Under a Starless Sky

Chapter 73

Shen revealed anger. His hand clenched Bevan’s tighter. Were the giantess nuts because they were

clone? Was Xana that disillusion that she though a human from another origin point could really

impregnate her?

“What? Already addicted to giant strange? Not going to give it up?” Bevan asked.

“Why do you care?” Shen asked.

“I am an agent of the underground. A lot of effort went into bringing you into the world. You’re off track

again, and I am just trying to light you back on path,” Bevan said.

“You’re an angel?” Shen asked.

“No, I am human,” Bevan said. “I used to be more.”

“Let me guess, a lot of Bothans died to bring me this message,” Shen said.

“I don’t known Bothans. I hear sarcasm,” Bevan said.

“You think? If you know why I am here, wouldn’t it be in my best interest, and everyone else’s involved

in this fiasco, to let me in on the details?” Shen asked.

“No,” Bevan said.

“What kind of spirit guide are you?” Shen asked.

“I am not a spirit guide, Shen. I don’t know your ultimate purpose in life. I don’t need to know. If you had

the cheat codes for the test, it wouldn’t be a fair exam, now would it?” Bevan said.

Shen tried to pull away, but she held his grip and her hand on his back held him firm. She was

surprisingly strong.

“Shen, if I told you the end of the movie, you might not go,” Bevan said.

It didn’t register she knew what a movie was. “But you know something. Something important,” Shen

said.

“I only know you are off track. I have been asked to get you back planet side,” Bevan said. “This is not

a small thing being asked of me. There could be consequences.”

“But you’re not doing it out of altruism. You want something,” Shen said.

“Yes,” Bevan said.

“What’s your plan?” Shen asked.

“We clone you. We put you in an ejection pods, and launch you out with the overflow waste,” Bevan

said. He clearly wanted to ask but didn’t; she explained. “This ship produces more biomass than it

requires for sustainability. They can only turn so much of it directly into energy. The rest has to be

ejected. Once a month, excess mass is ejected, and it burns up in the atmosphere. We launch you

alongside of that, and they won’t suspect any duplicity. I suspect, we could launch you any time and

they wouldn’t notice, but we go with the schedule dump.”

“And what do you want?” Shen asked.

“I want you to take my son with you,” Bevan said. “You can raise him, or adopt him out. Just get him off

this station.”

There was a sound of thunder and all the artificial lights went out. The candles in the ballroom

remained lit. The candles flickered with a strange wind. Camera orbs blinked out and dropped to the

ground. The orchestra didn’t quit right away, but soon after. All the giantesses dropped, regardless of

full size or not. Shen went straight to the nearest centaur. Bevan, too. The Centaur’s eyes were open.

Her eye tech had lost its sparkle.

“Can you hear us?” Shen asked. NôvelDrama.Org: text © owner.

“She’s asleep,” Bevan said. “This is not the sleeper tree spell.”

“They’re augmented,” Shen said. “They can’t asleep…” The centaur eyes shifted to look at him. “Sleep

paralysis! Your body has been turned off.”

A whirling noise and a swirl of lights revealed the arch at the end of the hall was powering up. People

started moving off the dance floor. Most of the Orchestra deserted their posts. Jerica tapped his arm.

“Let’s go,” Jerica said.

“What?”

“Loxy’s opening the gate,” Jerica said, and looked back to where she thought Loxy was.

Loxy was on the floor. Shen went to her side. Bevan and Jerica followed.

“Not me,” ATL managed to say.

“Fuck,” Shen said. “We’re under attack…”

“Everyone, hide!” Bevan said.

People that knew Bevan immediately took to hiding. Some people ran. Most didn’t run. Four giants

emerged from the gate. Three were fifteen feet, and they were following one that was twenty feet tall.

They all had four arms. The tallest one sliced a man in half with a sword, decapitating him before the

torso hit the ground. The man was a chief. The giant bounced the man’s head as if it were a hacky

sack off his sword; he caught it in his mouth and swallowed it as if nothing more than popcorn. He spit

out the hat, spying the floor for his next kill. With another hand he caught up a woman, ripped her dress

off, confirmed she was a woman, and slung her over his shoulder. Two other giants emerged, pulling a

cage cart. Now people fled. However good or bad they had it, their lives would not be the same with the

male giants. They would be fucked then eaten. Maybe in that order. Some of the people that fled the

Hall were scooped up by giant hands that were outside. The quandary to stay in or leave was terrible.

One person shoved a woman out, she was caught up by hands, and he made a run for it thinking he

was safe enough. He would not be seen again. One of the smarter persons upturned a table as a

barricade. Several imitated. Bevan touched his arm to get his attention- “we can’t stay here in the

open.”

Loxy held her ground, unable to move. He touched her face, she looked like she was struggling, her

muscles drooping, as if she had had a stroke. “Sorry it took so long.” She gripped his arm tightly. “EMP

was employed… System- rebooting.”

“Come, I have place we can hide,” Bevan said.

“For everyone?” Shen asked, indicating the whole room.

“Your friends. You can’t save everyone,” Bevan said.

Shen turned his attention to Loxy. “Come on, faster than windows, please.”

“They slept the giantesses,” Bevan said. “The whole room is unconscious. It will take time before

authorities respond. We need to be out of here.”

Arne was suddenly there, with Uffe, Orton and Erico.

“What happened to the plan?” Arne asked.

“She needs five minutes to recover,” Shen said. He touched Arne. “Stay with her. She’ll get you out.”

“What…” Bevan and Arne were going to ask.

They didn’t have to ask. It was very apparent. Shen walked back out to the dance floor and squared off

with the lead giant. “He is not…” Jerica began before accepting what she was seeing. “He is fucking

insane,” Erico said.

“He is hormonally off balanced,” Bevan explained.

“We need weapons,” Arne said to Uffe.

“Excuse me,” Shen shouted. “I think you’re at the wrong ball. May I check your crystal ID?”

There was sudden silence inside the hall. Screams still came from outside, cries from a hundred tables,

and the sound of giants getting off- laughing. The lead took the girl off his shoulder and tossed her back

to his friend and turned back to Shen. The one that caught her, licked her, threw her into cart. The giant

scratched his head.

“You are the off worlder known as little big man?” he said.

“I am not Dustin Hoffman,” Shen said.

“I thought he’d be a little bigger, boss,” one of the giants said.

“I assure you. I am not the droids you’re looking for,” Shen said. “But if you return to your stations, I will

make sure they get delivered.”

“You will die,” the giant said, coming forward.

Shen took a step forwards, hand up in authoritative way that would stop cars from running over school

kids at a crossing. “Hold!” The giant stopped. Shen didn’t question it.

Uffe had retrieved one of the centaurs bow. He handed it to Jerica.

“I know where an armory is,” Bevan said.

“Stay with Loxy,” Arne instructed Jerica.

Arne, Orton, Uffe, and Erico went with Bevan.

“This is not really a fair fight,” Shen said. “I heard giants were fair.”