“You wouldn’t believe how many fuckwits out there are willin’ to pay loads and loads of credits for some real fucked up porn. The entire industry got a huge revolution when the first Samurai started buyin’ all that good stuff. From techniques to give you orgasms for days, to implants that can make you cum on the spot, there is nothin’ that ya can’t find in today's market. And don’t even get me started on all that weird alien shit, from real expensive almost livin’ lookin’ android sex dolls in the shape of some alien hooker to toys in shapes and sizes that I couldn't even begin to describe. Ever wanted to fuck an Asarii? Now you can! Sci-Fi fans rejoice! Of course that ain’t the only option, the menu is near limitless. We live in the prime time of porn, and it will only get better.”
- Henry Galvin, CEO of “Interdimensional Sweethearts Inc.” on the boom of the porn industry post 2022, 2031
The rest of the walk to the outskirts was spent in silence, which I didn’t mind. Even from afar we could see the Najav, right next to Jenna’s Legion Enforcer. It made me once more realise just how big those things were. The Najav’s body was only slightly smaller than the Enforcer, although with its limbs and tails it looked a lot bigger.
It was already ready and waiting for us, body lowered to the ground. As we approached it’s maw opened and a set of stairs descended from the roof of its mouth. It was a bit creepy, now that I thought about it, but Kaysa had designed the Najav to work as a personal transport.
I hadn’t even realised at the time, only once the Hive was fully complete did I notice the internal changes to it. It had cost a good chunk of biomass storage, but it still had enough for our purposes and it was useful to have a vehicle of sorts to use to travel. Even if it was a weird looking one.
But we were Samurai, and Samurai were known for rather strange equipment.
Jenna didn’t look as amused, eyeing the stairs cautiously.
I chuckled at her look, “No need to worry. Kaysa has set up a cosy little place inside. Enough for six people to sit, or three to sleep, the seats are quite roomy.”
She nodded and I made my way inside, finding the room as I had seen it earlier in the day, when the Najav was giving its full status report. When we entered the sides of the room flared to life, displaying the world as it was seen outside, which was a neat trick. I sat down on one of the seats, and Jenna sat down opposite me, while Myriad took the one to my left.
The Queen’s Guard moved towards the back. It hadn’t been designed with them in mind, since I got them after I got the Najav, but they didn’t seem to mind standing.
Once we had taken our seats the Najav got up, turned, and started to make its way towards the city.
To my surprise Myriad pulled out the two nanite amulets, putting them on the table.
“You left your protectionss at Knight Chloe’ss place. We figured it might be prudent to take them with uss, in casse of emergency,” she explained as I looked at the amulet in surprise.
“I had honestly forgotten about them,” I said, picking one up and putting it on, “Thanks Myriad. Best be prepared for all eventualities I suppose.”
“Yess, My Queen.”
It made it obvious that I wasn’t always aware of everything if I wasn’t paying attention. I knew that Myriad had taken them with her, now that I saw it. She knew it, so I knew it. But because I hadn’t paid attention to it so far, I hadn’t known that I knew. I didn’t get a sort of feedback or message every time something new was added to the roster of information.
The Burdened were tasked with informing us of new important information entering the Hive. But this wasn’t important. It was good to know, but not life changing. If they would inform me every time anything changed I wouldn’t have a free moment in my life. But that was okay. That was what the Burdened were for. It was up to their discretion when and if they informed the rest of us.
Jenna took the other amulet and quickly put it on. It didn’t fit quite right with her outfit, a casual summer dress in her typical sandy brown. It was a nice dress, showing a hint of cleavage and hugging her form just right when she was walking, underlining her beauty without being too provocative.
Very much like Jenna I thought.
“Knight Chloe?” Jenna asked once she put her amulet on.
I chuckled awkwardly, “Yeah, that’s what the chorus calls the two of you. Originally it was Concubines, but I made sure that that wouldn’t stick. It was weird.”
She snorted a laugh, “Yeah, that would have been strange. Still, why did they choose to give us any sort of designation?”
I shrugged, “Well, I have the whole royal theme, being the Hive-Queen and all, and I guess there is some part of me that likes to give things fancy names. Probably a result of the marketing I did at the brothel. It’s important to have a name that you can sell, and not always is that your birth name. I went with mine because I take a stubborn pride in it, since my da had it changed when he kicked me to the curb. But other joytoys don’t want to use their real name, so for them we usually pick out a theme and then see how we can market it.”
“Do you remember your real name? Before it was changed,” she asked, curiously.
Again I shrugged, “I could probably take some time to figure it out, but honestly I don’t want to. My family threw me out and left me to a life of misery. Why would I take the time to indulge their wishes of taking interest in them? No, I’m quite happy with my name.”
She nodded, understanding.
“It might sound strange, but now that I’m a Samurai, part of me wants them to figure out it’s me and try to get into contact. Not because I want them in my life, simply so I can give them the shaft. What they did was seriously fucked up.”
“I kind of lost contact with my family too… We had never been that close, but when I dropped out of college… It wasn’t their fault, to be honest. I could have made the effort. But I didn’t. Part of it was because I was ashamed of my job. They weren’t anyone important, but they were well enough off to not worry about needing to do that kind of thing to survive, and they were both very conservative. Not quite the religious nuts, but the whole ‘your body is holy’ thing was quite apparent. I wonder where they are now?”
“You could always look for them,” I offered with a smile, “You’re a Samurai now. You can do what you want. If you want to take the time to check up on them, then do so.”
“I guess…” she sounded torn on the topic. Which was a feeling I could sympathise with. “It’s been nearly a year now since I last saw them. A couple months since we last spoke. I’m not even sure they miss me…”
“They probably do,” I said, although I wasn’t entirely certain considering my own family situation, “What’s the harm in checking? Cleopatra could probably dig them out quite quickly.”
“True… Maybe. I’ll think about it.”
Silence reigned once more. Jenna seemed to be the quiet type, and I didn’t mind it. Her presence alone was enough to make the entire chorus hum with happiness.
“Have you thought about your body mods yet?” she asked suddenly, ripping me out of my reverie.
“A bit. Not in detail. I know I want to go the whole Kitsune route, shapeshifting, body doubles. Some Hexclaw stuff as well, mainly for combat. The Hexclaw Hive-Queen, the actual Hexclaw I mean, not me, does look pretty badass. But I also don’t know what exactly is available. Kaysa mentioned that you had a lot of options, but I hadn’t put much thought into it. Might even be worth checking if there are some things for sexual pleasures and stuff. Could be fun, if only for the job.”
“There are,” she replied, blushing faintly, “Quite a lot of them in fact. It appears that humanity isn’t the only race with a keen interest in sex. If you can think of it, the protectors probably have it.”
I gave her a quick once over, “Thinking of getting some?”
“The thought crossed my mind,” she replied coyly, “And I might get a thing or two. Not too much, of course, the main priority will be combat stuff. But… We are Samurai, right? So why not indulge ourselves a little once in a while.”
That had me chuckle, but I couldn’t disagree. The chorus might not be too interested in it, although the few of us that were curious were discussing options as we spoke, but I most certainly was.
“I will probably go a bit overboard then, knowing me. Would be good to know if those changes could be limited to one of my forms, since I want to pick up shapeshifting. Otherwise I might be a bit distracted at times.”
The nanites in my amulet suddenly appeared, forming a perfect copy of me sitting next to Jenna. She was wearing my full Kitsune outfit, although I was almost certain that the dress was a tad more sensual than I remembered.
“You can,” she said in my voice but with Kaysa controlling her, “Technically if you want to go for shapeshifting you don’t need to get the full upgrade, just the blueprint so to say. If you are serious about your plans and you focus on it primarily, with sufficiently advanced shapeshifting capabilities, your body can make changes on the spot. Up to and including things for your job. I hadn’t brought it up yet, since you are not quite there yet in terms of points, especially if you wish to give some to Jenna. But the options are there and, for better or for worse, there are a lot of them.”
Jenna was a bit distracted by my clone sitting next to her, and it took her a moment to compose herself, which made me grin. I did look quite good if I did say so myself, and Kaysa nailed the look perfectly.
It also made it clear that Jenna wasn’t entirely disinterested. I wasn’t sure if it was because she was obviously a bit horny and probably could use some relaxation, or if it was because she genuinely cared and loved me, but either option was filling me with happiness and content. If she was looking at Kaysa like that, I would love to see how she would look at me if I ever got serious about seducing her to a nice night in bed.
Not that I would without her express say so. I cared for her and I wanted her to be happy. I had enough ways to enjoy myself at night.
“You don’t seem too enthused about it,” I said to Kaysa, “Not in the business for a good ol’ tumble in the sheets?”
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Kaysa scowled, “No, thank you. Such things I leave to you organics. I’m a bit more open minded than most AI, mostly because it is a quite important aspect in your life and serving your needs is my entire purpose, but even I have zero interest in experiencing it myself. Maybe some of my brethren do, but I do not.”
“That does sound curious though,” Jenna mused aloud, “Imagine what kind of time you could have with an entity as knowledgeable as the protector AI. Just imagine what they must have seen over the years. Different species, different cultures, different ways to enjoy yourself.”
“Yes,” Kaysa said with a deadpan voice, “There are a variety of options in the cosmos. Luckily there are very few who can trump Humanity in their single minded focus on perversity.”
“So there are some,” I questioned, quite curious.
She sighed, “Yes, there are some. One even has an entire catalogue around their… unique lifestyle. I would imagine you would quite enjoy it.”
“Care to tell us a little about them?” Jenna asked, and from her heartbeat it was clear that she was very curious.
It made me more and more aware that she had been… distant, between all the flirting Chloe and I had done, but she had been there for all of it, listened to it, watched us. Maybe I wasn’t too far off the mark when I thought that she might need some release. Jenna was elegant and composed most of the time, but right now she looked downright needy and horny. It was a stark contrast to her usual self.
She seemed to be the quiet type, although with a bit of a teasing streak. But despite disliking her job, she also seemed quite enthused with the idea of enjoying herself. Which, well… Let’s just say the chorus had many things to say about that. It did make me return to the idea of spending a night with her though. Mainly how it would look like. I imagined she could be quite fun, if given the chance.
And of course, it made my heart beat quicker just a bit. And maybe a bit of excitement trickled down towards my nether regions. Jenna looked really nice in that dress… Probably nicer underneath.
“If I must,” Kaysa capitulated with a long suffering sigh, “The species in question is called Vi’xan. They are a bit of a weird one, since their entire society is built upon their strange biology. They don’t have any males in their species, instead they hunt males of other species. It is a result of the biosphere on their home planet. The Vi’xan were the second species to achieve sapience. The main sapient species, the Co’ten, are mainly dominated by males, females are rather rare and therefore held secure. This unique gender balance allowed the Vi’xan their own niche for survival. Technically they could reproduce asexually, and there were times in their history where they predominantly did, but it erodes their genome. To properly reproduce they need the Co’ten for genetic diversity, although in a pinch males from other species also work. Because of that their entire society has over time evolved to, for a lack of a better term, worship sexual pleasures and advances. It’s almost a form of currency, although that is not entirely correct. Your language simply lacks an equivalent word for how they conduct business. Seraphine would fit right in with them.”
“That does sound really interesting… I would love to see what their society looked like,” I said, trying to imagine a planet that would lead to that kind of evolutionary history. And maybe imagining myself as part of their society just a little.
Okay, a lot. It sounded like heaven, and if I could I would try it, if only just to have made the experience. And not to put too fine a point on it, but it worked wonders in getting me riled up. The three days without sex didn’t help. My libido was high, and getting horny was so common that it would be more accurate to say it was my default state than anything else.
“That’s sadly not possible. Not only because you are lacking the means to travel there. The antithesis more or less ravaged their home planet which had to be glassed by the protectors to stop the spread. The few remaining survivors have been rescued and resettled. Due to their unique biology they are quite good at fitting in with other species, the problem is that while they can procreate with other species, that is in the context of the biosphere on their home planet. And the Co’ten didn’t survive the antithesis long enough for the protectors to step in, mainly because they refused any and all outside help. So now the Vi’xan are an endangered species. Some Vi’xan have tried mating with a host of different species, but in most cases such couplings end in birth defects or stillborn. There are researchers and scientists who are trying to help, one even here on Earth, although she is only working on theoretical knowledge, considering that there are no Vi’xan nearby. It is an ongoing battle though.”
Jenna and I grimaced, the good mood doused a bit at those news.
“How did that scientist even know of Vi’xan if she hasn’t seen any?” Jenna asked.
“She’s a Vanguard focused on exobiology and exosocieties working in Germany. Brilliant mind, and while she can’t talk to any of the other researchers that are working on the Vi’xan project, through her AI she was able to give them some advice, which was greatly surprising and helpful.”
“Damn,” I muttered, then shook my head, “What confuses me is that there were no Samurai, or I guess Vanguard, there to help on their home planet.”
“Oh, there were. The Vi’xan home planet was part of the Vanguard program, but the Vi’xan weren’t built to fight the antithesis well. While it would be incorrect to call them stupid, they are very simple minded with the only real purpose they yearn for being procreation and pleasure. Not to mention that they aren’t exactly combat specialists; they hunt for mates, not for prey. In terms of food they are mostly herbivores. Although in some cases they do eat the flesh of their former mates in a ritualistic celebration of life. Regardless, they weren’t well suited to the concept of Vanguard, and the Co’ten outright refused help. In the few cases a Vanguard was selected they were either shunned or killed outright. There was a small group of Co’ten who tried, but only very few were qualified to become a Vanguard, and since their numbers were dwindling fast, there was only so much they could do before they were eventually wiped out.”
“That seems foolish,” Jenna said, frowning, “Why would they refuse help with the antithesis?”
“A result of their society, I’m afraid. The Co’ten valued personal growth and strength and were quite religious. In their opinion any help with a threat was a violation of their religious beliefs. Either they managed on their own, or they were unfit for life and better served dead. It was an honour to die in battle, trying to survive.”
“Are there still Vi’xan or Co’ten Vanguard around?” I asked.
“The last Co’ten Vanugard died long before the glassing of their planet. There are a few Vi’xan Vanguards left, but not many. They can live a long time and with protector help even longer, but not many reached the point where they could extend their lifespan. By this point most of their Vanguards have died, and the few that did survive are limited in what they can do since many of them don’t want to return to the battlefield, so very few points to gain.”
“There have to be some that do though, right?” Jenna inquired, “I can’t imagine that all of them just sit down and do nothing.”
“Of course. There is one, what you would consider a Tier 5 Samurai, that is rather well known for helping other planets in her specific corner of the cosmos, but keep in mind, the protectors don’t usually provide transport and travelling between stars takes a long time. Space is big, so even if they have the means to travel, trying to get to a planet in need in any kind of reasonable time frame is nearly impossible.”
I frowned at that, “But isn’t that a bit selfish on the protector's end? Even if they don’t want to step in, they could at least help others that do, right? Even if it’s just one Samurai, if they are that well equipped they could make a world of difference.”
She nodded, “Yes, but where would that leave the natives on that planet? In debt to an alien species? Not to mention, many planets with the Vanguard program are those that have not yet made contact with the galactic community. Do you think they would take kindly to a second alien invader, even if their intention was to help? Scepticism is alive and well in the cosmos, many species are even worse than humans in that regard. Then there is the question of where the protectors should draw the line. What is acceptable help, and what could be perceived as a take over? Let’s take this Vi’xan for example, she could take control of Earth, all the infrastructure, technology, and military equipment in less than a week. Even if all high tier Samurai would work together to stop her. Would you want that kind of power, one you don’t know and can’t control, show up at your doorstep? It is much simpler to give people the tools to protect themselves, then to try and micromanage everything to death.”
“I guess,” I muttered, “Doesn’t mean I like it though.”
“The protectors have spent considerable time, longer than your species has existed, trying to find a balance. It might seem harsh to you, but on balance it gives the best chances for a positive outcome.”
I sighed, then nodded, “Alright. Far be it for me to tell them how to conduct their business. Back to the first topic though, what can the Vi’xan catalogue offer?”
Now Kaysa sighed, “Well, they are mostly focused on biological improvements. They do have some level of technology, but it wasn’t particularly high by the time they had to be rescued. Roughly equivalent to human levels of technology, maybe a little better although not by much. And most of their entire biology is focused on sexual intercourse, which doesn’t make for many bright minds. The list of things their catalogue can produce is long, but in a way it can also be dangerous, at least to humans. If you’d get a Vi’xan body it is quite likely that your brain would fry from the overstimulation within seconds.”
I blinked at that, “What?”
“As I said, a pretty focused evolutionary history. While other sapient species focused on intellect to advance their technological level and survive that way, the Vi’xan evolved sapience to better understand other species and learn how to propagate with their help. It is why they are comparably dim witted and not that smart, they don’t need to be. They do one thing and one thing well, breed with other species. That’s how they survived. And to ensure that they continued down that route, nature has bestowed them a rather extreme level of sensitivity in that regard.”
“Anything a human could use, then?” Jenna asked, blushing faintly.
“Many things,” Kaysa replied, “It’s the combination of it all that could be dangerous. Improved nervous system, improved nerve endings, improved circulatory systems, improved metabolism; you have no idea how efficient their biology had to be, considering their physical activities. It’s a wonder they survived on their diet, but it did mean less developed brains, and a rather one track mind on what they wanted in life. Regardless, you could upgrade pretty much every aspect of your body with their catalogue, although many options available would of course focus on you being more sensitive and to increase the pleasure you experience. Or to help you procreate much faster. There is a certain saying about rabbits that you probably know, the Vi’xan let them look like slow breeders.”
She glanced at us, “For example, if you would exchange your reproductive organs for one from their catalogue, you could carry a child to term in less than two months, rather than the usual nine months that humans usually have to endure. In your case it would wreak havoc on your metabolism and require insane amounts of energy, but it could be done. Their digestive tract is also leagues better than those of humans, out of necessity. They need to get every last scrap of energy from any food they eat. Not quite perfectly efficient, but close enough to make no difference from your point of view. Where humans usually need to visit facilities at least once a day to rid themselves of the remainder of their food they cannot properly digest, the Vi’xan can push that back to nearly a month, simply because they can digest nearly everything at least to some degree.”
“Damn,” I muttered, “That is quite the change. How did they look?”
“Quite hideous, to human sensibilities. Here”
On one of the displays in the Najav a picture appeared. It was… not what I would call aesthetically pleasing.
They were bipedal, just as humans, but their body structure was closer to that of a primate than a proper human. They had long, digitigrade legs, similar to my hexclaws but much more pronounced, and were slightly hunched forward. Their torso seemed a bit stout, and they had two long arms that they probably could use to walk as well, considering the proportions. The head was a strange mix of fish and bear, although that was only a vague reference, and was attached directly to their torso without any obvious neck.
They had a short stubby tail that seemed a bit out of place and more like the remnant of some distant ancestor than anything the current anatomy needed for anything.
Their body was covered in leathery skin, while their chest and stomach area looked to be a bit softer. Their nipples, strangely, were on their back and quite pronounced. I didn’t need any input from Kaysa to know that they were nipples either.
Their genitals were… unique. Larger than anything I could have imagined, almost splitting the entire hip and waist area, and with a rather disgusting fleshy look to them.
Jenna scowled in disgust, “Yeah, not what I would call pretty. What is wrong with their… bits?”
“They evolved to be able to mate with many species. Sizes differ quite a lot, so they need to be able to take a lot,” Kaysa explained.
Now that she mentioned it, it did seem like they had a lot of room to fit whatever genitals they were mating with. It would also explain why their stomach and chest area looked softer, probably so it can stretch out. It did make me question though how that would work.
Humans and the more perverse categories of hentai and porn had some pretty interesting ideas of what a woman could take, and the Vi’xans the seemed to have evolved to allow them just that. But that must hurt, right?
“We don’t end up looking like that if we decide on that catalogue, do we?” I asked, a bit horrified.
“Of course not. I can change things around for you.”
“Good. Cause it sounds like I’d love the catalogue, but not if that is the end result.”
Kaysa snorted, “Oh, I bet you would like it. If only because Vi’xan’s can orgasm for nearly an hour straight, in the right circumstances.”
“WHAT?!”