Chapter 2 - Alien Tardigrade Oviposition [Part III]

The universe is a beautiful place.
 
               Those embarking upon starships; bound for worlds beyond their own, often came to realize this during times of transit - when they could look outward and see clouds of radiant gas, far-off stars, beautiful nebulae, and comets streaking through the void; leaving brilliant trails of dust in their wake. 
 
               Outside the VSC Steadfast, the Fermi-II solar system lived up to this beauty. The sight of massive asteroid belts ringing its worlds, and the visible clouds of cosmic gasses were highlighted by the pale yellow star sitting at the center of it - casting a sickly haze over everything revolving around it. The sight of the system was framed by jagged, twisted metal - bowing inward like a ravenous maw - as the remaining crew of the vessel admired the sights.
 
               C’talen had come to enjoy her time on the steadfast - though truthfully she’d forgotten the context to why she’d arrived. She was part of the crew; but with nobody to interact with or order around, she wasn’t sure what duties she was supposed to fill - mercifully, the ship’s AI made her stay… Comfortable as they made their way back  home. PATI made sure the food synthesizers remained in operation, so the Vekk woman remained well fed - even if other systems had to be sacrificed.
 
               It was… Probably a couple of days ago when she mentioned a critical failure in one of the generators, and while the technical details were lost on C’talen, PATI had explained that power had to be rationed carefully for the duration of the journey. Even if it boggled the woman’s mind what to keep on - she decided to cut down a number of the non-essential systems. Security systems weren’t really necessary when she was the sole occupant of the craft, recreational systems… Were a bit beyond her to indulge in, so she axed those off too. One of the biggest hogs of the remaining power was something called an ‘oxygen synthesizer’, so that was a no-brainer for her to cut down. Ultimately only the most important things remained online - lighting, gravity, food, and PATI. 
 
               The generator failure did have a bit of a silver lining, though - despite PATI’s confusing insistence that it was dangerous, the housing for the damaged generator had started to give off high levels of radiation - so C’talen had come to treat it as a place to relax. There was something about it that made her feel warm and tingly - on the outside and especially on the inside. 
 
               Of course, it paled in comparison to the real stuff - which C’talen currently found herself indulging in.
               C’talen sat against a wall in one of the voided corridors; only a half a dozen feet away from her and the void of space. Her broad legs were spread; and her eyes were trained on the sights outside. They were a… Simple pleasure; but what truly brought her out here was one considerably more intimate. While she was ultimately looking forward to returning home - C’talen realized that goal was rather far away. She’d been occupying herself with more immediate happenings - anticipating the ship’s passage through what PATI called ‘dangerous’ parts of the system. It had become clear, in the past week, that PATI certainly wasn’t made by a Vekk. 
 
               And so - she sat, with two hands resting on her thighs, and another hefting up her stomach, awaiting their passage through another radiation belt. PATI had offered to supply her with a countdown; but… The airless nature of the corridor made audible transmission difficult, the last time she tried to bring something electronic out here with her it broke, and frankly she couldn’t understand the symbols PATI used to actually count down anyway. 
 
               Besides; she had no need for a countdown - when she started feeling that delightful tingle on her skin, she knew they’d arrived. With her mandibles secured over her face; keeping her internal supply of cycled and recycled air secure, she couldn’t chitter or moan in pleasure - but instead, she seemed to squirm in place. Both of her higher arms reached downward, hefting up the girth of her stomach, while her lower pair reached downward. One hand came to rest upon her thigh; while the other more boldly trekked between her legs. 
 
               When it came down upon her sensitive flesh, C’talen flinched - both pleased at the touch and feeling the radiation around her intensifying. The aperture between her legs spread slightly - the firmer skin peeling back and exposing a softer and fleshier mass. It folded outward; pressing against her chitinous hand, but… That was just the start. C’talen’s fingers curled around the fleshy fold and began to stroke it - her six eyes staring outward at the stars - her entire field of vision swept over by a vibrant, green cloud. Heat and sensation tingled away at her - centering squarely around the sensitive flesh between her legs.
 
               It grew further - the wide opening at the end of it flexing and drooling into her hand as it extended a couple inches away from its point of origin. Two of her eyes - independent from the others, looked toward a screen embedded into one of the walls; its glass had grown smokey, and beneath it, she could see a hint of light. This was something of a common sight during her little… Indulgences; without the outer hull to protect it, the electronics of the ship were slowly degrading every time they passed through a radiation belt. Blackened spots had grown around access panels and buttons, wires around the breach began to spark and melt into an indiscernible mass of slag...
               It was a disproportionately comfortable atmosphere for her. The sight made the flesh within her hand squirm. It was partially prehensile - even if she hadn’t quite gotten the hang of controlling it. Now stretching a solid foot ahead of her, she could see it; the slime upon it glistening in the cosmic illumination, the soft flesh writhing - and a bit of goo slipping out from the yawning orifice at the very end. Her… Experience with the thing was that climax heralded a bounty of the slime; she wasn’t sure what it was, but it ultimately didn’t matter much to her - just that it felt good to make it. And yet, for the past couple of days, she hadn’t managed to… Get there.
 
               Appropriately, she’d been feeling rather pent up - so she’d been looking forward to this radiation belt. Besides - it was the closest one to Sternguard Lambda. If she couldn’t get off now - she’d have to wait until she was on her planet to do so. Planting her other hand on the fleshy surface, C’talen continued to stroke - relishing the warm, satisfying sensation of the radiation bombarding her. She hardly even noticed when a bit of slag began to dribble down her shoulder - so thoroughly rapt in her pleasure. The more she worked at herself, the more she felt a… Pressure begin to grow - it didn’t feel entirely like her prior climaxes, but… It didn’t feel much different, either. 
 
               Her hips rocked as she continued to pleasure herself; the motions causing her corpulent body to jiggle. Her upper hands clenched around the flesh of her stomach; while her lower pair kept stroking - and that pressure seemed to batter at her insides; swelling around her crotch. Her legs, for a moment, bowed inward, and her stomach seemed to tense. Her… Organ tightened within her grip; flexing almost excitedly as she felt something shift within her.
 
               C’talen threw her head up as she felt that building pressure release. The very tip of her organ began puckered shut, and she could feel it start to flex and undulate between her hands. If she wasn’t in the void right now, she’d scream - it felt so good that her head was starting to feel light. Muscles tensed across the organ in rolling waves - the soft flesh pulsating, again and again, until she felt something… Enter it, from deep inside of her. Excitedly and curiously, C’talen looked down, and she could see something bulging at the base of the organ. With each pulse, it travelled lower and lower - getting closer to the head. 
 
               Suddenly, and with a wet gush of slime, it opened up; and a small, white mass came rolling out; sticking fast in the pool of goo on the floor. C’talen couldn’t help but stare at it - tilting her head. It was small, white, and spherical; just about large enough to fit in the palm of her hand. Extending from the central orb were a number of small nodules - ending with frilled tips. Removing one hand from her shaft, she reached out - and the tips seemed to latch onto her hand as it came near; tethering to it needily. As she brought it closer to her face, she held it up - closer to the light pouring in from the breach.
 
               As the light hit it, it seemed to partially shine through the otherwise-opaque surface; and while the nodules across it created spotty shadows, she could also make out a… Central shadow inside. One that, after a moment, seemed to move. 
 
               She could feel her two hearts start to pound quicker as she observed it. While  her mind lacked an appropriate explanation - her instincts, as usual, served to tell her more than she could ever figure out for herself. 
 
               C’talen had laid an egg. 
 
               She clutched the thing in her hand possessively - while her organ… Her ovipositor flexed again. That same pressure returned… And, besides, the radiation was still tingling away. It’d be a bit longer before they were out, given what PATI had told her about the size of it…
 
               So, within the silent void, C’talen started to stroke her ovipositor again. When she arrived on Sternguard Lambda… She wasn’t going to come home alone.