Adia led the way. Down a few corridors and she stopped and opened a part.i.tion. Inside Nittya saw a few dozen cribs. Most of them had alien infants, crossbred, but not with humans. They were rather grotesque, some of them even resembling insects.

"These two are mine as they're older," Adia said. "There is your baby, Nittya."

Nittya looked at the newborn. For the first time, her motherly instincts kicked in. She almost looked like a human baby, except for the little b.u.mpy pattern on her skull, barely visible through the blonde downy hair. Adia threw blankets at her.

"No time to get mushy now. Wrap her up really well. I found some blankets that look like they're thermal. Here, put this one around her last."

Lazar, Kirit, and Remy each carried an infant in one arm, gun in the other. Adia led, Nittya was right behind her, every now and then glancing back at her child, carried by Remy.

Adia was right. They didn't encounter aliens, any opposition of any kind. They rushed through the huge cavern, climbed over rocks, jumped over puddles, until they reached the transporter.

"Pray it's in flying condition," Lazar grunted as he studied the panel to open the hatch.

"It's not as rusted as I thought," he said. The hatch opened quite silently, as if it had recently been oiled.

"This is all too easy. I keep expecting them to burst out and use their main weapon. Their minds," Kirit said.

"I told you. They're all asleep, no sound, almost as if they're dead. Apparently they weren't afraid we'd escape, because there 329 Violet Visions weren't any guards around, no one in the room where I found the monitors."

Lazar handed the infant he held to Adia. It whimpered and she rocked it to keep it quiet. He climbed into the transporter.

Within seconds, a loud humming filled the cavern.

"It works! It works!" Nittya shouted and was up the ladder in a flash. She held out her arms for the baby.

They were all inside the transporter, the hatch closed. Remy was already at the controls. Lights flickered off and on. A computer voice suddenly sounded, the language alien.

"What did it say?" he shouted to Adia.

"It wants to know coordinates."

"d.a.m.n, I don't know enough of the language. Not enough time." She thought hard. "Okay, try override. I read that somewhere in their library." She told him the alien word and he repeated it. Several times. The computer spoke again, but another light went on.

"It worked!"

The engines kicked in full blast. "Go strap yourselves in.

Make sure the babies are secure. I'm going to try and take off."

The transporter shuddered, shuddered again, then lifted off the cave floor. Just as Remy was about to put it into warp drive, or what he thought was warp, their heads started to hurt. Aliens, in big heavy thermal cloaks came rushing toward the transporter.

"Remy, do something," Nittya shouted, both hands against her temples.

"These controls are all alien, dammit. I'm doing my best!"

He stabbed at a lit b.u.t.ton, then another, and suddenly they shot out of the cavern and up toward the gas ring.

Remy slumped for a moment, his hands holding his head.

"Remy! Remy! Are you okay?" Nittya shouted over the noise of the engines. Her baby suddenly cried and the other two infants 330 eXtasy's Collective Mind chimed in. The noise was deafening. But, as the transporter gained alt.i.tude, the pain in their heads lessened.

They entered the gas ring. The transporter rocked, bounced, but it held, and continued on.

When it finally escaped the gas ring and entered the galaxy they'd all been sent to explore, Nittya let out her breath.

"We're free and clear," Remy announced in a calm voice.

"Now if only I could set the coordinates for home."

"Well, at least we're away from that h.e.l.l hole. I'd rather die here, in s.p.a.ce, than turn into them," Adia said.

The transporter steady now, they undid their harnesses and could move freely around. Apart from the alien symbols and computer language, the transporter was not unlike one of their old ones, the ones that were now in museums. It had cabins, beds, but of course no food. It wasn't ready for a journey.

Nittya rocked her baby until she stopped crying. "We have no food, nothing to drink. How do we feed the babies?"

"G.o.d knows. But we're clear and away. We're heading out of this galaxy. Hopefully, our people are still hunting for Nittya and we'll run across some of our ships."

Adia and Nittya managed to rock the babies to sleep and tucked them into the cots in one of the cabins. The two women hugged.

"Friends forever, Nittya. If it weren't for you, we'd still be s.e.x toys."

"Friends," Nittya said softly and kissed Adia on the lips.

"Why don't you girls get some rest?" Lazar said. He had followed them. "And yes, friends forever." He put his arms around them both and hugged them.

The two women took off their suits. There was only one bunk left in the cabin so they shared it. Adia took Nittya in her arms and kissed her. "Girlfriend, one last time, this time without the 331 Violet Visions juice," she whispered.

Nittya wanted the other woman just as much. When Adia's fingers found her c.u.n.t, she opened her legs wider. She sucked Adia's b.r.e.a.s.t.s until the nipples were big and hard, then kneaded them. "Oh, for one of those d.i.l.d.os," she whispered against Adia's lips. "But your fingers will do."

She in turn played with Adia's bush, the unfamiliar pubic hair so soft and curly to the touch. She felt the hard c.l.i.t, played with it, then left Adia's lips to bury her head between the woman's legs. She sucked the throbbing c.l.i.t, lapped with her tongue between the folds, then entered three fingers into her waiting and wet v.a.g.i.n.a and scissored her fingers. Adia groaned. Nittya felt Adia's c.u.m splash down her hand and quickly lapped it up with her tongue.

The cot was small, narrow. When Lazar entered and saw the two women at play, he wanted to join them, but it was impossible, so he waited patiently until Nittya noticed him and got out of the cot. Lazar flipped Adia over onto her chest and raised her hips. His c.o.c.k was huge, hard and ready. He thrust inside her, his libido heightened by the excitement of their escape. Nittya stood next to the cot. He reached up and played with a breast, her own fingers playing with her c.l.i.t, her c.u.n.t.

Kirit entered the cabin. "What the h.e.l.l...ooooh," he grunted.

He was behind Nittya in a second and she felt his c.o.c.k pushing against her a.n.a.l hole. She bent over, spread her legs and allowed him entry.

Only Remy was left out. Someone had to remain behind the controls.

"We have contact," Remy's voice bellowed, overpowering the engine noise.

With one thrust, Lazar shot his c.u.m into Adia. Kirit pulled his c.o.c.k out of her a.s.s hole and came as he pulled it out. She saw 332 eXtasy's Collective Mind his c.u.m drip onto the floor.

"Contact, oh my G.o.d! How lucky can we get!" Nittya shouted.

She quickly put on her bodysuit and Adia did the same.

"Listen guys, we can't tell them about the s.e.x orgies. We have to keep our stories straight. They experimented on us. But the s.e.x part, let's keep that to ourselves? Our secret?" Nittya looked at each of them. "I'll tell Remy as well."

They all knew what the punishment would be if found out.

Nittya could tell them she'd bonded with Remy and taken him for her partner, but that was all they were allowed to know. None of them wanted to be banished to live with the aliens on their planet. They'd all be decontaminated anyway and debriefed.

"Adia, you haven't told us anything about your findings yet,"

Nittya said.

"I haven't had time," Adia said, grinning like a cat that had tasted the cream. "When we're home. You can all come to my house and I'll tell you everything I read in that library in the brief time I was there."

The sight of the s.p.a.ceship brought tears to Nittya's eyes, and Adia cried openly. One of their own. They were saved.

A month later...

They'd all been decontaminated and debriefed. Two weeks of interrogation, two weeks of separation from Remy. It was strange. She'd only been with him for a few days, yet she felt incredibly bonded to this man, without him being near. She'd fallen in love, madly and crazily in love. Now that they were home, how would he feel? After she had told the authorities that she'd bonded with Remy, they had set the paperwork in motion 333 Violet Visions to make it official. Although she knew her parents would want some kind of official celebration.

As Nittya left Omega 44, she hurried away from the memory of the two grueling weeks. She cradled her baby in her arms and kissed her head. Now she was a mother. Just days ago, she'd left Xallin on a mission, and overnight she'd become a parent. It all still seemed very unreal, yet she had the living proof in her arms.

"You're in a hurry," a voice that had haunted her dreams spoke behind her. She swiveled and stepped toward him.

"Remy..."

"Hey, babe. Come here, let me take you in my arms. I've been dreaming of this for two weeks."

Her fears put to rest, she rushed into his waiting arms. He held them tight, the baby between them squirming a bit at this sudden enclosure. Nittya felt safe in his arms, safe and warm.

"We're legally bonded now."

She looked up at him. "Yes, we are. How do you feel about that?"

"Hon, I fell in love with you a long time ago when I saw you at a few parties. Well, not exactly love, not then, but I knew you were the woman for me. You didn't know it then, but I had plans to pursue you in the near future. Well, it was just a little sooner than I'd planned, and not quite the way I planned it. I'd had more romantic pursuit in mind."

"But I have a ready made family now."

"And that's a problem? Now the question. Do I move in with you or you with me?"

She looked up at his beautiful, s.e.xy face, the lips she so badly wanted to kiss right now. "I have two bedrooms. What about you?"

"Mine's just a bachelor. I guess it's your place. I don't have my astroglider anymore. Since I was supposed to be dead, the 334 eXtasy's Collective Mind family got rid of all my things. But I found out they kept my bachelor suite for some unknown reason. Maybe they rented it out. Who knows?"

"But I have mine. It's still parked where I left it." She pointed at the parking lot adjacent to Omega 44. Suddenly, it felt strange.

She had a bonded partner, yet what did they know about each other? But did it really matter? They had their whole future ahead of them to bond even more. She felt so close to this man already.

While they were apart, it was as if her soul touched his and he was branded into her heart.

"Sweetheart, I don't know about you, but I'd really love a home cooked meal. I'm tired of the synthetic food they served at Omega."

"And me," she said with a sigh.

"And I can think of a few other things I'm hungry for," he said with a grin and bent to kiss her. Their lips clung together for a brief moment, before he shepherded her to the parking lot.

"We'll have to go shopping first, before we go home." Home, it felt so good to be able to say that. Never had she appreciated the word 'home' more than she did now. "I need to get formula for Xandrianna, diapers, clothes, and of course a crib and other stuff."

"Babe, I hate to say it, but I have no money at this point.

Remember, I died. Accounting told me my savings were divided between my siblings. All I have is what I'm wearing. But they've reinstated me, and I'll be back to work soon. Oh, and they said I'll receive credits for the fateful mission. So I'll have money soon."

She smiled. "Don't worry. I've got savings. At least they hadn't given up hope on me yet."

"Thank G.o.d for small mercies," he said, as they got into her glider. He automatically took the driver's seat. She didn't care.

335.

Violet Visions After all, she had the baby in her arms and for now, she didn't want to let go of her.

"I need to go visit my parents, too," she told him as the glider took off.

"After we shop and take the stuff to your place," he said, looking at her sideways with an endearing lopsided grin.

The baby became fussy. Thankfully, the lineup at the ordering panel wasn't long and they could punch in the items they wanted.

After entering her ID, and retrieving her payment chip, they went back to the glider. By the time they got through the lineup at the pickup bay, Xandrianna's lungs were in full gear.

"I guess that's something we both need to get used to," Remy said as he awkwardly patted the little one on her back.

Nittya had never been so glad to enter her apartment. She left the unloading of the glider up to Remy and quickly headed to the kitchen to fill up a bottle for the baby. Xandrianna soon settled down after she had a full belly and meanwhile, Remy had dumped all the parcels in the middle of the floor.

"Can you find the diapers?" she asked.

The baby slept through the change and for the time being, Nittya made a makeshift bed on the couch. The baby was small and wouldn't fall off yet.

"Come here, vixen," Remy said, and pulled her into his arms.

His lips crashed down on hers. She felt his tongue exploring, then dancing with her own. Their bodies melded together, their hearts as one, their souls now bonding for real.

She pulled away from him and looked into his fathomless blue eyes. "I love you, Remy."

"And I you," he murmured against her lips. He lowered her to the floor while his fingers unzipped the long zipper on the back of her suit. He sat on his knees while he peeled the suit off her body to expose her to his gaze.