Min hacked through the foliage in an attempt to make it back to the ship. They had been pulled in from orbit just over a week ago while scanning for the god of healing O'onerut had spoken of. There were strange gravity fluctuations on this planet, so keeping orbit would have been impossible for any ship. Min even felt them as he walked on the surface. All of a sudden, he'd feel much heavier or lighter for a few minutes to an hour or two. It would have been an interesting effect to study and play with if thy weren't all stranded on a jungle planet.
Aboard the ship had been Min, the imprisoned god K'lemut, several hundred thousand Vaneel, and a few hundred people who had been in varying stages of becoming Vaneel. Some of those were better off than others. A few, like Min, had been changed completely except for the mind-destroying insect to end the pain and insanity caused by having one's skin eaten away. The humans in that state weren't doing very well. It was tempting to just give them the insect and finish the process, just to put them out of their misery.
The other humans, the ones who only had parts of them changed, had all chosen to come with Min to search for a cure. All except one, who had felt the need to steal a unique teleportation orb to return to Earth. Min would have included Cade in the offer to return, if the man had stuck around long enough to hear it. Min shook his head. That was in the past. The orb was on Earth, not with him, and wasn't an option for him and his new people.
Min reached the ship, finally - a mile and a half of smoldering black metal, twisted and broken in a mass of giant trees and bushes. And heat, too, apparently. The humans with him kept remarking on how hot and stifling the air was. Vaneel skin didn't feel extremes of temperature that well. Nor did it feel pain. The sense of touch was, however, quite a bit higher than that of a human. There was just no need for pain receptors.
Finding one of the tears in the hull, Min knocked on the makeshift door the humans had placed on it. It was a special code knock that all of them, even the Vaneel, used. No need for wild animals to make homes in their space if they could help it, they had said. The door opened and one of the Vaneel let him in. They had no names or any way of identifying which one was which. At some point, they had to devise a system. Numbering, perhaps.
The Vaneel had no minds of their own to speak of, and Min controlled the bugs, which in turn controlled the bodies. Neither he nor K'lemut had any idea why he had gained control of the Vaneel, but once O'onerut was dead, they lost all of the skills they had had before and now only knew the skills Min knew. Luckily, Min wasn't completely useless without his powers, so the Vaneel could support themselves as well as he could, which meant growing food, building rudimentary shelters, and more than basic self defense.
Any skills that the humans aboard knew, that Min didn't already know, he was learning from them - slowly. Painfully slow. He hated not being able to just copy the skills from their minds like he could have when he had his powers. He hated not having access to pretty much all of his godly powers, though one or two of them wouldn't be missed. His only power now was his control of the mindless creatures. However, that, plus his natural leadership abilities from being a god, made him captain of the ship, and he worked hard to maintain the respect and trust of the humans on board. As such, he thought it was best to keep his origins to himself and just be an exceptional human to his crew. Knowing his divinity, and current lack thereof, would only dissolve their confidence in him. No, they needed someone like them, who kept things under control in the worst of situations.
He reached the area in the ship that served as his command center. O'onerut's throne room was still all blackened stone blocks, but it looked more official than other places on the ship. "Nessa, report," he said to his second in command. She was dark haired and what most men would consider the height of beauty. Her neck showed a streak of Vaneel skin creeping down her left side and into her shirt. Min knew that her left shoulder and half of her chest were Vaneel, but the rest of her were human. She had to stuff the left half of her bra to keep an even appearance due to the now-missing breast.
Being a god of male fertility and virility, Min had never taken much of an interest in women. His job had been to keep men aroused, so he had an affinity for it. Women, in his time, had been weaker willed and subservient for the most part. The modern women were different.
The Vaneel had only taken those who fought back to protect others, and nearly a third of the humans on board were women. Strong women who were opinionated, not meek ones who lived to take orders. For these women to obey, Min had to gain their respect. They listened to him because they granted him the right to command them. He liked these women. He loved all men, but he actually liked these women. That said a lot.
"Nothing, Min," Nessa said. A worried expression crossed her face. "The creatures Luke saw have kept themselves well hidden for several days. He and his people are still scouting, though. Game around here is scarce. We're going to be hard pressed until the farm starts producing. How's that going?"
"Very well," Min replied, "but that's as to be expected. The Vaneel have no desire to do anything but their jobs, and they're extremely efficient. The land that has been cleared so far has already been cultivated and planted. If things grow on this planet like I expect them to, we'll have crops long before our supplies run out."
"Excellent," Nessa replied. "Luke and his people are also bringing in fresh food. No meat yet, but the fruits here are amazing."
"I'll take your word for that," Min said with a chuckle, which Nessa shared. The Vaneel didn't eat, so Min didn't either. The farm they were building was only going to be enough to support the humans on board. "How are Ashe and K'lemut doing with repairs?"
"Slowly," Nessa said. "She may be technically savvy, but all of this is alien to her, and K'lemut's having a hard time explaining things to her without being able to point or touch things."
"Understandable," Min nodded. That's why they were digging in their heels and making camp. There was no way of knowing how long they would be on this planet, or if they could repair the ship at all. A lot of the humans were panicking or becoming depressed. "How's morale right now?"
"Decent," Nessa replied with a sigh. "As well as can be expected, really. Zach keeps reminding them that there's no home for them to return to, since the women can't survive on Earth, and the men aren't too keen on choosing between being gay or celibate. He's also pointing out that the Vaneel bits are stronger and last longer than our human parts, so what's the rush in getting rid of them."
"Sounds like he's doing a good job of preparing them for possibly staying here," Min said with a nod. It was a good call on his part. The sooner the humans accepted the fact that they might never leave, the better life would be here if they had to stay.
"Well, he still has his hands full with the nearly changed," she reminded Min. Min understood. Those who had gotten most of their bodies changed to Vaneel had had their minds snapped. The less one of the humans was changed, the less insane they were. Zach was leading the team to calm and rehabilitate those poor souls.
The four of them, Zach, Ashe, Luke, and Nessa, surprised him at how well they adapted to this new life. They are actors, having been taken for protecting a bunch of kids during a photo shoot in a theme park. Min had the suspicion that their closeness to each other gave them a strength of family that the other humans lacked, and so they were the best leaders. It also didn't hurt that the two boys were incredibly attractive to Min. However, as pleasing to the eyes as they were, it was Nessa that impressed him the most, and she was his second in command because of it. She took to it immediately.
A commotion from the direction of the entrance brought Min's attention back to the present. He and Nessa went running and reached the hunting party as they were finished coming through the nearest entrance. One of them spotted Min and went right to him. "Sir, trouble," he said, out of breath.
"I gathered," Min replied. "Where's Luke?"
"Captured," he replied. "Newts have him." The three words in succession seemed to take more air than the man currently had the capacity for, and he fell to the floor panting.
"What newts?" Min asked calmly.
Another of the hunters stepped forward. This one was completely Vaneel from the waist down, evident because he didn't need to wear pants. He also wasn't out of breath, since the Vaneel legs could run much longer than human ones, and required less power to do so. Min knew first hand. When he ran, it felt like his legs took over and did the running on their own, just going where his mind wanted them to. "Creatures that looked like newts, sir. They ambushed us. We knew we were being followed, but we didn't know there are so many. We were lucky they didn't have us flanked, or we would have never escaped. Luke stood at the rear and held them off so we could run, but they got him."
"How big are they and how many were there?" Nessa asked. Practical to the end, that girl.
"Not big," the man said. "Maybe four and a half to five feet tall, but the buggers flip around and run through the branches like they're nothing. Our foot speed is faster, but they're agile as hell. And there were so many of them. There were only five of us and over fifty of them,"
Nessa stopped him. "Anyone else want to verify that number?" she asked. Good thinking on her part. The human mind tended to exaggerate things in times of stress. There may have only been twenty or so.
"They were lining the trees," another of the men said. "And there were at least fifteen on the ground with us. I'd say forty to fifty is accurate." Nessa looked at the other two hunters in turn. Both of them nodded. So now we were working on the assumption that there were about fifty to their party, and possibly a lot more at their home area. That didn't bode well.
"We need to go get him," Nessa said. She had a blind spot where her cast mates were concerned.
"No, Nessa," Min replied calmly. A snappy retort wouldn't solve anything, and wasn't what she needed. He changed to a more businesslike tone and continued. "We don't know where they took him, and we're severely outnumbered. Wandering aimlessly into another ambush would be a very bad idea. We have to make a plan."
"But they could hurt him," she pleaded. "You have to have a way to track him or something, right? You have control over the Vaneel."
At that moment, there was a tingling where his male parts used to be. It made him go weak in the knees and he clutched the wall to keep standing. It was nearly orgasmic in the feel of it. When it was fading, he had a definite direction on where Luke was.
"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered.
Blind hope. Nessa had needed so badly to believe in Min's abilities, that she wished a new one into existence. The was how the gods gained their powers, and now Min had a brand new one. He could sense where all the Vaneel and partial Vaneel were, and had a feeling of what their physical state was.
When he had changed himself to Vaneel, Min had lost nearly all his powers. He had no followers, so no humans had any faith in him. He was effectively an immortal human with Vaneel skin. He realized quickly that he still had the deific ability to understand and speak all languages, but that was it. He wasn't sure why he had gained power over the Vaneel, but K'lemut had guessed recently that there may have been a small spark of hive mentality in the creatures, and that they had the desire for someone to command them. Min was their choice. After that, they were content to merely follow orders once again.
Luke was ok. Luke had just been brought to orgasm. "I think I can find him," Min said. "Stay here, everyone." If they knew he could track them, thy would start believing in his powers and he would slowly gain his godhood again. He wasn't ready for that. They weren't ready for that either. Nessa looked to be about to argue. "No," he told her. "This is something I have to do alone. Besides, I need you to command things and keep everyone calm while I go get him."
"Yes, Sir," she said with a nod. Good, Min thought. That was her second in command voice. When she used it, he knew she was acting as bravely as she possibly could, and would do what had to be done. Min nodded to the group and set off into the jungle once again.
Once more while he ran in the direction of Luke, he felt that familiar pull of sweet release in his nether regions. The boy had to be getting tired by now, but that didn't mean that they were ending whatever they were doing to him. The closer Min got to Luke, the more he could feel the newts ministering to Luke's pleasure staff.
Finally, he reached the edge of the trees. Before him lay a mass of brown lumps, mounds of mud built up into domes and hollowed out to make huts. If min's people hadn't had the ship to take shelter in, they might have had to rely on something similar. Between the mounds walked small humanoid lizards, upright, with a greenish-gray smooth skin that practically gleamed in the sunlight. A good number of them had bows or spears. The only clothing they wore were belts and straps to carry things. From what Min could see, they had no modest bits to cover.
Min circled the village. He called it that because it seemed to large to be called just a camp. On the other side, he spotted the dome he was sure Luke was being kept in. There was no sneaking to be done. The dome was completely in the open, and in full sunlight. It was time to do something these newts wouldn't expect. He walked in, straight for the dome that held Luke, like he belonged there.
The young saw him and scattered, alerting his presence to the adults. He picked up the pace and walked into the dome's entrance. Inside, Luke was strapped to a table, legs apart, completely naked. One of the newts had a tube mounted over Luke's manhood, and there was definite movement inside. Being this close, Min could feel it as if he still had one of his own. Luke was very much enjoying himself, and Min chuckled.
At the sound of Min's laughter, the newt that was working on Luke looked up and noticed him for the first time. He hissed and said something garbled. Inside his mind, he felt something turning, and finally clicking into place.
"He will tell us everything he knows when I have finished with him," the newt said. He turned up the power on the device. "This one screams so nicely when I apply the suction." On cue, Luke moaned in pleasure. "He even bleeds white every once in a while."
Behind Min, several more newts walked in. "Lord, the prisoner isn't replying to out best torturer. I don't know how much more he can take before we kill him," one of the newts behind him said. It took him a moment to realize they had addressed him. One very helpful piece of wisdom Min had learned over the years was: if a possibly hostile presence sees you as superior to them, go with it. The upper hand is never a bad thing in these situations.
"He has no secrets," Min said in their language. It was difficult, but his ability to communicate in any language was returning. "This one here is one of my servants. We have crashed far in the distance, and require assistance to repair our vessel." Min was rather glad Luke couldn't understand what they were all saying. He was trying to bring his people to self reliance, not servitude. Hearing Min call Luke his servant would not help matters.
The lead newt tilted its head to the side. "You are from overseas?" it asked. Min nodded. It was close enough. "And this one is yours?" It tilted its head again, to the other side. "I do not know of these creatures. You have several of them, yes?"
"Several hundred, yes," Min replied. "Plus a very large number of warriors."
"Yet you came to us alone and your warriors remain with your ship?" the newt asked. Having it put that way, Min was suddenly feeling very foolish. Just because it turned out that he wasn't in immediate danger from these beings, didn't mean that it hadn't been a possibility. Min wasn't in danger of being hurt, but capture was another story, especially if these things were as quick as the hunters claimed.
"I was hoping for a peaceful solution, yes," Min said. "Bringing a hundred thousand warriors to take back a single slave seemed like overkill." Show them you're willing to be reasonable, while still speaking from a base of power had always been a good tactic.
"You have a hundred thousand warriors on your ship?" the newt asked incredulously. "That's not possible!"
"Closer to four hundred thousand, and it's a rather large ship," Min said offhandedly. "But rest assured, our business is not in this land at all. We were passing by and had an accident. It may take a long time to repair our ship, but we are prepared to live as peacefully as possible in the lands surrounding the ship until it is repaired, and then leave."
"What do you consider `as peacefully as possible'?" the lead newt asked.
"We intend to keep to ourselves," Min told him. "No interaction with anyone unless they come to us, and only then, they must come in peace. We will not become involved in local power struggles, as they do not concern us."
Min walked over to Luke and removed the straps holding him by taking them in one hand and jerking them free with minimal effort. Showing them a sample of Vaneel strength would have them think twice about attacking. The torturer gave a slight intake of breath when Min broke his straps, but the others just tilted their heads. Luke stood and went for his clothing to get dressed. The newts gave off a strange scent. Min had an innate sense that this was severe agitation. "I will be taking my man home," Min told them. "You are upset about something. What is it?"
"The device your servant was being tortured with," the torturer told him, "when applied to our tails causes severe pain. He should be half dazed and unable to walk right now. His tail was undergoing severe torture."
Min laughed. He couldn't help it. "No he wasn't," Min told him. "On this species, that part you referred to as a tail is no such thing. That is his reproductive organ."
"On the outside of his body? Disgusting," the lead newt said.
"Which is why they cover themselves," Min pointed out. The newts nodded with sudden understanding. "That organ derives great pleasure from the feelings your device produces. You were not torturing my servant, but bringing him to the heights of ecstasy. Over and over again, I might add. In fact, I think he might be very fond of your torturer now."
The torturer looked a bit greener, while the other newts lifted their chins a bit. Min's sense of their body language said that this was amusement. Luke finished dressing and came back over to Min. "What's going on?" he asked in English. "Why are they letting me go and why can you speak their language?"
"They're letting you go because they think I'm powerful and that you're my servant," Min told him. "Can you act like that until we get out of their area?"
Luke nodded. "Of course I can act. That's my job," he replied with amusement in his hushed voice. He was already adopting a submissive stance, and Min would have pegged him for a slave immediately. This guy was good. The newts were buying it, too.
As they walked toward the door of the dome, the lead newt stopped them. "We would like to know more about you and your kind," he said. "Perhaps some friendly discourse and a treaty or two. Allies would benefit you greatly in these lands."
Min thought about it for a moment. He knew that this would be the first step in them trying to secure the Vaneel as a force to fight for them for whatever cause they were fighting. Min wasn't interested in their wars or politics, only in leaving the planet. In that regard, however, they may be of assistance. They would know the land and resources much better than their scouting force could find out. So be it. If he had to sleep with the devil to get off this planet, that's what he had to do.
His people would, of course, have to be told and they would all come up with a game plan. Even if he had to play Emperor and his slaves for these creatures, those slaves would have their say in things behind the scenes.
"Very well," Min replied. "You may bring a delegation of no more than ten to the place my servant was picked up, but you must give us three days to prepare. On the fourth day from now, we will meet there and talk." The newts agreed very quickly to these terms.
On their way out of the newt encampment, Luke asked softly, "you mind telling me what's going on now?"
"We have to go back and ready the ship," Min replied. "Company's coming."
Author's notes: Considering the feedback I got from my friend Zao, I'm thinking this story's gonna be a winner. Also, thanks to Mathias, I have set up a blog, where I will be posting the stories and chapters as they're written, possibly even whatever sections I have written, and everyone can comment there. I like this idea even more than the usual emailing me, because you can interact with each other as well. You all have some brilliant ideas, and I often wish, while I'm working on my email replies, that I could get some of you talking to each other. This might help with that.
Another purpose of the blog is for me to be able to communicate en masse with all of you, to give things like storyline ideas, personal history that pertains to the stories, anecdotes, reasons behind certain stories and chapters, and much much more. I'll still be attempting to send the "current" story or chapter to nifty every Monday, so those of you who are too shy can still get your Godsend fix.
The big question: who will pop the blog cherry with a real comment (not: "I popped the cherry", or "First Post", or anything to that effect, but a real comment on the story)? If the comment section gets spammed, the blog will stop.
The blog: http://geocities.com/waterbearer99/blog.html My email, for those who wish to talk only to me: academygm@hotmail.com