The Lion of Light

The Lion of Light By TimTam

Disclaimer: This story is an original work of fiction containing scenes of violence and sexual acts between adults. If you are under the age of 18 (21 in some countries or regions), please do not read any farther. Please keep in mind that this is a prototype story, so your feedback is always welcomed. If you so desire, you can send feedback to cassinitelesto@gmail.com, and as always please do not forget to donate to Nifty. Donations are needed to keep posting stories like these. Enjoy the next installment of The Lion of Light, and thank you.

Chapter Two

Back on Earth, I was just a bartender. I waited tables for a living. Scratching down orders, shaking beverages, and delivering food were the only skills I had really developed. My regulars appreciated me, because I was always humble and honest when I made a mistake, and I took care of my people. My coworker Jerri was more flashy than I ever was. She made better tips, but at the cost of all the male patrons flirting with her. She was my best friend. Did she miss me? The only thing I can remember from before I got here (wherever here is) was my last day of work. It was a particularly slow day. Tuesday day shifts always were. I wasn't the bartender that day, Jerri (my best friend) was. On that day I was working one, maybe two tables an hour, which wasn't good. They also were mostly business meetings that never tipped well. So I was making about six or seven dollars an hour. Two hours in, and I have only recouped the money I spent at Starbucks for me and Jerri. Needless to say, I was ready to go home.

"Jerri!" I quipped walking back to the kitchen. "Can I get your help expoing this ticket for a second?"

"Sure hun!" Jerri's smile was always an uplifting sight. "Can I finish making these drinks for Tod and Patrick?" Tod and Patrick were two of our daily regulars. They were dirty men, probably working for a local construction company nearby. They were nice gentlemen, if not a bit gruff around the edges. When they came to eat, that was all they cared about. Beer, food, and football. They generally turned a blind eye to my not so subtle sexual orientation, which was far better for me in the long run.

"Sure! Sure, no rush!" I nestled my tray under my arm, "Gents..." I half-whittedly saluted the two men before continuing to walk in the wrong kitchen door. "WRONG DOOR!" I shouted to no one in particular.

"Victor!" My boss shouted. "How many times have I told you to use the other door IN the kitchen, and this one to go OUT of the kitchen?" He was a short Vietnamese man in his fifties by the grey count of hairs on his head. That said, his skin and complexion read much younger. As if he was just turning forty. His accent was mostly Americanized, but he still exhibited a few quirks in his speech here and there.

"Sorry Mr. Nguyen! But you KNOW that there are only two of us coming in and out of these doors, and Jerri is making drinks for the guys at the bar, so I don't see the problem."

"Okay," Mr. Nguyen started. "So what if I was coming out of these doors with a tray full of food, and you come back here, bumping into me? What would happen then?"

"Well, you and I know that won't happen as long as those two racist ladies are here," I pointed at the two old ladies sitting at a high top table in the bar. Mr. Nguyen wiped the wrinkles from his face.

"They're still here?" He asked. I nodded my affirmation. "Well, I guess there are a few more schedules that need to be completed... For April." Mr. Nguyen turned to head back to his office.

"I don't get it," I ask puzzled. "Why do they get to win, if they're the ones who said that you eat cats?" By now my voice got a little louder. I was beginning to be more passionate about this subject. Mr. Nguyen turned and shushed me. His palm couldn't easily reach my mouth, so he settled for a squeeze on my shoulder.

"Because I still will not win," Mr. Nguyen slumped a bit. "If I kick them out, then I get in trouble for it anyway. I am turning away business over a matter of hearsay." I felt bad for the man. He could be mean at times, and he frequently said things people didn't like, but he and I had a mutual understanding. He didn't want friends, he wanted good employees. Through that hard work, I was able to make him into a good friend, and a valuable ally.

"You two bums do realize those old cat ladies can hear you right?" Jerri said blasting into the kitchen. Her pun was definitely intended. "We have like six people in this entire restaurant, and they all can hear you two." Jerri and I started boisterously laughing, and Mr. Nguyen's cheeks turned bright red.

"Don't use the wrong door again Victor! I'll be working on those schedules we talked about if you two need me." And just as fast as Mr. Nguyen came into the picture, he was out of it. He was a spritely man.

"Does anybody even know that I am missing?" I asked aloud, snapping back to the reality of my situation. The alien wildlife sang beautiful songs, audible from the open window I now leaned against. The white curtains gently played with my long brown hair in the cool breeze. A muted knock came at the door to my room twice, and the beautiful Aryan woman walked in with a glistening silver tray of refreshments.

"Those who care deeply always know," she began in response to my question. I turned to look at her puzzlingly. "Forgive me for prying, I thought you might enjoy some of the delicacies that our world has to offer." She placed the tray on a table near the door, and took a seat by it. It was obvious that she has never seen a human before, from her inquisitive glances and expression of awe. "Please, join me." She insisted politely.

"Why can't I remember how I got here?" I asked defeatedly, wandering aimlessly to the tray of food she presented for me.

"Well, I would imagine you hit your head pretty hard. The Swahelixeon is a brutal ship. I'm sure any encounters against her would be quite traumatizing." She was trying.

I sighed, "I don't mean the..." I paused, looking at her perplexed expression. "Are you sure that it is safe to eat these?" I asked instead, hesitantly pointing towards her spread of food.

"Based on the scans of your anatomy, our doctors have decided that these would be safe and nutritious for your body." I took a bite of something resembling a cracker, with a green whipped concoction on top. Spitting it out almost instantly, I passed her an apologetic glance. "I cannot say the same for the taste however."

"I'm sorry, I meant no disrespect," I apologized egregiously.

"None was taken," Her expression was softly smiling at me. It was compassionate, and benevolent. "I would imagine it will take some getting used to." I smiled back, this time reaching for the glass of water. This I knew tasted the way it should. "You are missing your family?"

"My planet..."

"Earth?" She interrupted.

"Yes, Earth has never known of life beyond our world. They have not yet met extraterrestrials such as yourself, or Hyakk." The Aryan woman sighed ponderously. "I don't even know how I left Earth to get here. One minute, I'm driving home from work, and the next I'm onboard an ancient submerged spacecraft with several different types of alien creatures that I had never even known existed before two weeks ago."

"I see," she began. "It is true that most soul contracts only exist in one place and body at a time. Usually, the soul lives out its body's lifetime before moving to a different world or existence. This is perplexing that your soul has brought your body here with it, especially unawakened."

"Soul contracts? Awakening?" I paused, "What are you talking about? This isn't some Gaia bull crap conspiracy we're talking about. This is real life otherworldly extraterrestrial stuff I'm dealing with." I was approaching vapid quickly. I had to calm myself down. I reached for another cracker, this time I was determined to eat it.

"You know of Gaia?" The woman perked up rather fondly when I mentioned the name.

"Of course I know what Gaia is," my mouth was muffled by the foul tasting substance I was eating. "This isn't just some hoodoo voodoo, white witch, do good unto others crap, you're all REAL LIFE ALIENS." Crumbs trickled out between my lips, falling to my lap. Trying to regain composure, I did my best to brush them from my lap.This whole thing was very troubling for me.

"I know this is troubling for you..." She started.

"And are you reading my mind right now? How can I possibly make sense of all of this when even my thoughts aren't private anymore?" I took another sip of water, cleansing the repugnant substance from my mouth.

"I'm sorry, I should've never bolded myself to read your thoughts without permission." She was getting upset now, as her posture changed from poise to submission.

"No, I don't suppose that was appropriate given the circumstances," We both paused in awkward silence for a few moments. I cupped the glass in between my palms, staring into the clear reflection of myself that rippled with the small gestures from my arms.

"I-," She stopped herself. She took in a sharp breath, then subdued back to silence.

"I'm sorry," I spoke aloud. "I'm just a little scared right now. I'm sure you can imagine how difficult all this is for me right now."

"Yes, I can imagine. I would like to help you as much as I can. Please, ask me anything that you wish to know." Her posture was returning to normal.

"Your name..." I inquired. A subtle chuckle came over her briefly.

"Forgive me!" Her laughter was nearly contagious, but it did bring a soft smile to my cheeks. "Mina, my name is Mina. I have spent all this time with you, and I have forgotten to introduce myself first. My people have no need for introductions, because we already know everyone else." This time, small laughter enveloped my being like a warm hug. It felt good to laugh. I think this was the first time I'd actually laughed since leaving Earth.

"What is that horrendous noise that you two are making?" A familiar friendly voice spoke as Hyakk entered the room. "Are you two broken? Should I get a physician?" Hyakk was clearly concerned, if not a bit annoyed by our laughter. This only made the two of us laugh harder. Hyakk groaned in both agony, and concern. He approached the two of us crouching low, and shifting from side to side, as if he was inspecting a damaged component. His arms were raised, ready to poke and prod at us in between the horrible sounds our mouths were making. One of his hands grabbed my chin, moving my face from side to side, while his other grabbed my arm moving it back and forth to ensure it was working properly. Each minuscule pupil of his large compound eyes followed each target simultaneously, making him appear like a chameleon, or a praying mantis as he inspected me closely.

"No Hyakk," I gasped in between bouts of laughter. "Mina has been making me feel much better actually." I took another sip of water to quell my laughter, and Mina placed three of her dainty fingers over her lips as she cleared her throat delicately, avoiding his inspection of her next.

"So? Those are sounds of joy?" Hyakk was clearly perplexed, and he took a step back, straightening his posture.

Clearing my voice, I changed the subject. "What can I do for you Hyakk?" Hyakk pulled out what appeared to be a compilation of components that used to be my iPhone. I won't lie, a small portion of myself mourned the loss of my phone upon seeing this frankenstein beast in Hyakk's triple digit grasp.

"I have completed upgrading your tech for you. You place it around your wrist like so," Hyakk wrapped the device around my arm for me. "And it will automatically interface with any computer system to help you use it. And if you press that button, it will activate a direct neural interface. I have also upgraded the UI and AI software on it to be easier to use, and the performance of the device has been optimized ten fold." Rather proud of himself, I looked from what used to be my phone, to his face. I wasn't sure if his species could smile, but several small mouthparts flickered from between his lips with what I presumed to be a feeling of accomplishment.

"Only ten?" I asked sarcastically. Hyakk's long arms dropped to his side in defeat. "You mean you couldn't make it a hundred times, or a thousand times more efficient?" I feigned my disapproval.

"There was only so much I could do with your ancient piece of technology," Hyakk spat his retort as I inspected the device more closely.

"How do I charge it?" I asked, more seriously now, scrutinizing the device more closely.

"That small crystal right there," Hyakk's long grey finger pointed to a crystal at the base of my phone. "That crystal has more than enough power for that device. The rest of the components will have to be replaced before it runs out of energy." Hyakk's pride returned to him now.

"Thank you Hyakk, I'm sure this will help immensely." I rose, and gave Hyakk a small friendly hug. Of course this only made Hyakk incredibly uncomfortable. Hyakk coughed subtly, he was clearly bemused by my sign of affection.

"If Lux is feeling better, the council has requested his presence in the Great Hall." Hyakk removed my arms from around his thin waist, as if he was both equally disgusted and concerned regarding my display of public affection. "Of course, if you will permit your patient to leave that is?" Hyakk stepped back, and bowed subtly to Mina.

"Of course, I see no reason why he should have to stay," Mina returned Hyakk's gesture. "It will do him some good to see our world." Mina smiled at the two of us, and gestured towards the doorway.

"Uh, yes, well," Hyakk stammered a bit, returning his gaze to me. "Lux, if you're ready, the Council has been eager to meet the Vanguard's new pilot. They have many questions for you, as I'm sure you will for them."

"Wait pilot?" I asked, hopping to get my shoes on as Hyakk was already leaving the room. "I helped you get that ship out of the ocean, sure! But now it's time to get me back home to Earth!" I was struggling to keep up with Hyakk's long stride. "I have people back home who'll be looking for me. Hyakk!" I shouted as Hyakk kept striding farther and farther away from me.

The walk to the Great Hall was brisk to say the least. I barely got any time to gawk at the amazing architecture of the building that I was in. It vaguely resembled photographs of ancient Sumarian architecture that I saw in a National Geographic magazine once. But before I could investigate further, Hyakk and I had arrived at two gargantuan golden doors. They were scribed with all kinds of hieroglyphs, but none of them seemed familiar. Hyakk wrapped two of his knuckles against the door, and the large monoliths opened to reveal a vast room.

The room was furnished with an immense stone table, complete with various edible items, and ornate structures. It resembled a great Greek hall like paintings of Mt. Olympus portrayed. On the far side of the room, a great statue of an unknown figure stood looking out upon the whole room. Her arms joined together, holding a crystal the size of a beanbag chair. It glowed unnaturally, as if it was broadcasting it's light throughout the entire room.

"Ah! Lux!" A noble voice cheered, echoing through the entire space. "What a pleasure it is to finally meet you!" The voice came from a humanoid who sat at the far end of the table. Funny, I hadn't seen any people at the table only moments ago, but now there were a dozen. They were all seated around the table, looking at the two of us. There were three chairs open, and Hyakk made his way to one on the right of the man who spoke. I followed.

"Um, thank you," I responded as I made my way to the chair next to Hyakk.

"Please, please! I am Lykesh. We have laid out this table for the two of you to enjoy! Anything that you like on it, please be our guest!" His feline features smiled as his yellow coated arm showcased all of the goods to eat on the table. You know that new live action Catz movie, many of these people resembled something like that. The man at the head of the table was more like a lion than just any old cat though. He was much more regal, and his crimson mane billowed out across his shoulders. I did as he asked and began to take part in enjoying some of the available goods on the table.

This time, everything resembled Earth food. There were bananas, and salads. Turkey, and steaks. Shoot, they even had beverages that tasted a lot like red cream soda. It was bubbly, and sweet, just like I remembered it. How was any of this possible? Of course I looked over at Hyakk, who was inspecting each item, and turning his muzzle away to items he didn't quite like the taste of. He settled on some grapes, and then began cautiously devouring them. It was interesting watching Hyakk eat. He would bring the food to his mouth, and what appeared to be those small finger-like structures would emerge to pick apart the food matter, bringing it into his mouth for consumption. It was really quite a delicate process, and very thorough. Of course my observations wouldn't last before conversation at the table began.

"Lykesh! Alpha Centauri refugees are requesting that we bring them food and aid. Draconian pirates have engaged them in countless skirmishes, depleting their rations below standard living rates. They are stating that they will not be able to survive their season without our support." One of the non-feline aliens spoke. Lykesh laughed a hearty laugh of confidence and ego.

"Ah, third dimensional issues are not very invigorating these days." Lykesh dismissed. I rightfully was a bit peeved off by his statement. But before I could open my mouth, the monolithic slab doors opened once more, and Tethis appeared from behind them. He arrived with a kind of brutish confidence that was inadvertently cramming endorphins down my throat, rather than my food.

"Tethis! Please, come join us!" Lykesh cackled. "Has your government decided who their liaison will be?"

"I have decided that the best course of action would be to assume the role of liaison myself Lykesh." Tethis's glances of open defiance to every life form in the room was apparent, except when his gaze intercepted mine briefly. A low grumble sounded deep in his lungs, as he situated himself in front of a large plate of animal meat and bone.

"Such a disgusting devourer," One of the feline humanoids whispered to another. I looked back at Tethis devouring large carcasses, bones and all.

"Please, Tethis, how are you enjoying the refreshments?" Lykesh asked sarcastically.

"I would enjoy my food more if it was live, but this will suffice," Tethis spoke between mouthfuls. He certainly was less noble-looking when he ate, but he was still quite terrifying nonetheless. His eyes met mine once again, and I quickly went back to my own plate. Looking at my small (in comparison) turkey leg on my plate, I quickly eschewed it to the side after seeing Tethis devour an entire carcass in three bites.

"Tell me Tethis-" Lykesh began, waiting for Tethis to finish devouring. "Has the Vanguard been repaired since your latest bout with it?" Lykesh was clearly disgusted with Tethis.

"The Greylings have finished repairs to that ancient boat of your's." Clearly Tethis didn't hold much respect for `The Lion of Light'.

"Hyakk," Lykesh now looked at the two of us. "Why hadn't you told us about the human's elaborate imagination?" Hyakk looked back confused. Lykesh then turned to me. "The Lion of Light, you say?" The truth is, I actually hadn't said anything. "Such a poetic description of my flagship. Tell me, how were you able to interface with the Vanguard's systems so easily?"

"Um, well-," I paused. Everyone's eyes were on me now, equally as interested in my response. "Hyakk was able to modify the only piece of Earth tech I brought with me so I could understand the systems better." A noticeable bead of sweat emerged from my brow as I meekly showcased the franken-phone now attached to my wrist. I was feeling quite intimidated by so many different life forms looking at me, and engaging in actual conversation with real ETs. Lykesh's snobbish smile faded a bit.

"Very good," Lykesh didn't seem impressed as he turned his attention back towards the brutish Draco engorging himself at the end of the table. "Tethis, have you been able to find a new captain for the Vanguard since I am no longer able to maintain that role?"

"The new captain has not revealed themself to us yet," Tethis replied aggressively.

"I will." A meek, yet familiar voice announced. I looked to my left, by the doors, and Mina stood there bowing before the council.

"Mina?" Lykesh asked quizzically. Whispers all around the room filled it with a disruptive white noise of doubt.

"A Pleiadian Captain?" One of the aliens whispered.

"At least until it's true captain makes themselves known to us," Mina continued.

"I will advise her in her responsibility as the captain," Tethis interjected, and Lykesh let out an immense bout of laughter as if to mock them both.

"A Pleiadian captain, and her Draconian advisor. Well now that will be a first for the ship's logs." Lykesh paused for a moment, drinking in our discomfort, and honestly Tethis's rage. "Very well. As your first mission captaining the Vanguard, I want you all to provide aid to the Alpha Centauri refugees."

"Wait a minute!" I slammed my hands down on the table hard enough to make my glass and plate jitter. Everyone turned to me, making my cheeks flush with hues of red. "What about returning me back to my people! I have no idea how I got here, and rather than helping me get home, you all are sending me on a humanitarian mission? This is ridiculous!" Lykesh only laughed even more boisterously, this time at me directly.

"A humanitarian mission requires a human does it not?" Tethis asked, and I returned my attention to him. His eyes peered into what felt like the depths of my soul, absorbing all of my rage and anger.

"Who better to provide that humanitarian support than our only local human?" Mina chimed in, her expression feigned poise, confidence, and clarity. When in fact it was obvious that she herself was terrified about losing a member of her crew before the Vanguard's first mission. It was obvious to me that they had been waiting a long time for this.

"There are trillions of other humans ON EARTH, and I do know some things about astronomy. Which means that we can just swoop by, and trade me out for someone who's better suited for the job!" I started gasping for air as my vapidity began to show itself. "It IS on the way you know?"

"But YOU are the Vanguard's chosen pilot," Lykesh said softly. "The Lion of Light has chosen you to be here, so you must answer her call."

"I don't HAVE to do anything, because I have free will to determine my own path. And that path is on Earth." I retorted.

"Very well," Lykesh sighed his disapproval. "The Vanguard leaves at dusk. You will have until then to determine if you will answer her call." Just like that, the room was now empty. The only ones left were Mina, Tethis, Hyakk, and myself. After a few minutes the others began to leave as well.

I remained behind, eating my fill of food. After all, this might be the last time that I enjoy Earth food for a while. Only Tethis remained, engorging himself with nearly every form of animal product there was to eat. Naturally, I was still very uncomfortable being in his presence. A small portion of my brain worried that I would become Tethis's next meal once he was finished with the spread on the table. On the other hand, I was too stubborn to actually get up and leave. No, instead Tethis and I just sat and ate together. I obviously ate much slower than Tethis, seeing as I was playing with my food more than I was actually consuming it.

Tethis paused for a brief moment, and I could feel his gaze upon me. `Was this it?' I thought to myself. Instead, Tethis only growled with displeasure.

"Be grateful your food is not live, or it would have run far away from you by now." Tethis snorted, and I only sighed in annoyance.

I was hungry, but for some reason all of this was really pissing me off, to the point where I couldn't actually enjoy any of this Earth food. My utensil scooted some salad away from me. "Why do you even care? You did try to kill me after all." I provided Tethis a faint snort, signalling my disdain for him.

Tethis exhaled deeply from his nostrils. "Indeed, I tried to kill you." A low cooing noise emanated from Tethis's throat. "But you survived. You proved to all of us that you are who we believe you are."

"I only proved to be who you need me to be. I have no idea if this is who I am. Shit, I still lost to you." My utensil clanged as I dropped it to my plate. Aggravated, I rose to leave the room. Tethis only chuckled soaking up my agitation.

"Yes, no one has won against me in a long time." Tethis leaned back in his chair, releasing the proverbial belt buckle a couple of notches so to speak. "There is so much anger inside of you, it tantalizes me. Your soul knows where it belongs, and you must figure out what that means for you." I snickered at his surprisingly vague words.

"What are you? A Draconian Buddhist monk or something?" I asked sarcastically, already knowing the answer to my question. Tethis slammed his large hand on the table in a bout of furious laughter. A small crack appeared across the 10" thick stone table.

"The little ones always have the tastiest spark!" Low rolling fits of laughter emanated from him as I walked past him to leave the room. "For my sake, I do hope you come with us. The Vanguard could use your spark and courage. Not many would endure their dinner in front of an apex predator such as myself, but you were courageous enough to indulge me with a treat as well. Either way Victor, you have earned my respect."

"I said, my name is Lux." I said sternly as I left the room.

"Yes, I know," Was Tethis's only response as the gold monoliths closed behind me.

This time, the walk back to my room was slow, and ponderous. I only hoped that I could remember my way back. I was so busy trying to keep up with Hyakk that I nearly forgot to keep track of where I was within this labyrinth. At least on the bright side, I was able to soak up much more of the architecture as I strolled aimlessly through these halls. It was certainly an experience. Clearly they knew of Earth culture, because there were statues, paintings, and hieroglyphs throughout these halls that were undeniably human in nature. I couldn't quite place my finger on it, but they WERE different in a way. What appeared to be Anubis, was slightly different, Priapus wasn't human, and Buddha was too.

"Beautiful relics of our history, are they not?" A familiar voice chided. Looking over my shoulder, I saw a human walking behind me soaking up the very same scenery as we walked together. I stopped dead in my tracks.

"You're human! But how? I thought..." The man's defined musculature twitched as he laughed at me. His familiar crimson locks bounced with his jovial attitude.

"My dear boy, I only appear human to you." The form flexed with his vanity, and admired his form while his fingers gently caressed his body. I was definitely perplexed by his behavior. "I haven't taken corporeal form in quite some time, and your unique human physiology was a challenge for me. I hope I did it right." My jaw definitely dropped at the sight of this man gawking over his own body. Of course he was beautiful, like the human form of the beast from Beauty and the Beast.

"So, you mean you're not really..." I started, but before I could finish my question, an all too familiar laugh billowed from him down the halls where we walked.

"My gods Lux, you definitely are not the brightest starseed in the Milkyway, aren't you?" His exploratory gestures were getting tiring to watch. I felt that he might orgasm if his hands moved any lower. "Lower? Why, what would happen if my hands moved lower?" He did as I bid him not to. "OH! Lower!" His eyes peered into me as a knowing grin appeared on the man's face. "I haven't participated in any erotic activities in quite a few decades. To be honest, I grew too accustomed to all the different forms' ways of procreation. Male, female, Pleadian, Draconian, but I have never in human form before." His glances returned to me again. This time, they were slightly more predatory in nature.

"Well, umm... I better be heading back to my room, sir." I swallowed hard, knowing exactly what this person was implying. It wasn't that I was not interested, I just didn't know this man. I cleared my throat, drinking in the man's radiance, and refined features. "Since you know me, more than I know you, would you mind directing me to my quarters?" The familiar laugh that I couldn't quite place earlier struck me back again with the man's egoism and confidence.

"Right this way," He said as he gestured to me to follow him.

"Oh! No, thank you." My face blushed a bit. "I can find my way by myself, I just thought you might be able to point me in the right direction." This time, the man did not laugh. No, this time he got closer to me. So close that I could feel his breathing on my neck.

"Your pulse is beating wildly when I draw closer to you. I must have done something right to get you into a frenzy like this." His smile grew, but this time it grew with a new expression. Desire maybe?

In an instant, I could feel his warm, delicate lips on my neck. One subtle peck after another. Tracing his way down my neck, his left hand gently guided itself to my growing desire inside my own pants. Grabbing it with a gentle squeeze, I couldn't help moaning a little. This only made things worse. His lust-filled passion grew, and I could feel the frenzy in him, as he began to press his passion hard against my hips. Pleasurable moans began escaping from him in between his lip's caresses against my collarbone.

"I'm-I'm sorry," I fought against my own desires as I attempted to push this man away. "I don't know you, I think we should stop." The man did not listen very well as he kept kissing me, and rubbing his manhood against my now fully engorged truth between my legs. His right arm now began to caress my left, and I could feel his cool jewelry tantalize my skin as he lifted it out adjacent to us. Kissing me gently down my arm, I could feel his hand and lips meet my hand as he molded it into a point in between kisses. He stopped once he had kissed the farthest point of my finger, and pulled away from me. I looked to my left, and saw him pointing my arm in the direction that I needed to go.

"What a shame I have to send you away on a mission in my ship. A part of me will wait to see if you should choose not to go. I would love to get to know your form better." The man's voice was buttery smooth now. There was no doubt in my mind, I knew who he was.

"Lykesh-" I gasped quietly. The man only smiled, and released me entirely.

"There you go," Lykesh smiled seductively, and nodded me off in the direction he pointed me to. Awkwardly, I coughed once more, and turned to be on my way. My manhood ached relentlessly in my jeans as I walked nearly the entire way back to my room in utter discomfort, and disbelief of what had just transpired.

I couldn't help but ponder the existential nature of my choice ahead of me. Do I leave on the Vanguard to unknown worlds, and provide my expertise which is lackluster at best; Or do I stay behind, and sit idly by hoping to be sent home one day. If I stayed behind, it would be entirely possible that my desire to return to Earth would be forgotten about. I may be left to roam an unfamiliar planet, never to see my family again. The same may be true if I leave. Out of sight, out of mind. As long as I was carrying out my "mission" I may not be given a second thought about returning home. At least I knew that Alpha Centauri would be close to home. I might have better odds of finding a way home on my own if I went on the mission. The weight of my decision was reflected by the now dimming sky. The weight of this choice was growing heavier each passing moment, and both choices were exceedingly grim given the circumstances. Lykesh might be a welcomed distraction, but how long would that last before I began yearning for home again? Would I ever stop? Passing by so closely to Sol may only heighten my desire to return home if I leave on this mission. The curtains kept playing with my long chocolate locks as I weighed my choices, stroking my back with each flickering breeze. Out across the horizon, I could see two moons cresting into the night sky. One was nearly full, and large. It was perfectly spherical, and pure white like Earth's moon. The other moon was small, and oddly shaped. It followed the larger moon across the sky like a puppy chasing it's owner, happy and playful.

A familiar, twin knuckle knock came at my doorway. Hyakk cleared his throat, "The Vanguard leaves shortly. Have you made your decision Lux?"

I slowly spun myself to face my visitor, getting caught up in the billowing fabric of my curtains. Hyakk's face expressed what I could only understand as concern. "What would you do in my situation Hyakk?" I sighed.

"Hmm-," Hyakk pondered for a moment. His flangling voice harmonized on the thought experiment. "I suppose I would choose to travel with the people that I knew." Hyakk's inhuman grasp, clutched his chin in thought.

"Even if it meant that I might not return to my home?" I frowned a bit.

"My calculations suggest that you are more likely to return home if you stay where you arrived. Something about the Vanguard is prominent here, because that's where you arrived from. If you stay behind, you might miss your window to return home the same way that you arrived."

"That's surprisingly hypothetical from what I've come to expect from you." My arms crossed as I feigned skepticism with Hyakk's summation.

"Well, that's because nothing about your experience has been logical thus far. When logic does not exist, we can only hypothesize about the outcome." Enlightened words from an engineer.

My shoulders shrugged, before returning to a tensed state. "Well, I better not think too much about it then. We better get moving before I grow to resent my decision." Crossing my arms once again, I forced my shoulders to relax, posing a false sense of security in my decision. Hyakk's mouthparts flickered from his softly pursed lips, in what I assumed was excitement.

"That false bravado doesn't fool me Lux, but I'm glad to have you coming along with us." Hyakk saw right through my deception.

"Bravado, Hyakk? Seems like you know more about Earth culture than you lead on," I said with a quirked smile.

"After all that time with your Earth technology, I took some liberties to learn as much as I could about your planet from it." We turned to walk out of my room together. This time, Hyakk made sure to walk with me instead of in front of me. "I must say, your culture is uniquely diverse. It has caused many conflicts."

I laughed gently at Hyakk's remarks. "Our diversity divides us, but also brings us closer together. Quite an interesting double negative when you see it from another perspective."

"It defies all logic," Hyakk mused. Stopping briefly to perform more mental calculations.

"Logic isn't everything Hyakk. Sometimes it's about heart, and soul. A perfect trinity of diversity. Heart, mind, and soul determines my path, and sometimes they don't always agree with each other." Hyakk gawked at me as a child would if they were being explained what quantum theory is from a physicist. Totally incomprehensible, and not at all logical.

"Tell me something Hyakk, how were you able to learn so much about my culture through a device that is not connected to the grid? Earth tech is cloud-based, so you should only have access to my personal data," I inquired, mildy suspicious of the insectoid's motives, but not by any serious standards.

Hyakk cleared his throat, and returned pace to walking behind me. "Yes, well, I wasn't able to get a very clear picture. Most of my summations were achieved by scrutinizing your personal data." By now my eyebrow twitched slightly in discomfort. "Do you find me attractive Lux?" I began choking on my sputum from my throat. "I've never, um. Well I've never copulated with a member of the same gender before. Though my species is less distinct between genders than yours is, I've never thought much ab..."

"Okay Hyakk! I think you've seen enough of my personal database." My cheeks flushed bright red from embarrassment.

"There are a couple things I was confused about though. You say your species has not met extraterrestrial life, yet you clearly possess many depictions of other bipedal life forms interacting in human copulation techniques."

"Hyakk! Enough..." My thumb and forefingers grasped the bridge of my nose. I might start a nose bleed at this rate. My walking had decisively sped up, but I was no match for Hyakk.

Using my other senses, I progressed as rapidly down the corridor as I could. I had no idea what I was going to expect, until I ran right into a pair of immense hands stopping me from running into their owner. My blushing face, peered up at none other than Tethis. I wasn't sure how much more humiliation I could handle. Tethis only drew in a deep breath, and began to make low rumbling noises deep in his chest a mere foot away from my face. My head and chest began reverberating with the echoes of his emanations, leaving me feeling a bit dizzy and breathless.

"This body doesn't do a good job of masking pheromones does it Victor? I can smell so many different things on you that tell me all I need to know about you." Tethis inhaled more deeply this time. "Except this one. This one doesn't smell like you at all Victor. Curious." The massive draco looking down at me stared at me with little emotion. Only the expansion and contraction of his dilating pupils gave way to any form of inner emotion, slightly mesmerizing me in the process.

Easily contorting myself, I weaseled my way out of Tethis' grasp only to face an equally confused Hyakk. My blush was written all over my face from the discomfort of this whole situation, and I was seemingly saved by the delightfully feminine voice of Mina approaching.

"Gentlemen, please give Lux a little space." Mina approached me with her compassionate smile. "Lux, are you feeling alright? Your face is turning several shades of red."

"I will be fine Mina, thank you for your concern." Having her there was a relief so long as she didn't read my mind. I couldn't handle another invasion of privacy right now. I took a deep breath as we all turned to the shuttle platform ahead of us. Greeting us there was none other than the human bodied Lykesh himself to see us off. His smile was full of confidence and something else. Genuine bravado perhaps?

"Lykesh-," Tethis moaned disdainfully. "What is with that wretched body of yours?" I frowned as I glared up at Tethis for his remark. "That body is week. I could kill you like a bug under my feet!" Hyakk's head snapped back at Tethis. His large compound eyes evaluated the potential threat of Tethis' words. "And that odor..." Tethis glanced between Lykesh and my outright angered posturing, putting the pieces together in his head. I guess his keen sense of smell was able to sense Lykesh's romantic involvement with my arm from earlier.

"Tethis, let's not be rude. It's not polite to point out another's biochemistry in such indiscrete ways." Mina nodded her head my way, exposing my irritation to Tethis once again. Tethis only grumbled in anger, as he returned his glances of destruction back at Lykesh.

"It's okay Mina, if my anger doesn't kill Tethis on this ship, my `odor' certainly will..." Fuming from my blazened cheeks and forehead, I stomped past the angered Draco with total disregard to my potential weakness against this apex beast. Making my way to the shuttlecraft, I was already growing to regret my decision of coming along. I hadn't even paused to listen to Lykesh's arrogant words before taking my place next to a window inside the shuttle.

I spent the entire shuttle ride staring out the window, watching the ground descend into a globe. It was here that I could begin to see the Vanguard now. It displayed it's slender, silver profile, with green glowing lines that grew more prominent as we drew closer to it. The angular, geometric design of `The Lion of Light' was poised well above the blues, greens, and sandy browns of the planet below. This was it. Once I stepped off this shuttle, there would be no going back. My adventure was just beginning. How many humans would give their very lives to be here right now? And of all of them, I get to be the one to experience this. In my peripherals, Mina was smiling at me as I soaked up everything about this experience. Right now, I didn't care if she was reading my mind, this was too beautiful of a moment to worry about any of that. Since my childhood, I always wanted to be an astronaut. I guess this was awakening that part of me again. Only this time, I was living that dream on a REAL starship.

Once our shuttle docked in the port shuttle bay, my familiarity with the Vanguard grew as I had already had some involvement with these corridors. From Mina and Tethis' discussion on the shuttle earlier, there would be no time to settle into my quarters. We were due to leave immediately. Readied for departure, the four of us made our way to the bridge, and Mina let out a sigh of accomplishment. This was clearly her dream too, captaining the Vanguard like this. Even if it was just a rudimentary shake down cruise, it still held the same amount of weight for the both of us.

"Hyakk, open the Plasma Flow Discharge Manifolds," Tethis instigated the bridge commands.

"Opening Plasma Flow Discharge Manifolds," Hyakk responded, falling into his engineering role comfortably.

"Lux, when you're ready, take the helm please," Mina requested politely.

"Yes Ma'am!" Taking one last look around the bridge, I assumed my position at the helm. "Hey Siri, initiate interface with Vanguard systems." I commanded.

"Okay, I will do that for you," A new voice chided from my device's speakers, and I glanced behind me towards Hyakk's flickering mandibles.

"I told you I optimized that tech 10 fold. That includes the voice." Hyakk resumed his work with pride.

"Set course for Alpha Centauri," Mina continued.

"Plotting course to Alpha Centauri now," I responded, giddy with excitement.

"Initiate Overcharge Coils on my mark," Tethis ordered.

"Overcharge Coils primed and ready." The flangling in Hyakk's voice exceeded my expectations of his excitement. From my studies, the Overcharge Coils are immense Tesla Coils that flood electrical current in a bubble of Argon gas, which super heats it to form a plasma based warp bubble around the ship. As the gas cools down in space, it is funneled back into the Plasma Manifolds to cool the RUBBERBAND machine that not only defends us, but also propels us at speeds faster than light.

"Navigation estimates two weeks before reaching Alpha Centauri," I add in like a productive bridge crewman.

"All systems go Captain," Hyakk announced.

"On your order Captain," Tethis looked at Mina, presenting the next order to her with his large hand. Mina smiled with her accomplishment as she crossed one leg over the other to get comfortable.

"Do it," Was Mina's official command. I punched the panel button that said engage, and the ship jumped into FTL. Wrestling with my own giddy excitement, I couldn't help but spark some conversation.

"So what are we going to do cooped up here for the next two weeks?" I started with the ice breaker.

"Are you suggesting copulation Lux?" Hyakk remarked innocently.

"Too soon Hyakk..." The redness in my face returned under the surface as I heard Mina's delicate chuckling before clearing her throat.

"Hibernation is usually recommended on long journeys such as these," Mina directed the conversation in this manner. "However, at this moment in time, Tethis is not compatible with our Hibernation chambers. So I suggest we take this opportunity to delve into our respective roles." Hyakk made a rattling noise from the suggestion. I wasn't sure what emotion that conveyed.

"Tethis will give Lux piloting lessons. I'm not too keen on relying solely on this smartphone of yours? To always get the job done. You will need to learn how to pilot the Vanguard natively." I couldn't help but groan a little by the suggestion of spending more time with Tethis. "And Hyakk will teach me more about my ship and how it works." Mina displayed a certain quality of pride in the word `my', and I probably would behave similarly in her shoes.

"I guess the real question is whether or not Tethys and Hyakk are up for a little crash course," I was baiting them both.

"T-huh-." Tethis snickered. "An easy chore. I only have to teach Victor one task. Hyakk must teach our Captain everything about her new ship and crew."

"At least my student has a head start," Hyakk rebutted, further bolstering our friendly competition. "Sorry Lux..."

"How many times do I have to tell you Tethis? My name is Lux," I continued.

"As many times as you'd like," Tethis crossed his bulky arms. What appeared to be a very toothy smile of sorts spread across his muzzle.

"Shh-," I paused. The sounds of the ship were almost melodic in nature. I hadn't heard the ship at warp before, so I had no idea how musical the engines were. "Do you hear that? The engines almost sound like they're playing music."

"If you give me your smartphone Lux, I can show you something." Hyakk outstretched his arm, and I proceeded to remove my device and hand it to the three fingered man. "I discovered while modding your tech that the Overcharge coils can receive direct input from some of your device's files." Hyakk proceeded to poke around on my phone until he found what he was looking for. Placing my phone on his console, he pressed one final button on it's screen before the sounds of the ship's engines changed. Before long, what sounded like music turned into sounds of an actual song I've kept on my smartphone for many years.

"Is that-," I paused to assure myself that I was actually hearing it. "The Final Countdown Hyakk?" My excitement began to burst as a little piece of home began playing in the literal space around the ship, reverberating on the hull in comprehensive notes that I knew dearly.

Seeing my pleasure, Mina responded," Why don't you take a stroll around the ship? See for yourself?"

"In order to play these files, the device must stay here Lux. Tethis should probably accompany you. Once you leave the bridge, you will not be able to understand us, or any of the panels on the ship." Hyakk interjected.

Despite my current disdain for Tethis at the moment, I couldn't turn down this opportunity to connect with my home. Mina nodded at Tethis, and he followed as we left the bridge pursuing the sounds of the music. I couldn't believe it. Here I was, light years away from Earth, but I still had a little piece of it with me.

Practically dancing down corridors, I didn't care that I couldn't understand what any of the panels said, or the incomprehensible languages the crewman spoke. At that moment, I could understand the ship. That was all I needed to understand. That despite my distinction from everyone on that ship, the ship itself was able to speak my language through the sounds of the Tesla Coils. I made sure to scout every hallway and corridor that I could still hear the music from. When the song ended, a new one played. The deep base notes, and melodic highes of Sail by Awolnation began speaking to me throughout the ship. I found it got louder, the closer to the ship's abdomen that we got. At which point, Tethis and I entered into the main engineering department. I had never been this deep into the bowels of the Vanguard before, and so I had not known what to expect once we crossed the threshold into the vast, dimly light space.

All of my excitement vanished the moment I saw dozens of little grey aliens carrying out their duties throughout the engine room. Tremendous fear came over me, as I remembered the nightmares that I had as a child about these extraterrestrials. The concert level volumes of sounds, and dim lighting didn't help either as my panic began to set it. But Before I could turn to leave, I felt the presence of a large hand encompass the breadth of my upper back, escorting me reassuringly deeper into the engine room. It was Tethis' hand that encouraged me to look my fear in the eyes, the black voided eyes of these life forms. It was a constant battle to overcome these feelings as I made my way to the main engine. Dozens of little greys observed my fear as they carried out their responsibilities, never stopping. All of them worked in unison together to keep the engines running at peak efficiency. Some came too close for comfort as I pushed back further into Tethis' grasp, but none of them ever displayed any signs of aggression that I was used to seeing in my dreams.

I looked at Tethis, who only looked forward, and closed his eyes. I followed his example, and began to sink down into the notes of the music once more bringing me back to that happy place. Once my breathing slowed, and my fear subsided, I opened my eyes to a whole new kind of beauty. Tethis and I just stood there, watching these beings working in perfect harmony to the sounds of the music. Like a hive mind, enjoying the notes as they worked at optimum efficiency. Looking deeper into the nature of these life forms, they were no longer scary to me. Instead, they seemed to be a part of the ship. Like a symbiotic relationship, the Vanguard was their home, and they worshipped her for it.

After a while, Tethis and I headed back to the bridge. Walking decidedly behind me, I couldn't help but periodically glance back at the tall Draconian. Every time, his eyes would meet mine, and I would return my gaze forward. On the bridge, the others had left. Probably to get situated in their new quarters, leaving Tethis, The House of the Rising Sun, and myself alone on the bridge. Now that I could speak and be understood, I broke the ice.

"Thank you," I stated. "I wouldn't have been able to see those aliens in a positive light without you there." My gaze fell to the floor as I sat at my post. Tethis sat in the Captain's chair while Mina was away, as her second in command.

"You heard the Greylings singing to you did you?" Tethis replied warmly.

"Ever since I was a child, I have had nightmares about those... Greylings you said." I paused briefly. "Is that what they were doing Tethis? Singing?"

"They can not speak as you and I do. They only speak in 1's and 0's. So they understand this ships systems better than we ever would. Connected to each other, and the ship, they give her life. Through her, they speak to us."

"I think I misjudged you Tethis. I didn't mean that outburst before we got on the shuttle." By now, I was definitely not able to show my blush to Tethis, though he probably could smell it on me anyway.

"Yes, you did," Tethis' voice was slightly colder now. "You probably should get some rest."

"I'm fine working the night shift." I didn't know where else to go with this conversation. The awkwardness of the situation had left me speechless. Instead, I found myself volunteering for something I didn't actually want to do.

"They're all night shifts out here," Tethis mused. "Suit yourself." The two of us just sat together on the bridge in comfortable silence as the ship and the Greylings continued their songs of the night sky. I may not ever see home again, but this was becoming a close second for me.