of lust. A shriek burst from my lungs when lucidity returned, startling the male into jerking away from me, causing an uncomfortable pulling at both my openings. Fury filled my mind as I lunged after him, only for my limbs to fail like a marionette with its strings cut, causing me to flop back. I tried to fight the descending darkness, but it was no use, and I went into my slumber cussing up a storm inside my mind.
Torbus
Melior came out of the virtual simulation, pulling off the headset before groaning and cupping his balls at the aborted pseudo mating. His dick was still in the stimulation sleeve that connected to the rod poised just outside the female's vaginal opening. The lower device hung limp, devoid of the air that had filled it after being pulled from her anus. He wasn't the only one aroused and erect and torn between finding out what happened and staring at the slick and glistening pink center on display.
Torin was the only one who wasn't honed in on the yet again unconscious female, and a moment later, we found out why. "There's a neuro blocker I somehow missed. I don't understand why it wouldn't have shown up on the scans. I think someone is deliberately sabotaging us, because I just ran the autoscan, and it passed right over it. I found it by manually looking. We can't proceed until I've gone over her entire body and done a full work-up."
The news was a blow to us all, but Melior had drawn the lot to synthetically mate with the female first and was furious in his disappointment. Throwing off the stimulator, he stalked out of the medical bay, presumably heading for his quarters.
The information had me running my hand through my short vibrant red hair in frustration. "We've been here, orbiting Earth, for nine of their rotations already. We planned on two full chronital cycles. We're midpoint to one now. How long will this push our schedule back? With the unrest on Helion, we nearly didn't get to take our leave to retrieve the female."
My brother, just as frustrated, snapped back, "I'm aware of the time difference, Torbus, but this isn't a situation I can expedite. She's mostly still human and extremely fragile at this point. The procedures would have been done under a team and in a controlled environment. I can only compensate for so much. You know our own planet’s females have to be receptive to take the bonds. We can't facilitate them and stimulate the change without that step. It's the entire point of what we just had to abort with Melior."
He wasn't telling me anything I didn't already know, but it was a harsh blow to our dreams of officially being a mated crew and therefore never having to worry about being separated by duty to the crown. If we returned unmated, we'd never have another chance.
Coming to a decision that none of them would like, I made my decree. Sometimes, being the leader was a hard burden to shoulder. "If we can't complete the mission in the allotted time, the subject will need to be altered for forced acceptance." Driat immediately started to object, but I stayed his argument with a direct stare. "If it comes to a mentally functioning mate or our family, then I choose us. She'll never know." Without waiting for a response, I left the medical bay with accusing glares following in my wake.
Ulric
The Mimic overseer of the Raiter Center cowered before me as I slammed my fist on the table. "Where is my female subject?" The low and controlled tone of my voice was in direct contrast to my physical expression of outrage.
"The Eleon Team took possession already, my lord. The subject was slated as theirs from conception."
"And did I not override that decision when I requested the next available female? Is that not why you altered her markers and put in a blocker for the others? I am your prince, and I need a mate immediately." I fixed a hard stare on the lifeform pretending to be a human male, daring him to deny me.
"There's another coming up. Eight to fourteen Earth months from now depending on when her maturation is complete." His wince proved he knew how unsuitable that was for me.
"Then I'll just have to make them return her, won't I? They couldn't have completed anything permanent this soon." I pulled my communicator from the vest of my armor before glancing back