The Ship:

"Contact!" the Sensor Operator yelled across the bridge.

"Where?" asked the Captain.

The Sensorman quickly checked his monitors, and replied "37 degrees to starboard, 14 degrees declination, 92 kilometers away. At least a dozen points of movement, Sir!"

"Bring it up on the main screen, Jimmy."

Jimmy pressed buttons on his console, and the large monitor switched to display the feed from his sensors. The screen showed a group of specks, starships in the distance. They emerged from behind the rings of a nearby planet.

"The Syndicate, Sir?" asked the Second Mate, a man named Kent.

They were patrolling the Empire's outer provinces, looking for pirates and troublemakers. Several Imperial convoys had recently disappeared in this sector, and Star Command suspected the Independent Guild's Syndicate was to blame.

The Captain did not respond. The number and size of moving points represented a bigger task force than the Syndicate could muster. He leaned forward in his chair, squinting at the monitor. Something bothered him about those ships.

"Jimmy. Enlarge the image, please." the Captain ordered.

The Sensorman poked at his controls. A moment passed while the sensor equipment delayed. Everyone held their breath. Then the screen's image magnified.

"Dear God!" Someone gasped. "What the fuck are they?"

Several other officers let out gasps too. The enemy ships had a freakish, alien design. Organically built. Ugly, strange, and terrifying.

The Captain quietly stated "Venacori."

Murmurs swept around the bridge. Kent simply remarked "Oh shit."

Not many people had heard of the Venacori, let alone actually seen them, before this. Aliens were a legend, almost a myth. Of the whole crew, only Captain Steihl had ever survived an engagement with the Venacori before, on his previous tour. According to the stories, it was a close thing.

The Pilot, Lena, did not hear the others nervously whispering. She froze, almost in a trance, staring with mixed fear and fascination at the strange alien ships on the monitor.

"They've jammed our signals." the Communications officer, Beth, announced. "We can't send a distress signal."

The Captain stayed cool. He calmly gave orders. "Alright. Weapons, launch a spread of missiles. Helm, I want you to turn towards the other side of the planet. Hard burn. We'll slingshot around while they deal with the missiles."

Everyone understood. It was time to flee.

Lena unfroze from her trance. She focused on her job, pushing the image of those bizarre ships out of her mind. Lena was young, but had been the top pilot in her class, graduating with honors from the space academy. She expertly angled the cruiser onto its new course.

The Weapons officer, Martin, launched a salvo of missiles as they began to accelerate away. The missiles sped off, curving towards the cluster of enemies.

On the monitor, the aliens dispersed, minimizing the damage from missile explosions. Their evasive action distracted them, and the Imperial Cruiser gained a head start. Using the planet's gravity to gain extra speed, they hurried away from the aliens, leaving them behind.

"It looks like we're losing them." Jimmy said, watching the sensor feed.

Tension relaxed slightly. Hope started to return.

Suddenly Jimmy yelled "Alert! Additional contacts, directly ahead!"

The monitor switched to a forward-view. Several dozen more Venacori ships launched from asteroids where they had lain in hiding. They moved to cut off the human's escape.

"Swerve around them." The Captain said. "And keep some distance. Venacori don't use long-range weapons, but they're deadly up close. "

Lena twisted the cruiser's controls, but she could not turn enough. They were moving too fast, whipping around the curvature of the planet.

"Helm!" The Captain spat. "Turn, dammit!"

"Sorry Captain." Lena apologized. "We're committed."

Everyone on deck realized that by trying for this escape route, they had unknowingly cornered themselves. The teeth of the ambush closed.

"Clever bastards." The Captain muttered.

Captain Steihl held his head and scratched his scalp through short hair. Everyone turned to him, hoping he had a trick up his sleeve. But the look in his eyes said that he had no ideas. The only two options were to turn and crash into the planet, or to struggle vainly in resistance.

Finally the Captain snapped up his head. He said, "Alright. Weapons, fire everything. We won't let 'em take us without a fight."

Martin turned to his console. He began launching missiles. But before the first salvo had even left their bays, the closest Venacori rammed into them, a glancing blow. The Venacori ship took little damage because of its heavy, armored shell. The human ship, however, buckled and crumpled at the point of impact.

The cruiser shook from the collision. Sparks fell from the ceiling of the bridge. Some officers fell from their stations.

"Take battle stations, people!" Kent hollered "We're engaged."

Officers resumed their posts. They strapped themselves in securely. Martin, the Weapons controller, had not fallen from his seat. Throughout, he continued launching armament as fast as possible.

Missiles flew towards the Venacori, tracking them as they tried to dodge. Trails of exhaust snaked everywhere, looking like strands of hair hanging in space - a truly chaotic furball. The aliens were fast and tough, but could not avoid taking some damage from humanity's harsh explosives.

Some of the explosions were nearby; shockwaves rocked the cruiser. The battle had already become a point-blank engagement. Up close, the enemy looked even more ugly and bizarre. They appeared to be giant space octopi, only less symmetrical in shape and with far more appendages sprouting in every direction.

Lena found them disturbing, yet exotically interesting. They seemed both creepy and beautiful. She forced herself to ignore their strange form, punched the ship's accelerator, and tried to steer out of the chaos.

Another Venacori rammed them, in the side. This one successfully grappled the cruiser with its tentacles. It gripped the ship and held them fast. Then it reached one appendage to their engines, and tore apart their drive.

"We've lost thrust, Captain." Lena said.

Other Venacori could catch them easily now. Several approached, and latched onto the cruiser. They began chewing and tearing into the ship. Some of them finished smashing the engines, while others tore open missile bays and disabled them.

"All launchers are out of commission. I've got nothing left." Martin announced. "We're helpless."

"Sensors are down too." Jimmy added.

They could all feel vibrations through the hull, as the aliens ripped open compartments.

The Captain gave the command "Get to the escape pods. It's the only hope."

Every officer instantly obeyed, abandoning the bridge. The Captain stayed behind, repeating the command over the intercom to the rest of the ship.

"All hands hear this. Abandon ship. Abandon ship. We're defeated. Abandon ship." The Captain's voice blasted from loudspeakers throughout the cruiser.

In the corridors, people ran everywhere. A group of marines pushed past the officers, on their way to seal a breach. Martin took command of the soldiers and led them off to fight, to buy time for others to escape.

Lena fled with the crowd, to the escape pods. She found one and climbed inside. Lena quickly sealed her helmet against vacuum, buckled the safety harness, and pressed the emergency release. Explosive charges blasted the shuttle loose, and sent it hurtling away from the cruiser.

She deftly steered between two flailing tentacles, and cranked up the tiny shuttle's thrusters. Building speed, she flew away from the knot of enemies swarming around the disabled cruiser.

Now with some breathing space, she evaluated the situation. All around, other shuttles fled with her. They grouped together, and made plans on channel five.

"Now what?" someone asked.

"Now, we keep running." Kent replied.

So they increased the speed of their shuttles, leaving the battle. Behind them, the Venacori busily shredded the cruiser, almost like a pack of animals. Lena watched, entranced by the strangeness of it. They used such bizarre weapons and tactics.

Jimmy's static-blurred voice brought her attention back around. He said "We've got trouble people."

"Where?" somebody asked. It sounded like Kent but Lena could not be sure through all the static.

Beth flew nearby. Over the communicator she said "I see them. Out by the rings."

A group of Venacori had not moved in to participate in the battle. It was the same task force that originally chased them into the ambush. They had hung back and watched. Now they moved to intercept the fleeing shuttles.

The Captain's voice came over the channel. Frequent bursts of static cut his words, and confusing shouts and sounds of gunfire filled the background behind him.

"They've breached the ... from the main corridor! We're bunkered in ... bridge. Martin! Seal that entry closed! We need to..."

It sounded as if he led the remaining crew in a last-ditch fight in the command room. Lena shuddered as she listened to it.

"... tentacles everywhere! They..re grabbing us and ... docking modules..pressed against our hull ... Oh my god! They're taking us..onboard their ships! ... They're taking us alive!... Dear god..save u-"

Then the transmission abruptly cut out.

The fleeing shuttles did not have long to mourn their Captain. Venacori ships fell upon them. The human craft scattered evasively. But the Venacori circled all around, herding them, cutting off all routes of escape.

"Everyone for themselves!" Kent ordered.

Lena saw a tentacle grab one of the other shuttles and pull it into an opening. It disappeared inside the Venacori ship. Other shuttles began suffering the same fate. The openings could possibly be hanger bays, but they looked like mouths.

"Holy shit!" Somebody cried over the channel. "Do you suppose they eat metal, and they think our ships are food?"

Kent hollered "No! Shut up and try to get away!..." Then his transmission became static.

Other people shouted over the communicator, but Lena lost track of the conversation. She focused her attention on piloting, swerving, and avoiding the grasping tentacles. A few meters away, Beth got snatched. The tentacle wrapped around Beth's ship and curled, pulling her inside.

"AaaaAAHHH!" Beth screamed into the communicator.

When she passed inside the opening, it closed behind her, and Beth's transmission cut out. Moments later, the Venacori spat out her ship. Lena was close enough to see that Beth no longer occupied the cockpit.

"I think they ... want to study us!" Jimmy observed. Then he too became captured.

Lena flew near the edge of the scramble, and she saw an opportunity. With expert piloting skill she blasted straight past an enemy, practically brushing its skin. Then she was outside the circle, and almost free. At the last moment, the tip of a sucker snagged her craft.

"NO!" Lena cried.

She slammed down hard on the thrusters, but her shuttle did not break free. Lena frantically searched for another option, but she had none. The alien ship pulled her inside.

The hanger bay door closed like an iris, sealing her ship inside. Tentacles emerged from the walls, and attached to the outside of her shuttle. They acted like non-mechanical docking arms. The tentacles found the pod's seams and pulled, ripping open the canopy. Lena shrieked.

A tentacle reached inside, wrapped around her twice, and removed her from the pod. Struggling had no effect against the strong appendage.

The hanger door opened and the docking arms tossed her shuttle out into space. Air escaped too. Lena's suit puffed like a balloon as the outside pressure dropped. With her ship ejected, the door sphinctered closed again.

Air whooshed into the room from somewhere, re-pressurizing. She heard a distant rumble from within the ship, the sound of internal flatulences and pumping air.

The tentacle released Lena, dropping her to the floor. Then all the tentacles retracted back into the walls. Lena quickly stood and pulled her sidearm. She spun around, pointing her pistol and looking for targets, but saw no movement. Lena stood alone in an empty room.

With her shuttle gone, no method existed for her to leave. She was trapped, all alone in an alien environment. Lena started to panic. Fear built inside her. With effort, she forced herself to stay calm.

"Don't lose control, girl." She said to herself. "As long as you keep your wits, you can watch and wait for opportunities to get away."

She began to examine her surroundings more closely. The room had a pinkish color. Fluid flowed in semi-transparent veins behind the walls. Taking a step, she discovered that the floor yielded, like spongy flesh. Was the whole ship alive? She wondered. If so, these aliens have some pretty amazing bio-technology.

The walls sprouted various organs. Some of the wall-lumps glowed with bio-luminescence, providing light to illuminate the room. She realized that a few of the organs on the wall appeared to be eyestalks, watching her, occasionally blinking. That realization made her shiver. The other lumps were incomprehensible, having strange and unknown purposes.

Lena walked around the perimeter of the hangar. It did not seem large, but the curvy walls had a way of concealing things. In one recessed section of wall, she found a small round door. Sensing her approach, the door opened, like an iris. A brief puff of air blew against her. She stepped back in surprise.

Cautiously, with her pistol pointed forward, she stepped to the opening. A hallway twisted away from her, empty. Where was the crew?

"Hello..." she said timidly.

Hardening her courage, Lena switched on her helmet speaker and asked again, with amplification. "Hello?"

No response, not even an echo. She stepped forward into the hallway. The door suddenly closed behind her. She whirled and pounded on it. The door stretched like a rubbery membrane, but did not yield.

Lena turned to face the corridor again. The lumpy tunnel twisted and turned, winding off into the distance. Like intestine, or something, she thought. Lena pointed her gun and advanced a short ways. Still, nobody showed themselves. After creeping cautiously for a good distance, she finally realized the ridiculousness of her over-caution. Lena re-holstered her pistol.

She began walking down the empty passage, exploring deeper into the ship. At semi-regular intervals, she passed other doors. They did not open for her. She tried pushing on them, to no result.

After awhile she came to a door that did open for her, automatically. Lena peered through the portal and saw a tiny, empty room. Another door waited, closed, on the far side.

"What's going on here?" she asked loudly into the air. "Where are you leading me!?" Her suit speaker squealed.

No response. Lena sighed in defeat, and then stepped into the room.

The door closed behind her, sealing off the hallway. But the other door did not open. Lena was trapped in a rather small space. Suddenly liquid sprayed from the ceiling, covering her suit. The stuff ran like slimy, thick mucus. It had a pale green color.

Lena's space suit began dissolving.

"Oh my God!" She blurted, worried. Am I going to be digested?

But no, the fluid only ate the cloth fiber and plastic of her suit, leaving her unharmed. Dissolved plastic washed down, soaking into the porous floor. She spun around, looking for somewhere to run, but the room had no exits. Green slime continued spraying down, eating more and more of her suit. Lena pounded desperately on the doors, but they did not open.

A hole melted in her helmet. Warm mucus sprayed onto her head. She shielded her face with her hands. But whatever the stuff was, it did not hurt her skin in any way, nor did it burn her eyes.

More suit melted away. With the holster dissolving, her pistol dropped to the floor. She bent over to pick it up, but a pore opened in the floor, swallowing the gun. Lena grabbed at it, but could not get a good grip. she held as tightly as she could, but it slipped from her gasp. Her only weapon disappeared beneath the floor.

Lena sat down and wept. Overcome by the helplessness of her situation, she cried. Her tears mixed with the slimy juice running down her body, to soak into spongy flesh of the floor. When her suit finished dissolving away, the liquid stopped raining down. Lena sat weeping, dripping, and completely naked.

After the shower turned off, a door opened. Eventually, her curiosity grew stronger than her self-pity. She stopped crying, looked up, and wiped her eyes clear. The doorway led into another room. More curious than afraid, Lena rose and stepped into the next room. As always, the door closed behind her.

The air felt comfortably warm, but as the liquid evaporated off her skin she cooled. With the cooling came a tingling feeling. Her nipples tightened. The warm air smelled strange but fresh. It carried a scent of something musty, almost hormonal. Lena was accustomed to stale, recycled air. This stuff tasted much better. She breathed deep, enjoying the flavor of the air.

Lena relaxed and walked deeper into the room. The floor felt warm and alive against her bare feet. In the room's center the floor bulged upward, forming a small hill or table. Perhaps it was meant to be a chair, as the top surface curved slightly, suggesting a seat and backrest.

She turned and studied the walls. There were several doors, all made of the same thin membrane. Various organs protruded from the walls. She recognized some, such as the bio-lights and the camera eyestalks. Some of the other lumps almost appeared to be organic speakers, or voice boxes.

Her mind raced with questions. The alien ship fascinated her. Filled with curiosity, she no longer felt scared. Instead she felt relaxed, slightly tingly, and warm all over. The liquid that covered her earlier had by now all evaporated, or soaked into her skin.

Lena strolled over to the wall and closely studied a few protrusions. Some of them gasped faintly, pumping fresh air into the room. Inhaling close to the vents, she could definitely tell that the new air had an odor. It smelled pleasant and sweet, and made her feel nice and relaxed.

Completely calm, she glanced upwards, at the domed ceiling. A nest of tentacles hung down, motionless. Some looked thick, as big in diameter as her legs. Other tendrils were thinner. The smallest were about the same thickness as her fingers. All of them hung limp, sometimes twitching slightly, as they rested.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hello." The response came from one of the voice organs on the wall.

Startled and a bit dazed, Lena did not respond for a few moments.

"What is your name?" the voice asked.

She thought about lying, or even simply not answering. But at the academy, military instructors had taught her that attempting to deceive captors was useless. Enemies had too many ways to force out the truth. And besides, she felt too mellow to lie.

"I'm Lena." She said into the empty room. "Who are you?"

"What I am called by my own kind, you could not pronounce. You may call me Valloshen."

"Okay, Valloshen." She said, calmly. "What about your own kind? What is your race called?"

"Your human word for us is Venacori."

"Right." Lena agreed. "How do you know our language?" She asked, and then she suddenly swayed, feeling dizzy.

"Have a seat." Valloshen suggested. "Then we may continue our conversation."

"Okay." That sounded like a good idea.

Lena shuffled over to sit on the fleshy mound at the center of the room. It was warm and soft against her bare ass. She felt better off her feet, and could focus her thoughts again, somewhat.

"So what about our language?" she asked. "How come you speak it?"

"We have captured others of your kind. We've learned your language from them."

Her foggy thoughts finally clicked. "The convoys! You were responsible for all the ships that disappeared in this sector."

"Yes, Lena." Valloshen admitted, "It was my race that took your convoys."

She glanced around the empty room. "Why don't you show yourself, Valloshen?"

"You can already see me." replied the voice.

"Oh." Confused, Lena asked. "Where are you?"

"I am all around you, Lena. You are inside me."

"Oh." Lena answered, sleepily.

Feeling tired, she leaned back to lay upon the soft reclining chair. It cradled her nicely. The warm, cushy chair had a property like mattress foam and she sunk in. She relaxed more, and settled down comfortably.

"You're the ship?" she asked.

"I do not think of myself as a ship. However, that is your best word to describe me, so it should suffice."

She struggled to think of the next logical question. "Where are your crew?"

"I have no crew. I have only passengers."

What a strange and fascinating fact, Lena thought. A ship without a crew. Lena had now sunk deeply into the soft, comfortable chair. It almost seemed to mold around parts of her.

"Passengers... what passengers?" she mumbled and settled deeper.

"Others of your kind, humans that I have captured."

"Oh. Okay, then." That was fine. "Where are they?"

"They are in other chambers, inside me. They wait anxiously for you to be processed. Then they will join you."

Something about that bothered her. Lena tried to focus, but she had a hard time concentrating. She could not phrase the question.

Instead, she asked "Why d'you keep people... inside you?"

"Our race has discovered that you tiny humans are useful. You can protect us from other small creatures, such as parasites. And you can clean our insides, helping to keep our bodies healthy."

"Oh." she said. That sounded interesting.

It continued, "We've also started a project where we land humans on the surface of planets, to help build crèches for our young. You'll do all these things wonderfully. That is, after you've been properly conditioned so as to accept your new role."

Lena finally realized the meaning of what it had said. She snapped alert, as if out of a daze. Alarmed, she blurted "Conditioned?!"

"Yes." It explained "Your body chemistry is very simple, and so are your minds, compared to us Venacori. It is a relatively easy procedure to condition you humans into obedience, with chemical and physical stimulus. I've done it many times before, and I am now quite proficient."

Lena's fear returned, sharpening her focus, helping her become more alert. But her thoughts still reacted slowly. I've been drugged! She finally realized.

"Wait. No!" She argued "I don't want to be conditioned!"

"You will. I have designed the process to be very enjoyable. Everyone of the humans I've captured has found it very pleasurable. Soon you will too. Afterwards, you shall join them and become part of the community inside me."

Terrified, Lena tried to rise. The chair held her, gripping gently. She fought and pulled her arms loose.

"Lena, please stop." Valloshen said calmly. "Just relax and lie down."

She continued to struggle, pushing herself to sit upright. Lena tried to stand, but the seat held her hips. She clawed violently, shoving against the chair, straining to get free.

"You might hurt yourself." The voice said. "I shall be forced to restrain you."

Shadows shifted. Something moved above her. Lena glanced up and saw the hanging tentacles stir to life. In desperation, she tensed her muscles and strained. At last, she escaped the chair, stood, and started to bolt for a door.

Lena did not take two steps before the big tentacles grabbed her. She shrieked and struggled, helpless. Strong, ropy limbs wrapped around her wrists and arms. Other tentacles snaked around her ankles. They lifted her completely off the floor, and held her suspended horizontally, facing upwards.

Small, thin tendrils moved down from the ceiling and began touching her lightly.

Panicking, Lena begged "No! Oh please, no! Don't do this!..."

A tube descended from the ceiling. It resembled a tentacle, except hollow. The end of it pressed against her face, muffling her cries. Tiny tendrils at the end of the tube wrapped around her head, holding it in place over her face. She smelled the sweet aroma of heavily drugged air, pumped down the tube.

Lena held her breath and struggled, as violently as she could manage. But the tentacles were too strong. They held her in midair, with her arms and legs fully extended, completely helpless. Soon, she had to gasp for air. It tasted thick with pheromes and sweet sedatives. She relaxed, her struggles becoming weaker.

Two more appendages sprouted from the ceiling and uncurled downwards. Their ends were shaped like suction cups, and they attached to Lena's head over her ears. Inside the fleshy cups were tiny buds, like voice organs. They whispered into her ears. Soft, steady whispers of obedience.

Lena struggled frantically again. But her muscles felt weak and relaxed. Soon she gave up, and gasped deeply at the sweet air. Relaxing further, she listened to the quiet whispers.

The ropy tendrils hanging down from above continued to touch her lightly, along her belly, breasts, and thighs. The tips of those strands had incredible dexterity, capable of very fine movements. They caressed her gently, but insistently.

Lena's skin tingled all over. Some drug added to the shower had left her feeling very sensitive, from head to toe. She realized that the gentle, caressing tendrils were making her aroused. That fact both scared and excited her. The delicate tentacles continued to drift over her body, caressing, while the buds whispered into her ear. Lena did not want to find it enjoyable, yet she could feel herself moisten.

With renewed terror, she struggled against her bonds again. It was futile. After only a few moments, Lena gave up and relaxed, her muscles limp. She listened to the quiet whispers as she hung there, becoming more and more aroused. The whispers told her to obey. Obedience brings pleasure.

Tentacles coiled around her breasts, massaging them. Gentle suckers attached to her nipples, and lightly sucked on them. Lena squirmed, one last attempt at resistance.

Voices continued to whisper commands and suggestions into her ear. The suggestions sunk deeply into her aroused, relaxed, defenseless mind.

The suckers continued to gently tease and tug at her nipples, while other tendrils caressed all over her body. Lena squirmed again, not in resistance but in growing arousal. The quiet voices told her to relax and enjoy it. Obedience would bring pleasure. Lena relaxed and let herself enjoy the feelings.

A tentacle brushed across the lips of her pussy. Lena moaned and quivered at the contact. The tentacle tip moved back to her folds. Another tendril joined it, exploring her pussy. They parted her lips, gently touching and feeling her clit. She felt extra sensitive there, and quickly became wet. Lena thrust her hips towards the tentacles, trying to increase the contact.

One slightly thicker tendril found her opening, and pushed inside. She gasped and moaned. The tentacle began fucking her. Lena ground her hips against it, deeply aroused. She clenched her pussy muscles around the thrusting tendril, as it slipped and writhed inside her. Others tentacles played with her clit, and still others massaged her breasts, played with her nipples, or caressed the rest of her body.

The stimulus became too much for Lena. She felt an orgasm building. She began moaning and panting into the muffling, face-hugging tube. The pleasure built, but did not climax. Lena understood that when she agreed to obey, she would get to cum.

Eager for release, she cried out "I will obey. I will Obey!"

The tentacles continued pleasuring her, holding her on the edge.

Lena begged even more desperately "OHHhh, I will obey! Please, let me cum!"

Finally, they brought her over the edge into orgasm. She came hard. It felt tremendously enjoyable, the best orgasm of her life. Afterwards, she hung limply, relaxed and completely open to the deep programming of her mind.

After a short while, the tentacles and whispered suggestions built up her arousal again, and repeated the whole experience. Over and over, she reached orgasm while offering her obedience. The repetitive conditioning molded her mind, turning Lena into a completely submissive, eager, slave to the Venacori species.

When it finally ended, the tentacles laid her to rest in the warm chair. She collapsed, exhausted and completely spent. Lena slept deeply, cuddled in the embrace of her new master. All the while, voices whispered softly into her dreaming ears, reinforcing her conditioning.

When Lena woke, the ship led her to a room containing lots of wonderful food. She devoured it, ravenous after her exertions and exercise earlier.

With the food settling nicely into her belly, the ship introduced Lena to the other humans on board. They were completely naked like her. Nudity allowed for regular, spontaneous orgies. There was little entertainment in their culture, besides sex.

Most of the people had strange faces she had never seen before. They had been convoy traders, or merchant pilots, captured months earlier. A few of them were once settlers from the remotest colonies, taken many years in the past. And a few were children, born of the settlers after their enslavement. The nice people politely welcomed her with open arms.

Lena did find one familiar face, Beth. She had been processed in a different chamber, and just finished the conditioning slightly before Lena. They embraced, happy to see each other. Then the girls resumed the tour, accepting their new life.