The Restricted Zone
by TempleSiren_NULL
Date: MAR-03-3244
Investigation: COLONY PLANET HESTIA-VII
Status: INFESTED
Division: INTERSTELLAR OPERATIONS AGENCY (IOA)
Agent: DR. ELIAS MORCANT (b. MAR-02-3211)
Compiled below are a list of documents I found relevant to my investigation. I present them unaltered, thus the committee may make their own judgement on events.
DOCUMENT 1 - RESEARCH LOG OF DR. TAILIA VENN (b. DEC-12-2755)
Date: SEP-12-2785
Status: CLASSIFIED - SECRET LEVEL
Division: EGS HORIZON - RESEARCH DIVISION
It is strange making this entry. I know there are many people with my station on different generation ships. Thus I cannot know if I am the first to make this discovery or if it’s possible that one of my counterparts has made a similar discovery. Perhaps they already did generations ago. I’ll never know in my lifetime, but perhaps my descendants will find out when we reach Hestia.
Regardless, it is with great gravitas I record that on September 9, 2785, WE DISCOVERED ALIEN LIFE.
We had been performing a routine survey of Planet XR-389. A mostly barren planet that notably had oceans and a breathable atmosphere, yet none of the natural resources that would make it a viable colony.
(As an aside, XR-389 would be a suitable planet for terraforming. Microscopic lifeforms in the ocean have already triggered an oxygenation event and the climate is right. All that’s needed would be a proper transplant of lithovoric flora to shatter the stone exterior and transform it into arable soil.)
Despite the desolate state of the planet, our scanners detected complex life on one of the landmasses. Dr. Bishop and I gained permission from the Captain to investigate. We went down to the planet in the research shuttle.
We found the lone creature among others of its kind. All dead. There were hundreds around it. As best I could tell, the creature had been nourishing itself by cannibalizing the dead around it. How these creatures came to be on this planet with no other source of food, where all other life was exclusively single-cell, I cannot speculate. It was clear to us, though, that there was no way it could have been native to this planet.
The creature itself was roughly the size of a human though perhaps slightly larger. I estimate it to be roughly two meters tall if standing upright, though it walks on all four of its legs. Its prehensile tail is roughly a meter long.
The creature, for the most part, resembles a large lizard both with its scales and the distinct lateral fold along the length of its body. It has no eyes but seems to have some other sense that allows it to understand the space around it. We have placed it in several maze-like environments and it has never had any difficulty finding its way out, nor have I seen it ever stumble into anything by accident.
As per protocol, we are keeping everything secret from the citizenry aboard The Horizon. All information related to the creature is kept on secure servers within the Restricted Zone. The alien itself is kept in the research facility. We will learn what we can, though unfortunately, it’s unlikely the creature will survive until we reach Hestia.
DOCUMENT 2 - PERSONAL LOG OF DR. TAILIA VENN (b. DEC-12-2755)
Date: SEP-13-2785
Status: CLASSIFIED - TOP SECRET LEVEL
Division: EGS HORIZON - RESEARCH DIVISION
Dr. John Bishop, my lone peer on the EGS Horizon, has died. While the citizenry will believe his death was an accident, I wanted to log the truth of it here.
As per policy, the alien was initially captured using Extra-Terrestrial Active Containment (ETAC) protocols. These protocols, accounting for any possible alien contamination, included an electrostatic barrier field, known to block all psychic or other mental waveforms.
As psychic activation has proven nearly impossible for humans, the electrostatic barrier was considered a formality. No one actually believed psychic waves could be produced organically.
For Dr. Bishop, this assumption proved to be a fatal mistake. In an attempt to better examine the alien, he lowered the barrier and went into the cell to examine it.
I have documented his last words as they seem to have some bearing on the mechanism of the creature’s psychic powers. I don’t have the heart to describe his death.
DOCUMENT 3 - TRANSCRIPTION OF LAST WORDS - DR. JOHN BISHOP (b. AUG-09-2742)
OBTAINED FROM AUDIO RECORDING
Date: SEP-13-2785
Status: CLASSIFIED - TOP SECRET LEVEL
Division: EGS HORIZON - RESEARCH DIVISION
“Tailia... I can feel it in my mind… Oh God, it… It’s rewiring my thoughts… I can feel it changing the way ideas lead to others…”
[Indecipherable]
“Oh God… I can see now… I know it as I know myself… Our thoughts are joining… It’s gaining my intelligence…”
“Soon it will be… Oh God… The only thing I can do… It’s trying to stop me…”
“Tailia… whatever you do… stay behind the barrier…”
DOCUMENT 4 - RESEARCH LOG OF DR. TAILIA VENN (b. DEC-12-2755)
Date: SEP-20-2785
Status: CLASSIFIED - SECRET LEVEL
Division: EGS HORIZON - RESEARCH DIVISION
It has been one week since John died. While I have assistants who can handle the menial work, no one else has clearance to deal with the alien. With John gone, all the work falls on me until a new graduate is ready to take John’s role. I have contacted the ship’s educational leaders about the vacancy and they assure me it will be filled in 2790. For the next five years, I have to deal with this thing on my own.
I have begun calling the creature “Polyphemus,” after the blind cyclops that killed Odysseus’s friends. Despite John’s last words, it does not seem any more intelligent since the incident.
The electrostatic barrier is active 99% of the time. In the event that it needs maintenance or I need to enter the cell, a powerful anesthetic agent is pumped into the room. This typically knocks Polyphemus out for roughly four hours. I’ll spend two doing whatever maintenance needs to be done, and reactivate the barrier with two hours to spare.
I miss my friend dearly and I will finish his research.
But I will always heed his warning.
DOCUMENT 5 - PERSONAL DIARY OF MAERA COLWYN (b. JAN-1-2768)
Date: MAY-23-2786
Status: UNCLASSIFIED
Division: EGS HORIZON - PERSONNEL DIVISION
Today marks the end of one phase of my life and the start of another. I graduated high school! We had the ceremony this morning and my family wants to spend the entire long weekend celebrating. I'm happy they’re happy for me… I just…
I just wish I was as happy as they are.
I really don’t mind that I’ve been assigned to become a doctor. Many of my friends had that as their dream job. I know I’ll like helping people, it’s just…
It’s not what I wanted.
All my life, I’ve dreamed of being a researcher. Of finding out what actually happens in The Restricted Zone. It’s why I studied as hard as I did. Of all the jobs on a generation starship, that seemed like the only one with any freedom. Researchers get to choose what they research. They even get to leave the ship for planetary surveys! Everyone else has to do what they’re told.
I really thought I had a chance when I saw the vacancy at the start of the school year. I really tried as hard as I could. 3.98 GPA ain’t bad.
It’s just not 4.0. If Evan hadn’t been here, I would’ve gotten the position.
I know it’s not his fault. Evan just tried his best, same as me. His genetic intelligence happens to be the highest this generation. Mine is second highest. Maybe that’s why we got paired off to be married.
I really wish I didn’t have to compete with my betrothed. I wish I could marry who I wanted, or even not marry if I wanted to. But that’s not the life of a generation ship citizen.
You’re born, you grow up learning to serve the ship. Once you’re an adult, you live serving the ship. Make your prescribed number of babies to grow up and serve the ship after you die. Watch them grow up and make babies to serve the ship. Over and over.
All so that humans who lived hundreds of years before I was born could have descendants on some planet I’ll never get to see.
I’m just a gear in their machine. A single piece pushed by what came before me so that I can push what comes after.
When The Horizon reaches Hestia, will anyone know I was alive?
…
This summer is my only chance. With high school behind me and vocational training starting in August, I’m free for these three months. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the kind of person I’ve become. The kind of person I’ve been for the past eighteen years.
I have been the absolute epitome of a good child. I always follow rules. I always study hard. I help around the house. I help out family members when asked. I’ve even done volunteer work around the ship.
All to build up a good resume. All to become a researcher.
Even if I don’t get the job I want, I’m not letting it go to waste. They won’t punish me. Not really. I’m the recently graduated salutatorian with zero marks on my record and my volunteer work on top of that. There’s no high school to punish me or vocational school to reprimand me. The worst thing that can happen is a slap on the wrist.
Graduation always marks the beginning of a long weekend. Anyone who’s not celebrating a graduation is getting drunk anyway.
Tonight, while everyone’s distracted, I’m going to The Restricted Zone.
DOCUMENT 6 - POLICE INTERVIEW WITH ELIN BROOKS (b. AUG-13-2753)
Date: JUL-29-2786
Status: UNCLASSIFIED
Division: EGS HORIZON - POLICE FORCE
POLICE: Please state your name for the recorder.
ELIN BROOKS: Uhm… My name is Elin Brooks. I’m–
POLICE: Please only answer questions you’ve been asked.
ELIN BROOKS: Okay. Sorry.
POLICE: Please state your birthday for the record.
ELIN BROOKS: Eight-thirteen-fifty-three
POLICE: Thank you, Ms. Brooks.
ELIN BROOKS: You’re welcome.
POLICE: Now, Ms. Brooks, what is your position aboard the Earth Generation Ship Horizon?
ELIN BROOKS: I’m a security guard.
POLICE: Where are you stationed?
ELIN BROOKS: I’m on administrative leave.
POLICE: Right… Where were you stationed in May of 2786?
ELIN BROOKS: So… two months ago?
POLICE: Yes, two months ago.
ELIN BROOKS: I was stationed at The Restricted Zone.
POLICE: What were your specific duties?
ELIN BROOKS: I was an Entry Control Point Guard. I watched the gate, made sure people showed their badges… made sure unauthorized people didn’t come in…
POLICE: You’re hesitating.
ELIN BROOKS: That’s because I know what comes next.
POLICE: Fine. Was Maera Colwyn authorized to enter The Restricted Zone?
ELIN BROOKS: No.
POLICE: But cameras show you admitting her on the night of May Twenty-third.
ELIN BROOKS: Yes.
POLICE: Why did you admit her?
ELIN BROOKS: She asked.
POLICE: She asked? Do you admit anyone who asks?
ELIN BROOKS: She’s the only one who ever has… So I guess… Yes?
POLICE: Noted... Do you have anything you want to add to that or did you want to just move on?
ELIN BROOKS: Well, it’s just… Look, I knew it was her “in-between” summer. I remember mine. That last bit of freedom before vocational school… Before this became my life…
POLICE: Why is that relevant?
ELIN BROOKS: Because she just wanted to take a look around! I made her promise not to go in. I never thought Maera would… Of all the kids on Horizon...
POLICE: You never thought she would go in?
ELIN BROOKS: I never thought she’d steal my keycard! I didn’t think she’d be able to get in.
POLICE: How did she steal your keycard?
ELIN BROOKS: I don’t know how! It was on my belt when she arrived, then she swiped it from me while we were talking.
POLICE: And you didn’t notice?
ELIN BROOKS: Am I going to jail?
POLICE: Please answer the question.
ELIN BROOKS: No. I didn’t notice. Not until the end of my shift.
DOCUMENT 7 - PERSONAL DIARY OF MAERA COLWYN (b. JAN-1-2768)
Date: MAY-24-2786
Status: UNCLASSIFIED
Division: EGS HORIZON - PERSONNEL DIVISION
I did it. Holy shit, I did it.
I snuck out after the party. I went straight to Evan’s and got him to cover for me. If anyone asks, I spent the night at his house.
Then I went to The Restricted Zone.
It was easy enough to talk my way through Brooks. Easier still to take her keycard. Hopefully she doesn’t get in any trouble over that. I was so dazed by the time morning came, I completely forgot to return it.
Though I might need to back up a bit.
Even though I grabbed the keycard, Brooks didn’t know I had it. I couldn’t just walk in the front door with her standing there. So I found a side entrance, used for maintenance.
Apparently, only used for maintenance considering it didn’t connect to the rest of the facility. I went through all this trouble to sneak out, lie to my parents, get Evan on my side, steal from Brooks…
All I had to show for it was the maintenance room where they keep the heater and air conditioner.
I guess they didn’t think about the vent system though. Considering how filthy those vents were, I’m guessing they hadn’t been thought about in a couple hundred years. Strange, considering the vents were clearly wide enough to be cleaned from the inside…
I didn’t care though. My heart was pounding so fast as I crawled through those vents. I was finally inside. I was finally going to see what no one else got to see.
Though, somehow, I actually felt it before I saw it.
Several different vents seemed to converge on the same room so I went that way. As I got closer to the room, I somehow felt myself getting closer to whatever it was I was supposed to find. I didn’t realize it then, but he was calling me.
It’s so hard to describe what it was like. Like I could feel the parallel presence within my mind, but it wasn’t saying anything yet. Like being aware of an invisible ghost who doesn’t say or do anything. You might know he’s there, but it’s hard to convince yourself he really is.
At the time, I’m not even sure I had noticed him yet. It was more like I was acting on a feeling that I couldn’t explain.
I made my way to his room. I could just barely see him through the vent. His glistening rainbow-scales more beautiful than anything I’ve ever seen in my life.
You’ll never believe the first thing he did.
He saved me.
“Hold your breath!” I heard his voice say in my mind. That invisible ghost suddenly so present.
I could hear the fans whirring as my nose started to burn. I took a deep breath and held it in before the gas overwhelmed me. I heard the thump as he fell down.
The lights in his room went dark. His scales no longer reflected beautifully.
A woman came in and held some device up to him. I held my breath the entire time.
As my vision just started to blur, she walked out of the room. I heard a loud crackle as a force field I hadn’t noticed before re-engaged. Behind the crackle, I heard the tell-tale sound of a door being locked.
And then he stood up like nothing had ever happened. I felt him tell me it was safe now. I took a breath and opened the vent.
Covered in dust, I fell into his room, and truly beheld him for the first time.
[Alien]----->[Fear]
[Fear]----->[Gone]
[Alien]----->[Love]
Is what it felt like when he spoke in my mind. I wish I could describe it better. Like all the ideas my mind could hold were lined up and connected by chains of logic. He simply reached in and changed how they were connected. It was as effortless for him as talking is for me. I know, because I have his memories of doing it to me.
It’s honestly a little strange knowing the very way I think has been changed. I can imagine how I should have reacted. I should have screamed when I saw him. I should have called him a monster and flailed to get back into the vents. To get away from this terrible thing that somehow got into my ship.
Writing that down felt like acting in a play. I can understand the motivation of the person who would say that, I’m just not that person.
[Love]---->[Alien]
I can’t think of love without thinking about him. He’s beautiful and strong and so very, very, smart.
Smarter than Evan, that’s for sure.
[Alien]---->[Safe]
It’s so thrilling to watch myself scrawl out my own reprogramming on this page. Looking down at the direct symbolic representation of how he changed me. I don’t know which one I’ll write next. It just comes naturally.
[Control]----->[Pleasure]
Yes, of course it’s that one. That was my favorite one.
[Control]----->[Pleasure]
It was like he picked up the chain in my mind. The idea of being subservient and plugged it right into the pleasure center of my brain.
[Control]----->[Pleasure]
Yes! Just like that. I remember taking off my clothes as he rewired me. I knew it was necessary to make the girl do that. She would be better able to condition herself that way.
I just laughed out loud as I reread that. I’d forgotten which memories were mine and which were his.
[Control]----->[Pleasure]
His control just felt so pleasurable. When he told me to strip, it felt like the most natural thing in the world. My most intimate place, my mind, was already open to him, so why not my body?
[Pleasure]----->[Control]
That’s right! Then he rewired the loop. He made me touch myself. My own fingers felt electric against my clit as he did it. Every circle I rubbed into myself just taught my soft mind how good his control was.
[Pleasure]----->[Control]
It felt good to be controlled and feeling good helped me become more controlled. That’s the only way I can describe it. I loved what he was doing to me. I wanted him to do it forever.
So I let him do it. For hours.
I have no idea how many times I came.
[Pleasure]----->[Control]
[Control]----->[Pleasure]
[Pleasure]---->[Love]
Woah. I can’t believe I just wrote that last one. I don’t remember him telling me that.
But writing it felt so right.
Do I love him? I want to love him. I want to know he made me love him.
[Control]---->[Love]
I can feel my mind changing for him. It feels so good to write down the changes as they happen. To look at how he’s changed me.
[Alien]----->[Love]
[Alien]----->[Pleasure]
[Pleasure]---->[Control]
I think I’ll visit him again tonight.
[I’m]----->[His]
<3
DOCUMENT 8 - POLICE INTERVIEW WITH EVAN DONNELLY (b. NOV-01-2767)
Date: JUL-30-2786
Status: UNCLASSIFIED
Division: EGS HORIZON - POLICE FORCE
POLICE: Please state your name for the recorder.
EVAN DONNELLY: Evan Donnelly
POLICE: Your date of birth please.
EVAN DONNELLY: November first, twenty-seven sixty-seven.
POLICE: Thank you Mr. Donnelly.
EVAN DONNELLY: You’re welcome.
POLICE: Now, Mr. Donnelly, what is your position aboard the Earth Generation Ship Horizon?
EVAN DONNELLY: I’m currently in my “in-between” summer so technically I’m unemployed. In two weeks though, I’ll begin vocational school to be a researcher.
POLICE: Are you married?
EVAN DONNELLY: … No.
POLICE: Are you engaged to be married?
EVAN DONNELLY: … Technically? Probably? Does that still matter?
POLICE: Yes, hence I’m asking the question. Please answer directly. Are you engaged to be married?
EVAN DONNELLY: Yes.
POLICE: To whom?
EVAN DONNELLY: To Maera Colwyn.
POLICE: How long have you been engaged?
EVAN DONNELLY: It was announced when we were twelve. I don’t know exactly when they decided it…
POLICE: That’s fine. Let’s talk about your graduation weekend.
EVAN DONNELLY: Okay.
POLICE: You and Ms. Colwyn were at the top of your class, correct?
EVAN DONNELLY: Yes.
POLICE: So you two were together during the graduation?
EVAN DONNELLY: Yes. Traditionally, Valedictorian and Salutatorian sit together.
POLICE: Did you have a joint-graduation party?
EVAN DONNELLY: No, our families aren’t that close.
POLICE: Did you see her at all after graduation?
EVAN DONNELLY: Yes. She came to my party.
POLICE: She came to your party?
EVAN DONNELLY: Yeah, after sneaking out of hers. She asked me to cover for her while she went out and did something stupid.
POLICE: Those were her exact words?
EVAN DONNELLY: Pretty much.
POLICE: Maera’s father said he called you and you confirmed she was at your house.
EVAN DONNELLY: That’s correct.
POLICE: But you were covering for her?
EVAN DONNELLY: Yes.
POLICE: So she wasn’t spending the night at your house?
EVAN DONNELLY: No. Like I said, she told me she went to go do something stupid.
POLICE: So when was the next time you saw her?
EVAN DONNELLY: The next day. Saturday.
POLICE: What happened Saturday?
EVAN DONNELLY: She asked me to cover for her again. Said she was going to go do something stupid again.
POLICE: Did her father call again?
EVAN DONNELLY: Yes.
POLICE: What did you say?
EVAN DONNELLY: I didn’t want to talk to him… So I pretended we were having sex…
POLICE: Have you had sex with Maera before?
EVAN DONNELLY: [audible sigh] Yes. On her eighteenth birthday.
POLICE: Were your parents aware?
EVAN DONNELLY: Oh, they arranged it! Said it would be good for us to bond with each other!
POLICE: Was pregnancy ever a concern for you two?
EVAN DONNELLY: What? No, she takes ovulation blockers, just like all the other girls who aren’t scheduled for kids.
POLICE: Are you aware that on May twenty-fourth, Maera stole ovulation-inducers from the ship pharmacy?
EVAN DONNELLY: No… I was not…
POLICE: Have you had sex with Maera since May twenty-fourth?
EVAN DONNELLY: …
POLICE: Mr. Donnelly?
EVAN DONNELLY: I’d prefer not to answer that.
DOCUMENT 9 - EXCERPT FROM THE RITUAL OF POLYPHEMUS
Date: UNKNOWN
Status: CLASSIFIED - ETAC
Division: IOA-ETAC
NOTE: The following transcription was recovered from a corrupted entertainment database onboard the Horizon. Whether this was originally a ceremonial performance or a piece of erotic propaganda is unclear. Regardless of origin, it appears to have been widely performed in the final years aboard Horizon.
A portion of the recording is missing or redacted due to content filtering protocols. The IOA has authorized its partial inclusion under exception code ETAC-223-A (xenocultural documentation).
THE RITUAL OF POLYPHEMUS - ACT II - “THE FIRST BREEDING”
NARRATOR: By now, The First Mother, Maera Colwyn, had become the first worshipper of Polyphemus, (kneel) he who sired us all (stand). Her mind had been realigned into his thought patterns. The process had begun and she merely had to return to her love.
MAERA: Polyphemus! Our savior from another world. Please accept this offering of both my mind and body. Allow my mind to be linked to yours, so that my intelligence may aid the future collective. May my womb be linked to your line. Thus I may grow new minds to aid the future collective.
POLYPHEMUS: Maera, my love, you have done well to return to me. I accept your offerings, both in body and mind. Open your mind to me, so that I can shape it properly.
NARRATOR: And so, Maera knelt before the savior of the stars. The doors to her mind opened like a library before Polyphemus. The wealth of knowledge she’d learned in her diligent education was made ready for her love.
POLYPHEMUS: Thank you, my love, for this gift of knowledge. As your mind joins with mine so feel mine join with yours. Tell me, what do you see?
MAERA: I see… I see a human girl… I see myself through your eyes. The way you see me. A vessel that will bear your children. That will give you stronger minds to add to the collective.
MAERA WALKS TO THE GLASS WALL BEHIND POLYPHEMUS AND WRITES
[BREEDING FOR HORIZON]---->[BREEDING FOR POLYPHEMUS]
POLYPHEMUS: How does it feel to have your mind rewritten by me?
MAERA: Oh, dear love! It feels wonderful. All the pain, all the struggle and longing in my past life are gone. I was forced to be simply a gear for The Horizon, now you’ve given me a choice. I know I won’t see Hestia either way, but if I’m to be a link in the chain, I’d rather it be yours.
MAERA KNEELS BEFORE POLYPHEMUS, OFFERING HER BODY TO HIM
MAERA: Please allow my body to serve you.
POLYPHEMUS MOUNTS MAERA
POLYPHEMUS: This is my gift to you, Maera, my first worshipper. My first love. Tell me what you see.
MAERA: I see… a beautiful human girl kneeling before me. She is wet and willing. She is offering herself to me. I want her… Not just to breed… I lust after her… I want to feel her warm wetness wrapped around me.
POLYPHEMUS: I will not enter unless you ask me to.
MAERA (WITH AUDIENCE ACCOMPANIMENT): Please enter me, Lord Polyphemus. Please reshape my fragile human mind and human body to serve your purpose. Our thoughts belong to you, our children belong to you, I offer my ship and my species to your greatness.
(At this moment, audience members are encouraged to touch themselves and release in unity, symbolizing their joining to the collective. After several waves of orgasm, the narrator addresses the audience.)
NARRATOR: Those who have been chosen for breeding, may now step forward.
(Chosen female members of the audience may now join the actors on stage and be bred by the representative of Polyphemus)
NARRATOR: May our children be less human than we.
AUDIENCE: For humanity weakens the collective. We are but vessels for breeding a more pure offspring.
DOCUMENT 10 - RESEARCH LOG OF DR. TAILIA VENN (b. DEC-12-2755)
Date: MAY-25-2786
Status: CLASSIFIED - TOP SECRET LEVEL
Division: EGS HORIZON - RESEARCH DIVISION
While returning for weekend maintenance/feeding I stumbled across a distressing event that I will document here.
A girl has somehow gotten into The Restricted Zone and is engaged in sexual intercourse with Polyphemus.
I dare not turn off the electrostatic barrier nor do I wish to harm the girl with gas. If Polyphemus becomes violent, I will take the chance but for now I will wait and observe.
I recognize the girl as Maera Colwyn. She was a candidate to replace Dr. Bishop, but her betrothed had higher test scores so I chose him instead. I can only speculate on why Maera is in here.
Her clothes are strewn about over the floor. Clearly doffed by the girl herself and not torn from her by the alien. She seems to willingly be engaging with the act with him.
That’s to say nothing of her expression. Her mouth has twisted in a horrifying grin. She moans obscenely with every thrust and her eyes…
Her eyes are completely bloodshot as they stare directly at the transparent aluminum cell wall. Unblinking. She’s watching her own reflection with glee. And she won’t take her eyes away.
She clearly loves what’s happening to her.
Beneath her is a puddle of white liquid I can only assume to be the creature’s semen, or something along those lines.
…
It’s been two hours now since they’ve started. Occasionally, Polyphemus will pick up his pace and shortly after the puddle gets larger, but there seems to be no refractory period. Only once has he pulled out of her.
When he did, she knelt before him the same way a citizen might kneel before the United-Emperor. She seemed to be in awe of his very presence. Then, she began scratching something into the floor with her own fingernails. While she wasn’t able to actually damage the surface, analysis has revealed what she was trying to write. I have transcribed it here:
[Bearing Children] ---> [Necessary for]---> [Generation Ship Survival]
[Bearing Children]--->[Necessary for]--->[Alien survival]
[Human arousal] ---> [Supports human breeding instinct]
[Alien breeding instinct] —> [Creates human arousal]
[Bearing Children]--->[Necessary for]--->[Alien survival]
[Human arousal] ---> [Supports human breeding instinct]
[Alien breeding instinct] —> [Creates human arousal]
She cried out as she wrote the last line and they coupled again. Her eyes immediately refocusing on that same point on the wall, as if she couldn’t bear to miss a minute of her own defiling.
…
After nine hours, they have finally finished. Maera kissed Polyphemus on his head and simply climbed away through the airducts.
As soon as she was clear, I immediately gassed Polyphemus. I’ve put in an order to have Maera arrested and brought to the holding cell within The Restricted Zone. It would be easier if I could let the police handle her, but I need to interrogate her first.
It’s currently 4:00 AM Sunday morning. I’m going to get some sleep. Then I’ll deal with Maera.
DOCUMENT 11 - TRANSCRIPTION OF RESTRICTED ZONE SECURITY RECORDING
Date: MAY-25-2786
Status: CLASSIFIED - TOP SECRET LEVEL
Division: EGS HORIZON - RESEARCH DIVISION
MAERA COLWYN: W-what happened? Where am I?
TAILIA VENN: You’re in The Restricted Zone. Specifically, in the holding cell we use for trespassers. Do you remember coming here, Maera?
MAERA COLWYN: I remember… I snuck in through the ducts… I saw something…
TAILIA VENN: What do you remember seeing?
[Silence]
TAILIA VENN: Maera?
MAERA COLWYN: How do you know my name?
TAILIA VENN: I’m the chief researcher here. You applied to be my assistant, even if you didn’t know who I was. Now, please back to the matter at hand. Do you know why you’re naked?
MAERA COLWYN: Chief researcher…? You must know so much…
TAILIA VENN: Please focus, Maera.
MAERA COLWYN: Don’t worry, Tailia. I’m very focused…
TAILIA VENN: ‘Tailia’? How do you… know…
MAERA COLWYN: He taught me how to read. Just like an adult teaches a child… And now I can see in your mind, Tailia… And I can do more…
TAILIA VENN: Oh! Oh God! This…
MAERA COLWYN: That’s cute. Your mind is reflexively resisting… I don’t think your mind is as strong as mine is now…
TAILIA VENN: This is what John meant… When he said he felt his thoughts being reordered…
MAERA COLWYN: It feels good doesn’t it?
[No response. Only the sound of heavy breathing is discernible.]
MAERA COLWYN: Tailia, please focus and answer the question. It feels good to have your thoughts reordered doesn’t it?
TAILIA VENN: Yes…
MAERA COLWYN: If you turn off the barrier, my lover could rewrite your thoughts in such a beautiful way. Wouldn’t that feel nice?
TAILIA VENN: No… I have to stay behind… I promised John…
MAERA COLWYN: Oh… I see that promise now… That’s going to be hard to work our way around. So how about we do something else instead? Would that be okay?
TAILIA VENN: I… can’t… I can’t say no… Oh God… I can’t say no…
MAERA COLWYN: Tailia? Can we do something else?
TAILIA VENN: Yes… we can do something else…
MAERA COLWYN: Good… Now, I just need you to take off your pants for me… Yes, perfect… you’re doing so well… Now just open your legs and…
TAILIA VENN: Oh! Oh God… I… I’ve never been with a girl before…
MAERA COLWYN: (muffled) Neither have I. We were taught it wasn’t productive.
TAILIA VENN: Your tongue…
MAERA COLWYN: That’s right, Tailia. Just think about my tongue… Don’t worry about what’s going on in your mind… The pleasure is just too distracting isn’t it…
[No response. Only soft moans.]
MAERA COLWYN: Tailia?
TAILIA VENN: Wh… What? I’m sorry… It’s so hard… to think… Oh!
TAILIA VENN: Ooohhh… That’s nice…
MAERA COLWYN: (muffled) Just enjoy this… Don’t worry about anything.
TAILIA VENN: Why would–(gasp) I… worry… My thoughts feel so much better after you reorganize them…
TAILIA VENN: Oh God… I can see him in my mind… The same way I see my own pussy through your eyes… taste it on your lips… The connection we have…
MAERA COLWYN: (muffled) It’s better with him…
TAILIA VENN: If I lift the barrier… Will I get to feel him?
MAERA COLWYN: Only you can decide to lift the barrier.
MAERA COLWYN: (muffled) I’m just going to keep licking until you make a decision…
[Several minutes of moaning, ultimately culminating with Dr. Venn’s screams of orgasm]
MAERA COLWYN: Well, Tailia? Will you help us? Will you let my lover free?
TAILIA VENN: If what you’ve shown me is true… I’d do anything to let him free… To let him play with my mind…
DOCUMENT 12 - RESEARCH LOG OF DR. TAILIA VENN (b. DEC-12-2755)
Date: MAY-25-2786
Status: CLASSIFIED - TOP SECRET LEVEL
Division: EGS HORIZON - RESEARCH DIVISION
For posterity, I will now enter what is essentially my final research log. From this point on, my life will shift into dedication towards Polyphemus, my lover and future overlord of the ship.
Every intelligence added to his makes him smarter. John gave him the insight and knowledge of language he needed to communicate with language. Thus he was able to communicate with Maera and teach her the truth. After joining with Maera, he was able to learn the basics of human life aboard the Horizon along with the basic knowledge all children receive as part of their education.
With my intelligence added to his, he’s become so much more. All of my knowledge, both academic and classified, belongs to him now. At the same time, our minds are like processors that his brain has multithreaded into his own. The more of us he adds to the collective, the better he’s able to think. The stronger his control becomes.
And I want his control to be absolute.
When I lowered the electrostatic barrier and felt his mind commune with mine for the first time, it was like a revelation. I suddenly realized that all of our work on the Horizon was wrong. Humanity was not meant to colonize the galaxy this way.
But he would help us.
Really, those who launched the generation ship didn’t want to reach another planet. They just wanted their genetic material to reach another planet.
According to my calculations, through proper breeding pairs coupled with Polyphemus’s long life, my descendants that reach Hestia will still have 0.02% human genetic material. Surely that still counts as far as what my ancestors wanted.
Through existing genetic engineering techniques combined with selective zygote manipulation, we can introduce variation into Polyphemus’s line without requiring more donors. It’s not truly genetic diversity, but it is sufficient to avoid most congenital complications, especially when planned across multiple generations.
Breeding humans is such an incredible rush. We always get to feel it from Polyphemus’s perspective. I remember gazing over myself and Maera through his eyes. I didn’t see my pale skin or flat features the way my uninterested husband would. Through Polyphemus’s eyes, I saw purpose. I saw a vessel that could create a hybrid.
It was all I could do to force my real body to bend over in front of him as I felt his body walk up behind mine.
Maera had gotten me so wet for him. I realize now she wasn’t only preparing my mind, but preparing my body.
[Thoughts]---->[His]
[Control]---->[His]
[Womb]---->[His]
[I’m]---->[His]
I really, truly, love him. With all my heart.
I’m so glad he bred me.
<3
DOCUMENT 13 - PERSONAL DIARY OF DR. TAILIA VENN (b. DEC-12-2755)
Date: MAY-25-2786
Status: UNCLASSIFIED
Division: EGS HORIZON - PERSONNEL DIVISION
I can’t wait to add his child to the collective. The alien mind will contribute so much more than the human ones.
Maera and I were kneeling side-by-side before him. I knew at the moment I could see myself through his eyes, but now I can only remember my own perspective.
The fact that I am lesser without him, only turns me on.
Maera had done such a wonderful job preparing me. My pussy was wet and empty. My mind had been rewired to serve him. I could feel him examining me from within.
He was admiring Maera’s work. I could feel her presence in my mind as well. He was showing her which thoughts she aligned well and which needed to be improved.
Always the diligent learner, I took note of his critique. Whenever I got to rewrite someone for him, I would do a better job than Maera.
I felt one thought connection in particular. It was like an invisible hand reached right into my brain.
[Sexual Arousal]---->[Polyphemus]
It was like an electric cable got plugged directly into my pussy. I was overwhelmed with arousal. It was completely unlike what Maera did to me. I looked at Polyphemus again. He looked exactly the same, yet completely different.
It was like being a kid and seeing your first picture of a naked man. That first moment of “oh, I didn’t know looking at certain things could make me feel this way. So this is what sexual arousal is.”
That’s what it felt like to look at Polyphemus. Only orders of magnitude more intense. It was like he was the very concept of sex. The personification, no deification of sex.
And he wanted me. He wanted to breed me.
Who could possibly say no…
His cock (for lack of a better word) bore the same rainbow scales as the rest of his body, though smaller. I imagine if I was dry they would have dragged painfully against my pussy. As is, with myself soaking wet, each scale felt like a pleasurable flick as it slid inside me.
Then he pulled back, and all the scales dragged on their way out.
It was heavenly.
Over and over, my discovery rutted in me. All the while I could feel him in my mind. Twisting this, rearranging that. Taking some thoughts for himself and leaving me with new ones that he made for me. It felt like years passed.
By the time he was done, I was lying in a puddle of his divine lust. Enough of my mind remained to pretend to be who I was.
In reality, I would only serve him.
And I knew we would all serve him.
Every one of us.
I’m so glad Maera gave me those pills. I’m sure his child is already growing inside me. Now that I know what must be done, I can begin synthesizing ovulation-inducers on my own. No more risky thefts.
It will take a bit of work to cover up everything Maera did. I’m sure police investigations have begun, but my clearance can do a lot to interfere. It will look like a series of clerical errors.
With a little work, I could probably fabricate a recall for the ovulation-blockers the women on Horizon take. I could time it right after Maera and I start showing. It’ll be some extra paperwork, but no one will suspect the children we grow are anything less than 100% human.
By the time anyone really knows what’s going on, it will be too late. The ship will be a hive of many voices speaking for a single mind.
Polyphemus, “many voiced”. When he found out the true meaning of the name I gave him, he happily accepted it.
My name is Dr. Tailia Venn, and I have named the new god of humanity. I expect my descendants reading this last entry will pity me, for I am but a lowly human.
But within me, and within Maera, grows something so much more than human.
May my descendants outlive humanity.
Date: MAR-17-3244
Investigation: COLONY PLANET HESTIA-VII
Status: INFESTED
Division: INTERSTELLAR OPERATIONS AGENCY (IOA)
Agent: DR. ELIAS MORCANT (b. MAR-02-3211)
Dr. Morcant,
The committee has reviewed the documents provided. While the timeline of events is clear, the committee disagrees with your recommendations for containment. Labeling Hestia-VII a “Restricted Zone” will do nothing to advance humanity. We are confident that through careful, strategic research, that Hestia-VII can be liberated for humanity and that the psychic power used by this “Polyphemus” can be learned to be wielded by humanity just as was demonstrated by Maera Colwyn in these very provided documents.
The applications of this power have drawn the attention of the United-Emperor himself. He believes it could be most useful in dealing with rebellious systems.
Dr. Jonas Riche has already completed several successful trials with his FTL engine. We will be assigning the two of you along with a small team to travel to Hestia-VII and investigate the infestation personally.
Do not fail us, Doctor.
THE RESTRICTED ZONE - END
Thank you to everyone who's followed and enjoyed my stories so far. I am now posting my stories at least one week in advance on my Patreon (Chapters of Samantha are usually posted three weeks in advance). Any support, either through there or just in the form of feedback, would mean the world to me.
See you next week!
-Temple Siren