“No, we can’t,” Iyanna said quickly, thankful for his sudden realization that they were both just standing there, staring at the couch. “I was hoping you could show me over the entire ship today and then we can talk about which areas to concentrate on first,” she told him.
“Mayhap we can do that, so we can.” The old satyr nodded. “But I might be a bit slow—one of my hooves is developing a bit of a crack. Eventually I’ll have to go get it fixed, but I think it should hold up for one more day, so it should.”
He nodded down to his right hoof, which was cloven like a goat’s. Iyanna thought she could see a faint line running up the outside of it—maybe that was the crack he was speaking of.
“If you’d rather go get it fixed today, we can always put off the tour until tomorrow,” she said courteously. Actually, that might buy her some time to try and find some kind of antidote to the pleasure blooms’ effects on her nipples and pussy.
But Stor’kuum shook his ancient head.
“Nay, Missy Eee-yannie. I’ll be just fine, so I will! A hundred and twelve cycles old and still kicking—that’s old Stor’kuum for you! Come on now—let’s go out and tour the ship.”
“All right, if you’re sure,” Iyanna said, trying to smile. She had to admire the old satyr’s spirit but she couldn’t help wishing she could stay in and try to do something about her situation.
However, there was nothing to do now but follow Stor’kuum out of her suite and start touring the rest of the ship.
NINE
“Now then, you’ve seen the Light Side of the Ship and so it’s time to tour the Dark Side,” Stor’kuum announced as they stood at the Transport Hub. It was an amazing place because the Monstrum idea of transportation was like nothing Iyanna had ever seen before.
Instead of subway cars, the “trains” were enormous millipede looking creatures called “carpet woles” with rows of seats strapped to their long, flat backs. Hanging from a long chain in front of each carpet wole was a “bait ball” containing long purple fibers which were apparently their favorite food. When the ball was raised just out of reach, the carpet wole rushed forward, much like a greyhound chasing the “rabbit” at a racetrack, and carried its passengers to the next station.
When they came to the station, the balls were lowered so that the carpet woles could reach them, pulling the long fibrous grasses out from between the holes in the mesh bait balls with their long, chitinous mandibles and munching peacefully until the ball was raised and they went rushing off again.
Iyanna had already ridden on several carpet woles that day in her tour of the Light Side of the ship—it felt rather like being on a roller coaster, especially when the wole went up or down a “hill” to get to different levels of the Mother Ship.
Normally she would have loved this—she was something of an adrenaline junky and adored fast rides. But the jolting and up and down motion of the carpet woles was making the situation between her thighs worse—much worse. To the point where it was beginning to be a problem to walk normally because every step she took made her feel like she was being shocked with pleasure. It was like some invisible hand was holding a vibrator between her legs and “buzzing” her every time she moved.
Her nipples weren’t much better. Even the soft silk blouse felt as though it was chafing against her tender buds, teasing her unbearably.
Given Iyanna’s current situation, it was extremely difficult to pay attention to all the amazing alien flora she’d been seeing all day. She’d barely been able to concentrate and her notes—what notes she’d been able to take—were a mess. She would have been happy just to go back to her suite and try once more to take care of herself or maybe do a little research to find the antidote to her problem.
“Are you sure you’re up to continuing the tour?” she asked her guide hopefully. “I mean, I’m fine with saving the Dark Side of the ship for later.”
“Nay, Missy Eee-yannie!” Stor’kuum declared. “You’re a Viridi Femma, you are, and the first to be aboard our fair ship in over a hundred cycles. It’s my duty to show you the Dark Side—for ‘tis there that some of our wildest and most beautiful plants and flowers grow. Come on—that’s our carpet wole, there!”
And he stumped stubbornly over to the wole that had just pulled into the Transport Hub and was happily munching purple plant fibers from the silver ball hanging in front of it.
Sighing, Iyanna winced as she hobbled after him. Her satyr guide was a hundred and twelve years old and yet she was the one moving like an old woman, she thought as she climbed the steps and boarded the wole after him.