Page 179 of Galaxy Circus Act One

“Yes, the wine you are drinking is Husad mead. It is from Husadavia, an uninhabited planet in the Kavar system. The planets and animals on it are carnivorous and lethal, and it takes a special kind of being to harvest the fruit from the halla bush. It’s quite popular and potent. Don’t have any more after this one unless you don’t want to remember the rest of your evening,” he suggests, taking the glass out of my hand and sipping it. He then passes the glass to Link. “You better have some also and even out this playing field.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, watching my precious wine disappear into Link’s luscious mouth.

“Well, you’re halfway to hammered, and I’m almost certain the minute we reach hyperspeed, you’re going to jump Link and take care of that matter you were discussing previously.”

“Did you all hear that?” I ask, looking at the men strapped in around me, feeling my cheeks heat.

“Yes, Lila, we all have enhanced hearing. There was no hiding you proposing to Link, as awkwardly adorable as that rambling mess was.” Eric chuckles, and William joins in.

“Doesn’t she remind you of her mother? Alina was always awkward as can be. She would turn as red as a tomato every time Broderick and Marcus would tease her about things. They would gang up on her. I’m pretty sure she finally worked up the courage to invite Bubby into their group when they had their accident.” The affection he has for my mother is evident in his voice, and I feel a pang of longing again. I really need to spend some time just talking with my grandpas and learning everything I can about my parents.

Well, great, so everyone knows that I want to jump Link’s bones. I mean, I’m pretty sure they already knew that, but they are going to specifically know that in a short period of time, I’m going to be rocking his mind with my mad sex skills.

“I’m not sure I needed to hear that, Lila,” William tells me, looking slightly ill.

“Wait… Did I say that out loud?”

“Yes, Lila, your inside voice has become your outside voice. I told you that wine was strong.” Xavier chuckles as I squirm with embarrassment.

The flashing red light turns blue, and Captain Potter’s voice comes over the loudspeaker. “Prepare for jump in three… two… one… Go!”

The ship shudders slightly, and then it’s like we hit Mach fifty in the space of a breath. My body is thrust back against the chair, and my internal organs feel like they are being squeezed through a meat grinder. I would groan, but all the air has left my lungs. My eyes feel like they are about to pop out of my head, and black spots appear in my vision.

Just as soon as it started, it’s over once more.

The pressure on my body releases, and I can finally suck in a breath of air before it whooshes out on a moan of pain. “Holy fuck, that was horrendous,” I rasp, trying to get control of my body again. I can’t seem to get my limbs to cooperate with me, but I’m glad I didn’t poop my pants. “Help! My body won’t work!” I call out, not even able to look at Link.

“It’s okay, give it a moment, and everything will come back online,” Link coos next to me, sounding completely normal.

“How are you not affected?” I demand.

“It’s completely normal for all of us. Such a big ship takes an immense amount of power to get into warp speed. Trust me, after you do it a time or two, you won’t notice it either.”

“There are tricks to it. Taking a large breath and holding it helps. But yeah, the first few jumps are a bit much,” Xavier assures me as a tingling pins and needles feeling washes over my body.

“Ugh, that’s not much better,” I mumble as I wiggle my toes and fingers, trying to speed the sensation along. Finally, I regain control of myself, and I can swivel my head and take in everyone else. None of them seem to be having the same kind of problems as me, so hopefully they are right, and my body will adjust. “So what now?”

“We stay strapped in until Captain Potter gives us the all clear. It’s to make sure the ship has stabilized in warp. Sometimes, and I mean very rarely, it will fall out of warp, and we have to do it again,” Saxon explains, reaching over, grabbing my hand, and giving it a squeeze.

“Fuck, really?”

“Yes, but it hasn’t happened for ages. It’s usually when the warp core needs an upgrade, and it just had one before we docked at Earth.” Eric smiles at me, and I think it’s supposed to be reassuring, but one can never tell with him.

“So what happens now?’ I ask.

“What do you mean?” William looks confused.

“Well, is there anything special that has to happen while we’re traveling?”

His frown disappears, and he shakes his head. “Nope, you just do whatever you want. Travel is dealt with by the flight deck crew. You can shop or go to any of the entertainment outlets on board. If we were going to another show, the performers may rehearse if they want to change their act or fix something in it, but your time is yours.”

“Excellent. I’d like to propose a family dinner, but I feel like we need to wait until John is able to attend as well.”

“As soon as we’re done with Iceen, we’ll head straight to Celestia, and they will be able to help us with John. He will be thrilled to have a family dinner.” Eric smiles softly, and I know I’ve said the right thing.

“Before we do anything else, I want you on my table again for a full examination.” Link puts his foot down, and he sounds forceful and sexy. I feel my nipples pebble with desire, remembering what happened the last time I was on his table. “I want to check on your changes to make sure your body is adjusting, and I want to scan the babies just to double-check that everything is alright with them.”

I press my hand against my little paunch. My little beasties. They have been secure and snug, and I think they are mostly okay. The fuck me vibes have certainly settled slightly. I’m wondering if my kraken being satisfied has anything to do with that.