An Incubus Life - 171 - Shadow Fall

Chapter 171 Shadow Fall

The transport moved rapidly in a large cavern-like space inside the massive, crashed spaceship.  The wall had racks of vehicles and aircraft.  “This must be their hanger,” Bedelia said over my shoulder.  “Can you believe we are on an actual spacecraft?”

That statement suddenly hit me.  The magnitude of where we were, how far we had come, and how far over my head we were.  I looked at the elven Marines in the transport.  How strong were they?  Captain Aida noticed me inspecting her team.  “Are you thinking you take us?”  There was a note of humor in her voice.

“No.  I was just curious about your armor.  It seems to enhance your abilities.”  Sharn and the orcs were keyed into the conversation, extremely interested.

Captain Aida tapped her chest, “Nanite fibers and nanobot capsules with a tier three aether shield.  It’s the best armor the seventeenth layer has to offer.  It is difficult to wear on this layer as the suit is aether demanding.”

Brin was interested in the conversation and asked the elf captain, “Where is the suit’s power?  Can it operate in outer space?” Brin had moved close and was looking at the suit, clearly wanting to touch it.  The young nomad had an engineer’s curiosity to her that overcame her common sense.

Captain Aida smiled at the inquisitive human, “The suit is powered by two aetheric batteries in the boots.  The batteries are charged from the wearer’s body.  As long as the suit is not compromised and the batteries are full, it can operate in the Void for about four hours.  But young human, the suit has no propulsion.”

The transport came to an abrupt stop.  The driver yelled back, “Rides over, Captain. The 19th work crew is taking your captives out the back.  See you next trip, sir.” The driver and his copilot exited the front of the vehicle.

Captain Aida spoke to me, “Follow me. You are being quartered in the aft compartments. This is a warship and not a passenger liner, but the accommodations should be suitable.”

“I want to meet Eshanya,” I said, not following her.

“The Admiral is extremely busy. When she has some free time, she will summon you to attend her,” the Captain said. She inhaled, seeing my irritation, “Don’t worry. She will talk with you soon. Follow me and get settled. Right now, you and your companions are guests.” She stressed guests and I think she meant that I should not protest too loudly or our status may change. It had not been said harshly, just as a soft warning.

We followed the Captain and two of her Marines through the ship. The floors were a hard gray and absorbed the sound of our footfalls as we moved. The ceiling emitted a soft white white and seemed to have no seams. The walls of the ship varied as we walked. Touch screens would populate large spans where engineers worked, while other sections had numerous closed doors and elven script detailing what was beyond.

We seemed to walk forever but it was because there was something new around every corner. The Marine had to keep Brin walking as she constantly wanted to stop and study something new. Finally, at a nondescript door, the Captain stopped and tapped in a code. The door slid aside silently.

We followed the Captain in. Captain Aida said, “This is Marine Barracks 22. It has not been used for a long time, but the cleaning bots have kept it clean. Two sergeants will be outside the door if you need something.” The Captain turned and left, not giving me time to ask questions.

We were in a large common room with four doors on the left wall and six doors on the right wall.  The common room had a large table with ten chairs. A comfortable seating area with a large screen television and something that looked like a pool table.

Bedelia commented on the accommodations, “This wouldn’t look out of place on Earth.”

I checked out one of the rooms and found it was small, just six feet by ten feet, and had a multi-purpose shower/toilet room at the end. The toilet was odd in that it was just ten inches off the ground, requiring you to squat to use it. I thought maybe there would be a way to raise it, but I didn’t find any mechanism.

I returned to the room, and a bed dominated half of the room with a hard mattress. A clear release on the wall had my curiosity pull it, and the bed rotated over to turn into a desk. The walls had secure compartments throughout, the largest of which appeared to be a charging station for the Marines’ armor.

Speakers came to life in the ceiling, and a clear masculine voice announced, “Attention. Resistance fighters have organized in quadrant 9B. Check your assignments for possible deployment. Mining crew fifteen is being sent to the titanium mines in quadrant 33C.” The announcement ended, and I guessed it did not pertain to us.

I searched every compartment on the wall and only found bundled linens that I assumed were sheets and a blanket for the bed. I couldn’t find any pillows as I made up the bed. A terminal by the door appeared to control the temperature and humidity in the room.  I returned to the common room to find the orcs watching the large TV.

The door opened, and an elf with long, braided black hair entered. All eyes turned to him. He looked around the room, clearly showing disgust on his face at our presence. “I am your attendant, Elmir. I think we should start with some new clothes.”  His nose scrunched in dismay at the smell. “If you will allow me to scan your bodies, I can send your measurements to the clothing fabricators.”

Aurora exited one of the rooms, “Do we get to choose our fashion?”

“No, you will be issued two crew uniforms,” Elmir said, irritated. “Even the orcs will get uniforms. Now, please, can we proceed? I will bring you meals after the scan.” He talked down to us like the reward of food would get us to comply.

Glasha started stripping, and Elmir winced, “There is no need to remove your clothes. The scanner can penetrate your clothing.” He walked up to a bare-chested Glasha and aimed a small device at her, “Next, please.” He quickly went through our entire party and party and left.

Brin was in heaven at all the advanced technology around her and was constantly poking and prodding devices to figure them out. It was only twenty minutes later when the door slid open. The two sergeants were still outside the door, and I guessed we were not going to be able to leave. Elmir walked in with a stack of black and gray clothes in his arms. He placed the large stack on the table and quickly handed them out, “I suggest you clean the filth off your bodies before you dress.”

A second attendant came and was carrying boots for everyone. I took my clothes and boots to my room and tossed them on my bed. I entered the shower and quickly found Bedelia with me. It was a tight fit for two people, “Thought you might need some help in getting clean.”

“Not really.  How about some help in getting dirty?” I countered. She backed into me as the warm water cascaded around us. She tapped a device that I had not noticed: a soap dispenser. Soon, we were rubbing each other in the shower and sliding our bodies across each other.

My hands slid across her slick stomach up to her soft mounds and hard nipples. She groaned as my other hand went to her lower folds. I set an adjacent vortex to continue her slow core raising. My hands jockeyed for position as I teased all three of her nubs. Bedelia used the small confines of the shower for leverage, pushing back into me to rub up and down on my shaft trapped between us.

I increased the tempo of my thumb on her lower numb, flicking it lightly and rapidly. She started to squirm, trying to hold back, but I got her to shudder, her legs momentarily going weak from an orgasm. She revealed in the endorphin rush and regained herself, “We are not done, Caleb,” she commanded with a smirk.

She stepped up on the low toilet, presenting herself to me at the perfect height. I didn’t hesitate to enter her as my own urges were rising. I played my phallic head briefly across her lips before pressing into her eager folds. The force caused her to slip off the low seat, and she came down hard on my shaft. “Umph,” escaped her lips as she was momentarily held up just by my phallus inside her. My left arm snaked around her waist to support her and help her balance on the slippery surface.

It was still an odd position in the small shower, but Bedelia was not going to be denied more gratification. We timed hips to meet together in short thrusts awkwardly in the shower. I turned her around so she could wrap her legs around my waist. Her arms locked around my neck and her legs around my waist, allowing her to more easily bounce up and down.

When I felt her inner muscles contracting on my length, I released with her. She pressed her lips to mine in a passionate kiss as we both rode out the post-orgasmic bliss.

I lowered her to the floor, and we began to clean each other slowly. Beldia asked, “Should we be here?”

“I think so. It feels like we are on the correct path to me. I can’t explain it, but it just feels right. I think this is where Carrie saw me.  I was a fool to think I could free Andromeda. I needed allies, and Eshanya is about the most powerful ally I could have hoped to find.” We finished cleaning up, and I stepped into the bedroom. Bedelia’s naked, wet body fell onto the bed. Her hair soaked the sheets I had just laid. “Bee, you are making my sheets wet,” I said jokingly.

She reached up and shook out her hair to exasserbate the problem. I think she wanted me to punish her, but instead, I pulled out clean clothes from my mind space. “You are not wearing these?” She threw the ship uniform at me, and I dodged.

“No. I don’t think it would be good for me to appear in her crew’s uniform when I meet Eshanya,” I said, dressing while Bedelia rolled around on the bed to dry off.

“If your sheets are too wet, you can sleep in my room.” She cooed provocatively. I ignored Bedelia, who was in a playful mood, which I thought was a good sign. It was probably because we were in a safe space.

I finished dressing and found everyone clean and dressed in the ship’s uniform in the common room. The uniform had black yoga pants and a silvery dark gray top that appeared to be something akin to spandex.  It looked comfortable, but I was not going to give in and wear it. I was wearing my all-black transit gear.

Everyone was waiting on me for directions. The door opened, and six elves, carrying a lot of food for everyone, entered. Elmir was last in the procession, “Ah, much better. We will launder your old clothes and armor unless you just want them burned.”

Sharn, not bashful, asked, “Can we get the armor that your Marines wear.”

Elmir looked exasperated, “No, you can not.” He calmed down. “That decision is out of my pervarance. I suggest you make a formal request to a Marine General.” He smirked, “And let them deny you.”

Captain Aida entered the room, dressed in just the ship’s uniform and having obviously showered and put her raven hair into a tight bun, “Elmir, your presence is not required at the moment. You can leave.” Elmir gave the tiniest of bows before leaving with the others who had brought the food.

Captain Aida looked at me, “Admiral Eshanya will…” She was interrupted as the speakers in the room flared.

The same male voice came across, “Transit gate in quadrant 2C has been activated. All crew and Maries report to stations. Threat level Alpha.”

“Sounds serious,” I said, addressing Captain Aida.

“Threat level Alpha is just a handful of people coming through the transit. There is nothing to worry about, but I have to get to my station. I was told to inform you Admiral Eshanya will meet you in two days. She is leading an attack on another city, and when she returns, she will have time to talk with you. And no, you can not join her.” The Captain made to leave.

“Can we leave this room?” I asked before she had disappeared.

“No, not at this time. And as to our combat armor,” she said, looking at Sharm as she must have heard her request, “It is unlikely that you could power it with your aether.”

The door closed behind her, but without her armor on, I had a chance to read her aether core. Captain Aida was about 1.6, upper tier two in strength. She was quite strong in her own right, and I guessed that she was average on the seventeenth layer where Andromeda had been operating. It was scary to think about.

I turned to my companions, “I guess we wait. Maybe we can finish some enhancements after we eat?” The food was a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. There were some cured meats with odd textures and tastes. Announcements rang on the speakers as we ate about various deployments and repositioning of assets.

After the meal was done, I started creating elixirs in my room. Sharn received the strength to go with her endurance and quickness. Glasha reluctantly took an endurance and quickness elixirs. I had not raised her core yet, so she could possibly get a third enhancement in the future. Sharn wanted her daughter raised immediately, but I was not going to force it, and Sharn seemed reluctant.

I gave Brin the recall elixir as she could only take one with her current core. It was my way of thanking her for her help, and I knew my charm was fogging her mind, so she was not entirely aware of what was going on.

Raguk, Sharn’s grandfather, got a constitution elixir. He could only take one, and it should improve his health somewhat. I also wondered if this ship had some technology to replace his missing hand.

The four younger orcs did not get any enhancements. I would wait for a little time before committing to enhancing them.  The twin boys Rogan and Kurdan had learned how to play videos on the screen and were watching some violent films or training videos. They couldn’t understand what was said, so they enjoyed the action.

We had no idea if it was day or night outside, but eventually, we all made our way to one of the rooms. I ended up in Bedelia’s room, as my bed was still wet.  Bedelia sat on the bed, “I tried scouting, but I am blocked from using my spells. It is not magic but some technology I am not familiar with.”

I didn’t respond for a few moments, “So you can not see past the room or just not see anything at all?”

“I can not even use the spell,” she said.

In response, I held up my hand and formed a fireball above my hand. It was slightly harder than normal but overly difficult. I had the fireball vanish.  “I think you can still use your magic but just need to invest more energy.”

Bedelia closed her eyes and focused. Her face turned red with effort, “Yes. You are right. More aether, focus, and effort. I will go look around.”

I lay down on the bed and let Bedelia work. Bedelia began to sweat a little as she searched the ship. She opened her eyes, “Damn. Ran into someone who could see my projection. Hope it doesn’t cause us problems.”

“I am sure it is fine. Did you find anything useful?” I asked about her efforts.

“I only saw elves. There appear to be Marines, crew and civilians on the ship. There is a Marine monitoring station at the end of the corridor, and they have cameras in all our rooms. But I guess that is to be expected,” Bedelia informed. “I didn’t get very far, but it appears to be more like a city than a battleship.”

A knock at the door, and Aurora entered and sat on the bed. The uniform showing her athletic body. I arched my eyebrows, waiting for her reason for coming in here. “I think I should stay close in case something comes up,” she explained. “I don’t think the elves like us very much.”

The bed was long but very deep. I didn’t need the sleep, but I knew the two women needed the reassurance of being close to me. I was surprised everyone was doing well. I ended up being the middle spoon, with Bedelia in front of me and Aurora behind me. They quickly fell asleep after a very long day.

I lay quietly thinking. I was waiting for the pleasure of Eshanya. Captain Aida said I had to wait a few days until she finished conquering another city. A soft knock at the had me announce, “Enter.” Bedelia remained asleep, but Aurora stirred.

Brin stood in the doorway. She looked a little bashful. “I just…I just didn’t want to sleep alone.”

“There is not much room,” I said, and her face fell. “But I can let you have my spot.” I extracted myself, and Brin slipped in with the two women. Bedelia barely stirred, and Aurora wrapped the young woman in a reassuring hug and nodded to me.

I went to the common room and found the two orc male teens watching elf porn on the television. They turned it off, and both rushed into a room they had claimed. Male teens were the same everywhere. I guess that is what I was, an incubus teenager. I almost laughed aloud at myself.

I spent time trying to figure out the pool table-like game. I found a video to figure out the rules. It was actually very similar to the pool, but instead of using a cue stick, you had to use your aether to push the cue ball. It was about being able to channel your aether out of your body and controlling the intensity. I lined up the ball and tried using just a tiny amount of aether. The cue ball blasted into the opposite bumper and flew back at me. My reflexes caught the ball out of the air.

I pulled out the device that Rincewind gave me to help me learn to control small amounts of aether. Using the collar, the cue ball sped across the table this time. So, this game was more than a game. It was a teaching tool. I started playing the game, roughly following the rules but trying to control my aether more. It had been something I had put on the back burner for a while. My plan was to learn normal spells instead of relying on my incubus heritage.

It was actually somewhat fun. I focused on the game for hours, ignoring the announcements over the speakers. The door to the room suddenly opened, and Captain Aida stood in her power armor. “Come with me,” she ordered.

I followed her into the corridor. “What is happening?” I asked of her noticeable urgency.

“Admiral Eshanya wants to meet you. We captured the people coming through the transit. Do you know someone named Rincewind?”