Orion woke up floating in the Sea of Storms. He was surrounded by bruise colored clouds. Lightning crackled in a circle around him, and at one end of the boss arena was a massive Mesoamerican style pyramid. The front of the pyramid had been altered to hold another Sea Gate, this one spilling into the vacuum of space.
Coiled around the pyramid was the body of Storm Serpent Kel''Tarrim, the colossal flying snake end boss. His feathered wings were tattered, and the twin forked tongues lolled out of the toothy maw. He could see R''ath and Silky still scavenging the corpse for loot. Meanwhile, Lazar and Mika used scales from the fallen boss to alter the ship and prepare it for space travel.
Orion was pulled into the Captain''s Quarters and found Starbeard and Aurelio snuggled up in post coital bliss. Aurelio was lying on top of Starbeard''s belly, and the Orc was rubbing the Dwarf’s back affectionately.
Starbeard had visibly lost weight, and his avatar had been altered to be bald. Even his iconic beard was shaved. Orion’s heart tightened. He remembered his sorrow when his hair started falling out because of the chemo.
Aurelio moaned with satisfaction and sat up, the sheet cascading off his shoulders, exposing their naked bodies. He straddled Starbeard''s legs and settled the damp folds of his pussy against the flagging green erection beneath. Aurelio placed his hands on Starbeard''s stomach and started to grind slowly against him, a hungry smile on his lips.
"We have to have to thank Regina for these new gaming rigs," he purred. "It feels like we''re actually together instead of thousands of miles apart."
"Definitely." Starbeard reached up and stroked Aurelio''s thighs, giving them a loving squeeze, "I''m sorry I can''t be there in person, but I need to stay close for treatment."
"Stop apologizing. I know all that. I''m happy to be able to spend time with you this way." Aurelio leaned in and kissed Starbeard, "And when you beat this thing, then maybe…maybe we could move in together."
Starbeard gave a husky moan as Aurelio''s hips started to rub against him again, "I would love that."
"Good. Then I would have you all to myself." Aurelio sat up, positioning himself above Starbeard. "Well, unless you find some cutie closer to you to bone down with. You know I don''t mind sharing."
"Back atcha. Sharing is caring." Starbeard chuckled as he ran his hands up Aurelio''s stomach, gently caressing bronzed skin and eliciting a shiver of delight from the dwarf. "But I highly doubt there''s anyone in my immediate area who is looking to snuggle up to a chonky boi like me."
Aurelio slapped the Orc''s hand and shook a finger at Starbeard.
"None of that! You''re not allowed to think badly of yourself. That''s why it took so long for-" Aurelio started to push his hips down, "-this to happen."
There was a knock at the door. They both paused. The knock was stronger the second time.
"Ryan?" Silky''s voice asked tentatively.
Aurelio shook his head, mouthing, ''Don''t you dare’. A cold sweat started to bead on Starbeard''s forehead.
"I don''t want to bother you," Silky''s voice was nervous. "Only, I have something important I wanted to say away from the rest of the crew. And a phone call feels so impersonal."
"Can it wait?" Starbeard asked as Aurelio facepalmed, "I''m in the middle of something!"
“I have a name, you know.” Aurelio whispered.
Silky paused for a long beat as Starbeard stifled a laugh. Just as they thought she had left, Silky announced, "This is going to be my last game with you."
That did it. They both heard the hurt in Silky''s voice. Aurelio rolled off the captain, cocooning himself in the sheets. He pouted, but as Starbeard ran a supportive hand over his shoulder, Aurelio relented. "Go. I''ll keep your spot warm."
Starbeard cupped Aurelio''s cheeks, drawing him in for a kiss. "I''m sorry. I''ll be right back."
Equipping pants and a captain''s hat, Starbeard stepped outside to see Silky standing there looking nervous. She was decked out in a jaguar pelt berserker armor with a flying snake mantle. The effect complimented her spotted leopard seal fur in a very appealing way.
"I-I''m sorry, am I interrupting?" she asked hesitantly.
Starbeard held up a hand reassuringly, "It''s fine. You said this was important. Last game? Was it something I did?"
Silky shook her head adamantly, "No! No, nothing like that. I''m in the middle of a big project. Huge, really! And it will require all of my time and attention for it. Believe me, I want to be here. I want to be there when you reach Serenity, but…"
Starbeard crossed his arms and smiled. Ryan dropped character and asked, "Regina, do you really think that little of me? You''re the CEO of a huge company. That you''ve stuck with this foolish mission of mine this long is truly touching. I am honored and blessed that you''ve taken so much time out of your busy schedule to spend it with me."
Regina started crying, "Of course, I have, dummy! You''re family. More than that, you''re an inspiration! You''re the reason I’m focusing on this project."
Ryan raised an eyebrow, "Color me curious."
"I can''t say anything more than that," Regina said, "But if this succeeds, it could help a lot of people."
Ryan''s expression softened, "You call me an inspiration. But here you are, trying to help people. You, Regina, inspire me. I would never put my own needs before yours. If you feel you need to do this, you have my blessing. Go save the world."
Regina smiled and wiped her tears away. She opened her arms, and Ryan walked closer to pull her into a big bear hug. She broke the hug as she remembered something. Stepping back into the role, Silky pulled out a golden egg.
"Oh yeah, if you see Enrique, give him this." Silky explained, "Kel''Tarrim dropped the Storm Serpent pet. I know he called dibs on it."
"I''ll be sure to pass it along," Starbeard said solemnly, accepting the precious cargo.
The two hugged again, and Silky turned to go. As Starbeard opened his cabin door, he smiled and turned.
"Oh, one last thing. Enrique says, ''Thank you for the gaming rigs.'' They work perfectly." Starbeard winked and closed the door, grinning at the Selkie''s blushing face.
Starbeard turned and was startled to see Aurelio standing just behind him, wearing the sheet like a robe. Aurelio held out both hands, making grabby motions as the sheet fluttered to the ground, leaving him exposed. "Gimme!"
"You sassy little munchkin. Not so much as a please." Starbeard held the egg up high, the grasping Dwarf far too short to reach.
"Please. Gimme," Aurelio pouted.
Starbeard rolled his eyes and handed the egg over. The pet item vanished into Aurelio''s inventory. Satisfied, Aurelio scooped the sheet up and then scurried back to the bed and scrambled up to the mattress. Maps, trinkets, and a few doubloons Starbeard had littering his bedding fell to the floor as Aurelio burrowed into the nest of pillows.
Starbeard chuckled and climbed onto the bed, crawling over to Aurelio, who was still bundled up like a burrito. "I thought you were keeping my spot warm," Starbeard''s voice was a sultry growl.
"I did." Aurelio teased. Aurelio opened the sheets and spread his legs, stroking his inner thighs. Two fingers slid down and parted his damp petals, dipping inside and then stroking back up to tease his clit, "Your spot is nice and warm for you."
As the two lovers embraced, Orion felt himself pulled back into reality.
[Memory upload at 95%]
Purple light appeared at the edge of Orion''s vision as he regained consciousness. Still exhausted, he just let himself fall forward, not caring about the impact. However, instead of the floor, his landing was cushioned by a comfortable mattress. While the rest of his body was bone tired, one part of his body was very much awake. He had forgotten how hot Aurelio was, and the rekindled memory had some lasting effect on him.
"Ah, there you are. I almost didn''t believe it when Mayor Slate said you''d reappear here."
The sound of Kholchek''s voice was enough to kill his boner. Orion shifted his body to glare at the Kreelux noble with one baleful eye.
The Duke was pretty banged up, still sporting two black eyes, a bandaged right ear, and a neck brace. His body was covered in gauze, and his knuckles were scabbing over. Even his jetpack was still dented and scraped up. But of all the things Orion was expecting, seeing the royal pain in the ass wearing a pink floral pattern shirt and cargo shorts was not on the list. Sunglasses were perched on his head. It almost looked as if he''d raided Orion''s wardrobe.
"What''s your deal?" The mattress muffled Orion''s voice, "Looking for round two?"
Kholchek raised his hands in surrender, "No, no, no. I was quite clear with my conditions. You won, I yield. I shall await your orders, Governor. In the meantime, I am still recovering from my injuries. It looks like you need rest, too, so I shall leave you to it."
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"Governor?" Orion started to roll over. More fuzzy memories bubbled to the surface, "Wait, how did I die anyway??"
Kholchek pondered this before saying, "Answering the second question will help explain the first. You were suffering under the Hemorrhage debuff. You bled faster than your body could regenerate. And your health was already low enough to use the <Feign Death> ability. You need to be under ten percent health to utilize it. You also forgot to turn off <Overclock>."
Orion equipped the new peg leg the Professor left him. This one was brass colored and reminiscent of the Batteram leg he grew during the battle. Orion tried to remember the last half of the fight. He’d probably sustained a concussion after <Meteor Strike>. His health must have been dropping at an incredible rate. By all rights, he shouldn’t have won the duel. He’d been too careless!
"I vaguely recall that. I was just listening to Apus''s orders," Orion admitted, tapping his implant. "I don''t use my abilities nearly enough."
"I can help you learn," offered the Duke. "Anyway, while you were loopy from blood loss, you said something like ''Vote for Governor Starbeard'' before you passed out. So they did."
Orion groaned and rubbed his head. He was looking to change his title, not give himself a promotion. Then a troubling thought prickled at the back of his mind.
"What happened to the Janitor?" asked Orion.
"Rusty has been cleaning up the debris from the last sandstorm," Kholchek continued. "As long as his bucket is full of soapy water, he seems content to collect the materials and drop them in a chest labeled ''Trash.'' People have taken a real shine to him, actually."
Orion stood and grabbed the repair kit on the nearby medical tray. He thought about this. He really wished dying didn''t keep him out of commission for so long. It was disorienting losing a few days every time he respawned. He constantly felt like he was playing a game of catch-up. One last burning question rose to the forefront of his mind.
"What about you?" Orion asked cautiously, "What are your plans now?"
Kholchek planted his hands on his hips and gave this some thought. After a long moment of reflection he shrugged.
"The more time I have spent here, I realized I was wrong. My line of thinking may have been normal for my people, but these are not my people. They are yours." Kholchek paused to gather his thoughts, "You called them lost. I didn''t understand that at first, but now I see what you meant. While my actions were driven by rage and despair, most folks here were simply desperate."
"While there are professional smugglers here, mercenaries, even-" Kholchek shuddered, "-politicians, a lot of them just made mistakes. Mistakes that, under your leadership, they are trying to correct. All of them did what they had to survive. This I can relate to. And despite overwhelming adversity, they survive here too. On a planet that actively wishes to kill them."
Kholchek caught Orion''s gaze and held it, "That is because of you. Your strength bolsters them. Now, I want to be the strength that bolsters you. I wish to protect this community at your side."
Orion remembered that a new Colony Leader had unlocked in the last level up. No one had presented themselves as one. Having a repentant noble on hand could bring some fresh ideas to the table. Besides, he pitied anyone who tried to attack Phoenix with Kholchek defending it.
Orion nodded, "I''ll consider it. Why don''t you come up with some ideas for improving the city while you recover, Duke?"
"Pah! So formal," Kholchek chided. "You, my friend, may call me Barnad. Besides, I am Duke of nothing out here. Just another Phoenix citizen."
"That attitude will definitely help you fit in here," Orion nodded with approval.
"This I am hoping. Speedy recovery, Governor." Barnad waved and limped out.
"You too, Barnad." Orion called out, “And you can call me Orion.”
With a smile, the Kreelux exited the Med Bay. Orion wanted to still be mad at the former Duke and his plan to dominate Phoenix, but he was too tired. Plus, that would make him a huge hypocrite after preaching about second chances. It was also hard to take Barnad too seriously when he looked ready to play shuffleboard on a tropical cruise. If he genuinely wanted to help the colony, then people would come around.
With that, he lay down on the mattress and prepared to repair his implants, hoping the virus hadn''t spread much further.
Max was leading another expedition to the underground city, which was becoming a trade hub for Phoenix. Orion had spent the past few days recuperating and building more MUTs for new colonists’ requests. Random’s construction team had taken steps to improve the catwalks, making them smoother and safer. Walled railings allowed people to travel across rooftops without alerting the basic Cy-Orgs.
Several adventurous Hivers known as the Slumgum Gang had taken it upon themselves to explore the city. They could often be seen walking across the ceiling like insects. They made note of interesting landmarks, spots where Cy-Org swarms were particularly dangerous, cave-ins, and potential water and food sources. All while being such a small speck on the sky ceiling, they avoided any possible dangers. Their leader had been reluctantly sharing that information with Max in exchange for weapons from the armory.
Meanwhile, some of the more enterprising smugglers were making runs to the neighborhoods and the Zoo for supplies. They were sent for everything, including Org?an tech, solar panels, and even seeds from the zoo biomes.
Smuggler was a roguish vocation that was somewhat common among the Phoenix population, most specializing in the Outlaw skill tree. Outlaws were experts at retrieving valuables, often at the point of a knife. In exchange for their services, these mavericks were rewarded with treats made from the obtained food or helpful tools to assist in their craft. The genuine consensus is they enjoyed the challenge and were just using the rewards as excuses to uphold their cool, edgy facades.
Two smugglers had gotten an escort to the Zoo today, accompanied by Sheriff Thrustar, Dr. Birchett, and a few other guards. They were hoping to gather some of those seeds today but had to wait to make sure they were safe. Mayor Slate had put the kibosh on bringing any plants up to the surface until they were cleared for use. Any invasive species could have apocalyptic consequences if they weren''t careful. Thankfully, there was a botany expert on hand.
Junip was delighted to be out of the barren desert and among plants. Gone was the stuffy Doctor''s uniform. In its place, ze wore a warm blue gingham sundress and broad-brimmed hat. Ze walked through the foliage with a euphoric smile on zir doll-like face. Max escorted his partner through the underbrush with a look of adoration on his face.
Max had also brought Ssteev with them to give Junip a chance to really get to know the kid. The older guards were used to seeing the Doctor in action, seeing as ze was dating their captain. But the plucky new recruit and the assorted rogues watched the Zylvaan with a sense of wonder.
They started in the main lobby, where the chaotic jumble of biomes all fought for supremacy. Ze recognized all of the plants, announcing that there were a total of four different planet''s foliage here. As Junip strode through the trees, ze would occasionally touch zir forehead to the bark. The antlers on zir head would glow, and the leaves rustled as if blown by a gentle breeze. Sometimes, Junip would give an enigmatic smile and whisper to the plants. Other times, the antlers would turn dark, and amber tears would roll down zir face when the trees were dead or diseased. The flowers turned their faces to follow Junip as ze walked past.
Knowing the Org?an zoo was dead, Max first escorted the group toward the Zeta-7 path. There were audible gasps and awed murmuring as Dr. Birchett stepped onto the flint-colored grass. The clusters of mushrooms lining the path lit up with a bio-luminescent rainbow of colors as Junip passed. Zir slender arms spread and brushing delicate vine fingers over their soft caps. Clouded Puffballs, strange flying creatures resembling balloons mixed with a jellyfish, flew languidly towards zir. Several settled to rest on Junip''s antlers.
They passed Orion, who was in the large Stinkhorn Reserve, accompanied by Major and his warden trainees. He was helping his newest apprentice, a Grey named Mink, tame a young stinkhorn without violence. Using food and calming words, Mink coaxed the nervous creature closer. The Grey warden was just as nervous. The adolescent beast was three times her size, looking like a rhinoceros with mushroom growths protruding from its snout and along the back.
Max and Ssteev paused to watch the partnership form, and the delighted Grey hugged her new companion around its thick neck. The hawk warden Avin, a feathered velociraptor at his side, nudged Orion to get his attention as he noticed the procession. Max broke off to chat with Orion and his young wards, Ssteev following to converse with the warden trainees. Orion stopped to watch Junip commune with nature and was suitably impressed.
"Is Dr. Birchett secretly a badass?" he asked, "I mean, ze can be intimidating as hell, but is the Doc really powerful?"
Max watched zir with evident pride on his face, "Ze''s actually a pretty powerful psionic. Trained to be a combat medic but didn''t have a taste for war. Ze respeced as a holistic medic, specializing in natural medicine. Colonies have to have high-quality equipment since they''re expected to survive on their own, but we can’t grow medicinal herbs here. Luckily, all of these plants survived the harsh desert environment."
Orion nudged Max playfully, "Especially lucky for you, eh? Being stuck on an alien planet isn''t too bad when you''ve got someone you love with you."
Max blushed but nodded, "Yeah, definitely. But that''s also why we need to figure out a way off this rock so others can be reunited with their families."
They all paused to admire Junip, the fungal light show illuminating the path as ze moved toward the next section. More mushroom-covered critters followed as Junip began to sing a Zylvaan ballad to them.
Ssteev stared with slack-jawed fascination, "Ze''s like a cartoon princess."
Max laughed, "Got that right! All right, rookie, let''s catch up with the others. You three be safe out here."
Orion saluted lazily and turned back to his students. Max proceeded to the next section, the Huphaast area. One of the smugglers was a Rokaos named Borok, and he was thrilled to see something similar to his homeland. Junip wasn''t as familiar with the plants of the Rokaos homeworlds, and the outlaw was happy to share what he knew.
Huphaast and other Rokaos colonies all thrived in volcanic, hot climes. While the reserve was pretty rocky, with literal streams of simulated lava flows, there was also volcanic soil. There were short scrub bushes dotting the lands, with some of the most vibrantly colored flowers anyone had ever seen. The plants were all carnivorous to help make up for the lack of water found throughout the region, so caution was advised. The multitudes of caves found in the area also had a kind of nutrient-rich moss that grew with help from purple crystal protrusions. The crystals emitted UV light that would be harmful to certain species without rocky or woody skin.
The area was deemed too dangerous to linger. Not only because Junip couldn''t communicate well with the plants here, but the fauna all had fiery attributes. There were even phoenix flying above, circling the party. Some enclosures contained giant scarlet reptiles with rocky shells, steam gushing from the seams of the stony plates. Large black creatures lurked in pools of lava below the walkway, watching them with predatory malice. Any one of the creatures could do considerable damage to Junip and the other more fleshy creatures if they got a mind to attack.
Junip cried out with joy when ze saw the next section of the Zoo. The archway was carved to look like two trees. The branches braided together and held a neon orange sign that read ''Folioak’. The ancient Zylvaan homeworld.
Junip ran towards the shielded gate separating the biomes, the dress fluttering dangerously high up zir long legs. Max chuckled and shook his head. He glanced over as Ssteev drew closer and flung a companionable arm over his shoulders.
"So, whaddya think of Junip, kiddo?" asked Max.
Ssteev stammered but answered, "I-I think she''s real nice Cap''n. Sheriff, I mean. Um, ze asked me about myself and I didn''t know what to say so I told her some stuff about the ranch and how I ended up here."
Max struggled to remember, "Bronto rustling, wasn''t it?"
"Y-yes sir." Ssteev looked dejected, "I didn''t want to, only the farm was failing and I thought it might help us get by. I was only tryin'' to help out my folks, but my colony don''t tolerate that sorta thing."
"We all make mistakes," reassured Max. "Why, when I was your age-"
There was a scream from the Folioak gate. The guards immediately sprung into action, followed by the two smugglers who did not relish staying in the lava-filled biome by themselves.
As soon as Max crossed the threshold he saw what was wrong. The gate had been damaged by something, the controls smoking and partly melted. The barrier was down and footprints were scorched into the ground. The Zylvaan homeworld was a land that looked like Terra in autumn. It had carrot orange grass and tall trees with dark bark but autumn colored leaves in orange, yellow and red.
And in the distance, it was on fire.