The Second Law - Part XXVIII

Story by OttersGonnaOtt on SoFurry

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#106 of Entropy Series

The galaxy unites good and evil in a bid for survival. A father's mistakes drive an enigma to find her true fate. A family makes room for close bonding in the ominous shadow of war.

For some reason the snippet this time feels epic and teaser-trailer grade. :3

I had issues with my new PC build. A replacement motherboard is in the mail today, arriving (potentially) Tuesday. Hopefully I can get that behind me so I can focus more on happy thoughts, like writing. Combined with Android Oreo slowing my phone to a crawl and the replacement phone (A Galaxy Note 8 for the curious) not shipping until two weeks after the official launch... at the hands of the official online store... Add in a bit of dental work, a flu shot that's causing a stronger reaction than normal, and a hurricane that at the very least is killing my sinuses if not my actual person and you've got a recipe for a mopey otter.

Oh, and let's not forget an anniversary involving a deceased loved one two days ago. Yeah...

If there's anything to take from this, it's probably that next chapter's battle will probably be ~a bit~ more graphic than normal. In all seriousness though, the story is coming to a close here soon. I honestly don't know how to split the upcoming battle and may choose not to do so at all, leading to a long but substantial chunk of ottery goodness. There's likely two more chapters after that (as planned, anyway) as well as an epilogue for not just the book but also the series as a whole. We're in for a fine ride, folks.

As always, this story may contain adult content and explicit sexual imagery. If you aren't allowed or don't wish to view such material, please stop reading immediately. You may cringe / giggle / have an aneurysm from silly content tags. Love is in the air, and may or may not affect your capacity for rational thought. Common side effects include squealing, crying, and smiling. To all the rest, enjoy! Comments and critiques are welcome and encouraged.

Additionally, lyrical excerpts from the following songs are used under Fair Use: [ "No Leaf Clover": Metallica (featuring the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra) ]


"I won't magically have free time if you keep bugging me. To the contrary, quite quite." Elliot sat down in his office chair, his head flopping flat on his desk in exhaustion. "Ugh. Can we just fly into that black hole already and end this? I'm pretty sure that's preferable to my current workload."

Carbon sat on the edge of the desk and rubbed the otter's shoulder. "And how many lives have you saved in return? You're doing more for the troops than a whole hospital could. Well, I guess that's the issue though."

"Thanks, Ellie. You're doing great work." Eve sidled up on the other side of the desk and took care of the other shoulder. "You look like you could use some sleep. Want us to watch your patients for a few hours?"

"No... I mean, I could use the sleep, yes yes. I have critical patients though." Ellie groaned as he sat upright and prepared to get back to work. "I suppose I have a minute, though. Let me get your test off my plate while I still can."

Carbon slid off the desk and cleared a path so the otter could reach a digital file vault. "Thanks. We appreciate it."

"Don't thank me just yet. My scanner is pretty damn precise, but I'd actually feel more confident if you used the sensors on the top deck. Eve isn't built like you or me. She's closer to a star."

Eve spread a toothy grin as she hovered over to her husband's side. "Is that your way of saying I'm something special, hon?"

"I could literally say you're brilliant and my scanner would prove it. Still, there's a few things that don't get blown out when staring into the abyss." Elliot slipped a data pad into his archive and used it to examine a set of pre-processed sensor readings. "Looks like they're done. Hm... I don't see anything different from the last time I scanned you. Well... The spectrum of your core might have shifted wavelengths slightly. Otherwise, my scanner says you're still the same you, Eve."

"Oh. I... expected more." The phantom checked her own body for a moment before realizing the nature of her words. "Oh, sorry! I didn't mean you or your work--"

"I get it, Eve. You feel different. If you had a, um... no offense of my own, but a real brain... I'd probably have better luck. You're far more complex though." Ellie sighed as he placed the data pad down in the archive's cradle. "Look, I can keep digging deeper for years. I just don't have the tools necessary to make any real determi--"

A crash of metal trinkets shook the three to silence, then a blood-freezing shriek sent Carbon's combat training into action. "Was that one of yours!? She..." Carbon spotted a bit of commotion in one of the patient rooms and darted out the office. "She's there! Hey, what's wrong!?"

"Baby! I got you, baby!" The hybrid came to a slow stop as James wrestled Alexandria into a caring hug within her bed. "Shush... It's alright. Just... calm down and look at me. Keep your eyes up here on mine, toots."

"I-I..." Alex betrayed that plea and stared directly at her bruised, bandaged legs. "Wh... What...?"

"I'll never stop loving you. Alex, this doesn't change who--"

"I can't feel my fucking legs, James! Can you feel yours!? Can you!?"

Elliot stormed into the room, a sedative hidden behind his back though he hoped not to use it. "Trick, listen to me. You need to calm down. Your blood pressure is getting way too high."

"Doc, fix this!" The dart frog lunged forward and grasped the otter's coat. "Please! If... If I don't have legs, I won't... be fit to fly." That realization sobered the girl up faster than a bucket of ice water to the face. "Please... Please don't take that from me too."

"Alex..."

Ellie pocketed the sedative and gave the couple their space. "Trick, we don't know your long term status yet. You... You took a hit to your back. Your lower spine suffered fractures and I had to remove a chunk of shrapnel. Right now your spine is swollen and that could be strangling the nerves in your legs. There's..." The otter found a seat and took it. "No. I won't lie about it."

"Ab-bout... what?"

"Before all of this, I was a neurologist and neurosurgeon. You know what that means? This type of diagnosis was typical for me." Ellie rubbed his forehead for a moment, then gave Alex the courtesy of a shared gaze. "There's a very, very small chance you'll regain use of your legs. However in all of my time practicing, I've never seen it happen. The odds are... terrible. You deserve to know as much, hon."

"I... respect that, doc. I just..." Alex fell flat on her back, bringing her lover with her to sob in his fur. "I'll never really be alive, doc..."

"Because you won't be fit to fly a military craft? Is that all?" Carbon forced a smile as he touched a wall console and started a call. "You really think you're still bound by military standards? You want to take your Purple Heart and go home? You know better than most that Ari's ship isn't run like most others."

"I like Ari and all... but even this--"

"Hello? Carbon, that you?" Ilaria herself picked up the video call from her watch and surveyed her video feed. "Oh... Alex! You're awake!"

"She was sulking because she's stuck in here instead of--"

"I know, right!? Alex, get your ass down here! I could use a friend right now, and..." Ari paused a moment to collect her composure. "I need my pilot back. We're about a day from the gates of hell and we'll need the best there is in that seat. Ellie, you clear her for duty yet? What's the word?"

"Um... Ari, she can't... use her legs. We've been over this."

"It sucks. She'd still want to fly though, and it isn't like this baby has pedals or anything. How the hell do you think I've been flying her?"

Trick shot upright, hope gleaming from her eyes. "Y-You mean I can...?"

"Only if Ellie says you're healthy enough to move. I also won't put you in that seat if you can't escape if things go south, so go with the buddy system." Ari stared at the doctor with a hopeful expression. "Well? You gonna give her a clean bill of health?"

"Well... I don't..." Ellie took a moment to seriously think about the frog's health. "She's going to be a bit weak, but as long as someone's there to watch her... Yeah, she's healthy enough to try. She can't walk, though."

"Not a problem, doc." James scooped his love into his arms and hoisted her out of the bed... bare ass hanging out the rear of her patient's gown for all to see. "Let's get you some clothes first. We cool, doc?"

"She's clear, yes yes."

"Thank you, Ari. Thank you." Alex wiped a few tears from her eyes and pointed to the door. "Let's go, James! I've been out of my seat for too long!"

Evelyn smiled as she sat in the bed. "I'd have never called that verdict. At least she's happy, though."

Ari's smile fell flat the moment her pilot was out of sight. "You owe me, Carbon. That goes against everything my dad taught me."

"We really do need her skills though. Plus..." Carbon slumped into the bed next to his mate. "There was another girl that lost the ability to walk, and at that time I couldn't do a thing about it. Thank you for this, Ari."

"...You, Sydney, and Eve. My place. Dinner." Ilaria ended the video call with a hint of a smile. "Share a drink and a few war stories. Let our kids have some fun. Then we'll be even."

Carbon smiled as he cuddled his mate. "Spitting image of her father, minus the cigar."

Eve smiled as she snuggled in return. "Well now we know what gift to bring."


"You alive in there, Meerkitten?"

Evelyn rolled her eyes as she shut the unfamiliar door to Ilaria's bedroom. "Did we wear you out last night? Want to just sleep it off?"

"Nn... No, I'm up. I just feel like..."

"Like you've got ~otter~ all over you? I know that feeling." Eve sat beside Sydney as she adjusted her eyes to the dim light. "Quite some dinner party we had there, huh?"

"To be honest, I didn't expect to see the bedroom with Rhyme there. Seems she's settling into the family ways quicker than I thought." Cid didn't even bother sitting up, lazily sliding out of the bed and onto her knees to rub her eyes. "So Carbon's calling for me? What's up?"

"Oh, right. Seems Fleur felt like we'd need a pick-meUp and brought break...fast..." Eve stared at the headboard for a moment as if something might be there, coming back to reality when Sydney slid her sirat over her nude body. "Uh... She brought breakfast for us."

"Eve? Everything okay?"

"Yeah. I just zoned out or something." The meerkat gained a hop to her step and prowled out of the room, leaving Eve to herself for a moment. "I'm losing my damned mind."

«No, you aren't.»

Eve immediately checked the source of the nondescript voice, again finding a very standard headboard. She closed the door for a moment and tested the waters. "Hello?"

Silence calmed the room, but for a brief moment a flicker of distortion phased in and out of reality on the bed. «You're talking to yourself, you know.»

"It's you? How?"

«Beats me. We're nearing that black hole, maybe?» The rough distortion stood and came closer, but that did nothing to clear up his image. «Or maybe I'm finally able to breach your subconscious. Does it matter?»

"I guess not." Eve peeked out into the living area at smiling faces, then shut the door so she could speak up. "What's the deal? Are you here to help me save the universe, or just to torment me?"

«Little of column A, little of column B. I don't know anything you don't and I don't have any power over you. I'm just here to be me.» The being slipped through the door and beckoned Eve to exit with him. «They'll wonder why you're gone. Come be social.»

"You're gonna guide me like you did Entropy? Fuck." Eve readied the handle, but took a moment to issue a warning. "Don't get in my way. This might be the last day I have to enjoy my family."

«I wouldn't dream of any such foul upon my own sister. I'll be waiting for when you want to talk.»

"Sister?" The flicker faded away for now, leaving an expression of perplexity on Eve's face as she rejoined the others. "S-Sorry. I needed to think."

"After how long we all went last night, I'm thinking some meditation is in order for all of us." Carbon shifted his seat to fit his second mate on the opposite the first. "You want to try any of this? I know you don't eat, but somehow Fleur managed to make decent eggs."

"Synthetic eggs." Rhyme munched on a piece of synthetic toast and washed it down with synthetic coffee. "It does taste better than normal though."

"Well as much as I'd like to... this, I can't smell anything but sex." Sydney stood and offered her previous spot to her wife. "Mind if I borrow your shower, Ari?"

"Go right ahead. If you want I ca-Ah..." Ilaria hunched forward a bit, looking concerned for a moment but mellowing out soon thereafter. "I can have my girls... grab a fresh set of... clothes for you."

"Is everyone acting strange today?" Eve sat down and gave the otter a quick inspection through the table. "Interesting."

«I'm surprised they haven't tried that earlier.» Through Eve's extended vision the ghost grinned at a hole in reality that just do happened to sit below Ari's seat. «Oh, right. I said I'd be quiet.»

Carbon burst out a chuckle, apparently spotting the same thing through the table. "That would be nice, Ari. ~Thank~ your girls for me."

Rhy quirked her head at the stress on that sentence, then again at her wife as she jumped around in her seat. "Did you hurt yourself last night? I told you we all couldn't fit in that bed together, honey."

"Says the engineer. Sexiness defies physics." Carbon just smiled for a second then diverted the topic. "So you're not going to join us, Fleur?"

"Ah, non. Zhis was for you, papa." The elk took the hint from her father, placing Eve's dish of food but ceasing her service there. She dressed as formally as ever, though in a skirt and gartered tights that drew a few eyes and caused her to fidget with her hooves. "Old 'abits, I guess. Eet makes me feel at ease."

"You do what you love and you'll love what you do. Nothing wrong with that." The concerned father relaxed when his daughter smiled and sat with the group. "I have no doubt in my mind that if we make it back, you'll make concierge at the Hotel. Hell... I might retire and let you take the Director job for the whole of Tower Lambda."

"Actuelzy, I zhink... I will stay 'ere. Ze twins 'ave asked me to 'elp with ze refugees." Fleur took Sydney's untouched plate and nibbled lightly. "I like eet. Zhey let me do as I like, eef eet 'elps zheir guests."

"Found your own gig? I appreciate that. I really do."

"That's not even the half of it." Eve smiled as she tasted her food out of politeness and not necessity. "If you heard how many times he went nuts about your 'low aspirations' and working as a maid your whole life... I mean, we both want you to branch out and build a profession, but you always seemed scared to leave family."

"I was. Aftehr Bouk, zhough... zhere isn't mouch to lose, non? So 'ere I am, looking to gain." Fleur grinned for herself, her confidence settling into a foundation. Then that foundation shook when Ari gasped and sprawled her arms over the table. "Capitaine? Did ze food not sit well?"

"It's... s-so good..."

"Oh, is that it?" Finally catching onto the scenario, Rhyme slipped below the table and inspected her wife's bare crotch. Confirming her suspicions was a portal in her chair, forming a rift with two cocks slipping through and into the moist warmth beyond. "Huh. I'll have what she's having."

"Quelle?" Fleur ducked her head below the table and immediately shot it back up. "Zhis... is unexpected..."

"Cat's out the bag?" Carbon took a quick peek under the table for a clearer view and reacted much like his daughter upon spying a tanuki brazenly suckling her wife's cock. "Okay, now that makes me want to join Sydney in that shower."

"Nothing's stopping you, hubby." Eve stole a giggling glance for herself, but her gaze slewed over a very flustered and bothered Elk. "You alright, Fleur? Feeling okay?"

«She's warmer than normal. Fever?» The flickering figure again breached his boundaries, but more concerning was how he somehow appeared... clearer. «Sorry. I care about your kids too.»

"I am... Hm..." Fleur rubbed her legs together in a telltale signal of just exactly what flavor of bothered she was tasting. "I will... clean oop ze table... I swear I ahm fine."

"Great Spirits, I actually forgot there isn't a man in my daughter's life anymore. Ah, but I don't mean it like that..." Carbon noticed his daughter's gestures as well and changed to a more caring tone. "Fleur, do you want me to call for relief? I'm sure Adrian could help with your... problem."

The elk tried to break eye contact as she stood, but only made things worse by staring at what was now an uninhibited blowjob. "Mon dieux..."

Carbon rose to place a caring paw on his daughter's shoulder. "I don't mean to pry. I just want to see you happy. I love you, Fleur."

"<I love you too, papa.>" Fleur spontaneously took her father's paw, spun around, hunched down low, and locked her lips to his. "<Ah... I didn't...>"

Carbon took a moment to remember his French, answering his daughter's impulses with one of his own. "<We're part of the tribe now. It isn't taboo if you and I... I mean, if that's what you want.>"

"<I don't care about that. I've...>" Fleur pushed her father down into his seat, hovering over him with purpose. "<Ever since you gave me a home and helped me as a little girl, I've wanted to repay you. I've wanted to show you how much I've come to love you. And when I first started going into heat... I secretly wanted you to help me with that as well.>"

"<Fleur... You should have mentioned this sooner. If I'd have known, I'd have tried talking about it and-->" Carbon shut his muzzle with a gulp as his daughter sat in his lap, straddling so they sat muzzle-toMuzzle. "<Not... wanting to talk, I guess?>"

"<Papa, I want us to... No, even if I'm in heat that's still too much.>" The elk calmed her flustered state and took a deep breath. "<I'm sorry, papa. I'll find someone else. This is far from professional.>"

The flicker flashed brighter than ever. «We both know where this has to head.»

Evelyn gave the two some room, but not before placing a hand on Fleur's back. "<Now isn't the time for regrets. Follow your broken heart before it shatters, Fleur.>"

Fleur easily made up her mind on solely by those words, her hooves moving down to free her father's manhood from his borrowed robe. "<I want to make love to you, papa.>"

"<Fleur... I can't say no to you. You know that.>" Carbon gave his daughter similar treatment, sliding her skirt up her waist and pulling her vibrant purple, lace panties to the side. "<You're so beautiful, honey. But the underwear is a bit much, unless you knew you'd get lucky t-->"

"Ah, shit!" Ilaria lurched forward, her paws grasping against the back of Rhyme's and cramming herself deeply into the tanuki's throat. "Sh-Shit... I'm s-sorry...!"

"Well looks like they had fu--" Carbon lurched a bit himself when Fleur cleanly sat on his lap, engulfing his cock in absolute heat. "Oh... Holy..."

"<It's okay, papa. You don't need to hold back. Let me know exactly how much you enjoy this.>" The elk rolled her hips, gyrating just right so her father pumped in and out a small bit without her moving upward. "<I want to enjoy this too.>"

"<Well let me help with that...>" Carbon took a moment to watch Ari stand up to give her wife literal breathing room, her whelps apparently having filled her dripping cunt by the sight of the glowing goop dripping from her. A purposeful clench of his daughter around him brought the hybrid's attention back to the sexy elk, and with that came two paws to her chest to free her modest bust. "<Really feeling the violet lace today, huh? It looks amazing on you.>"

"<Well thank you, papa.>" Fleur sped up her motions as she leaned into the paws at her chest. "<I should wear lace every day, just for you.>"

"<You assume we'd do this all the time.>" Carbon finally had to divert his attention again when Rhy flipped over the table and had a long, hard otter cock shoved into her. The two shared a smile, albeit with Carbon lacking a quart of cum on his face. "<That assumption may be right, supposing Sydney has no objections.>"

"<Papa, even if this is the only time... I'm happy.>" Fleur pulled off her shirt and vest, removed her lacy bra, and set it in her father's paws. "<But if it is, make the most of it. Don't hold back. Push me. Break me.>" She leaned in close and cooed the rest. "<Breed me if that's your wish. Forget about your worries, about old friends... Just enjoy this.>"

Evelyn smiled as Carbon took up that offer, burying his face in his daughter's chest as he guided her hips. "<That's it, honey. Relax for once.>" She stood to give the couples some room, but bumped into Mikhaila as she hopped through a new portal. "Oh! Excuse me, Mik."

<It's okay, Eve.>

The flickering ghost in Eve's head lit up like daylight as Michelle walked through the portal, then faded back to nearly nothing once it closed. <They look content.>

Eve shook her head at that observation and followed the twins to a sofa. "You girls look like you want more. Have you been keeping your needs in check?"

<No, we haven't. We've been working on projects too much.> Chelle bopped her sister's forehead as they sat down, their erect sextuplet of cocks poking straight up from their loincloths. <But I finally managed to convince my sister that we had needs and we'd be less productive until they were met. Besides, we haven't seen family in a while.>

"I'm glad ~one~ of you has some self-awareness." Eve sat next to the girls and studied her new mental friend's lack of definition. "Are your projects going well? You working so hard because you're stuck?"

<We were. Some of the work we're doing... breaks into new fields of science.>

Mik chuckled as she reformed her Link with her sister. <What she means is we're delving into something generally untouched until now. That, and we've been dabbling with...> The otter rolled her eyes and fell back on another term than the one she intended. <Vapor furnaces. Skyrocket... engine?>

"Not a good word for it in sign language? I think I get the point." Eve lost the flicker, hunting around a bit but not being able to divert too much attention due to the signing. "So you're taking a break? I'm not sure if I can help, but I'd be happy to take care of those problems for you."

<Sorry, but you can't. We need fresh genetic material like Carbon, and with you it's... harder.>

"Ah, I get it. It's fine, girls." Eve checked her husband and found his vines were free and unused. "Carbon, how about some queoo?"

"Oh, good idea. <Fleur, I'd like to try something...>" With a gasping nod, Carbon lined up a tendril with his daughter's pussy and shoved it inside to double-stuff her. "<Is that too much? Or... do you want more?>"

"<Papa, I... I couldn't take any more...>" Fleur began to rise and fall with the added stimulus, working her father's spire as best she could but letting his vine pleasure her freely. "<That's amazing, papa! Faster!>"

"Ahem. I actually meant over this way..."

"Huh?" Carbon turned back and noticed the twins, huffing out a labored laugh as he lent his wife the remaining two queoo. "Sorry, Eve. I'd be glad to help if their mom wasn't enough."

"Thank you, sweetie." Eve blew a kiss as she took the queoo and moved them so each bud suckled three cocks each. "There you go. Will that help?"

<Ah...> Mik took the flower on her cocks and placed it between her legs, allowing it to snake deep inside herself. <Actually, I'm the only one that rode mom and that's way too strong for me right now.>

Chelle opened a small portal to grab something, then pulled her sister closer and held up a phial of white liquid. After a second of mental chatter between them, that phial upended over Mik's multiple cocks. <Mind not saying anything about this? We... want another surprise.>

"My lips are sealed, girls. I do have a few questions for later though."

<Thanks, Eve. You're the greatest.> Chelle straddled her sister and guided each of her cocks into matching pussies of her own for the easiest triple penetration maneuver in history. <We swear this isn't as bad as it looks. Fleur is so sad when she's helping us. We want to make Fleur happy again.>

Carbon growled as a sudden wave of shared pleasure ran through a Link with the twins. "I... I can't last too long... with them doing that..."

"<Don't you dare stop, papa. Breed this heat out of me!>"

"<Yes ma'am.>"

<That was too... too fast...> The twins gasped all over each other as their plan partially backfired on them, bringing them to the brink of orgasm in seconds. <Eve... keep us connected... Don't leak a drop...>

"Oh, that's a cinch. Odd even for you two, but still..." Eve giggled as she watched as the girls quivering over each other only a few seconds before Carbon did the same. As instructed, Eve experimented and morphed her hands into a fluid form to caulked any gaps around the vines attached to the girls. "This should do. That looks pretty energetic, even for you two. You girls okay?"

<Just... really feeling it...> Very uncharacteristically the twins fell limp over each other and simply kissed, apparently mimicking the feelings of the hybrid to whom they were Linked. <Not... leaking?>

"Not a drop, as requested." Eve held up her end of the bargain but it still surprised her exactly how much fluid she was fighting back. "Chelle, you can't be that backed up. Something I can help with here?"

Mik shook her head as she answered for her overwhelmed sister. <It's not all hers.>

Eve checked the pulsing of the queoo and the flow of cum, then unsealed the gaps when she spotted Fleur's severely swollen belly. "Okay, that's not fun and games anymore. <Fleur, are you alright?>"

"<Yes! Gods, yes!>" The elk rode out her top-class heat-quenching climax with purpose, clamping down on both welcome sources of her relief stuck inside her. "<Papa! Breed me, papa! Yes!>"

"<Fuck, Fleur... Y-You'll break it off...>" Carbon came to his senses sooner than his daughter so he helped her ride out her intense peak with rubs to her lower back and breathtaking tummy. "Shit... Where did this come from? Girls?"

"Yeah, it was them. You probably lost control of your queoo, and I think they bet you would." Eve gave the girls a quick rub on their snouts and rejoined her husband. "They pumped her full of themselves. I guess they wanted to help your heat, Fleur?"

"O...Ou...ui..."

"Fleur isn't home right now. If you'd like to leave a message..." Carbon smiled as he answered for his exhausted daughter. "Well it looks like it worked. I wasn't sure my ~foreign heritage~ would be much good for that, so it's probably for the best they chipped in. It also helps they're less virile than even me by themselves."

Suddenly the phial came to mind, followed by the return of the Eve's flickering brother. «That wasn't just the girls and Carbon pumping through those pipes.»

"Shit, that's right..." Eve scampered over to the discarded phial and read the label on its side. "Sample 3-A... Rouge, B."

Carbon's ears winked at a familiar phrase. "What's that? Did I leave one of my injections laying around here from last ni--"

Eve stopped her husband with a wave of her hand as she put the pieces together. "Girls, where did you get this?"

<We were raiding Elliot's supplies and... we came across that in the refrigerator.>

Eve tossed the phial to her husband, but instead it was caught by Iolvin as he strolled into the room. "Please don't toss things at them. Can't you see they're having fun?"

"Honey, that's... ick..." Adrian took the opened phial gingerly from Yoyo's paw and placed it on a counter. "Do I even want to know what you're doing with a sperm sample? It already smells like sex in... Oh, that makes more sense. Hi, Fleur."

"Wait... Sperm sample?" Carbon watched as his daughter swooned in absolute contentment and the pieces fell into place. "Girls... did you impregnate Fleur?"

Michelle rose off her sister to answer. <We're ouschee. It's what we're meant to do.>

Mikhaila joined her sister, readying an escape portal in case things went south. <We thought this might be her last chance... The Starbreeze might be compromised in the upcoming battle, the last of Buck lost with it...>

"What makes you think she'd--!?"

"M-Merci... Merci beaucoup. I will... chelrish zhis..." Fleur came back to her senses, now much more embarrassed that she had her father inside of her and in front of guests no less. "P-Pardon..."

Carbon reeled back his tendrils, then guided his daughter off his cock so she could cover herself. "Fleur, you're okay with this? You... know what this means?"

"You ouill 'ave ze grandchild, no? Zhey dizcovehred a cache oof my Bouk..." Fleur focused on rubbing her swollen belly, then hurried to remove her panties and cram them into her cunt as a makeshift stopper once her present began gushing free. "Life, ah, finds ze way..."

"Damn, Fleur... You don't need to stop it up..." Carbon sighed as he found Fleur crying over the mess she'd lost. The hybrid responded by slowly rising, retrieving a blanket from the bedroom, and returning to drape it over his emotional daughter. "<You really want this, Fleur? You know that this entails? Take it from me--kids are a lot of work.>"

"<Yes, papa. I've... I prayed that our last time together was fruitful... but it was not to be.>" Fleur pulled that blanket close, then found a spot on the couch near the twins. "<They may have given me my last wish with Buck. We were... trying for a child. We wanted this to be a surprise... Your first grandchild, papa. Now... I hope he might see our child grow, wherever he is.>"

The girls lost their cautious edge and sat to either side of Fleur, sharing her blanket for a group cuddle. <We wish you the best of luck, Fleur. Full disclosure though: there's a chance the child will have some of us or Carbon in it...>

"Ah...?"

Eve walked over and translated. "The child may be like them or your father, Fleur. Hopefully it'll be the shining resemblance of you or Buck, though." The enigma stared at her own enigma as he grew more visible now that there was an open portal nearby. "Now you girls leave her alone for a bit to cool off. I have my questions for you anyw--"

"Ah! I'm cumming!" Ari bucked into Rhy hard, driving her knot into the dazzled tanuki. "Oh, gods! Gods... damn..."

"~That's~ how you do it, sis. Let's make a second kid today." Yoyo walked over to his twin sister and slapped her tail with his. "Want me to tag in? We share the same genes."

"Not my intent, but..." Ari noticed her brother's raging boner poking out from his loincloth and yanked her knot free with a yip of protest from Rhy. "Well, for the sake of not dealing with that little guy myself right now... sure."

"Thank you, Lulu. Just one thing first." Yoyo slid his whole length into his sister's sopping cunt, glazing his length with mixed cum from her daughters. "Just a bit o' lube to make it easier on the poor girl."

Rhyme gasped as she was left cockless, her pussy winking and drooling cum. "Y-You're not u-using my ass..."

"Oh, I never planned on it." Replacing his sister, Yoyo flipped Rhy onto her back and slid his whole length into her in one smooth motion. "I just wanted to get right to the fun part for you."

"Uh... Nope." Sydney strode out of the bathroom clad in naught but a towel, but upon spotting the others she tried to retreat just as gracefully. "I'm cool with the family bonding thing, but this is a bit much."

"I... think I need some space too, kitten." Carbon gave his wife a hug and reeled her into the bathroom with him. "I could also use a shower myself. And..." He nudged his wife with a raging erection of his own. "Those girls screwed with my drive. I've got another in me for once, if you'd--"

"You. Me. Shower." Sydney kissed her mate and took command of the situation with a paw around that cock. "Just don't get any ideas about having two French maids in your life."

"I promise the one's enough, Meerkitten."

The whole room chuckled at the two, save for Evelyn whose mind was stuck on an evermore clarifying ghost in her vision. "Girls, what exactly are you working on beyond that portal?"

<We can't say, not... with current company...>

"Then show me. This is important." Eve stood next to the portal and took a step through. "This just might be the solution we've been needing."

<Sure. Just you, though.>

"Thanks, girls." Eve stepped through fully as the portal widened, leaning her head back for a final note. "And Fleur... Good luck, honey."


"Holy--!" Alexandria snapped awake as the collision alarm sounded from her console. A moment later the backup alarm rang through the whole of the Starbreeze, at least until Alex silenced it. "--shit."

"What's up, Alex?" Ilaria checked her own console and gave her brows a frump. "The collision alarm? There's nothing near us."

"I ~may~ have reprogrammed the range on the alarms. Deep space is quiet and I needed an alarm clock."

"My ship isn't a clock radio..." Ari drooped her head into her paw. "Remember, you're piloting a science frigate here. Take it easy on the painkillers or I'm taking you out that chair."

"It won't happen again!"

James rubbed his eyes as he awoke in the copilot's seat. "Shit, did I doze off baby?"

"We... both did. I had a plan though."

"An unbelievable one. Alex, what range are we at?" Ari scanned across the windows and found nothing aside from the turbulence of Xor's various gravitational horizons. "And what tripped the alarm? It better not be a simple rock this close to this black hole."

"Well I set the range to maximum across the board." Alex flipped through the various sensor systems and couldn't find a clue. "Lidar is pretty far out, but that black hole's screwing it up so those are probably all false positives... Hey Buck, take a deeper look--"

"Baby..." James pulled his favorite dart frog into a hug. "That's a cruel mistake, Alex. Maybe those meds are too much for you right now."

"No, I just... forgot..." Trick softly kissed her love on the forehead and returned to her work, determined to take up the former science officer's duty as her own. "Infrared imaging has a few hits below threshold. Same for UV profiling. Radar is too short... Come on..."

"Straight up visual motion detection." Adrian slid into the Bridge slightly out of breath. "I set up the science module to focus near likely spots, then tied it into the main system."

Ari reached out and bumped a fist with the otter. "Good thinking, Dee. So what's the mark?"

"Looks like a larger version of those ships from that big space battle we had." Dee slipped over to the science station and pulled up his data feeds, then loaded them onto the main hologram projector. "The motion phase detection on the telescope is what found them. Looks like five so far, but there's distortion from the massive gravity. I'll widen the search area to spot more."

Ari nodded and sat up straight in her seat. "Good, do that. What's the range, though? Are they intercepting us? Anything?"

"They don't seem to have seen us yet. They aren't headed our way." Trick compared her various speed and angular vectors and did some rough math in her head well before the computer managed the same. "If the numbers are right, we're looking at three hours until we match orbit with the black hole."

"Not quite. It takes light longer to escape the singularity, and when it does it's been bent over a longer path." Dee compared the various ship locations and speeds, then added in about a dozen more targets of varying builds. "Um... Well the good news is that we get a battle sooner than that, more like two hours. The bad news is there's more of them."

"How many?"

Dee kept counting new ships and gave up when the count hit three digits. "Lots."

"Just... compared to our fleet, how many?"

"Ten times? Twelve?" Dee zoomed into the varying groups and confirmed a fair count were actually coursers and potentially fighters. Then he noticed something odd; a set of ships different from the rest in design were flashing with what was likely weapons fire. "Actually... scratch that. One fleet is about... eight times ours own... Another is maybe three... The... Shit, there's three fleets?"

"Sure. Why not?" Ari hopped out her seat and practically leaned her face through the crowded dots of the main hologram. "These... are nowhere near the same design. Are we...? No, we're not seeing just Yangurraa out there."

"The white ships are shooting laser weapons and Yangurraa don't have laser tech." Carbon strode into the room ahead of Sydney. "I expected as much. We couldn't have been the only two species out there that would notice Xor sucking them up."

Sydney copied Ilaria in shoving her head right into the hologram. "So there's alien aliens? Like, even for you?"

"You do realize I'm from the same Earth as you, right?" Carbon chuckled for a moment as he pulled up a personal hologram that better fit his visual spectrum. "Looks like this sensor isn't picking up the lasers though. That might prove to be an issue when it comes to dodging them."

"You think we'll need to dodge them?" Alex adjusted herself in her seat, causing a painful pinch in her spine. "Ack... Uh, how did you see them then?"

"I looked out the windows." Carbon tweaked the squashed visuals and nodded in confirmation as a barely visible flash caused a very visible explosion on a Yangurraar ship. "You get used to the typical wavelengths of lasers after seeing enough in my eyes... so it was a guess. Most decent lasers aren't normally visible to you guys though so we'll need to make some filters for you."

"I can do that." Dee moved closer to Carbon and stole a copy of his tweaked hologram settings. "It's off the ultraviolet end? That makes things easier. Give me twenty minutes and we'll have something to test."

"Always good to not die in a searing beam of death." Ari finally dug her head out of the hologram to create a scatter plot of the ships by formation. "I'd wager only two of these groups notice us coming. See how their flanks point at our current path?"

"No, they all probably see us; we'd look brighter and possibly redder heading into their position. Likewise we can't quite see their paths yet, like fish beneath a stream. It looks like the third fleet is mostly disabled at least since they have random rotations." Carbon adjusted the plots to show average estimated facing directions for their ships. "Yangurraar ships fire heavier forward than to the flanks. I'd guess they're adjusting to shoot us down early on an interception course and... actually, it looks like the laser wielders are aiming at the longest range ships. I think they're protecting us."

"No, they're protecting our payload." Evelyn crawled through a slowly opening portal. "Ari, your girls just helped me scrape up our final batch of hope."

"You actually figured something out? About time I heard some good news. I was losing... well, hope." Ari quirked her little ears around as all her senses instinctively went on high alert due to her twins' involvement. She pulled up a video feed of their barge and checked for anything out of the ordinary. "You said we have a payload? Care to define that before I discover ~homemade nukes~ by myself?"

"You won't find anything like that." Eve checked the portal, then leaned through and beckoned the girls to pass through. "You should be proud of those two. They did some testing with our oxydium stockpiles, knowing they could use the stuff to warp space and time already. They came up with the idea of a nullifying bomb on their own."

"That's the last word I'd normally care to hear related to them... but lately they've matured. I hate to say it, but losing their paws may have been the greatest help there." Ari spotted her girls hiding beyond the portal, sighed, and then smiled invitingly for them. <It's alright, girls. I'm not angry.>

Eve shook her head as they looked to her next. <She's telling the truth. Come on through.>

The girls hopped through the portal together, expertly shutting it just barely as their tails passed through. <You know about the vapor furnaces?>

"Uh... vapor... furnaces?"

Eve chuckled as she explained the term. "Rocket propulsion engines. Your... our dad died with the prototype in his paws. They don't have a phrase for it, so... that."

"Rockets. Gotcha." Ari found her seat and hopped into it, offering her lap to the first lucky daughter to claim it. They both did, painfully. <What's special about these 'vapor furnaces' that makes them into bombs? How's the oxydium involved?>

<We wanted to inject all of our oxydium stores into the core of the singularity at once. We made five large furnaces with a ten furnace booster stage to move it.> The girls fought for an explanation between themselves, trying not to overwhelm their mother's signing competency. <The furnaces become more powerful as they heat up and gain vapor pressure, so they should make it to the core before being overly damaged. The oxydium is just their cargo.>

Eve gave the confused mother a moment to parse those signs, then stepped closer to the three to elaborate. "Remember the reactor implosion on their barge? The one that I... kept at bay? The oxydium inside created a super-state of matter denser than even a black hole, and that matter is what makes me actually. So..."

"If we recreate the implosion, we can nullify the pull of the black hole? Oh, that's why it's a null bomb. Gotcha."

"Not quite. How to explain this..."

Evelyn's ghost of a brother appeared, glowing as a solid silhouette made of light. «Niishal would be a good start.»

"Thanks." Eve shrugged off the odd stares at her commentary to a blank wall. "Carbon's father, Niishal, is the one that created this singularity. He brought Xor into play while trying to create a rift into another universe. The amount of oxydium needed to do this at his scale is almost insane, but it also takes control to keep it from, ah... reverting to a simpler state."

"Aha. So my whelps here could control the process for long enough for us to pass through... and actually that explains the portals in general." Ari reeled her children into a two-armed hug to reinforce she was proud of them. "So they want to add control to the black hole? Or are they thinking of warping it into another reality?"

"Well, partially the latter. Remember what I said about the reactor implosion? It was about to go critical, but then I merged with it to retain control long term. I didn't know it at the time, but... after enough time I could control the matter enough to be like I am now." Eve looked to her brother, then shared a nod with him. "Carbon's father created me as a final gift to his family's name. He made me for exactly that purpose, but... I was triggered on the reactor instead of Xor."

Carbon strode over and gave his wife a hug. "Eve, you would have died if you did that. We're glad you're still here instead of in that beast."

Sydney joined the hug with rare emotional enthusiasm. "We love you."

The captain kissed her children on the snouts. "What I gather is that we can't use you again without hurting or killing you. I refuse to willingly bury more members of my family. So, we need to hope my girls can control the black hole long enough to banish it to another realm."

"No... you don't. Niishal created another being, one tied to me instead of Carbon. No, that's not correct either." Evelyn groaned as she tried to make sense out of her own mottled personality. "Help me out here, brother."

«Well I'm not exactly like you.» The ghost sighed as he inspected himself for once. «Niishal added to me, but Entropy subconsciously finished me. A father's wishes and a mother's hopes...»

"Right... My brother is here with me. If I was a prototype or a beta program, he's the bug fixes and updates--the final version." Eve embraced her mates feverishly, a bout of fear running through her. "The oxydium needs a controller. That means the both of us need to be near the payload until the end. What happens after..."

Ari set her children down behind her and rose to her hindpaws. "We can't let you do that. You can't send yourself to a lonely death, not when there might be other options."

"I'm not sure if that's a death sentence, but... it will be dangerous. I know for sure you guys won't survive the rocket though, and the twins can't portal away either." Evelyn shut her eyes and crumpled into her mates. "I'll have to risk it myself, so our girls can still have their parents. I have to do this myself."

"No, that's exactly where you're wrong." Ilaria flipped a digital switch on the main control hologram and triggered amber lighting across the whole ship. "All hands to combat stations. We're entering enemy territory and preparing for battle."

"What? No, you should just fire the payload from here. It isn't safe to get any closer."

Ari shook her head in absolute defiance, refusing Eve's selfish request. "We're escorting you the whole way. With any luck we'll figure something out on the ride. Besides, you'll get shot down without covering fire."

"I don't think you know how powerful and resilient these vapor furnaces actually are." The enigma sighed as the first of the Bridge crew filtered into their positions. "Fine. Nothing too risky. And when we clear the horizon level of the enemy ships, I'm launching by myself."

"I can't let you do that, Eve." Ilaria smirked as her brother confidently sidled up to her side. "This family sticks together until the bitter end. I think we'll do pretty well if we keep that up."

"That's what I'm afraid of, honey." Rhyme slumped into the Bridge and tossed her helmet to Ari's girls. "Says it feels right this time / Turned it 'round and found the right line / Good day to be alive Sir / Good day to be alive, he said..."

"Then it comes to be that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel," Iolvin sighed as he finished the lyrics to the song, "is just a freight train coming your way."

"I... get your point." Ari slumped as she contemplated exactly what she was driving her crew toward, whispering to the passengers residing on her mantle. "I'll try not to send anyone your way, Pillow."

"Lulu..."

"What... did I say...?"

Yoyo pulled Rhy into a rearward hug, making sure she knew she shouldn't feel at fault for the change in mood. "One of our favorite songs to play. Robyn loved the drums on it."

"Oh..." Rhyme broke herself free after a moment of silence. She took back her helmet, snapped it over her head, and stood ready by the hallway door. "Then let's do her proud and rock the shit out of this show."