Roads Untraveled - Part III

Story by OttersGonnaOtt on SoFurry

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#54 of Entropy Series

The gang sacks a castle and shoots for home!

I don't know what madness drove me this time, but I spent literally the whole of yesterday writing. Nearly two-thirds of this chapter came into being in a single sitting, which I normally frown upon because of the organic, morphemic nature of one's muse. But this time, I got really invested in the emotions of my characters and I think I personally wanted to see where the story went. Do keep in mind that I write without scaffolding and via roleplay of my characters, mind. In any case, I hope you enjoy the remainder of the gang's first foray into inter-universal sliding.

And yes I love Sliders, so that's now the officially-coined term for world hopping in my multiverse. :3

As always, this story contains adult content and explicit sexual imagery. If you aren't allowed or don't wish to view such material, please stop reading immediately. To all the rest, enjoy! Comments and critiques are welcome and encouraged.


"No. Fuck no." Ilaria Prime groaned in disapproval as Robyn walked ahead of her. "This isn't your fight. You're turning back."

"You've been saying that for miles now." Robyn stopped near a wall just ahead. "Besides, you'll need me to get in that tower."

The native Ari came up beside her love and nudged her snout to the structure. "You grew up next to this one, didn't you? Damn, they've made some additions."

"Let's hope nothing too different." Robyn waited for the others and pointed to the large stone behemoth. "My father, bless his soul, oversaw construction of this tower keep. I remember most of the layout, so you need me."

"Well Ashe here can see what we need through entire walls so--"

Iolvin was cut off by the insistent squirrel. "I'm coming and that's final. I'd only blame myself if you got lost and captured. Besides, it'll be fun to visit that place again."

Ari Prime groaned again. "Until you get stuck full of arrows like a giant pincushion."

"Won't come to that, love. Besides," Robyn pulled out a dagger at her waist and checked the condition of the tip as she deflected, "they're actually fond of mages and enchanters in these castles."

"Oh, great. So you'll get burned to death instead."

Carbon walked up from behind and activated his active camouflage system. "Enough bickering. Commit to the task at paw, guys."

Evelyn sighed and tried to smile. "They remind you of anyone? Wanting to help in a fight out of camaraderie?"

"Eve..." Carbon briefly thought back upon an ancient battle of his and a dear friend he'd lost, but shook his head and pushed forward. "Wrong time to bring that shit up, hon. Everyone, I'm moving up."

Oddly both the Aris and Yoyo all confirmed, "We'll be right behind you," in hushed voices that multiplied to defeat their purpose.

Carbon slipped across the open of a cobbled road and froze inside a dimple of the main wall. When he was sure nobody had spotted him, he braced his back against the crevice and snaked his queoo upward, stretching them thinner and longer as needed. He eventually found his target, a small turret port, and latched his vines into anything he could grab. Carbon pulled himself up and traded places with his tendrils, using himself as an anchor for the others.

The hybrid clicked his throat mic and whispered some quick orders to his team. "When the coast is clear, climb on up."

Robyn went first, grabbing onto a vine cautiously. "Won't this pinch a tad, mate?"

"It's fine. Actually, you're light enough..." Carbon braced the port's frame better and readied the squirrel's queo. "Just hold tight and be ready."

Robyn grabbed tightly with both paws. "Sure, but how--Oh!?"

Carbon pulled the rodent up and into the window, then let his tendril back down to the ground. "Easy, huh?"

Ashe came next, yanked up in a similar manner and gingerly guided into the structure by Robyn. "Woah! This is so weird...!"

"Shh..." Robyn helped the girl to her hindpaws and guided her clear of the port. "These walls may be thick but they block sound like scroll paper."

"Oh... Sorry."

"Ready?" Native Ilaria went next, climbing herself up awkwardly but surely. "Oof... That was... different."

Robyn gave her love a hug and they both went to guard the only door to the room. "Hurry up, mate. The next room over is a stairwell."

"Really? Well yeah, let's get cracking." Carbon threw down a second tendril and shrugged his shoulders in preparation. "Side by side, guys."

The remaining two grabbed onto their vines, then walked vertically up the stone wall. "Ever think you'd be a living ladder, Carbon?"

"A ladder, no." The hybrid cringed as Ilaria made her last few motions faster than her twin, wedging herself through the small port first. "Ah, fuck... I didn't expect your sister's paw to be that ~sharp~ either."

Ari Prime gave the smaller otter a thwack on his head. "That's not funny."

"Do you see me laughing?" Carbon helped Iolvin into the tower before he reeled the one lightly-bleeding tendril through his paws. "That fucking hurt. We really need to let Prisma work on that arm when we get back."

"That's ~if~ we even get back." Ari Prime pulled an arrow from her quiver and nocked it in her bow, with the native version deciding to follow suit. "Where do we go next, Ashe?"

The Arctic wolf scanned the whole area, eventually expanding her search vertically. "A little bit above us, just about the same spot."

Robyn raised her head to look at the ceiling, then peeked into the hallway to verify the level they were currently occupying. "Two floors up, there's a storage room by the stairs. It must have been important, because there's an iron gate installed there."

"And what if it's shut?" Native Ari held back her squirrel a moment and looked at the relatively-unequipped team. "How are we going to get past it?"

The otter's Prime counterpart flared up her nanites for a flash of cold on her arrowhead, frost dangling from the serrated steel tip. "We've got a few tricks up our sleeves. Just get us there, quietly if possible."

Robyn tried the door again, but shut it as a line of soldiers went down the stairs. "Well... that doesn't seem good."

"No, it's great." Carbon opened the door and snooped around, his suit giving him a slight margin of safety. "They're gearing up to attack the ship, which means fewer of them inside this tower."

Robyn strolled out the room upon hearing that news, though Carbon still grabbed her and guided her silently to the perimeter of the inner sanctum. "What? You said--"

"Just... act like they're still here just in case."

"Aye..." Robyn slowed down and sulked over to the stairs, then carefully started up them. "This way, mates."

Carbon followed closely behind until he could look over the curve of the spiral stairwell. "Looks clear. Move up."

Both of the Aris moved next, but Ari Prime slowed to help Ashe with her brother. "Quickly..."

Ashe was taking her time rather than taking the guiding paws of either otter. "There's a bit of movement below us..."

"Just the guards leaving, Ashe." Yoyo grabbed the wolf's paw and tugged a little more forcefully. "Come on now. Time is a factor here."

Ari Prime nodded now that Ashe was moving and scurried ahead two floors higher. "Which way now?"

Robyn pointed to a bend in a hallway. "Just beyond the turn there, if I'm right."

The squirrel was about to cross the threshold and check for herself, but Carbon cut her off for her own safety and slid out on his own. "It's... quiet. This can't be right. This is an important resource to them."

Everyone else soon followed suit, finding a lone metal gate and nothing more. Ari Prime moved up to freeze the iron bars, but jumped back in pain a few feet before reaching the gate itself. "Ah! Fuck!"

"What was that, sis?" Yoyo grabbed his shoulder and hunched over, similar to his twin. "Felt like your whole body got the numb needles going."

"Numb?" Carbon reached forward and felt the fur on his paw extend from static charge. Then he went a few inches further and his paw went limp, but otherwise felt fine. "That's something new. What do--"

As Carbon removed his paw from the invisible barrier Evelyn suddenly shot into view clutching her matching hand. "Oh fuck! Goddess, it burns!"

"What the hell was ~that~? Eve, are you okay?"

"Ouch... Fucking..." The phantasm quickly regained her composure to a tolerable level, though she still idly rubbed her wrist. "It's an energy damping field. Normally those are only used to shut down fii for reconstruction inside a foundry, but they rigged the damn gate to emit one."

"And it shuts you down too. Not permanently, I hope."

"Close enough. Those cells are extremely damaged now." Eve shook her head slowly as she thought of options. "We don't have any way of destroying the gate to get to the emitter and I'm out of threads here."

Carbon sighed in frustration. "Ari, can you break that gate from this far?"

"I can try." Ari Prime threw out a paw and released a swarm of nanites, but they painfully fizzled upon entering the damping field. "Ah! Oh fucking hell!"

"Shit. Thanks, Ari. That's enough." Carbon looked at his conventional armaments and groaned. "Even if we brought explosives the fuses are all electronic these days. I... don't think this'll work, guys."

"Let me try." Ashe staggered closer to the field, stopping herself when her cautionary lead paw stung in pain. "Tell me if anything changes, please. Even I cannot see this magic."

"You got it."

Ashe pulled out a glowing set of crystals and tried each one by one against the edge of the offending forcefield. Most of the crystals were unresponsive, but a piece of rose quartz managed to make the field visible to Carbon in the higher-frequency wavelengths of his extended vision. "That one. That's doing something."

Ashe checked a specific pattern etched into the base of the crystal and furled her eyebrows. "This one? This is my diary." She tried the stone previous to the quartz, a piece of basalt, and asked for confirmation. "Sure it isn't this one?"

"No, it's the other." Carbon tapped the end of the rose quartz. "This made it so I could see the field. It was... swirling around the rock."

"Interesting. Quite interesting." The Rivet twins looked at each other as they were reminded of their own Ashe for a moment with that particular comment. Ashe took a deep breath and then caused the crystal to glow brighter, the field repelling from the stone and shifting to the barely-visible bands of ultraviolet light. "I can see something now. Is there a large enough gap?"

Carbon stepped towards the gap and slid sideways through it, ignoring the occasional scream from Evelyn as he brushed the edges. "It'll barely work. Start moving forward with me, and tuck in your shoulders so you don't touch it."

"Alright." Ashe did as she was told, guiding the hybrid through the barrier and against the iron gate. "It's really strong and I'm running out of essence in this shard..."

"Just a few more seconds." Carbon spotted the emitter and took out his pistol, aiming the weapon through the bars of the gate. He fired four times until the barrier flickered, then put a fifth round into the fir to finish it off. "The field is down. Now hurry up, because those idiots below us probably heard that."

"Oh... I can destroy this." Ashe reached along a bandoleer on her hip and pulled out a certain piece of foggy emerald. "You may want to stand back. I'm not accustomed to using this essence often."

Carbon nodded and reeled back a few paces. "All yours, hon."

Ashe lightly touched the mineral to the iron bars and they started dissolving away, piling up into a heap of metallic sand below. "It takes a light touch, lest we all turn to the dust whence we came."

"Creepy, but effective." Carbon let the girl finish and then gently snaked past her, pausing when he found something completely unexpected stored in the keep. "Well that... sort of makes sense, actually. Eve, this is all yours. Care to take a peek?"

"Ooh, gladly." Evelyn took control of her host's tendrils and snapped them around the room. "Oh, jackpot. Give me a minute to clone off the good parts."

The rest of the gang walked inside, Ari Prime popping the pertinent question. "What the hell is all this?"

Carbon walked around slowly, making sure not to sever any connections to the bank of computers and communications systems populating the room. "This is their control center, at least for this town. They're getting soft if they think a few sneaky traps alone will protect their data."

"So how does that help us?" Yoyo took a quick look at the consoles, unable to spot a single visual interface. "Are we going to use the info inside to find some oxydium? I don't care about a couple lousy computers right now."

"Oh no, we've got what we need." Eve finished her work and unlatched Carbon's queoo from the machines. "And then some. Some would say information is the most powerful weapon, Yoyo."

Ari Prime groaned and reminded the hybrid. "Oxydium, Carbon."

"Right. I forget that you're in charge if we're on an excursion from your ship, ~Captain~." Carbon chuckled and picked up his shotgun, then slammed the butt into the side of a communications console. "We've got more than enough here, see? These things run off oxydium."

"Really? I won't ask how, just as long as we get the stuff." Ari Prime reached inside and pulled out a glowing capsule. "How far will this get us?"

"About a third of the way there. I'd grab all we can handle just to be safe."

Robyn and native Ari both got to work, kicking in consoles and pulling out the goodies inside. "Oi... Just these round bits, yeah?"

Ashe nodded and took one to carry herself. "This is a strange form of mana... but it is indeed the only form available. The rest is useless."

"You heard the girl. We'll grab what we can and get..." The Major paused as he heard boots from the direction the gang had come. "Correction, you guys grab the mana. Ari, Yoyo--We've got company. Let's take them out."

"Ah, fuck." Yoyo pulled up his rifle and checked the charge. "I've got three good shots. Better hope there's only a few."

Ari Prime raised her bow and readied and arrow. "Well I should be able to fire fine from this close. Find some cover."

A soldier poked his head around the bend in the hall and fired a bolt of plasma that spat onto the wall behind Yoyo. "Cover. Right." He lined up a shot and fired directly into the Yangurran's helmet, the two opponents dropping either into cover or to become it. "That's one."

"What, are we keeping count now?" Ari peeked around her cover and spotted three more from her vantage of a shallower angle down the passage. "Yeah, there's lots." She popped out again, this time with her bow drawn, and fired into the group. She waited a moment to hear a body drop from behind her cover and chuckled to herself. "One for me, too."

"Enough games, you two. This is serious." Carbon blasted another foe as he fired two shots in trade. "We're cornered, so don't get stupid on me."

"That ~totally~ makes sense." Ari loosed another arrow, this time only injuring a soldier in the leg. "Are we counting half points?"

Carbon shot the same soldier as he leaned out of cover due to his injury. "...No. Two for me."

"Heeeee..."

Yoyo spied the remaining soldier's weapon poking around the corner and fired into the thinnest part of his cover, the extremely fast slug ripping through the stone and shattering in the Yangurran. "That's another. How many left, sis?"

Ari checked again, but a bolt of energetic particles took out part of her cover. "Loads. Oh gods, there's loads."

"I see that." Yoyo created a shield for himself and dashed over to his sister's position, a single hit shattering his protection on the way. "Watch it. They're packing."

"That they are." Carbon took out the one that fired that last shot. "Those are directed energy weapons. They geared up."

Ari lurched forward as a shot slammed into her shoulder. "Fuck!" She rolled back behind thicker cover and waved away her brother. "He just melted my shoulder. Keep firing."

Yoyo hesitated until another of his shields cracked. "Can you still fight? We need firepower."

"Yeah." Ari Prime pulled out Mjolnir and clicked the safety. "Girls? What's the status?"

The native Ilaria ran over and pulled up her own bow. "They've got two paws worth. How can I help?"

"We need a way out." The Ari Prime flipped out long enough to fire three slugs into another target's face, with at least ten more to go. "We're not fighting out of this easily. We need a smarter plan."

Native Ari stood and hovered for a moment, looking for a portal of some kind. "We can break ou--"

"Ari!" Suddenly Robyn hurled herself into her love, the two sliding into a corner. "Agh, damn... them..."

A disoriented otter flipped around confused, but held fast in fear. "Robyn!? What--!?"

Carbon slipped forward and recovered the capsules the squirrel was carrying. "What? Is she alright? We need to get moving."

"She's..."

Ari Prime recognized the look on her own face. "Oh fuck no." She held up her artificial arm as a basic shield, then slipped out with her weapon blazing. When Ari met her counterpart, she pulled her away from the limp, lifeless body of her eternal love. "Those bastards! Ari, get the fuck out of here! They can't have you too!"

"B-But..." Native Ari dropped her bow and reached for her squirrel, practically clawing to recover her. "I need to--!"

Ilaria Prime slapped her clone with the side of her pistol. "She's gone, Ari. Be glad it was quick." She shoved her counterpart back across the room and then leaped over herself. "Trust me, it was... better she didn't suffer. Ashe!"

The frightened Arctic wolf slipped out from behind one of the machines. "Y-Yes?"

"We need a hole. A gods-damned huge one, right where you're standing." The Captain snatched up the remaining two of the capsules with her only paw and juggled them as she jogged over. "Can you do that? Something like with that gate?"

"I... I, uh..." Ashe reached nervously over her crystals and pulled out a black shard of obsidian. "M-Maybe. It won't be clean."

"Just do it."

Ashe nodded and touched the crystal to the floor. Soon a cracking, crumbling sound made itself known, announcing the messy nature of the wolf's technique. Within a few seconds the block of stone that was touched fell away and cracked below. Then, without their brother to support them, the surrounding stones fell through as well. This continued in a chain reaction until only the walls managed to support the floor's structure. However this left a large gap in the level, one that had consumed the contents of the room.

"Oh, shit..." Ari Prime shoved the bent frame of a console off her and tried to spot the others through the fine dust of the dark room they'd fallen into. "Ashe? Are you alright?"

"I'm... Ouch..." The wolf groaned as she found her crystal and the various oxydium capsules she was holding. "I'll be alright. Did the others make it?"

Native Ari stood up slowly and checked their exit path, the group having successively fallen two stories. "I'm... She's..."

The other Ilaria checked upwards as well, spotting her brother climbing down Carbon's vines. "Yoyo! Hurry up, bro."

The otter let go and fell the last few yards, using one of the broken consoles to break his fall with the assistance of an air shield. "Carbon, you're clear! Hurry before they figure out what happened!"

"On it!" The hybrid pulled up his queoo and then anchored them to lower himself next. "Well fuck. We... lost Robyn."

Eve took control of Carbon's arm and slapped her host on the cheek, then repeated the act on native Ari to break her shock. "Not the time to dwell on that, love!"

"Oh... Yeah." Carbon looked for a way out and found they'd busted out a hole in the exterior wall. "What the hell was that, Ashe?"

"I made the stone heavier." Ashe used the other capsules as guidance and fought to close the gap. "I figured the stone had to give way at some point."

Ari Prime looked through a small hole continuing to ground level, the affected stone block having embedded itself deep within the earth. "I don't know how it works, but I'll take it."

"We might be able to exit from here." Carbon walked over to the hole in the wall and shoved against it, soon to be joined by Iolvin. "Wait, on my mark... Go!"

Yoyo nearly fell off the tower as the rest of the wall gave out, but Carbon's tendrils reeled him back. "Woah. Thanks, Carbon."

"Just hold on tight." The Major started lowering the otter, eventually allowing him to touch down at ground level with ease. "Just like that, guys. We've got to get back to the ship. Hurry."

Ari Prime helped Ashe maneuver over to the gap and passed her what capsules she was holding. "Don't have to tell me twice. Stay still while Carbon lowers you, Ashe."

"Easy, now." The hybrid coiled a tendril beneath Ashe's arms and gently sent her down. "We can't waste any time. We're getting back and taking off."

"But what about the troops headed for the Starbreeze?"

"We'll have to hold them off." Carbon reeled up his vine once the wolf was safely in Yoyo's arms and offered a ride to the twin. "Think you can kill a few more, Baby Lulu?"

Both of the Ilarias confidently churred, "With pleasure."

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"Well that's not good." Carbon ran out into the open beside the Starbreeze, looking all around at the dozens of new dead bodies littering the area. "They sent a whole squadron..."

"Plus the guys we passed, Carbon." Iolvin tapped the hybrid on his shoulder as he passed and went for the airlock. "We've got to keep moving."

"Wait. Someone fought these guys, but..." Ilaria Prime scanned the bodies franticly. "Yoyo, help me check for Dee."

"No time, Ari." Carbon connected to the airlock and forced both sets of hatches open at once. "If they're alive they can answer an intercom. Now move it."

The otter rolled her eyes at the bluntness of that logic, but she agreed with it. "Fine. I'm going for the engines. Yoyo, check with my kids."

"Zoë won't let us down. I'm sure they're fine."

The native Ari aided Ashe up to the airlock, but paused when she got there. "You hear that?"

A blast of white-hot death scorched the side of the airlock, prompting the other Ari to dash into the airlock herself. "Fuck. They'll get inside before we can take off."

"No, they won't." Native Ilaria practically growled as she raised up her bow. "They owe me a certain debt in flesh."

"They'll kill you." The prime otter entered her ship and beckoned for her counterpart to follow. "We can try to defend the hatch together from--"

"I have nothing left here." Native Ari poked her head out and found her targets, another squadron of fifteen aliens. "If I die, it's in honor of her. I'd rather see Robyn again in the afterlife knowing you're safe than see her wishes thwarted."

Ari Prime slowly nodded, then triggered the inner hatch to close. "Good luck."

"I don't need luck." The native otter loosed a round into a soldier's chest, then reeled herself back into the airlock for cover. "I have Robyn guiding me."

"Sis..."

"I don't want to hear it, Yoyo." Ari took Ashe by the arm and led her to the engines. "Let's get that mana to the... Fuck that shit. Let's get the fuel to the engines before we all die."

Carbon tried a wall panel but didn't get a response from the intercom. "They're not responding..."

Yoyo looked to Carbon and nudged his nose upward. "Then let's find the others the old-fashioned way."

Carbon found the lift and pressed the upward button. "Twins first. I have a feeling they retreated that way because of the top hatch."

The two rode up to the science deck and Yoyo immediately started for the fore of the ship. "Zoë? Dee?"

Carbon heard a noise and shoved ahead, kicking open the hatch to the twins' room. Inside he spotted the two twins and Dee huddled in a corner, but not the other two girls. "Nice job, Zoë."

The human slipped down from the ceiling and landed with her rapier against Carbon's back. "Where the hell were you!?"

Yoyo pulled the weapon down and moved Zoë to the side. "Calm down. Where's the other girl... Violet or whatever..."

"Viola," corrected Adrian. "That girl, guy, whatever... It scares the shit out of me."

"She went outside to fight the bad aliens." Zoë took a breath and then gave Iolvin a hardy embrace. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

"It's alright, Zoë..." Yoyo sighed, but followed through with the hug for the human's sake. "Where's Viola now, Dee? We have more guys outside and we need to take off."

"Probably out there having a blast stabbing things." Adrian stood and gave the girls a comforting pat on their heads. "Did you get the stuff?"

Carbon nodded. "More than enough."

"Then I'm going to the engine room."

"Good. Ari might need the help." Carbon headed back to the elevator and signaled for Iolvin to follow. "I'm stuck working the controls. You go look for Viola and... see if you can recover the other Ari, too."

Yoyo hopped into the lift and hit the down button once Dee was inside as well. "Yeah. Take care of them a little longer, Zoë."

"I've got it covered."

Soon the elevator snapped into place on the second level and Carbon ran off ahead. "I have to right the ship first, so be ready for that."

"I'll check the--" Yoyo stopped himself when he spotted Viola by the other airlock, crying as she dripped with Yangurran blood. "Viola? Are you hurt?"

"N-No..."

The poor girl's clothes were soaked through with glowing chartreuse, and two knives in her paws bore the same coating. "What the hell happened?"

"He... He made me..." Viola looked up and went to wipe her eyes, but stopped when blood smeared her face. "I killed them all."

"We... need to talk about this later." Yoyo nodded to Dee and the fairer otter fled to the engines. "Has the other Lulu come back inside?"

"She's st-still..."

Yoyo ran to the other airlock and checked out its porthole, finding the native version of his sister still there fighting. He opened the hatch and threw out a paw. "Lulu! We're getting out of here so--"

Native Ilaria turned to take that paw, but the ship righted itself before she could grab it. Instead she found herself barely hanging onto the lip of the outer door. "It... was nice seeing you again, brother. Now to spend eternity with you and Robyn..."

"No!" Iolvin tried to leap out and grab his false twin, but he wasn't fast enough to save her before she slipped. "Fuck! Lulu!"

The otter's true sister pulled him back inside and sealed the airlock hatches. "She's lost, Yoyo. They're both... Fuck..."

"That's not right. She kept them off us." Yoyo fell on his ass and stared at the airlock door. "We wouldn't have made it without her. She deserves--"

"Better? Don't tell me what people deserve, Yoyo. I know how reality works all too well." Ari resumed her previous course and headed for the cockpit. "I don't have time for this. I'm getting us out of here."

The ship lurched as it rose from the ground, sending the one-armed otter into a bulkhead wall. Yoyo scrambled over and tried to lift her back up. "And you can't do it alone, Lulu. Here..."

"I'm fine!" Ari stood and shook her brother away, tears streaming down her face the whole time. "I'll... I have to save everyone. She'd want me to get us home."

"No, she wouldn't want this." Yoyo grabbed his twin from behind and forced a hug. "She'd want you and your children to be happy. You don't always have to save the whole world. ~They're~ your world now."

Ilaria placed a paw on her brother's arm and just started to cry. "I don't know if I can do it alone!"

"What?" Iolvin spun his sister around and planted a kiss right on her trembling lips. "You're never alone, silly. You've got the biggest, strongest family in the world at your side. We love you, Lulu."

"I... I love you too."

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"Ugh..." Iolvin floated along the clear science deck, his eyes settled on a few landmark stars. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this. Even watching the horizon doesn't help."

"I wish I could tell you how I manage." Zoë 'swam' past for lack of a better term, grabbing a desk that was mounted to a swivel joint on the wall. "Do you think you'll be alright, or should I help you to the bathroom?"

"No, I'll be fine."

Adrian hovered into the large room dressed in nothing but a towel, droplets of water fluttering from his fur. "You still trying to adjust, honey?"

Yoyo groaned playfully and grabbed a wall when he bounced against it. "I'm fine, really. Though some tits might help. Tits make everything better."

Zoë looked down and started pulling off her shirt. "If you really think so..."

Dee widened his eyes and vaulted over to the girl. "He was joking. We're all just tense before the tests."

"No, I really could use some tits." Yoyo joined the pair on the other side of the room. "Keep going, Zoë. A little inspiration is never a bad thing."

"Really? Well if you two want to fuck..." Dee snorted in disgust and started to go back into the other room. "I swear, it's like you don't even look at me anymore. You think I'm ugly now, don't you?"

"What, the eye? Actually, I think it makes you look more bad-ass." Yoyo kicked hard off the wall and flew past Dee, cutting him off. "And I'm not going to fuck her. Actually, I just wanted a good view while ~we~ did the deed."

"See!? You do want something better to look at!"

Yoyo groaned in earnest now, slowly closing the gap to his love. "No, actually... it's because I won't see you at all, and I'm concerned about... performing..."

"You are?" Dee was going to push his man away, but upon hearing the details decided to embrace him. "Wait, why won't you see me?"

Yoyo started removing his own clothes, starting with his jeans. "Because I think you've been through enough lately and you deserve a treat..."

"So... You mean...?"

Yoyo gave his love a slap to the ass, the wet towel doing nothing to mask the smack. "Saddle up, babe."

"But why now?" Dee ditched the towel, revealing he was rock hard for his man already. "I thought you didn't like the sissy stuff."

"I don't. But I do play with my ass from time to time." The pants were gone, but Yoyo struggled in the open with his shirt. "I thought if I'd lose that virginity, why not do it in space. Gah, fucking normal things are a bitch in no gravity though."

"Let me help with that, hon." Dee kicked over to Yoyo, but when he got there he took an elbow to the face. "Ah, fuck."

Yoyo finally pulled off his shirt, but pulled Dee close as the smaller otter rubbed his face. "Aw... Sorry, babe. You alright?"

Dee chuckled and gave his man a kiss. "No depth perception. Guess I need to be more careful."

Yoyo pulled away Dee's eye patch and gave his scarred socket a kiss. "I'm still sorry, babe. It's not your fault."

"Just show me that fine ass of yours already, handsome." Dee smiled widely and positioned himself behind his man, his large rudder tail making a good anchor to steady against. "Mmm... That's what I'm talking about."

Yoyo went bug-eyed as Dee's manhood grazed his ass. "Uh... I always try to use lube with you, you know..."

"Oh, I appreciate it. Trust me, I won't hurt you like that." Dee reached out and grabbed Yoyo's pants, knowing he kept some lube on him most of the time. "Where did you...?"

"Ah! Um... b-back pocket, babe."

"Oh. Okay." Dee pulled out a small travel-size bottle of baby oil and gently applied it to his appendage, doing his best not to splash it into the air. "I ~think~ that's enough. Are you ready?"

"I don't know. Am I, Zoë?" Yoyo stared at the nude human, a slight look of disgust on her face. "Just focus on me, Zoë. I'll sure as hell going to do the same with you, beautiful."

"I'll..." Zoë's eyes snapped down to her patron's hardening shaft and she bit her lower lip. "I'll be fine. Please, have your fun Iolvin."

"Oh, he will." Dee pressed his tip against Yoyo's pucker but held still. "You ready, lover boy?"

"You're way too into this, aren't you?" Yoyo gave Dee's ass a tap and raised his tail for more room. "Ready when you are. I trust you, babe."

"Well then trust I know what I'm talking about here. You're a bit tight, hon..."

"Oh, sorry..." Yoyo breathed a few deep breaths of air, relaxing himself a little. "Oh, I've got an idea. Zoë, get yourself off for me."

"What?"

"Take your hand and... pleasure yourself for me. It'll help loosen me up."

Zoë slowly nodded and brought her hands down to her lower lips, parting them for her patron. "If you think it'll help..."

"Thank you, Zoë. He'll love that." Dee leaned forward and hugged his man's large tail, then slowly pressed into his tense ass. "Is that too much...?"

"Ah..." Yoyo noticed his breathing sped up and tried to correct it, focusing on Zoë's fingers as they pressed into her pussy. "No... No, you can keep going."

"Ooh, that's it. Let me in." Dee slipped as far into Yoyo's hot rear as possible, noticing a hearty jerk from his man when he hilted. "Oh, did that hurt?"

"Oh ~fuck~ no. Whatever that was, do it again!" Yoyo hunched forward, and Dee followed suit to kiss the back of his neck. "Oh gods, that one spot..."

"Prostate. Works like a charm." Dee nipped his partner in the nape of his neck, then bucked his hips hard. "You like that?"

"Oh, shit! I think..." Yoyo's leg started kicking on its own and his cock jerked up to full attention, leaking a hefty glob of glowing pre into the air. "I think I'm gonna..."

"Oh, wow. Sorry if this is a bit rough, hon." Adrian pulled his cock almost free, then slammed it home to grind deep. "How's that?"

"Hee... Oh fuck..." Without much provocation, Iolvin's cock started spewing an explosion of weightless cum. He bucked a few times and seemed to get a grip on himself, but a few more spurts managed to come free and float over to Zoë's waiting body. "That's way better than you make it look, babe."

"Wow. I thought ~I~ was quick." Dee wanted to kiss his taller love, but settled once again for his neck. "Are you still good to...?"

"Yeah. Keep going, babe. Do your thing." Yoyo grabbed the wall as they drifted towards it and gently pushed the pair back into the open. "Don't worry about me. I want to feel you cum."

"Well that won't do." Dee greatly sped up the pace, hammering deep into his man. "Oh, shit. I... I wanted you to get off with me..."

"I'm not that close anymore. Sorry, babe."

Zoë kicked off her wall and grabbed Yoyo's waist, bringing his cock to her mouth. "I'll help."

"Not like that you won't." Iolvin raised the girl up and drove his cock right to her sopping wet core. "Oh fuck, that's nice."

"I'm so close, though..." Yoyo clenched down all his lower muscles as Zoë ground into him, tightening his hold on Dee's length as well. "Oh gods..."

Adrian hilted himself one last time, pressing hard and deep as he loosed a torrent of lime cum into his love. Yoyo throbbed in Zoë with each pulse, the pressure on his prostate driving him wild. "Holy shit, babe. Words can't even..."

"I-I know, r-right-t?"

Suddenly Iolvin found himself blasting another small load, filling Zoë's tiny womb to full and leaking into the air and fur at their juncture. "Gods, yes!"

"Are y-you...?"

"He sure is." Zoë kissed Yoyo and then tried to reach Dee for one as well, but couldn't manage it. "Iolvin, you're still hard... Do you want to...?"

"No, we don't need to if you're still... not in the mood." Yoyo pulled the human free of his hot length, but she just brought herself back down to lick it clean. "Zoë, you really don't have to."

"I want to." Zoë gave the tip a few tender kisses, then finished licking their combined fluids from her patron's cock. "Hmm... Haum... Gah... I'll do anything for you, Iolvin."

"You really like sucking cock?" Adrian pulled his own cock free and positioned himself next to Ashe. "I could give some tips, you know. He really likes right here, under the tip."

"Really?" The human gave it a try and a large bead of pre dribbled onto her tongue. "Wow. Good tip."

"~Good tip~, huh?" Yoyo gasped and suppressed a faint squeak. "You finally taking a liking to her, babe?"

"Now that I know you're still hot for me... yeah." Dee looked over and gave Zoë a kiss on the cheek. "I think I'm coming around to her."

"I like you even more when you're happy and not jealous, Dee." Yoyo bucked his hips a tad as Zoë suckled his tip and Dee pawed his shaft. "Oh damn... Hee... Just like that..."

"I know that churr. Harder, honey." Dee added another paw to the mix and added some more pressure to his lover's throbbing manhood. "He's about to blow, Zoë. Honey, you want me to grab your knot?"

"I, uh..." Yoyo's paws reached down and used Zoë's braids like handlebars to guide her down on his length. "If you... uh, you want to..."

"That's a big yes." Dee moved his paws around that huge bulb of flesh and squashed with all his might, sending the larger otter's paws into his groin and his cock down Zoë's throat. "Ooh, sexy."

"Oh, ~fucking gods~ that's good!" Yoyo shot searing hot magenta deep into Zoë's throat and mouth until she couldn't take it any longer, the girl forcing her head back for air. "Oh shit... Oh..."

Dee flinched as some of his man's load shot into his eye. "Ah! Fuck, hon..."

"Huh?" Nearly passing out from that amazing orgasm, Yoyo snapped awake at Dee's cry and started wiping his eye clean. "Shit. Sorry, babe."

"I did mention I have no depth perception, right?" Zoë took over cock cleaning duty and allowed Dee to fix his own situation. "Damn, Yoyo. You're not really good at controlling your volume, are you?"

"You know you love it."

"Not in my one good eye, ha ha!"

Yoyo found his pants floating by and grabbed them, pulling something out of his coin pocket. "Dee, here. I've got it."

A handkerchief came up to Dee's face and wiped away the infringing globs of pink. "Such a gentleman."

"I'm not done there."

Dee quirked his head and tried to look up at his love, something cold and hard bumping right into his eye. "Damnit, Yoyo. That's not funny."

"No, but it's just right."

Dee finished reflexively blinking his eye and found a shiny, light gray loop floating by his face. Then he backed his head up a tad and spotted glittering diamonds set along the length of the band. "A... r-r..."

"Mm hmm."

"Y-Yoyo...?"

Yoyo only smiled as he enjoyed the smaller otter's expression. "Uh huh."

"Is this...?"

"Adrian," Iolvin took the ring and pulled his love up to his eye level before continuing, "will you be my mate?"

"I-I... Gods..." Dee's words failed him as his eyes teared up and his paws fluttered against his heart. "Y-Yes! Oh gods, yes!"

Yoyo took one of those trembling paws and placed the band around Dee's ring finger as best be could manage, chuckling when it obviously didn't fit due to the webbing. "They really didn't plan this with otters in mind."

Adrian embraced his mate to-be and pulled his face closer. "Just shut up and kiss me, you wonderful man."

Iolvin gladly obliged, pressing their lips together and molding them in a kneaded dance. "Hah... Gods I love you."

"Damn straight you do." Dee chuckled and went in for another kiss. "Why... Why now, like this?"

"Because I couldn't bear the thought of something going wrong and I never asked you." Yoyo looked out at the stars a moment and then back to the brightest of all in his arms. "And because I realize life's short, and I want to spend every last moment of mine with you."

"You do realize we'll life hundreds of years, right?" Dee giggled and kissed his man's cheek. "But I agree. I've been considering popping the question myself."

Zoë floated up and both of the otters smooched her in the cheeks. "Congratulations, you two!"

"Thanks, Zoë. We--" Suddenly gravity kicked in, with the three falling upwards to the top of the ship. "Ah, fuck!"

Dee started bursting out in laughter, Yoyo having taken the brunt of the fall for the three of them. "Sometimes being big and sturdy comes in handy, eh?"

Zoë rubbed her head where it hit against a table next to them. "What the hell happened?"

"I think Lulu got things working." Yoyo rubbed his back, but soon went back to holding his new fiancé. "Just be careful; it might cut out like before."

«Uh, guys?»

«Hey, sis. We're here.»

«Sorry about that. Were you two... uh...?» There was a pause and a hint of earnest apology in the data feed. «Were you being intimate or something?»

Dee smiled as Yoyo let him take the honors. «Yes, and yes. I just fucked your brother's brains out... and then he gave me a ring.»

«He... You mean he...?»

Yoyo laughed and kissed his new fiancé. «I sure did. All sappy-like and everything. Dee will have to fill you in later.»

«Damn straight he will.»

Dee sighed as the fun had to come to an end for now. «So, what just happened? We're on the... well I guess it ~was~ designed as the floor, after all.»

«The girls did that. They're having ~far~ too much fun with this new Ashe.» There was another pause and a hint of worry. «We're set to run the test. The girls have calibrated the engines. Now they say we need Ashe to guide us to the point we... 'slid' from, or whatever.»

«Check with Carbon, Lulu. He's by the controls with Punk right now.»

«Will do. Thanks, bro. And ~congratulations~, you two.»

«Good luck, Ari.»

Yoyo looked around and found a console near the door Dee had last used. "I'll go--"

"Nope." Dee smiled and kissed his man some more. "I like things as they are. Let them work a little slower and we can... take in the view, gorgeous."

"Heh..." Yoyo slouched and kissed Dee right back. "Alright. Just don't call me that around the others."

"Well you ~are~ gorgeous, my perfect otter god." The ship started to change course, but the three just snuggled and watched the stars shift. "I love you, Iolvin."

Yoyo bit down on Dee's snout, a externally odd but loving gesture between two otters. "I love you too, Adrian."

The main engines kicked into gear, but not nearly at their highest power output. "Think we'll live to see the day?"

Within seconds the burn was over, leaving Dee to rest his head against his fiancé's chest in silence. "I'm wearing a big, frilly dress before I die. Wormholes and shit can just suck it until then."

"Damn, that's determination." Yoyo looked down through the clear aluminum floor at the Earth, ignoring the various cocks and whatnot in the way. "Well whatever happens, it'll happen when I'm with you."

"Yeah." Dee roped Zoë into the snuggles and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "We're together. No regrets."

Zoë smiled and found the will to speak up. "Together forever."

"Yeah."

A blinding flash sparked around the Starbreeze, then in a swirling distortion of light everything returned to normal. Then Iolvin started laughing as he looked downward. "Ha! You see that!?"

"Huh?" Dee looked down at the planet and shrugged his arms. "It's the same. Think they had a failed test, honey?"

"No, look closer." Yoyo pointed to a few locations on the dark side of Earth. "See those small patches of light? That's electric lighting, right?"

"Hey... you're right." Dee looked closer and agreed. "Yeah, That one's Wildebrooke... And that's Raleigh... All the big cities in the West are there."

Zoë looked down as well but failed to see the significance. "What's that mean?"

"It means we're home, Zoë." Yoyo squeezed the other two and gave Dee a kiss on the top of his head. "Bless those crazy kids. We made it home."