Chapter 4 – Don't Give Up on Me

Plasia and Diego sat around a small metal table in the staffroom. A single dim, blue light lit the space. Its angle was currently casting a long shadow behind Plasia, but her precious sapphire eyes were locked onto the male, staring at him with nothing but love and adoration.

"I know I can be difficult sometimes, Diego. I know that. But as long as I'm away from Leech, I should be absolutely fine. I only lose control around her." Plasia sounded confident, reaching out towards Diego's hands across the table. He gently stroked her skin with his fingers.

"You absolutely sure, Plas? This is the last time I'll ask, but I have to make sure; we're building this all on trust, right?" Diego looked into her eyes with both concern, and kindness.

"Completely. As long as you don't give up on me, I'll never give up on you! This'll be fun, it'll be nice to stretch all of our legs together... Besides, you're going to look like such a player with two huge czarites at your side!" A sweet smile spread over her perfect face, and Diego couldn't help but smile back. Even in just the few days they'd been together, her confidence was growing minute by minute.

"I can't say my public image aboard this random ass space station is top priority for me. You ain't wrong, though! As long as I get to be in the middle of you two!"

"You'll always be in the middle, sweetie boy." Seeth appeared behind him, her seductive voice sending a shiver down both his and Plasia's back. She ran her hands over his neck and ruffled his hair lovingly, taking a little time to appreciate the silky soft nature of his mane. "We're only a few minutes away from landing. Oxyi says the station's security officer wants everyone who wants to alight has to go to the dock, for a safety brief or something, so we should go suit up!"

The three left together to get dressed as appropriately as they could, with the girls dressed in a tight fitting top and a pair combat trousers, shortly appearing alongside Oxyi and Geralt. Tivy and Trent were staying behind on the ship, just to keep tabs on things, but after the craziness they'd endured over these previous months; they were happy for the peace and the privacy.

Soon enough their ship docked and the airlock hissed open, and the group boarded the station. They entered a modest-sized security room, where three guards were waiting for them. Two were dressed in full riot uniform, complete with visors and bullet-proof vests. The third was a little more dressed down but still protected with heavy flak gear. She was a vibrant white female rat with soft rose eyes; attractive enough, but they were currently staring at the two suspiciously large czarites, far taller than any she'd seen before.

"Welcome aboard Barru X Station. I'm Head Security Officer Venner. I appreciated your warnings about the freighter, with whom was I speaking to?" The rat addressed the party quite confidently and calmly, despite her eyes darting between Seeth and Plasia.

Oxyi stepped forward and held her hand out to shake, which Venner accepted with a brief smile.

"That was me, name's Oxyi. We won't be here long, just getting some supplies and then we'll be on our way."

"No problem, but I do have to insist upon a safety precaution with your... uh.... czarites. You said they had some sort of… infection?"

Seeth and Plasia both tensed slightly at the word, and her tone. Oxyi glanced back at them, then continued.

"Well, yeah but they can't pass it onto you unless you bang 'em anyway. And trust me, they're too busy banging him to want anything to do with you." She gestured over her shoulder towards the threesome with complete disregard. Diego wasn't exactly a small guy but he was completely dwarfed by the two aliens standing at his sides, with their thighs and hips being larger than his entire torso.

"Bit too much information there, Oxyi, thank you very much for sharing that with this stranger." Diego sighed deeply and mumbled under his breath.

"...Be that as it may, I must insist on having the czarites in hazmat gear whilst they are on the station. I've taken the liberty of preparing some gear in those two security rooms over there." She gestured towards the far side of the room. "Can I ask for their names?"

"Purple one is Seeth, blue one's Plasia." Oxyi's eyes narrowed as she stared at Venner. The moment she mentioned Plasia's name, she noted Venner's flickering gaze stop and focus on the girl.

Something doesn't feel right...

"Alright, Seeth if you could go to the one on the left, Plasia, the one on the right. It's nothing too invasive, just some basic gear for you both to wear, to ensure the safety of the people on board the station." As she spoke, Venner felt Oxyi's eyes watching her. "I-It's nothing to be worried about, honestly. Look, your message about the freighter spooked a lot of people here and the top brass have asked me to play it safe. I've picked out strider-sized stuff for them too, so it should all fit properly."

Oxyi went to respond, but felt Seeth's hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright Oxyi, me and Plasia can handle ourselves. Venner, was it? You wanted me to go to the right one?"

"The left! If you would. Plasia on the right, please."

"Of course." Seeth and Plasia strode across the metal plating of the station, heading to their separate security doors. Venner seemed a little tense, but the other guards barely took notice, seeming rather relaxed in fact.

"Will there be anything else, Venner?" Oxyi asked, her eyes like daggers.

"Nothing. Your friends will come out and meet you in the lobby area, providing you're not contaminated. I'm happy for the rest of you to move around as you please. You can find me on the fifth floor of this building if you have any issues. Enjoy your stay on Barru X!" Venner glanced back and ensured that Seeth and Plasia had stepped through their respective doors, before taking her guards and quickly departing, leaving Diego, Oxyi and Geralt standing in the security room together.

"I'm getting suspicious vibes off you Oxyi, what's going on?" Diego lowered his voice to ensure the guards wouldn't overhear, but it appeared they'd cleared off already.

"I did not like the way she was eying your girls, Diego. The way she was looking at Plasia, reminds me of sly little fuckers back home, who'd try to pull a fast one on you. Like they're eyeing up your stuff before stealing it."

"Any ideas what she might be up to?"

"Well, she ain't gonna try and mug 'em, I can say that much, you'd have to be a total slop brain to try and mug an eight foot tall czarite.. I don't think her guards are in on anything either, but let's be careful. I also noticed she'd already prepped the strider-sized PPE gear for the girls."

"And what does that mean? Seems thoughtful to me." Geralt queried, stretching his arms out idly.

"I didn't tell her shit about Seeth and Plasia's size prior to landing. So how did she know to get the right sized gear for them before we arrived...?"

***Three days ago***

The freighter was once again alive with activity, bodies being dragged away, cargo being counted, inventory taken. The horde was winding down now from their attack and busy repairing the damage they'd done. From outside the ship, a tired and very much annoyed Moltezz marched up the metal ramp. Fire flickered around her feet with every step, but the temperature around her was waning rapidly. At the top of the ramp, Leech was waiting for her, looking rather pleased with herself. She held three long chains in her hand, each one connected to the collar of an uncorrupted czarite, who were all glancing around nervously, and quivering in fear.

"Finally! We get some luck. How damaged is the ship?" Moltezz huffed, spying the prisoners behind Leech's toxic form.

"Barely, it's all surface damage. I've got the fresh Node's we've acquired working to repair everything. Turns out a lot of the tech team were adaptable and took to the corruption well, we've got a sizeable squad of techie Nodes who are putting the fifteen-thousand-odd slaves we also got to use. All goes to plan, we can get this ship in the air tomorrow... Think we'll… ever return here...?" Leech looked at Moltezz quizzically as she recalled the earth shaking explosion that Moltezz had erupted from, not too long ago.

"About that. During my battle with my prince, I may have caused some severe structural damage to the dungeon. I think your lab is intact, but we won't be using it as a base any further."

"Hold up - your prince...? You mean the fat-butt lizard?" Leech raised an eyebrow.

"His posterior is rather thick... but yes. I do mean Diego." Moltezz drummed her fingers against her palm as she spoke.

"How did he beat you, by the way? I thought he was finished when he ran into you."

"I... He..." Moltezz's face flushed more red than usual and she broke eye contact sharply. "I fell victim to my urges. You know how it is."

"Moltezz... Did he get the better of you? I bet he used that thiccy posterior of his." Leech smirked.

"He feigned surrender and caught me off guard!" Moltezz snapped. "I was initially furious, but I can appreciate the play he made and have decided not to take it personally."

Before the conversation could continue, the sound of loud thudding footsteps rang out, and Lamp appeared behind Leech, plastered with blood and dripping black goo. She stopped beside Leech and looked out over the landing pad.

"Who is this, Leech?" Moltezz tilted her head, taking in the new czarite's features.

"Why don't you introduce yourself, La-"

"Ink. I want you to call me Ink, from now on." She nodded towards Moltezz, and the two weighed each-other up from their respective positions.

"Ink... I like it. Ink, this is Moltezz, she's the one who dealt with those bloody Quill-Bellies and… numerous other things. She's on our side, so play nice."

"Of course. Anything for you, Leech."

Moltezz looked at Leech, back to Ink and then at Leech again, comparing the two.

"Leech, do you think we can pass on any sort of additional gifts when we corrupt? Like, a hereditary corruption or something similar?"

"Maybe. Why don't you fuck these three and see if they turn out like you?" Leech pulled on the chains of the three captives and passed it to Moltezz, who eagerly grabbed them from her. The chains warmed fiercely in her grasp. "We could do with some more moody, hot snobs to throw around."

"I will gladly test that for you. Hopefully your offspring won't be as mouthy as you." Moltezz spied Ink's massive teeth behind her black glossy lips. "But then again, maybe not. We shall discover together, no doubt."

"So... What's the plan?" Ink asked, noticing the squadrons of Slave's hauling cargo back onto the ship in perfect unison.

"The freighter had some smaller strike-craft in the hanger, we're going to use those to hit the nearby stations and outposts whilst we pursue my prince. And, Seeth and Plasia, of course." Moltezz spoke with confidence but her tongue flicked with venom as she spoke.

"Going straight after the prize, huh? You that sour about losing to him?" Leech tilted her head, watching Moltezz with an ever widening grin.

"Not losing to him - just losing him. I will have what belongs to me, Leech. Beyond that, his potential to our cause is tremendous, I can feel it. He will bring us nothing but good fortune and victories."

"And massive cum loads. I owe that prick a hate fuck or ten." Leech's smile dropped into a scowl and she looked away, a mixture of emotions flickering across her face. It's fucking embarrassing what he did to us. To me!

"When he is returned to us we can both break him in, do not fret." Moltezz continued. "But he will be mine in the end, you understand?"

"Yes, Moltezz, I know, he's your precious boy." She rolled her eyes. "I just want to see him gag on me a few times, okay? Fucker stole my best friend and my assistant."

"For his crimes, I can arrange some time between you, certainly. But we need to arrange his capture first. I want this ship operational tonight, we waste no more time here. Pack up your lab and come back to the ship immediately."

"T-tonight?! Fuck me, Moltezz. You're gonna corrupt these three, get the horde packed up and the ship in the air in the next ten hours? Bit ambitious, don't you think, considering I have some plans of my own! And shouldn't you be resting after you melted half the town?!"

"I can rest on the way. And what exactly are these oh so important plans of yours?" Moltezz's intense stare flicked between Ink and Leech.

"Slave modifications, if you must know. Seeing as they don't feel any pain, they'd be perfect for grafting weaponised bionics on to." Leech replied, a slight glint of pride in her eyes. The alien's hands fidgeted slightly, as if she were imagining herself gripping onto a saw.

" Hmm. Right you are. Well, every minute this ship isn't in the air, we're losing him, Leech. We need to get moving immediately. What say you, Ink? I can feel that Leech has given you some authority."

"I… am deeply curious about this male you seem so interested in, but I have a target of my own I'd like to pay a visit to right now; my old boss, who saw fit to withhold money that I rightfully earned. I would very much like to give him a taste of the new me." Ink licked her lips as she spoke, her tentacles hanging in the air like spikes ready to strike.

"We'll give you a strike-craft and you can depart as soon as you're ready." Moltezz nodded. "I like ambition. Makes a nice change from Seeth moping around the dungeon. I have things I need to attend to so I'll take my leave of you both, but do not be late for the departure. We have an empire to build, and a man to break." With her words uttered, Moltezz dragged the three captives with her into the hanger, leaving Leech and Ink together.

"Ugh, bossy bitch. It's so annoying she wants to leave today." Leech muttered, glancing over at Ink.

"How so? The sooner we leave, the sooner you get to… "hate fuck" this man you're both after."

"Because I wanted to spend a few hours with you."

Ink recoiled slightly in surprise, her tentacles subtly shielding her body from Leech's gaze.

"M-me?" An intense blush overtook her as Leech's words sunk in.

"Mhmm. I don't know if you've noticed, but you're gorgeous. I usually wouldn't ask but if you're willing, I'd love to have some fun together, and we can find out what you're capable of." She grinned and eyed Ink's body up and down. "I bet you've got a monster down there, like me. Buuuuuut it looks like that'll have to wait for now, at least until we're in the air."

"Th-then let's get this ship going, and find out together." Ink's grin returned to her face and she turned to go back into the ship. Her tentacles shyly slipped around Leech's back and guided her inside, which she accepted with a skip in her step.

***Present Day***

Plasia stepped through the security door, which led into a short, plain corridor and another door at the far end. There was nothing particularly unusual about the corridor, but as she stepped forward, she felt her heart thumping in her chest. Something in her core was urging her not to proceed into the following room.

Come on... You're away from him for two minutes and you're already having an anxiety episode? I can beat this... I can do this, it's just putting on some clothes...

She stepped towards the door again and felt the breath drop from her lungs. She clutched at her chest as fear and pain filled inside her, heart slamming against her ribs as if it were trying to escape. She braced herself against the wall, sucking in air slowly and exhaling as calmly as possible, letting the anxiety wash over her.

That's it, just breathe it through, you've done this a million times.

Slowly, she regained control over her emotions, the pain in her chest faded and warm station air filled the void in her chest again; although her heart was still racing, she was able to breathe properly once more. She took a few more seconds to steady herself, and then stood up straight, walking to the door on the opposite end of the corridor.

As she reached it, another wave of anxiety shot through her, making her hands tremble uncomfortably, sharp dagger-like pains shot through-out her chest, making her blood run cold.. The air felt like sand-paper, carving up her throat with every breath she took.

I-I can't still be this pathetic, can I? Even though I'm over eight feet tall, I'm still so small on the inside... I still can't handle the most simple of tasks alone... N-no. I will beat this. I won't let this control me!

Plasia steadied herself once more, breathing the air in slowly and blowing it back out through pursed, pained lips. As she approached a little closer, the door slid open and revealed another, small-ish room, with a rack of gear against one wall, a large mirror to her right and another door, that presumably went out onto the station floor straight ahead. There was no one waiting to attack her. There wasn't anything unusual about this area at all. And still, her anxiety would not calm.

Pressing on, she approached the rack, seeing a full set of black latex protective gear, including a large gas mask. She didn't blame them; as much as she hated to admit it, her and Seeth were dangerous.

The overalls were squeaky clean and she began to pull herself into it one limb at a time. Despite it being sized appropriately for her height, it wasn't built for a bust like hers and it wouldn't zip up all the way, but it was better than nothing.

Always designed and manufactured for men, honestly it's ridiculous.

As Plasia glanced at herself in the mirror, her mind went back to the anxiety attack she'd just had; it all felt so silly. This was just some harmless gear, and it put people at ease.

She huffed loudly, annoyed with herself and looked at the gas mask, would this be her life from now on? Would it be so bad, if it was only in public places? It's not like she'd have been out and about much anyway…

As she reached out to the gas mask, a final wave of anxiety hit her, stronger than before, bringing her hand to a shuddering stop.

"No! I won't let this stupid, unfounded anxiety beat me! Enough is enough!" Plasia spoke out loud, projecting her thoughts with definitive defiance. She lurched forward and seized the mask with a single hand, pulling it from the rack.

As she did so, she saw something fall from its insides, a small glass vial containing green liquid and what looked like a note of some sort. It fell too fast for her to catch, as it had been taped loosely to the inside of the mask, and instantly shattered upon hitting the ground.

The smell hit her instantly. It was already too late.

Leech.

Eyes closed, her tongue flopped loosely from her mouth and she collapsed to her knees. Her anxiety was gone. This creature had no anxiety. When she opened her eyes again, her glassy orb-like irises were replaced with the hunter-like slits of her other half.

She pressed her face against the floor, licking up the green fluid with her tongue and swallowing as much as she could, picking through the shattered glass and licking it clean. The note caught her eye and she plucked it off the ground, unravelling and reading through it quickly… and then read it through a second, and third time more carefully.

The hunger was building within her. She could feel so many easy pickings, the choice was almost overwhelming.

"The note! The note knows! Play along! Be the good girl…

THEY-WON'T-KNOW-THEY-WON'T-KNOW-THEY-WON'T-KNOW!"

She pressed the note into her cleavage and scrabbled for the gas mask, retracting her tongue and pulling it tight over her face, securing it by the straps. Once on, she shook her head around to ensure it stayed put and checked herself out in the mirror. She played the plan through in her head, and spent a couple of minutes refining her body language and posture to more closely mimic her other half, going from a ravenous hunter to a shy bookworm with unsettling ease.

Cackling madly to herself, she muttered the words with a guttural growl through the muffled seal of the gas mask clasped over the face:

"IT WILL BE PERFECT."

Wiping her goo away and leaving the room through the final door, she arrived into the main mall area where everyone was waiting for her, all unaware of what had just transpired.

"Hey, Plas! What took you so long? We were worried something had happened!"

"O-oh, n-nothing. Just had to c-change."