Cosmic Bliss Read Free Page A

controller for the virtual, top-mounted
gun down to action level. “How much do you think the Gastronian Empire will add
to the bounty on each of our heads for this?”
    “They have enough slave labor credits to spare. Why
shouldn’t they spend it looking for us?” Cheris replied.
    “Is it too much to hope this is a House To’a vessel?” Acia
held her breath.
    Figia’s fingers flew across her control panel. “No, the ship
is registered to House Baug’na.”
    Next time. Acia’s heart rate slowed slightly. She
focused her attention on the battle at hand. These Gastronians may not have
been her demons, but they needed killing just the same.
    “In range!” Berisa called.
    “Fire at will,” Acia said.
    The Gastronian vessel attempted to return fire, but the Dovian
Heart was well protected. Unfortunately for the Gastronians, the last
bounty the crew had reaped from a Gastronian ship had paid for better shields
and the latest in black-market top-of-the line weaponry and tractor beams.
    “We’re locked on, Acia. They aren’t going anywhere and I’ve
jammed the distress signal.”
    “Excellent. Suit up. Let’s see what we’ve earned in a day’s
work.” Acia smiled in anticipation while rising from her chair.
    They left Ruvia on board and headed to the boarding lock. A
heavy corridor attached the Dovian Heart to the Gastronian ship’s
doorway. They approached cautiously. This was the part of the mission that
always made her body and mind sing in unison. Every part of her felt
electrified and alert.
    Heat spread over Acia and she gasped.
    Cheris turned sharply. “Is it starting? Do you want to stay behind?”
    Acia gritted her teeth. “No, it comes and goes. I will be
fine.”
    Cheris nodded. She understood. Her first fervor was years
past. Acia was a late bloomer. Sweat pearled all over her body. Unfortunately
the fervor couldn’t be stopped and was often debilitating. It was also one of
the main reasons why the Dovians had been conquered and sold as exotics. What
slave owner wouldn’t want a sex slave who would attack you for sex if denied
during the fervor?
    Figia released the pressure on the Gastronian doorway,
opening the portal. Laser-fire blasts greeted them through the half-opened
door. Acia flattened against the wall and returned fire. She forced her
thoughts from her tingling body and concentrated.
    Cheris activated a Scrambler and tossed it into the portal.
Clicking and then a large bang rang out. Male Gastronian groans filled the air
and she relished the sound. The crew of the Dovian Heart surged through
the portal. She ignored the haze and stench of the Scrambler and fired on and
killed any man with green skin.
    They made headway inside, fooling the much stronger men with
smoke and flares. A strong arm grabbed Acia and she pressed a button on her
belt. A knife shot out from her gear in the back, stabbing the Gastronian who
held her. His inhalation of air was the only sound he made before falling to
the ground. She was physically weaker than the Gastronian, but way cleverer.
    Acia blasted or stabbed each Gastronian in her path. The
fervor burned through her body, splitting her concentration between controlling
the pain and staying alive.
    Everything around her grew still and quiet. She glanced
around at the carnage. Acia hit a button on her communicator. “Ruvia, live
count.”
    “Aside from the six of you there are six alive in the cargo
section. Not Gastronian.”
    “Slaves maybe?” Cheris asked.
    “I’ve never seen these vitals before. They did just leave
the new planet in the twelve thousandth galaxy,” Ruvia said.
    “Earth,” Acia said.
    They searched the Gastronian vessel thoroughly. Acia stopped
repeatedly to clench her thighs together and wait out each new wave of the
fervor. They each piled valuables near the portal for Ruvia to collect with a
bot. She reached the large cargo area in the rear of the ship. Dealing with
scared newly enslaved people was time consuming. Her battle