Hunting Grounds

Chapter 12

They had searched the ship as best they could while Rosie was busy trying to understand the writing at various stations. They'd found a room that had just one set of bunk beds, a freezer filled with meat, along with what might pass for a kitchen. One lone bathroom they were guessing, which included what looked like a shower. There was what they were thinking was the Engineering room and what might be the Medical area.

Everything seemed to be diminutive in size save for the single, main, open room. What they hadn't found were any chairs to sit in. Even what passed for the Bridge, since in front of it was glass, didn't have a place to sit down.

"This ship is weird," Kate remarked as she walked over to Rosie to check on her.

"It leaves me with the impression that this ship isn't meant for long-distance travel which has me worried. What if this ship is meant to dock with a mother ship to reach a different system?" Rick was looking at the negative aspect of this place.

"Please don't say things like that," Kate pleaded. "I want to go home."

He walked over to her, took her into his arms, and then held her. "Sorry." He tried to offer something more positive. "It's also possible that this ship is meant for short hops. Earth to here and back again. Just enough to kidnap people and bring them here to hunt down."

Kate chose to remain silent and just let him hold her. She was learning to like being in his arms. She could feel her walls falling when it came to him and that scared her a little. After what she had gone through she didn't need to lose someone else. She usually dumped the guy before he could dump her.

"Which leaves me wondering why did this ship land empty? Or have they already dropped off whoever they brought with them this time? We were in the woods and not in this clearing. They could be anywhere on this blasted planet," Rick reasoned as a possibility.

"Rosie better be up to the challenge," Kate declared.

"When we get off this planet and figure out where Earth is, we need to talk about what comes next. I'm not certain I want to hand this ship over to any nation. Can you imagine what would happen?

"World War III comes to mind. Nations would send entire teams to try and steal it. Everyone else would demand access to it. Or else," Rick said grimly.

"So we hide it. Assuming we can avoid the radar that's everywhere," Kate added and let him continue to hold her. She felt safe and perhaps even loved in his arms.

"That's what we need to talk about. Where do we hide it that will still allow us a chance to reach civilization and yet reach the ship if we want to or need to." Rick didn't yet have any ideas on where that would be.

"The United States or are you thinking somewhere else? A deserted island, maybe?" Kate spoke into his chest yet again since she had no desire to leave his arms.

Rick shook his head and killed the island idea. "Islands are out. Too many rich people want to buy their very own deserted island. Developers, real estate agents know about all of them. We need something else."

"We need off this planet first." Kate was thinking they had time to think about that.

"What we need to do is take turns on watch," he said. "Hours or even days, it's going to take Rosie some time to figure this ship out."

"Yeah." Kate could see the need. They had done it before and it had worked. "You want first watch or second?" She didn't care which.

"First. Go find that bunk bed and get some sleep. I'll come and wake you."

"Fine, but those sheets better not stink." Kate raised up on her toes to kiss him and felt his lips touch hers. Stupid bunk beds didn't leave much space for sex so this trip was going to suck big time.

[_] * [_]

Kate had her main weapon tilted where she could reach it easily. Then she'd taken off her belt, vest, and finally her boots, and got into bed. This was when she finally noticed that these males didn't believe in pillows. And while there might be sheets they believed in really hard beds. "What is this thing made out of anyway? Concrete?"

She was tired of rolling over and over again to try and find a position that would allow her to get some sleep. She had gotten more sleep lying in her little pit on her stomach covered in dirt. "Speaking of dirt." She was still filthy and decided to get up. And then she noticed that she had left behind a fair amount of dirt on her sheet. She was going to find out how this shower worked. "Now if this stupid ship had a tub." Sadly the last ship didn't and neither did this one.

[_] * [_]

Kate was finally at least a little more comfortable after figuring out how the shower worked. This one used damn little water much like the previous ship so it left her wondering if all spaceships were like this.

Since the bottom bunk was now grimy from her dirty body she thought about climbing up to the upper bunk till she had a better idea. So while still naked she opened the door and found Rick easily enough standing in front of Rosie.

"Oh, Riii-ck!" Kate struck a pose that she hoped said sex since that was what she wanted now that she was clean. She just had to get him clean as well.

"Go to sleep," Rick told her without even looking at her.

"I don't want to sleep. I can't sleep. You need to help me." She did her best to make sure she looked sexy and ready to be fucked.

"Help you sleep?" He didn't get that part so now he turned to face her and saw her standing there completely naked and clean. My god but she looked sexy. Why some man somewhere hadn't found her irresistible escaped him. She was pretty, had a good head on her shoulders, didn't scare easily, knew how to shoot, and was incredibly sexy. Not to mention tasty.

Kate smiled a little as she watched him walk toward her. Once he was in range, "Too many clothes, mister, and into the shower with you." She wasn't having sex with him looking like that.

[_] /\ [_]

She was satisfied and was asleep while Rick was back in his clothes and standing in front of Rosie. While Kate might not be dreaming of anything yet, he was remembering just what they had done.

As was her habit she had given him a blowjob first followed by having him lie down on his back in the upper bed since the bottom bed was a mess. Kate had been on top and while there wasn't a whole lot of headroom she had somehow managed to climax while getting him to climax a second time when he was still inside her.

He was still a bit concerned that he was going to get her pregnant if they kept this up. It was just that this time, like several before, had been her idea. So she wasn't worried for some reason. Still, he needed to talk to her about that and soon.

"How's it coming, Rosie?" Rick could see her working the problem on the pad but wasn't sure she was making any progress. They needed off this damn planet asap!

"I am still operational. Their language is interesting. It is simply a series of marks. I believe I have worked out the numbering system one to zero. Observe." Rosie took him from one to zero slowly so he could see each one and try to memorize them. Then did it two more times for him.

That had Rick looking at the panel in front of him. "I see them. It appears to be on a graph of some type."

"Correct. I believe what you are looking at is the power output of this ship," Rosie said. "If I am correct this ship is presently using power. Once I am ready I will have you start turning on other systems to verify this."

"Keep at it, Rosie," he told her. "The sooner we're off this rock the sooner we're all out of danger."

"Understood." Rosie went back to work while Rick lifted his weapon and tried to investigate other areas of this room. He was particularly interested in those four bumps on either side of the ship. They didn't make sense.

He was unwilling to get inside one and just looking inside each of them showed that they were completely smooth inside. However, each had a panel with markings on the outside. So he finally decided to press one of the panels and instantly saw something shimmer into place that covered it.

"The power graph has gone up," Rosie announced suddenly. "Do that again."

So Rick walked to the next one over, pressed the panel, and saw the same effect.

"The graph has gone up again. You are using up extra power. Interesting." That gave Rosie something to work with.

Rick meanwhile turned them both off and started with the first one. He turned it back on again and then off again. "They're holding cells!" At least that was what he thought they were used for. "This has to be where they hold their captives before dumping them somewhere on this planet." He thought he had learned something.

"But what did they use to keep us unconscious for so long? Or was it all that long? Whatever it was it gave me a hell of a headache when I woke up." Rick hated being that out of control. Some people might think being stoned was the greatest thing. To him, it meant a lack of control over his body, and in his line of work that was not good.

He was back over to Rosie. "Alright, we're using up power. So what's generating that power and how much do we have?"

"I do not know yet. Based on how far the graph moved this ship is capable of creating a great deal of power."

Rick stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Interesting. So weapons, FTL, what else?" What else would need that kind of power?

"If this ship has FTL." Rosie points out.

"Don't say that, Rosie. Please don't say that. We need to get home and this ship needs to get us there. So what else needs power?" Rick tried to think.

He and Rosie were both interrupted when they heard a large bang. "What was that? I didn't touch anything." Rick defended himself since he hadn't touched anything save for the panel that created those cells for victims.

"MY MINE!" Rick rushed to the door but then chose not to open it just yet.

What Rick couldn't see was one of the male hunters approaching the ship and finding three of his kind dead along with two of their dogs. One was face down so he turned him over to check him out which activated the mine.

Now the mine didn't kill him but it did hurt a lot. He screamed as the blast sent him flying a short distance to land on the ground. His legs now had green glow-in-the-dark spots on them where they had been penetrated.

Getting up he was pissed off and knew he needed inside the ship. Since he knew how to open it from the outside he walked gingerly – for him – over to one of the engine struts where he opened a panel and pressed the necessary code into it to open the door and extend the ramp.

Rick pushed his back against the wall inside the ship when suddenly the door opened and the ramp began to extend. He'd been worried about this and now it was coming true. He made sure his weapon was in position; he had a spare clip at the ready he could reach easily.

Rick was getting worried when all at once there was another explosion. It was a risk but a calculated one so he looked around the corner and outside. Just past the bottom of the ramp was lying one of those male hunters. He was on the ground still screaming and he was missing part of his right leg. Rick grinned since he was pretty sure the male had stepped on his mine.

Rick knew not to waste this opportunity so he lined up his weapon and proceeded to empty his clip into the prone body and was rewarded with seeing a lot more of that glow-in-the-dark green blood.

Ejecting the clip he let it drop on the floor and slapped in a spare. He watched his male just as unexpectedly a naked Kate showed up next to him with her weapon in hand.

"What happened?" Kate was looking out for something to shoot. She wanted to go home and if someone was trying to stop her she was going to shoot them.

"Someone showed up and triggered two of my mines," Rick explained. "Blew his foot off it looks like. So I filled him full of holes."

Since there were now four of them lying on the ground Kate had to look closely for the one with a missing foot. "Got him." She aimed her weapon and put six rounds into him just to make sure. "I so want off this fucking planet."

"Amen." Rick could relate. "Guard me; I want to search this male. He got this door to open and extend the ramp somehow." Rick waited till Kate looked ready and he headed down the ramp, trying not to get between Kate and any of these four, especially the new male.

Rick found he was just like the other three. He had something big on his left shoulder and down his back. It in turn was connected to something at his left arm and to his face mask since he, like all the others, had a head full of dreadlocks.

Since this male was face up and just had to be dead and Rick wanted to see, he put his main weapon on the ground, pulled out his sidearm, and made sure it was pressed against the side of the male's head. He so much as flinched and Rick was emptying his clip into his head.

Rick located one of the lines to his face mask; he pulled it and listened to it hiss and spit out air or something. Since he didn't move and nothing happened Rick worked on pulling the other two out as well.

Now Rick needed to figure out how to get the mask off. He was finding that it was still attached somehow and needed to be tilted in one direction to get it off.

"WHAT-THE-FUCK-ARE-YOU!" Rick had never seen anyone like this humanoid. He had deep-set eyes and what looked like mandibles attached to a movable jawline. Two big ones at the bottom with two smaller ones at the top and what looked like a mouth full of teeth under that. "You are fucking UGLY!" Not to mention a high forehead.

"KATE! You should come and see this male. Maybe put your pants on first," Rick yelled to her. Instead, he heard her running down the ramp and skipping the hole in the ground where the mine had been that blew this male's foot off.

Kate was still naked since she didn't care who saw her plus she didn't mind being naked in front of Rick. He was her lover. "WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT! Besides ugly as hell." She looked him over.

"I'm thinking this might explain all the meat that's in the freezer," Rick suggested and used his sidearm to move one of the mandibles to better expose the mouth behind it. "What the fuck are these things?"

"Does it even have a nose? And where are its ears?" The dreadlocks she could understand. Just not this.

Rick wasn't sure but he thought he saw something move so he put two rounds into one of its eyes followed by two more into its forehead. "Fucking stay dead!"

"Can we get off this planet now? Please?" Kate was long since ready to leave. This humanoid only confirmed it.

Rick saw the same two disks, one on each hip, so he removed them and handed them to Kate. "Take these. I'm taking the mask. Maybe Rosie can tell us something about either of them."

Kate was first up the ramp and Rick was grinning as he watched her naked ass and her hips sway from side to side the entire way up.

"Are you staring at my ass?" Kate questioned him while she walked.

"You better believe it. A finer ass I've never seen. But I really love those legs." She had legs that just didn't quit.

Kate grinned and put a little extra sway into her walk. She liked it when he wanted her.

Rick was out of mines so all he had were these new disks. Except he didn't know what they did and the new grenades that looked like small fat Frisbees from the first ship.

Once back inside Rick pressed the panel that closed the door and retracted the ramp so it closed up the ship again.

"So just how many of these fucking ugly male humanoids are there on this damn planet?" She'd had it with this place so cussing was called for.

"The ship has just two beds unless we missed something. We have four dead males and two dead dogs to go with the first two dead dogs. I'm kinda hoping this is it for this precinct. Now, will one of the others come here before we can get off this planet? That's the question. Plus what's in orbit waiting for us?" Rick didn't think they were home free just yet.

"Can you be more positive, please?" Kate asked him. "I was just starting to like you."

Rick grinned at her. "Enough to go on a date with me when we get home?"

"You've already seen everything," Kate reminded him as she stood there still naked. "You're buying." She pointed her finger at him and now had something else to look forward to. A real honest-to-goodness date with even more sex afterward.

"I'm going to go change the sheets if I can. Please find out if Rosie is ready to get off this fucking planet. I want to go home." Kate walked to the bedroom area to strip the grubby lower bed and find some clean sheets. It was a little safer for them to have sex on the lower bed and not worry about falling out and hitting the floor and maybe breaking something.