Please note that this sci-fi story has aggressive elements of violence, non-consensual encounters, gay, straight and nonhuman sex. All characters are 18+ during sexual content. It may be disturbing to some readers, so by all means proceed if you aren't easily made to feel uncomfortable.
Comments are welcome, but I write for fun and to manage anxiety so please be positive. If you want to be constructive, please do it in a compassionate way and by contacting me directly.
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Chapter 1 - The Awakening
As far as Jeremy Combes was aware he was enroute to the district of Estellus, part of Echellion Territory when he awoke from stasis. It was standard to feel groggy and to have all of your senses and nerves recover slowly from the extended period of total rest. The mind always woke first and focused training prepared Jeremy and other colony jumpers to remain calm while it seemed that you were trapped not only in a pod, but within your own body. Noting his cognitive functions returning, Jeremy first settled his thoughts and focused on what he could feel and comprehend.
The job of a jumper in and of itself was not glamorous, but the pay was significant due to the inherent risks. Jumpers were specialized personnel in various areas of human civilization ranging from botany to artistry, astromasonry to carpentry and chemical engineering to metallurgy. Due to limited populations within various colonies, it was impossible to have specialists of every category within every pocket of civilization. Additionally, accidents on work sites, natural causes or even criminal acts of assassination or murder could eliminate a key role within a colony at an inopportune time.
Jeremy was comparatively young at 23 within his field of Mechanical Engineering. Most jumpers started in their early thirties after substantial careers within government establishments within the territories of Earth, Echelion or Eerillon. Identified at an early age as a potential candidate for accelerated learning within the specialized services, he was put through significant testing, education and psychologically rigorous situations. By the age of 15 he was a clear contender for Mechanical, Chemical or even Fusion based engineering possessing a seemingly innate ability to troubleshoot difficult situations quickly and present orthodox or unorthodox solutions that even his educators may not have considered. At 19 Jeremy also had developed significant social skills with what his superiors would classify as: coercion, charisma or collaboration. With the ability to wield one or more of each skill with 95% of his peers, he was largely regarded as a fluke. A rare disposition of social and technical engineering skills where typically only one would be present. Compounding his success with interpersonal relationships was Jeremy's unabashed good looks. A full head of thick blonde hair well manicured, 6' 2" stature and a well toned fit body, Jeremy had attracted the attention of many suitors and even his educators during his final year.
Wiggling his feet, Jeremy was now cognizant of some of his motor skills returning. Focusing again on the current mission to Estellus, he worked through his plans for the next three weeks to restore the air circulation systems within the colony to full capacity from their currently diminished condition. He and his team had spent the previous two weeks leading up to their fifteen-week transport brushing up on the archaic systems present on Estellus. To his left would be Hephestus, their electrical engineer, and to his right was Cerena, a genius within multiple categories of manufacturing and metallurgy.
Vision was traditionally a slower returning function, but this trip was different. Long before his nerves and motor skills were even close to operating, he could see the obvious moisture on the translucent carbonate shield of his pod. This was not typical. The pod rooms were temperature controlled to prevent condensation and remove the possibility of damaged equipment from moisture. Though unlikely due to the design, space could be a cruel environment, and redundancies were paramount to success. Even the overlapping skills of his team were by design were one of them to be lost for any reason.
Difficulty in marking the passage of time during a stasis awakening was commonplace since everything recovered at a different pace and differently every time. However, from his experience it seemed to him that a great deal of time had passed. Combined with the moisture on his pod, it left him questioning the likelihood of two uncommon situations being coincidental. Voices could now be heard talking outside the pod. Due to the quality of the pods, it wasn't possible to hear what was being said, only that speaking created vibrations within the pod that were identifiably voices instead of the roar or rumble of an engine which was typically constant. There was a particularly low voice that seemed to rattle the entire pod.
Much of his cognitive, motor and sensory functions had returned to him now, so when the cloth was wiped across the face of his pod, he could both react physically, verbally and rationally to the startling motion. The man in front of him was not Captain Burg, nor the First Officer Margie. A hulking beast of a man, dressed in casual but somewhat well-kept garb, led Jeremy to believe something had gone terribly wrong on his journey.
The mystery hulking man who was seemingly older provided a warm smile to him; it felt reassuring but filled with regret. He continued to wipe the remainder of the exterior and Jeremy's eyes took in the unfamiliar scene of a sizable loading dock containing a significant cargo haul. Alarmingly, as far as he could see, only one pod was present. Realizing now why the process had felt slow, his pod had clearly been disconnected from his ships systems and was operating strictly on its emergency internal power cell. Designed to operate at bare minimums for longevity, the awakening process would be slowed to a crawl.
There were three additional entities on the deck with the hulk. A Mastellan male as far as he could tell with a still somewhat unclear view, another human female dressed in a similar fashion to the hulk and a third human male of a seemingly younger age than Jeremy himself. The Mastellan was clearly fit for his species, though not quite as large as the hulk, nor as thin as the younger human male, Jeremy would consider him a significant adversary if this situation was not in his favour.
Protocol for capture was to feign confusion, and if necessary to be absorbed into the capturing faction as a productive member until escape became possible. Jeremy's tracking chip was usually untraceable, so as long as he could remain a mystery to his new companions, he would eventually be recovered by a military patrol from Estellus or the greater Echellion authority if they came close enough.
Movement outside of the pod alluded to the completion of the awakening process. Jeremy felt very much ready and capable of being released with a strong sense of anxiety at what had gone wrong. Though, unable to ask until he fully understood the situation, it was a priority for him to discover the facts. The pressure seals released suddenly and without full power the pod was unable to raise the shield on its own. The hulk, deciding Jeremy may not be physically fit enough, reached to the cracked gap at the bottom and lifted the canopy up and over his head. Being underestimated in strength was crucial to his success or failure in what he was about to face.
"Welcome to the Mercer, stranger. I am Nentan, strategic officer for this vessel." The hulk, Nentan, offered his hand as a greeting and an assisting support for Jeremy to exit the pod.
Taking his first steps in, likely, many weeks was a difficult task and wasn't to be taken lightly. He willingly accepted the assistance if for no other reason than to further this officer's underestimation of his current state.
"How do you feel?" The human female asked.
"A little foggy, maybe a bit dizzy as well." Jeremy replied cautiously, planting seeds of doubt in his present company's minds about his capabilities.
"We can get you sorted out shortly, but we have some questions for you after introductions. As I'm sure you can understand, we have to be cautious about whom we bring aboard." She proffered this explanation without prompt, a potential weakness in a leader, possibly indicating an inability to discern the scope of a situation before showing her cards.
"Right. Of course. But I would ask if you were able to tell me roughly where we are?"
"Patlon District within Eerillon Territory, but quite remote." She replied.
It took every ounce of his wit and still somewhat foggy condition not to give up anything, even a wince, that would indicate just how far away he was from where he was supposed to be.
"I'm Captain Herar of the Mercer." They shook hands politely. "This is Huilton of the Mastellan clan Vuilt. He is our Operations officer."
Huilton presented his, well, hand to Jeremy to shake in the human tradition. He felt fortunate that the Mastellan hadn't challenged him to a feat of strength as was customary in his culture at a first meeting. The hand was colder which was normal for his species. The unnerving part of shaking hands with Huilton was the tentacle that crept out from below the wrist in his forearm and wrapped around Jeremy's wrist to create a further bond. It was said that it was possible for Mastellans to read the minds of or even control the thoughts and actions of many humanoids. The hands were also comprised of 6 fingers and two thumbs at either end of the fingers. It was no surprise that their race had been enslaved by so many others over the centuries. Their strong bodies and giant grip could be highly effective at general labor, fighting pits or apparently as a delicacy to be eaten. Not subscribing to that level of barbarism, Jeremy was glad of this Mastellans apparent success and position within the crew.
"Lastly for the cargo bay, this is Kindo of Earth Territory. He is our inventory and maintenance officer." Captain Herar gestured to the tall and thin man at least a few years Jeremy's junior.
They shook last, and he took the opportunity to appreciate the significantly less unnerving experience than it had been with Huilton.
"So, now that that is concluded. Who are you and why are you in Patlon?" The Captain hit the subject quickly, though it wasn't unexpected based on the expectation set earlier.
"I believe my name is Jeremy. But I have no idea why I am in Patlon." There was no denying the technical accuracy of both statements, Jeremy enjoyed the occasions where he could tell the truth and completely mislead an adversary. Which is what he considered this group, since they seemed to have no governmental, militaristic or other stated allegiances based on their dressings. So far, he assumed this was a band of pirates, smugglers or a merchant vessel. Until he was sure, he had to keep his identity secret lest he be killed, interrogated or used for ransom. Jumpers were considered highly valuable for many reasons.
The captain regarded him coldly. "So, you are saying you have no idea how you came to be in this district?"
"Correct. I was rather hoping you'd be able to tell me. I don't remember anything about arriving here or why I would be here. Are you able to tell me the current Earth date?"
"July 12th, 2452."
