Editor's note: this work contains scenes of fictional rough, reluctant, dubiously consensual, consensually non-consensual (CNC), or non-consensual sex or scenarios.
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This is my contribution to the
Summer Lovin' Story Contest 2022
. Please remember to vote at the end, and thanks for taking the time to read.
Copyright (c) 2022 Ada Stuart, All Rights Reserved.
This work may not be published, whether for fee or free, without this copyright.
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A few words from the author:
Sometimes I get an idea for a new story and write for hours and days before the ideas stop coming. Then, the story may sit on my laptop for months before I keep adding to it just because I can't let it go. This story is one of those ideas that was always lurking, refusing to surrender and reveal itself entirely. As an author, I often enjoy the final result much more when the story takes time to develop.
Still, you probably wonder why a Sci-fi ends up in a Summer contest?
Well, why not? I imagine that somewhere in the future, it will be just as normal to travel to Mars on a holiday as you would travel to Florida, Spain, or Bali.
And I guess all of us can remember being forced to go on a journey we don't want to attend. But in the end, some of those forced journeys result in the most memorable experiences - or the best stories.
These thoughts inspired this story, and I hope you will enjoy reading it.
Take care, everybody,
Ada
***
"The Earth ship is heading for your coordinates," a metallic voice sounded. It was the spy they had planted.
"How many individuals?" the High Priestess asked.
"Eight men. Four women. Six in the age group you requested."
"Received. End transmission."
She turned to her second in command. "Send orders to our fleet. You need the humans alive."
"Yes, High Priestess."
She heard the orders being transferred immediately to the nearest ship. Four women were not enough, but it was a good start as long as they were breeding material.
***
Lara woke up as an alarm sounded all over the ship. She could hear the crew run back and forth, probably heading for their stations.
"Intruders have breached the ship. I repeat, intruders have breached the ship."
Now that message made a lot more sense, even if the words chilled her to the bone. What intruders? No one was supposed to be out here. Not in this quadrant. That's what they had told them when they offered them the greatest holiday of humankind. It was easier to win the lottery than to be chosen as one of the few allowed to travel to Venus.
She searched her cabin for a weapon, but all she found was a metal pipe. It would have to do. Now all she could do was hide and wait for an opportunity to arrive. Hopefully, the crew would take control, and everything would be fine.
Lara hid beside the door, prepared to take down any intruder trying to enter her cabin.
Maybe they were space pirates. She'd heard rumours of ships being overtaken, and all the crew members were sold as slaves to the highest bidders. No one knew what happened to them after that, but she could easily imagine it didn't end well. The companies kept a close lid on space travels that were unsuccessful. Often claiming that passengers that didn't return had decided to settle down on one of the settlements. Lara wasn't so sure it was the real truth. Particularly not after the message she'd just heard.
She tightened her fingers around her weapon as the room went dark. The fans had stopped working, and the silence was eerily. They must have lost power. Not a good sign.
'Fucking great,' Lara thought. This vacation stunk. Even worse than her usual 'let's travel to Mars and get a second-degree sunburn' holiday. At least she had been able to return to Earth after that holiday. A sunburn was way better than getting attacked by space pirates and fighting for her life. Next year she would definitely consider a trip to Antarctica instead or maybe Mars.
She heard someone scream. It sounded like a man's voice. Then everything went silent again. Creepy. Then she heard several people moving down the hallway where all the cabins were. Lara prepared herself to whack the intruders over their neck or whatever body part that came near her.
At the same time, she saw a bright light explode in front of her. She attacked immediately. Whacking the pipe at whoever was there, hoping she might do enough damage to get away. Someone shouted in pain while several others spoke in a language Lara didn't recognise. Were they aliens?
Then she felt something hit her chest, paralysing her body before she lost consciousness and fell.
***
"Report," the High Priestess said.
"The Intel was correct. We have them."
"Any casualties?"
"Only minor bruises. One of the females put up a fight."
"Interesting. Is she one of the breeders?"
"Yes. Her name is Lara. Age 25."
"Good. We need strong females. Make sure she's treated well."
"Yes, High Priestess."
"Why do we need the humans? They are too weak to survive," her second in command, Vyctor, asked.
"They only need to live long enough to be bred and give birth. We will have stronger offspring if we breed them with the cyborgs."
"Too bad our own females can't be bred by the cyborgs. Our mental strength and their muscles would have given us superior soldiers."
"True. But until we solve that, we have to rely on the second best option and breed humans."
"Where do you want the human males?"
"There's always a need for slaves in the mines. Send them there."
"Yes, High Priestess. And the females?"
"Place them in separate cells for a few days. We want them to eat and rest well before we prepare them for the next stage."
"Yes."
"Vyctor. Make sure Kiertal is available in two days. I believe he will be a good match to this Lara."
"Of course, High Priestess. I'll see to it."
***
"How come every fucking sci-fi story has to start with an alien kidnapping the female protagonist?" Lara asked the question out loud, knowing only too well that no one would answer.
What did they want from her? She tried not to freak out. She had been alone for several days now. It wouldn't do her any good to become hysterical too. Even if she was tempted to just curl up and start crying, hoping this was all a nightmare and that she would wake up soon. She had already tried it and knew the nightmare was still there every time she woke up.
It was better if she kept her calm and focused on survival. That was all that mattered right now. Surviving whatever they threw at her. Only, who were they?
None of her kidnappers had shown themselves or offered any explanation as to why she was still alive. If they planned to kill her, it would have been better if they had done it right away instead of letting her die from boredom.
She hoped the crew and the other passengers were still alive. The uncertainty was the worst. After she had lost consciousness, she hadn't seen anyone. She had no idea what she was up against. All she saw was the white walls and the plate of food appearing at the door every now and then. She'd lost track of time, but she must have spent several days staring at the door, hoping it would open and let her outside.
Some of the women were probably still alive. Based on the sounds that protruded once in a while, it sounded like several other women were locked in cells like hers. Lara had tried to count the footsteps from the guard before they put the food through her door, but the walls muffled the sounds and made it impossible to know how many cells were there.
At first, she refused to eat the food they gave her. But after a while, she gave in. If they wanted to poison her, they would have done it by now. She would need her energy if she found a chance to escape. It would be foolish to waste the opportunity once it arrived.