“It’s getting closer,” Nea muttered, rubbing her head. There was a somewhat painful buzz just behind her eyes, like a bad headache from not getting enough sleep.

“You need to hold on as long as you can,” Kurt insisted, “even at this size, I can keep it out of your head.”

“I-I will,’ Nea muttered.

“It’s going to send it’s servitors in first,” Telma said, “foul things, the smell alone can make a Zetan vomit.”

“My granddad said they smell like a port-o-john in the summer,” Joey agreed.

“Your grandfather served against them?” Telma asked curiously.

“Yeah, one of the first humans to work with you guys on it, I guess he saw action on Zeta Prime,” Joey explained. “They’d just vaporized Sydney and Beijing, and while people were still pretty pissed at you guys, I guess gramps was pissed enough at them to go along with you.”

“Be thankful they only ever destroyed two Earth cities,” Nea said quietly, “we lost nearly a quarter of the Empire’s population without killing a single one of them.”

“We had someone else killing plenty of our people before the squids got there,” Kurt said darkly, “personally I don’t think I’d have been able to look the other way on that if it had been me.”

“Gramps talked about that,” Joey said quietly, “he said that if you ever met a squid, you’d understand, like there’s just something… off about them.”

“I guess we’ll find out,” Kurt said with a sigh. “Either of you ever fight these things before?”

“No,” Telma said, “just simulations, we can’t get close to them without one of you nearby.”

“Review our plan for me,” Nea said, checking the pair of plasma pistols on her belt. One was for Kurt, once he’d been returned to full size. She was holding him pinched between her fingers now, and her recovered shrink ray was hooked to her belt, ready and waiting.

“Cephalos board ships by inserting a hollow tentacle through the hull,” Telma explained, “the main cargo bay has the most space, so he’ll probably come in through there.” She lifted Joey up to the shoulder of her power armor, letting him sit while she checked a plasma rifle she’d taken. “We’ll want to wait until we see the Cephalo itself, it’ll send servitors first, but we need to get between it and it’s ship.”

“Then when we see it, you grow us back right?” Joey asked eagerly.

“Yes,” Telma said, reaching up with a smile and stroking his hair. She patted a spare plasma pistol on her belt, dangling next to her shrink ray.

Nea glanced down at Kurt, her mouth a thin line, Kurt regrown… she thought. Somehow it made her a little sad. He’s not going to be mine…

He noticed and gave her a wry grin, “try to cheer up princess, we’re killing stuff, that’s what you Zetans like, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” She muttered, “battle, I’m excited for the battle…”

…

Nea and Telma peered from the side hallway of the cargo freighter. This particular one only led to an access port for maintenance, without any bodies down here they’d guessed the Cephalo would have no interest in it.

They heard a scraping sound, then the tearing of steel as the Cephalo ship’s tentacle penetrated the hull. A moment later they heard a plopping sound, like a rotten tomato falling on concrete, the smell hit them next, and Kurt grimaced in disgust as the odor of a raw sewer wafted through the corridors.

*click* *click* *click*

They stood perfectly still as the mottled servitors shambled by at the far end of the hallway, the clawed feet clacking on the floor. They walked like a human or a Zetan, but with a halting gait, the long gripping claws on their arms reaching well past their knees, the small misshapen heads staring straight ahead.

There was another sound, like a wet mop across tile. They saw it then, the towering bulbous head, traipsing forward on a forest of tentacles that made sticking sounds as they touched each surface in the hallway.

In that moment Kurt understood everything that war veterans said about the creatures. A deep primordial hate bubbled up from within him, stronger than anything he’d ever felt for the Zetans, for anything. It shocked him with its intensity, the urge to run at the Cephalo, even in his inch tall form, was overpowering, he wanted to beat it to death, to claw it’s eyes out-

He forced himself to calm down, he glanced at Joey, who had gritted teeth and a face red with rage too. These things set off something deep in him, apparently in all humans.

“I can’t stand it any longer!” Nea whispered, squeezing her eyes shut. Telma had a droplet of sweat rolling down her own face, and she nodded grimly.

The two Zetans placed their respective humans on the ground, stepped back, and leveled their shrink rays. There was a flash, and Kurt stumbled as his vision cleared. He looked around excitedly, pumping his fist in excitement at being at his full sized. Joey was similarly jubilant, and without warning Kurt hugged his friend.

“Kurt, bro, you’re naked,” Joey laughed.

“Fuck, sorry,” Kurt muttered, stepping back. He frowned, wondering what Joey had said to the other Zetan that had earned him clothes, have to look into that when we’re done here.

There was an ear-piercing screech as the Cephalo detected the presence of the now full-sized humans, a sound like steel scraping on pavement mixed with a burst of static. Kurt realized with a start that it wasn’t a sound, he was “hearing” it inside his own mind.

“Guns,” he snapped at the Zetans, “now.”

Nea and Telma drew plasma pistols, presenting them grip first to Joey and Kurt. The two humans took them, and Kurt looked up at Nea a moment, she made eye contact, and suddenly the air was filled with tension. Kurt gripped the pistol, the weight in his hand feeling good as he stared at the Zetan who had spent days tormenting him. Telma and Joey looked back and forth at the two of them, then sighed with relief as Kurt turned away.

“Okay,” he muttered, “who’s taking point?”

“I’ve got power armor and a rifle,” Telma said, pushing in front of them.

The group entered the hallway, then froze. At the end a wave of the putrid creatures was shambling towards them, wet spongy sounds echoing with the click of their claws.

Kurt raised his weapon, breathing out and steadying himself as he lined up his shots. One after another green bolts of heated plasma rocketed into the thing’s chests, and the servitors twitched as they were hit, dropping limply. If the rest cared for their fallen fellows, they didn’t show it, stepping over the corpses and raising their claws menacingly as the wave got closer.

“How many of them are there?” Joey shouted fearfully. He was firing haphazardly into the crowd, his shots striking arms, legs, even the ceiling or the floor. There were more sounds like wet rags hitting the floor, and Kurt glanced over his shoulder to see another wave of the creatures approaching from the cargo bay.

“More of them are coming from the ship!” Kurt warned.

“We’re surrounded,” Nea said, “Telma, we need to cut through these things!”

“Agreed,” her bodyguard growled. With a flick of a switch on the side of the alien rifle the steady stream of plasma became something almost like a beam. Telma stepped in front of them, cutting through the creatures in front of them like a knife. Some of them managed to close the distance with her, their claws sparking as they ran over her shielded power armor. She grunted as one body slammed her, but another swing of the rifle and the green beam sliced it in half.

They came into the ship’s lounge, a seeming break in the horde of attackers, though the new wave behind them was filling the air with that same foul odor as they rushed after them.

“There’s that fucker!” Joey snarled, pointing.

At the far side of the lounge the Cephalo loomed large, surrounded by another dozen of the mottled servitors. It screeched again, and the creatures surged forward.

Nea screamed a battle cry, shooting them one after the other as she forced her way forward. She realized a moment later in a panic that she’d been separated from her comrades, but Kurt leapt over a fallen creature, sprinting to her side. He nodded at her, and with a renewed vigor the two of them pushed forward.

The Cephalo was an immense thing, towering over the Zetans and nearly touching the lounge’s ceiling. Nea shouted as she finally forced her way to it, leveling the plasma pistol. A tendril wrapped around her hand, yanking it roughly. Her eyes went wide as her pistol clattered to the floor and she was lifted upwards. From beneath the writhing mass a mouth appeared, circular and covered in yellow jagged teeth. Nea screamed as she was lifted up to it.

Kurt was struggling with one of the servitors who had managed to close the distance with him. The thing was strong, and he gritted his teeth as he fought to keep it’s clawed hand away from his face. His head whipped around as Nea screamed, and he saw her head being brought up to the Cephalo’s dripping maw.

Something snapped in him, and the white-hot fire of hatred he instinctively felt for the creature somehow burned brighter when he saw it holding Nea. He released his grip on the Servitor, screaming in pain as the claws raked his face. With his hands free he leveled the pistol, firing one shot, then another into the beast. It stumbled, collapsing in a heap like a perverse mound of gelatin as the searing craters of the plasma appeared on its head.

A scream of agony echoed through their minds, and the servitors twitched as the mental link was disrupted. The one that had clawed his face spasmed, knocking his pistol away as it staggered.

Kurt’s eyes went wide as the tendrils raced towards Nea again, and he sprinted at the Cephalo, leaping onto its collapsed form with a primal shout of rage. His fists came down on the soft tissue, and the skin split like a rotten piece of fruit. All he could see was red as an ancient genetic hatred combined with the rage of seeing this thing touch the princess. He struck at it until his hands hurt, the viscera mixing with his own blood running down his face. The euphoria was overwhelming, and as his senses returned, he heard a mad laughter, his.

As he blinked and came back to reality, he realized the ship’s lounge had gone silent with him. The Cephalo was clearly dead, torn to pieces by him in his rage, it’s red eyes dim. Nea was rubbing her throat, looking up at him in awe. The servitors all lay dead, limp on the floor. With a look around he stepped back from his kill, panting slightly.

“Kurt,” Joey whispered, “God damn…”

Kurt realized that, naked as he was and covered in his own blood and the grey-green goo of the alien’s insides, he probably looked savage, monstrous even.

“You need medical attention,” Telma said quietly, “Nea, find out if these criminals had anything that can help, medical nanites would be ideal.” She looked towards the ship’s cockpit and sighed, “I’m going to go see if we can salvage anything from the navigation systems.”

“I’m uh… I’m going to go with Telma,” Joey muttered, following after her. Kurt recognized an odd expression on Joey’s face, was he afraid?

The cut across his face was beginning to hurt, a deep fiery pain that made him blink and wonder just how bad it was. Nea was on her feet, numbly walking toward a door on a nearby wall. It hissed as she opened it, revealing a closet. She walked out again with a small box, guiding him to a table and gesturing for him to sit. He obeyed, his muscles suddenly turning to jelly as the tiredness set in.

“This is a topical nanite spray,” Nea said, preparing a small bottle, “it will fix that cut, but it will be painful, and it will scar.”

“Fire away,” Kurt muttered, sighing as he lifted his hair out of his face. He winced at the pneumatic sound of the spray, and clenched his fists as a new electric fire raced up and down his face. It faded quickly, and a moment later the princess reached out, slowly tracing her hand from his forehead, down around his eye, and down his cheek.

They were silent a moment, then Nea spoke, “thank you,” she said quietly.

“We had to kill that thing,” Kurt muttered, sinking back in the chair.

“You saved my life,” she said with a sigh. “I…” tears were starting to fill her eyes, “Kurt… I think I’ve made a terrible mistake.”

“Yeah, I’ll say,” he muttered, sitting back up.

“It was all a lie,” she moaned, the sobs starting in earnest, “I thought humans were… I thought you were beasts, just things we needed to use…” She looked at him, “even after everything I did to you… to your friend, I threatened to…” She sat in the other chair at the table, sobbing uncontrollably.

Kurt enjoyed it for a moment, then frowned, god damnit, he muttered. He felt bad for her. No, you sentimental stupid fuck, don’t you dare-

“Nea,” he said quietly, “It’s…” he couldn’t really say it, it wasn’t okay… “You did something really fucked up and stupid,” he decided, “I’m not going to lie to you, I’m still pissed Nea, this was supposed to be a long weekend for me, instead I’m in space dealing with…” he gestured around, “this.”

“Is there anything I could ever do to make it right?” she asked, blinking tears away.

Kurt snorted, “I’m not a pastor Nea, fuck if I know, you did the things you did, maybe you’ll never make up for them, but you can change what you’re doing going forward.”

“That’s… very wise,” Nea sniffed, “did someone tell you that?”

“My shithead boss after I crashed a work vehicle,” he laughed, “he talked a big game about going forward, but I’m pretty sure it cost me a raise and a promotion.”

Nea’s mouth quirked, “you… crashed your work vehicle?”

“I misjudged the degree of that slope,” he said defensively. She giggled, and both felt a little better somehow.

He sighed and stood up, “if you don’t mind, I’m going to find out if these people have a shower, and maybe some clothes in human size…”

…

A little over an hour later the four of them met in the ship’s lounge, all of them having taken turns on the ship’s one shower except for Nea, who remained in her armor. Kurt had taken one of the princess’s nanofabric suits, looted from their ship by the criminals, and was pleased to discover they were unisex and would contort to fit his body as well as they fit hers.

“Hey buddy,” Joey said in a hushed voice, leaning over to Kurt, “how are you holding up?”

“I’m okay,” he said with a reassuring smile, “the scar though, how bad is it?”

“Bad?” Joey laughed, “badass maybe, you look like a fucking pirate or something, that was wild what you did back there, like I mean I felt that… whatever it was too, like I just hated that thing, but you? You were like a Viking or something, I’ve never seen a guy just snap like that.”

“Okay,” Telma began, “let’s start with the good news, the Cephalo is dead, and the maintenance droids have informed me that the smell should be cleared in another few hours. We unhooked the tentacle from our ship, and we can use the ship’s shield to patch the hole, so we won’t vent atmosphere.”

There were halfhearted cheers from Nea, Joey, and Kurt, the ship smelled like a mix between a sewer and a slaughterhouse, and it was nice to know that it would be remedied soon.

“What else?” Joey asked eagerly.

“That’s the end of the good news,” Telma said with a frown. “The ship’s controls were destroyed by the crew when they killed themselves, the best I can manage is to get it to continue the route it was already programmed on.”

“Alrec,” Nea said bitterly. “No doubt we’ll be welcomed by those who wish to use me against my mother…”

“Yes,” Telma said with a sigh, “We’ll have to escape from them somehow.”

“Indeed,” Nea said angrily, “once my mother hears what they were planning, we’ll bring an entire fleet, I’ll personally lead-“

“Nea,” Telma said sternly, “once we get away from these people, we’re going to disappear.”

Nea looked at her in confusion, “What? Why would we need to-“

“Princesses who cause diplomatic incidents get punished, exiled maybe,” Telma explained, “princesses who are involved in plots to overthrow their mothers get executed.”

Nea’s eyes bulged, “but that’s not what I wanted, I’d never plot against mother!”

“Do you think she’s going to believe that?” Telma asked with a sigh, “after everything else that’s happened? I’m sorry Nea, she is your mother, but she’s also the Empress.” Nea sank into her chair, numb at the implication. Telma sighed, “I’m sorry Nea, I thought this would be a harsh lesson for you… but not this harsh.”

“Where does that leave us?” Kurt asked, “I’d offer you guys my spare room, but the landlord is always poking around checking for pets.”

“When we’re free of Alrec we can drop you two off on a human world,” Telma said, “I’m… truly sorry about all of this.”

“Well shit,” Kurt muttered, “drop the next bomb.”

“What do you mean?” Joey asked nervously.

“If we’re all getting captured by these Zeta Forever gals again, do you suppose they’re going to want to see two full size humans when they board the ship?” Kurt asked with a sardonic smile.

Joey’s eyes went wide, and he looked to Telma pleadingly, “Oh no, come on Telma, please?”

“We’ll keep you with us at all times,” Telma said with a sigh, “and we’ll be sure you’re treated well… Perhaps if we have any time in private, we can grow you two back for brief periods until we’re ready to escape.”

“We don’t really have a choice,” Kurt said, rolling his eyes and standing up, “I guess I’ll see you guys tomorrow; I’m getting some sleep.

…

Telma looked around the quarters she’d chosen. There were a few personal rooms for the crew of the ship, nothing particularly fancy, but they all had cots and a standard viewscreen for entertainment. With a sigh she stepped in and deactivated her power armor. She stepped out of it, savoring the feeling of freedom as she was left with only her undergarments. She was coated in sweat, the result of a lengthy fight in power armor, and while the others had cleaned up, she’d been trying in vain to fix the ship’s navigation.

That shower is probably empty now, she thought.

Suddenly there was a knock at her door, “Enter,” she said without thinking, and the pneumatic door hissed open.

“Hey Telma,” Joey said, smiling and walking in with a pair of glass bottles in his hands, “I was rooting around in their pantry and I found a couple of cokes-“ He froze, seeing her in her underwear. “Oh, sorry I uh-“

“Relax Joey,” Telma said with a smirk, “you’ve already seen most of this,” she gestured at her body.

“Seems different,” he muttered, “being full size.” He handed her one of the sodas, then sat next to her on the bed. He was suddenly very aware of how she loomed over him, even at his full size, but he fought down that feeling of nervousness. If you could handle her at four inches, you can handle her at five eleven, he told himself.

“So, what brings you to my room?” Telma asked, opening her soda and taking a sip.

“Can’t a friend just bring another friend a drink?” he asked, flashing a smile that melted hearts back on Earth.

Telma gave him a small smile, “I think you are… I believe the earth phrase is, making a pass at me? It’s very transparent, I see right through it.”

“I wasn’t really trying to hide it,” Joey said, setting his drink on metallic nightstand.

Telma chuckled, feeling herself growing wet, they say after a battle you want it more, she thought. The earth boy seemed willing, eager even.

“Have you ever been with a Zetan woman before?” Telma asked, leaning against him slightly and curling a finger through his hair. She looked down at him and gave a smile, reaching around and hugging him closer in a strong grip.

“Well, no,” Joey said nervously, “but uh, how different could it be?”

“Mmm…” Telma growled, reaching for his neck. She tapped it, and there was a hiss as the nanofabric receded like the tide, flowing back up into the outfit’s collar, which she plucked off him and placed on the table with their drinks. She tapped the corner of her underwear next, and the webbed fabric snapped back into the pellet sized storage, and it soon joined Joey’s collar on the table. Joey was shocked, looking at her in surprise at how quickly they’d both been rendered naked.

“I understand a lot of human males take the lead in courtship,” Telma growled, her hand snaking between his legs and stroking him slowly. “We only have one male for every fifty of us back on Zeta Prime,” Telma giggled, enjoying Joey’s wide-eyed expression, “it seems evolution wanted our females to be slightly more… aggressive, than your own.” He grunted as she pushed his chest downward suddenly, forcing him onto his back against the cot’s rough mattress. “This, combined with our relative strength, can make the experience somewhat… overwhelming, for human males.” She climbed on top of him, the Amazonian beauty easily pinning his arms as her strong thighs straddled him. “Or so I’m told,” she giggled.

She reached down to guide him inside her, and the first thrust almost knocked the wind out of him, even as pleasure raced up his spine. Telma groaned, the smaller human beneath her squirming feebly as she easily held him in place. She pushed again, her hips rocking against him and forcing him into the mattress.

“I really like to ride a male so he can feel it,” she grunted between gritted teeth, “come on Joey, tell me how you like it!”

“You’re amazing!” he winced as her hips ground down on him again, “the best!” it was like nothing he’d ever experienced. There were wild women on earth of course, and timid wallflowers, and Joey had had everything in between, but this?

“Make noise for me human!” Telma ordered with a lustful smile, reaching down and cupping his chin as she continued to ride him. He groaned in pleasure, and a moment later she did too, the sounds of their lust filling the cabin as Telma kept going. She leaned back, laughing as he tried to buck his hips and control the pace, but another powerful drive forced him back against the mattress, a slave to her rhythm.

“Oh fuck,” Joey moaned, surrendering and letting her fully take control.

“Good boy,” she growled, her grip on his wrist tightened slightly as she picked up speed. Joey fought the urge to howl as he did all he could to keep himself from orgasm.

“Not yet,” Telma said through gritted teeth. Joey just moaned and let his head fall back against the pillow, “NOT YET!” Telma repeated, gripping his jaw and surprising him.

“I-I can’t-“ he protested.

“Now,” Telma sighed happily, the speed of her thrusts decreasing as her toes curled and pleasure raced through her body. Joey let himself finish too, his body spasming in her grip as a powerful orgasm rocked his body.

The two of them panted a moment, he she smiled down at him, and then slowly climbed off of him, walking over to the nightstand where there drinks were. She looked down with a smirk at his stunned form as she lifted her bottle, taking a small sip.

“I think I’m developing a taste for things from Earth,” She said with a smile.

“Yeah,” Joey breathed, trying and failing to sit up. “I think… I think you’ve ruined me for Earth girls.”

Telma raised an eyebrow, a charmer this one… She sat back down on the cot, running a hand up his leg slowly. Ruined him for earth girls… she fought a giggle, he was probably just flirting again, but the thought made her pleased with herself. At least there’s one nice thing to come out of all of this.

“So, Joey,” she said slowly, “when we get to Alrec you’ll need to be small again, I know you’re not looking forward to it.”

“Nope,” Joey muttered. “Don’t take this the wrong way, you took good care of me and everything, but still, not a fan of shrinking.”

“Well, I’ll be preoccupied trying to find us a way off the planet,” Telma mused, “but we might have some private time.” She grinned, “We’ll have to make the most of it, no matter what size you are…”

“S-Sounds fun,” Joey said, a weak smile on his face.

…

Kurt stared at the ceiling of his room, it was a cramped space with a single bunk, the assorted belongings of the Zetan who’d used it previously scattered about. He’d even watched a few Zetan dramas on the wall screen in his boredom, they weren’t great, but it wasn’t a drama he was fond of with human actors either.

There was a knock at his door, “Come in,” he muttered, waving his hand dismissively and causing the screen to go black.

Nea walked in hesitantly, “Telma says we’re going to leave hyperspace soon,” she said quietly.

“Time to downsize already?” Kurt asked with a sigh.

“Yes,” Nea said, sitting next to him on the bed. She looked away from him, downcast, “I’m going to get you out of this, I promise…”

“Well, if it comes down to shooting our way out, grow me back beforehand and I can watch your back again,” he said, forcing a smile.

Nea fingered the silvery remote of her shrink ray idly, glancing down at it, then back to Kurt. She loomed over him even now, a good half a head taller than him. Their eyes met, and she bit her lip. Suddenly Kurt felt a hand on the back of his head, and their lips met, he grunted in surprise, but didn’t pull away, returning the kiss.

The parted after a moment, him with his mouth open in shock and her blushing furiously enough to bring a tinge of red to her green cheeks. She stood up then, standing before him and leveling the shrink ray. She gave him one last smile, then the familiar bright flash filled his vision.

When he’d blinked the stars out of his eyes, he looked up at the smiling titaness that was Nea, her green hand reaching down for him and gently closing around him once more. She brought him up to her face, holding him in her hand quietly a moment.

For Kurt, he was surprised at how comfortable he felt. The warmth of her hand was pleasant, and he found he wasn’t afraid of Nea.

“Well, here we are again,” he said with a wry smile. “Do I still have to call you princess?”

“I suppose when we’re around the other Zetans on Alrec,” she said with a sigh, “but… when we’re alone, please just call me Nea… I’m not sure I’m going to be a princess by the end of this anyways.”

“You can hide in Iowa,” Kurt joked, “give it a few months, the corn will even hide a Zetan.”

She laughed in spite of herself, “I don’t think I’d be welcome back there either, but thank you for the offer.”

She held him close to her, enjoying the feeling of having him in her hands. Even with all of the misery that she’d endured, that she’d inflicted on herself really, she felt hopeful for the future.