Jewel of Peace. We suspected that you had survived in some way after your disappearance on Yeltion, but had no way to verify our suspicions, and wouldn't have if we could."

"If I may ask, who's we?"

"The less we know of each other, the better. Just think of us as a loose association of people dedicated to fighting the Hellfire group. There are many Rax and Gravelians involved, as well as a few properly joined crystal partners. More than a hundred other races are represented."

It made sense, actually. Brusjin had been part of a group dedicated to bringing slave worlds into the Federation so they would be exposed to freedoms and abandon their slave laws. It wasn't much of a stretch to figure that some of those involved would be actively opposing Hellfire. "What can I do to help?"

"We want to help you as well. We need to pass on information. With your apparent shape changing abilities, your ability to gather information must be very good."

"You have no idea," I whispered, thinking of Crystal and Jewel's ability to plunder other peoples' computers. "But, if the energy source isn't a crystal, but gives off the same energies, what is it?"

"I'm hoping the professor's scans will provide the answer."

"Is the professor one of us as well?"

"No, but several members of the Ralinti government are."

"Ah, that explains much. I take it they arranged for the professor to have access to the Map of the Heavens. Are you aware that the medic is a crystal slave?"

"Yes. I suspect her implantation was very recent."

There was a commotion among the archeologists that drew our attention. We moved closer to see what the cause was.

"...swear, professor, it wasn't alive when I scanned it the first time."

"How in the name of everything holy did a dead egg revitalize itself? Is it going to start doing what the other one did?"

"Not if we don't transmit any sounds it's making inside the shell. As for the revitalization, this seems very similar to how a dormant spore can awaken after hundreds or thousands of years."

"Mycan, this egg is not some kind of fungus. It's a mammalian egg. It was dead. It should not be alive right now. Check the rest of the specimens. Now!"

I could certainly understand the professor's confusion and concern. We'd seen that the eggs could be dangerous; or rather the infants inside the eggs. What effect would they have if they actually hatched?

[ALL THE EGGS ARE NOW VIABLE.]

I had a suspicion. "Strom," I whispered. "Scan the eggs."

He did so and replied, "Nothing, no crystal energy readings."

I sighed with relief, but was still suspicious.

"Professor, the other eggs are also now viable," Strom said. "Something's happened recently that's changed these infants. They also seemed to have grown that mysterious organ the last one had." He fiddled with a control. "Yeah, they're all emitting that low volume ultrasonic."

"Cease all work on the eggs. Put them all in the cryo-suspension box. I don't want even one of them to hatch."

"Professor, we should leave them behind. I believe they pose a great danger," Strom insisted

"No, they'll be safe at 200 below zero. Once we get back to the university, we can study them in a bio-containment facility. We need to understand the relationship between the avians and the mammalians. Is there some kind of symbiotic relationship? Are we looking at the first case of species differentiation? The potential for learning here is very big." I wondered what species differenciation was. He turned to Strom. "Have you managed to learn what that energy field is?"

"It stabilized as we left the area. What did the sonic scans reveal?"

There's a metallic container down there; a box. It's not very large, just 20 cm on a side. The scans can't penetrate it, so we can't tell if it's a container, a device, or what."

"Are you planning on excavating it?"

"Yes, but only after the remaining eggs are frozen and on the ship. The energy showed up too close to the egg being taken out to risk both being out of the ground in close proximity."

That decision didn't surprise Strom or myself. He was a scientist, after all. But, at least he wasn't a reckless one. I took the opportunity to return to the ship with the cryo-suspension box, as I had an appointment on the ship. The shuttle ride up was as boring as ever and I followed the box out of the shuttle, where we parted company as I headed for my quarters to prepare and the team members with the box turned towards the cargo hold. Cassie, the med-tech passed me as I rounded a turn in the corridor.

I took a few more steps before I stopped, confused. She had a patient in a coma in her sick bay; what was she doing heading for the shuttle bay? Then it hit me. The voratex slave was following the cryo box with a dangerous alien life form in it. Why?

Thanks to Sugaro and Steve150177 for their fine editing work. Please let me know what you think of this latest chapter.