The following chapter contains scenes of sexual assault and may be rather confronting for some readers. Viewer discretion is advised.
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Spatch sat in the cockpit of his jump ship with his feet up on the dashboard and his eyes closed. He'd been drifting in and out of consciousness for the past few hours. They'd departed from Xarder about half a day ago and were a little over halfway to their destination.
For a tug pilot like himself sleep was a rare commodity, one he'd happily trade a few merits for. So whenever he got the chance he made sure he got as much shut eye as possible. Sleeping on the ship was always hard though. The cockpit was cramped and claustrophobic with very little leg room. Still, he wasn't complaining.
Just before he managed to doze off again, the cockpit door slid open with a gentle hiss. He turned around to see Fischer drowsily walk in.
"Hey there. What're you doing up?" He asked as Fischer took a seat in the co-pilot's chair.
"Ugh, I just couldn't get to sleep. The past week has just been. . . well not great, I won't lie."
A feeling of guilt started to sink into the veranah's stomach. He couldn't help but agree. It hadn't exactly been the best time.
"You not sleeping either?" Fischer asked.
"Eh, kinda. Been drifting in and out of it. Kinda been dozing off. Besides, I like the view. It doesn't get old. Kinda mesmerising if I'm being honest."
Fischer gazed out the jump ship's window at the rainbow of colour that flashed around them as they moved. Bridging between different points of the galaxy was an incredible experience. It was almost like they were constantly flying into a billion different nebulae. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of the colours. As he watched, a feeling of isolation began to emerge in his gut. He'd felt it before. Back on Earth during the car ride with Ko.
Despite her being in the same ship as him, only meters away, It felt like a thousand light years separated them.
There was a moment of peaceful silence in the cabin as the two of them sat there, minding their own business. The silence was soothing but also deafening. Spatch seemed to think so as well.
"Hey uh. . . I didn't get a chance to say this earlier and I uh, just feel really bad about bringing it up. But. . . I'm really sorry about Kori."
Fischer's gaze dragged across the sky and onto Spatch's gloomy eyes. His brow lowered and his face formed into a gentle frown.
"I wish there was more I could've done. He seemed like a helluva guy."
Fischer replied with a slow nod and a heavy heart. "Yea. . . th-thanks. He was. He really was. Without him Ko and I would probably still be wandering the streets."
Spatch's features turned from sadness to surprise. "You know, you never told me how you and Ko met. Or how any of you met actually. Lemme guess, you from Earth?"
"Uh, yea actually. How did you know? The carcans thought I was crazy when I told them."
"Heh, wel when you said that you were at the temple because Ko was having wacky dreams and seeing the future I thought you were crazy as well. However I'm a bit more of a. . . believer if you will. Besides, there ain't a human colony I know of with clothes that boring," the veranah jested pointing to his olive jacket.
"Heh, yea I guess. Everything out here has so much style to it. It really is quite beautiful. I can't believe I could've spent my whole life not knowing about this. Any of this," he stated as he waved his hand to the window.
"It really is something isn't it? Makes you appreciate every little moment you have. Speaking of beautiful though, how'd you and the blueberry meet?"
Fischer chuckled slightly at his nickname for her.
"I found her on Earth. She was tucked away behind some bushes. She was hurt pretty badly. Couldn't bring myself to let her die out there so uh. . . I uh, I brought her to my house and sorta let her settle in there."
"Just the two of you?"
"Yea, for the most part. Eventually one of my friends Mira found out about her. . . that complicated things a little. But the two warmed up to each other."
Spatch nodded slowly and turned his gaze back out the window. "Who was Mira? What was she like?"
Fischer sigh with a heavy heart as thoughts of his once best friend came flooding back to him. He hadn't even realised how much he missed her.
"She was great. She was really nice. Always there for me. She was the only reason I made it as far as I did. . . and I'll be honest, I probably owe her my life. It's. . . difficult. . . knowing I'll likely never see her again. She was always there when I needed someone, vice versa. I really miss her, honestly."
"How did you and Ko end up getting here?"
"Everglow."
Spatch's eyes widened with curiosity.
"We were on the run from the authorities on Earth and were running out of places. We were desperate, but I also knew there was no way Ko could stay on Earth. We'd be hunted for as long as we lived. So we jumped through it."
"Huh. Well ain't that interesting. Can't say I've ever heard of an Everglow being used as transportation. The damn things are so bloody rare we barely know anything about them."
Fischer shrugged his shoulders before sliding back into his chair. His eyes went lazy and he stared aimlessly at the rainbow of colours outside. His thoughts drifted back to the river of lights. The colours reminded him of the field of light that he and Ko had seen back in Germany. Those memories were growing more and more distant, but he was determined to hold on to them as long as he possibly could.
He shifted in his seat and looked behind him. Quin and Ko were both sound asleep, strapped into their chairs. Ko's head rested on Quin's shoulder, her own head gently resting atop the zapher's. It was nice seeing them together and relatively at peace. Even if he was slightly jealous of Quin.
"Bet you wish you were her right about now hey?" Spatch jested as he jabbed a thumb back in Quin's direction.
Fischer continued to stare longingly at the two of them.
"How. . . how long until we get there?" He asked as he spun back around.
Spatch chuckled slightly as he changed the subject. "Uh, I'd say five, maybe six more hours? You can head back to sleep if you like, I'll wake you when we're there."
Fischer rubbed his tired eyes slightly and ran his fingers over his lips. He contemplated going back to sleep. But he didn't want to disturb the two back there. Besides, the view of space was something he could stare at for days. That and Spatch was surprisingly welcome company.
"I think I might stay up a little longer. I kinda like the view."
--\/--
Ko's eyes felt like they were almost burning. Despite them being closed, the sensation of fire running through her was making itself quite apparent. Her hands in particular felt odd. The strange sensation of them being lit ablaze but not actually burning had returned. And it was making itself very apparent.
But there was another sensation that was out of the ordinary. It felt like she was submerged in something. Not fully, but like she was just lying in a pool of a strange liquid.
"Heya baby girl. . ."
Her eyes suddenly snapped open and her senses were set to high alert. She knew that voice. But she couldn't quite remember who it was. It was definitely feminine but carried an almost flirty weight to it.
However it wasn't the voice that was the main thing to grasp her attention. It was where she found herself. She was right about feeling submerged. Looking around, all she could see was a flat ocean of dark black liquid, almost like ink. There was no land anywhere, but strange tentacle like trees were dotted around the endless ocean.
They looked like dead trees, but instead of stiff solid branches, they had goopy ink like tendrils that stuck out like fingers on a deranged hand.
The horizon was a shade of deep orange that gradually shifted into a deep dark purple the higher up into the sky it got. There were no stars in the sky either, just an empty void.
"It's been a while hasn't it?"
The voice suddenly spoke again, sounding like it was coming from all around her. She sat up quickly and spun around trying to find the source, but there was nothing there.
"We got a little. . ." the voice paused.
She frantically looked around trying to find whoever was speaking, but it was almost like the ink itself was talking.
Suddenly, behind her a huge splash erupted from the murky liquid and a figure seemingly formed out of mid air. Inky trails of liquid seemed to float all around it and it began to take a physical form.
She stumbled backwards as a horrid inky being manifested in front of her, streaks of ink seemingly defying gravity and rising up out from the ocean to create a creature that she realised looked rather similar to a zapher.
Slowly and almost sensually, the creature began to walk towards her. The excess ink began to drain from the being and Ko's eyes widened in horror as she realised what it was.
It was her.
"Unfinished business," it chuckled as it kneeled down in front of her. It reached out with its left hand and gently grasped her under her chin, pulling her closer.
The creature was a mirror of herself, albeit made from the horrid inky mess she was stuck in. Its right horn was chipped just like her own. Its tail spines resembled hers almost identically, save for the last two which were shaped almost like medieval axe heads.
"I've been waiting for you for a long. . . long time my naughty little girl."
It spoke with a very arousing tone to its voice and seemed to want to get up close and personal with her.
Uncomfortably up close and personal.
"N-no . . . no," Ko squeaked, petrified.
"You remember me, don't you baby Ko? After all, how could you forget all the . . . fun we had together. You and your old pal sweet, little, Lust."
She began to circle Ko like a shark. One hand sat carelessly on her shoulder, like she was trying to massage her.
Ko was frozen stiff, paralysed with fear. She couldn't watch as her newfound 'friend' stood menacingly behind her and wrapped her arms around her neck. She leaned in closely, her head now right beside Ko's own. She voluptuously pressed the side of her snout against Ko's cheek and grinned maliciously.
"We're gonna have a lot of fun, you and I," she whispered as she licked her lips.
Ko clenched up in horror and shuddered as she felt the horrid goopy texture of Lust's tongue sliding across her cheek. She screamed in horror and squirmed around, desperately trying to put as much distance between her and the perverted inky mirror of herself.
Lust grinned maliciously and swayed raunchily from side to side before sinking back down into the inky ocean.
"Aw c'mon now sweety, play nice. You know what happens to naughty girls now don't you?"
Ko felt her entire body run cold as she desperately looked round to find her tormentor. But the creature had slid back into the ocean.
A cold sense of dread ran down her spine as she waited for any sign that could tell her where the wretched abomination might be hiding.
"They get . . ." her voice spoke through the floor once more.
Suddenly Ko heard a splash behind her and Lust materialised from the water almost instantly, following up with a harsh back handed smack right across the zapher's face.
"Punished!" she growled.
Ko stumbled backwards and tripped over her own tail, falling down into the ocean. Before she had time to react however, the splashes caused by her impact suddenly morphed into horrid and twisted hands. They grabbed hold of her limbs and body, preventing her from moving. One of them reached around her neck, pulling her back and stopping her from breathing.
At her feet, Lust slowly emerged on all fours and began to seductively crawl towards Ko as she helplessly lay there. The inky nightmare slid her hands up and down the zapher's hips and shot her a gleeful look. Ko could do nothing but cry as Lust's hands slowly made their way up her body, stopping just short of her breasts. Instead of continuing, the twisted demon placed her hands back in the water but shifted closer to Ko's face until she was right on top of her.
"I've missed you my little darling. . . it's about time we. . . made up?"
Lust grabbed hold of Ko's cheeks and suddenly kissed her, holding her in place while she did so. The zapher tried to scream out but Lust's mouth prevented her from doing so.
She slowly began to suffocate as the grotesque demon had her way with her.
--\/--
Ko woke to the sound of petrified screaming as she snapped upright. It didn't take her long before she realised that the screams were her own. That and Fischer and Quin were right next to her, trying to get her attention.
"Ko? Ko! Ko hey! Hey hey you're alright! You're ok, you're ok!" Fischer exclaimed as his friend lay trembling in her seat, her pupils as slit as a knife.
Quin Quickly grasped her hand and shoulder in an attempt to try and calm her nerves, which seemed to do the trick. The distraught zapher eventually began to calm down as she realised she was back in the real world, the horrors of her nightmare now behind her. Looking around, there were no horrid mirrors of herself. Only the very worried faces of her friends.
"Hey, you alright? What was that about?" Fischer fretted.
Ko shook her head in dismissal. "Yea. . . yea I'm ok. I'm ok. S-sorry, it was just a bad dream. Nothing to worry about though."
Quin and Fischer exchanged concerned glances.
"A-are you sure?" The carcan asked. Ko shook her head rapidly.
Quin bit her lip and Fischer stared on with doubt in his eyes. But there was no point in arguing with her after that. If she said it was a bad dream, then that's probably all it was.
"Ok. . . ok, if you say so, alright then," he shuffled over and sat down next to her and Quin. Going back to what he was doing previously.
Ko's heart began racing. Her eyes were slit and she felt herself start to sweat. She knew who that person in her dreams was.
Lust was back.
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Some artwork of Lust