“The trap slowly closes, and then we will get to the bottom of who killed my most precious beloved.”

- Research Diary of Ouluk Kelemdar

***Deep Space***

***Lisandra***

I was in high spirits when I left my quarters. Fiona was still sleeping in my bed, so I decided to have some breakfast and think about the situation. At first, I wasn't so sure if I am the type to have some fun with the same gender, but the more I got to talk with Fiona, the more I realized that the both of us simply fit together. And the best thing was, she wasn't averse to having my attention. The woman is a knockout, and I am pretty sure that she gave me the best night of my entire life.

My spirits soar high, but then I get down to earth pretty quickly when I notice my sister leaving her quarters. How should I tell her that I am that kind of woman? Is it something to be ashamed of, for me to like women? What will she think of me? For a moment, I play with the thought of fleeing back to my quarters, avoiding the encounter.

The chance is gone when she notices me and smiles. “Sis!” She takes a step, then another, approaching me with a strange gait. The scene is disturbing to look at. Silith is walking, but at the same time, she could be crawling towards me. The scene is strange to look at, so I approach and meet her half the way.

“What happened to you?” Did Antioch do something to her? It looks like she is in pain.

“Nothing!” she replies quickly and tries to straighten her stance, failing at the attempt. “We had a very... err... eventful night! I will be fine if I just get a little time to recover.”

As if on cue, Antioch exits through the door from which my sister appeared just a few seconds ago. He looks at us, smiles and nods, then he retreats the other way, seeming like a defeated warrior. I notice that he is also walking strangely, his step similar to Silith's.

I narrow my eyes and look at my sister. “You two had a fight?”

“Ah, nooo. Just the opposite! He and I had the most mind-blowing night I ever had. I bet that even Fiora wouldn't be able to stand up to it. It's times like these when I am glad to be a succubus.” Realizing that she is acting strange, she straightens herself and tries to hide her state. For better or worse, the act works.

It takes a few moments for her words to sink in, for my brain to pick apart the meaning behind the sentence. I blush. “You know?”

“Yeah, but don't worry. As long as you are happy, I am completely fine with it.” She smiles and then her expression turns serious. “Just for the record, I like Antioch. And keep in mind that we don’t know Fiona that well. It might be bad if you get too... attached to her.”

I nod, letting out a sigh. “I was just about to head to the mess hall. Let’s eat something and talk about this night of yours.” Linking arms with my sister I guide her down the corridor. “And regarding Fiona, isn’t it already a little too late for that? We already put so much trust into her and the others, even making her a progenitor. That gives her a lot of power.”

Silith sighs. “I know. Just be careful. We are still getting to know them and I would hate it if you get hurt. Maybe it’s just because I feel that it’s happening a little fast between the two of you. Antioch and I had months before we actually-”

“Nanana!” I interrupt my sister, feeling embarrassed about her bluntness. “Let’s just get something to eat.”

We make our way to the mess hall, choosing one of the large tables and chatting about various problems and our issues with the world. On a ship with a small crew, the different topics are easily exhausted and entertainment is hard to come by. If it hadn’t been for Hob’s library on human culture, our future would be deadly boring. Fiora mentioned that, if we hadn’t found them, the party of stowaways would have torn themselves apart sooner or later.

Our bonding ritual is interrupted when four women enter the room. It’s Jenny with her gang, Rina, Ailes, and Katrin. The four spot us and join us at the table. Like wingmen, they surround us, with the blonde Jenny and the mousy girl, Rina, sitting left and right from Silith.

Ailes, a redhead with black horns and a modest body, sits down to my left, while Katrin chooses the right side. Unlike any other woman who I met so far, Katrin is huge and muscular. She easily rivals Antioch and Martin in height and physique. Sitting right next to her, I feel small and weak.

“You look like your hunt was successful,” Silith comments. “How did the plan work out?”

“Perrrfectly!” Jenny purrs. “I found him and, as expected, he couldn’t withstand my charm. The horny guy was so enarmoured with me and the cake, that he didn’t notice when the others caught up with us.”

“Y- y- yeah!” Rina balls her fist and shakes it. “We taught him what it means to cheat on us!”

Ailes's face crunches up while she plays with her tail. “Though, he liked it way too much. Are you certain that it was a punishment?”

Katrin clears her throat. “That was just the spur of the moment. It will sink in once he wakes up and realizes that he has to take responsibility.”

I look up at the giant. “Responsibility?”

“Yep.” Jenny knocks four times onto the table. “He wants a harem, so he gets one, and all the horrors that come with it.”

“Horrors?” Silith asks, astounded.

Katrin nods gravely. “In a few months, we will get seven new crewmen.”

“Seven?” I squeak and look around, getting the implications. “All of you?”

Jenny plays with her golden locks and throws one leg over the other. “Yup. We’ve got a quest to increase our numbers. Every kid gets us reputation in the V.C. and points which we can exchange for skills. The evil part of our plan will be that Martin gets to be the nursemaid. The children will get their personalities from the V.C. soon enough, but until then, they are just pooping maggots. Our revenge is for Martin to suffer the consequences of cheating.”

All four women laugh evilly upon having revealed their strange form of revenge. It reminds me that Silith and I are the youngest in this group. If it weren’t for their designed bodies, Jenny and the others would look like hags.

I have no idea what’s so bad about having children, but when I look at my sister, I can tell that she feels bad for Martin. She already brought up Samuel and Minerva, while I have no experience with the process of reproduction. So, if Silith thinks that two babies are trouble, what about seven?

We are interrupted by the wailing sound of an alarm. Silith is the first to get to her feet. She heads directly for the exit and I follow right behind her, the four harlets on my heels. When we arrive at the cockpit, which lies just down the corridor, Antioch is already in his pilot-chair, his hands on the controls.

Silith drops into the chair next to him, not asking any questions. The large map on the main-screen is self-explanatory. We are being chased by three ships, their warp-signatures very similar to the ones which Hob gave us. It’s the ships which were sent to hunt for us.

“How did they find us?” I ask. “The Haven is a big ship, but no matter the size, it should be impossible without knowing our course.”

Antioch grumbles. “Either they have capabilities we don’t know about, or Hob snitched on us.”