I lean in closer to the screen. Things just got interesting. A schism between the giantesses? This is news to me. Nyx immediately notices my confused expression and wastes no time tormenting me even more.

"Want to know more?" she says, with a clear lust in her voice, "Come abroad. That way, we can finish the nice little chat we're having. I'm not like the others.

"However, if your fighter isn't in my docking area after ten minutes...then I will kill you. One way, or another, I will...kill you. It's located inside the thumb of the hand, just so you know. Good bye, Sidney."

"Wait! What do I get out of this?" I ask.

"What do you get out of this you ask? I let you live. If you...refuse...then I will annihilate you. That alone is surely enough. Don't you think?

Think about that for a moment. You can either: rot in hell, or spend eternity with a goddess like me. Don't you want me to save you from Eris? It's your choice. I don't negotiate terms. You either...accept...or you don't. Please, don't make me have to kill you. I won't hesitate. However, you'd be a very welcome and...highly valued addition to my collection."

"I can't just desert. I...I can't."

"You're being irrational, Sidney. H.G.S. Number 21467 has already sent out an...unfortunate signal back to Mars. They know it's the end. But do you? Face it, you can't go back to Mars. Might as well join me."

"Alright...what do you want me to do?"

"I expect you on my ship within the next ten minutes. After that we can talk in more detail. Good bye Sidney."

What does she want with me? I'm not special. Or maybe I'm just too humble. I best obey her though.

After what happened to our ships state of the art computers, I'm not sure I want to cause an argument with her. She's vicious and calculating, yes, but it feels like there's a lot more to her than meets the eye, besides her missing face. I think about her proposal for a few seconds. It doesn't take long for me to finally make up my mind.

I'm likely going to die anyway, so I might as well join her. I think I can make it to her ship in ten minutes, but I better take my ship up to maximum speed just to make sure I'm not caught in the crossfire. I don't want to find out what will happen to me if I don't make it.

There's a fine line between servant and slave and, assuming she doesn't cross that line, I should be fine. Yet I have this awkward feeling. Is this defection? Somehow I don't think it's as black and white as that. I was forced after all. Or is that simply wishful thinking on my part?

Getting closer to her ship I notice the entrances to the docking area. Each hole, I assume, leads to a hanger. The holes are all located at the side of her ship. It looks very impressive. Two rows each made up of at least one-hundred slots for small ships like mine.

As I turn to get a better view of the docking area I hear the voice of Brandom the radio. He sounds distressed, disappointed even. He must know what I'm about to do, and it's a real moral blow for her I'm sure.

"Omega One what are you doing? Why are you surrendering? Over." I hear him cry over the radio.

"It's not like that..." I manage to reply before being hastily interrupted by him.

"Then what is it? It looks an awful lot like you're surrendering to her..."

"She talked to me in private and made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Over."

"So you're going to go desert us just like that? After all that we've been through together? That's low! Over!"

"Wait. I can explain. Over."

"Please do! Over."

"It's not like that. She claims she hates Eris too. Over."

"How can you be sure? Over."

"Why would she reveal something as crazy as that in order to trick me? Over."

"So you're going to allow yourself to be used as a pawn? Is that what it is? Over."

"She wants to talk to me. She was going to make sure I was dead if I didn't join her anyway. What choice do I have? Over."

"What choice do you have? I'll tell you! Your freedom is at stake. How can you trust her? Even if you did die, you'll die a hero, and people everywhere will remember you! For the right reasons I should add! Now you'll just be seen as a disgrace, over!"

"Well why don't you try refusing when you've got a gun pointed at your head? Over."

"That's not the Sidney I know. What happened to the daring person I used to know? Over."

"He's still in here. There's courage and then there is stupidity, over."

"Whatever, over."

I'm not even going to give him the satisfaction of a reply. There's courage and then there's stupidity. Being courageous shouldn't mean making stupid decisions. With every action there comes a risk. I hope she's not right though. It's hard to believe who I'm trusting.

I can't believe I'm being forced to trust someone I've barely met over the squadron which I've spent years becoming acquainted with. Hopefully this isn't the stupid option. It's so hard to decide which option is the brave one and which one is the stupid one.

As I'm about to make the final turn towards her ship I check the time. It seems that I've managed to make it with plenty of time to spare. Five minutes to be precise. As I lower my ships speed in order to make the landing I gradually turn in order to make the turn into her thumb as my ship is instructing me to. Wait...my ship is instructing me to do that? How? She must have hacked its computers after all...

As I approach the thumb, I receive a request for a video link from the same enemy ship as before. I accept it, and Nyx's neck and bust appear on screen again, only this time she appears to be laying down on something soft, with somewhat of a grin on her face. It's hard to say whether it's an evil or a happy sort of smile because I can't see the top half of her face, but for my sake, I hope it's a happy one.

"You have made the right choice, Sidney. I don't want to fight you. Don't fight a battle if you don't gain anything by winning. That's what I always say," she says as she appears to do something with a keyboard off screen.

"I wish Eris said that too," I reply, shifting my gaze to the Laser Fighter's control panel.

"I, wish that too. I'm glad you didn't want to fight me. There was nothing to be gained, if we fought a battle. You have many qualities I like. One must not judge everyone in the universe by their qualities as a soldier. Otherwise we should have no civilization. You can be more than just a...mere soldier, Sidney. I will make sure of it."

"W-what do you mean?"

"You'll discover that soon enough. Whilst you dock, I will contact a fellow Angel. She will give you further instruction. I think you'll find her to be...quite the charmer."

"Uh, okay."

After Nyx is done is talking to me, I sit idly as my fighter continues its approach. I note Nyx hasn't closed the video link. I see her whole body shift forwards slightly, and her arms move towards something off screen, presumably a control panel of some kind. As she types away I make my entrance.

Through the underbelly of her flagship, I notice lots of open doors, each one of them presumably leading into hangers. All of the them are larger than I expected given the rudimentary ships spewing out of her own earlier. Each of the hangers has more than enough room for my ship.

I assume it doesn't matter which one since so many are empty, and many of her servants will be dead anyway. When I slow down to land in one of the hangers, Nyx starts talking again, although she doesn't appear to be talking to me. Rather, she is talking to another screen next to the one that is connected my ship is connected to.

"Hello, Persephone," she says, in a surprisingly dull voice, unlike what I'm used to.

"How come your camera isn't pointed towards your face?" I hear a somewhat grouchy, distinctly feminine voice, who I can only assume to be Persephone's, say.

"Relax, Persephone. I'm just talking to...a simple human boy. That's why. You know why we don't reveal our faces to the humans. They're not worthy, obviously."

So I'm just a boy in their eyes? How am I a boy? Boys don't join the military, men do. I have served for many years now and yet, I'm still just a boy in Nyx's eyes? She has probably even seen my record. She knows I'm a seasoned pilot!

These women have got nerves. First I get death threats and now this. Maybe Jasmine was right. Maybe I have made the wrong choice by coming aboard her ship. When my ship lowers its landing gear, I hear Persephone's voice in the background again.

"Is he that one you told me about earlier?"

"Yes. Shall I put him through?"

"Fine; I still don't know if our plan will work though."

"I told you...Sidney is a very gifted boy. All he needed, was a little bit of...encouragement. Know what I mean?"

"Oh, I see. Give me a minute. I need to reposition my camera."

"Whenever you're ready. In the meantime, I'll tell him a little bit about you."

Looking around the hanger I see no doors, and there doesn't appear to be any obvious exit. The main doors, which I entered through, have shut, at. I hope I don't have to spend my days sitting here in silence.

Will I ever get to meet any of the women in person? Nyx clearly stated just now that they aren't allowed to show their faces to any humans. They can't keep me separate forever, can they? Suddenly I hear Nyx talking again and I get snapped out of my trance.

"The plot, it thickens, doesn't it, Sidney?" she says, returning to the sultry voice from before.

"Y-y-yes, it does. Someone is trying to contact me can I have a minute...?" I stammer in reply.

"No! They can wait. I'm much more important. And don't you dare ask me any more questions! I do the asking, understand?"

"S-sorry Nyx..."

"Good. I'm glad you understand...your place in the universe – underneath me. Now, about Persephone; where do I begin? Oh, never mind. I think she's ready. After I told her all about you. she was really eager...to...get to know you. Of course, you're mine now. All mine. And, I'm not one for, sharing."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I, hold the key to your death. If you don't accept your destiny then I shall be forced to...kill you. Don't make me, unlock that door, Sidney."

"You going to put me through to him?" says the voice of Persephone somewhere in the background.

"I was just...letting him know a few things. He's all yours now."

How can Nyx say she owns me? Nyx doesn't own me. Nobody does. I'm not an object. Jasmine was right! I need to get out of here! But how can I? Our ship is state of the art, and yet they treat it like nothing. I've got no chance.

At least before I may have had hope for an escape. Now I'm stuck here in some hanger being talked down to by two mysterious women. I have a feeling things will get a lot worse though. I've heard plenty of rumours about Eris and her band of so-called 'Angels'.

As Nyx closes her communication channel with me and transfers me Persephone, my heart starts to beat faster. I'm stuck out here all alone with little food or drink. My ship can recycle water and urine if it has to, but in terms of food I'm stuck. I wish I thought about this sooner.

I hope Nyx is kind enough to feed me. I can't die! I'm too young to die. I haven't achieved everything I wanted to achieve in life yet. My girlfriend and I were going to try for a baby when I got back from my tour of duty. Why me? Why not pick somebody with nothing to look forward to in life? Of all the people you could have picked, you pick me.

Persephone, a short haired blonde, appears on screen, from her pink lips down to her stomach, and first thing I notice about her is her nipples. They are peering through her translucent black, flower filled attire. Has she no shame? As with Nyx before her, the majority of her face is hidden off camera, however, I can see just enough of her head to see that she looks fairly serious. He lips, unflinching, are nothing like the smile I saw when I got the briefest glimpse of Nyx's lips earlier. If only I could see her eyes, I'm sure they'd be piercing right through my soul.

She seems to be standing up, and behind her body is a plain white wall. Given her exciting outfit, I would have expected something more from her ship. Suddenly Persephone snaps me out of my thoughts.

"You're quite something, aren't you?" Persephone says, as if talking to a baby, "She couldn't tell me everything of course, and I'm eager to learn more about the fine young boy Nyx described. Tell me something I won't know. Such as, who is the girl in your life? Do you have one?"

"Please, I'd rather not talk about my girlfriend. I miss her dearly..."

"Oh. Well, if you help me, I'll help you out. How does that sound? Don't worry about Nyx. If everything goes according to plan, I'll make sure you get back home to Mars. Really lovely planet Mars, isn't it? I wish I could go with you...but...it's hard to explain. Now, about our deal..."

I lean closer to the screen and continue to wonder what on Mars I've gotten myself into. The obvious question again springs to mind: Why did they pick me? It can't be simply that I have a Laser Fighter and other people on the flagship don't.

"What deal? Why did you pick me?" I ask, trying to no avail to hide my my unease.

"Calm down," Persephone says with obvious annoyance, though seeming to retain her relaxed composure, "The reason why we picked you is because of expertise as a pilot. We've searched for months and, since your record is impeccable, we thought you'd be the right person. You could say that we've been waiting for you.

"You're daring and brave. You're someone who never seems to be afraid to fight for what he believes in. While your skills don't even come close to matching that of an Angel, me especially, they are still very good. Your small size means that you can be put to good use..."

"So I'm just a tool?"

Persephone leans closer to her screen and slams her hands down onto something before her, presumably a table or a control panel of some description. More of her face becomes visible for a brief moment and I get to see her nose, as well as the top half of her cheeks. Before I have a chance to see her eyes, however, she resumes standing up perfectly straight.

"I said calm down! You're more than just a tool Sidney. I don't know what kinds of rubbish Nyx has been feeding you, but I see you as more than merely a tool! You're a valuable asset Sidney."

"What if Nyx heard what you just said? She did hack into..."

Persephone bangs her fist against the same surface as before and, not wanting to anger her further than she already is, I leave my sentence unfinished. Her previously calm voice is replaced by shouting. Just when I was beginning to think she was better than Nyx too.

"Nonsense! Nyx would never eavesdrop me, and I've made sure our communication is properly encrypted! It's much more secure communication than you humans are used to! I assure you. It's just you and I. We both dislike Eris as much as I'm sure you do, and you wouldn't want to let a sweet damsel like me down, now would you?"

"N-no, not really..."

"There's a little good boy. Did you really think I'd let anyone eavesdrop on our conversation? We Angels are nowhere near as stupid as humans, especially not me.

And we all know how each of us values our privacy. I'm way too smart, and of course big, to be one of you. My vastly superior intellect and size are just two of the many qualities that make me an Angel, a vastly superior being to any Human, even you."

"But you look exactly like a human...unless your..."

"Humans are not worthy of seeing our faces. You should know that by now. Haven't they told you? If you want really want to see my face you'll have earn the privilege.

"Just so you know, I had planned to steal you for myself, to have you by my side, nurturing you, protecting you from the harsh universe we live in, but love is a powerful force. It's perhaps the most powerful force of all. I really wanted brave young human to keep me company. Eris and Nyx take all of the nice humans. I get left with the scraps."

Persephone pauses. I'm left dumbfounded as her hands gradually move up her stomach, towards her chest. They stroke the underside of her breasts, caressing them with slow and steady motions. She then squeezes her breasts as her hands continue to move upwards, groping her breasts. Her movements seem random but they are nonetheless an attempt to be sensual. And it seems to be having the desired effect on me. My girlfriend would probably want to kill me right now.

"I'm sure you'd love it between my two girls," Persephone continues, in soft, sultry tone, snapping me out of my trance, "Wouldn't you? I know my twins are very keen to meet you...Sidney. Mm, wouldn't you just love to acquaint yourself with them?"

"I...I..." I try to reply, but no words escape my lips.

All of a sudden I'm beginning to feel really hot and bothered. I wish she'd stop teasing me! I shift uncomfortably in my seat as I wonder what I should do next. Her twins are too much! They're just too much! But...I can't give into sexual favours. No, I...I...argh! I can't control myself! I'm just another typical man! My one boy really wants to meet her two girls.

"Oh-w...you do want to meet them!" she chirps, "That's great! They're getting so excited at the prospect of meeting you, aren't you girls?"

The way she put emphasis on the word "so"...gosh, this woman really knows how to put on a show. Her voice is so sweet and innocent sounding that it's hard to believe I was her enemy mere minutes ago. And it's making it hard to stay focused, but I must; my life is at stake! And I really would like to get back to Mars. So, if I'm going to help them I can't afford to make any mistakes, no matter how minor.

"Well...you could spend all the time you want with them, if you help me out of course."