Coming Together: Among the Stars

By Lynn Townsend

Erotica writer and geekess extraordinaire, Lynn Townsend, presents an erotic spin on science fiction. Called the "literature of ideas," science fiction is filled with futuristic settings, alien life forms, advanced technology, and space travel. Stories about the possible future have been used for centuries to frame stories to explore identity, morality, social structure, and desire. What it means to be human, among aliens. What binds us together, and what keeps us apart.

From the exploration teams studying new life forms, to a woman flung to the edges of the galaxy to save (or sabotage) a ship full of alien bacteria, to the forbidden longings for other sentient species, Coming Together: Among the Stars will take readers to the very edge of the universe and back.

All proceeds will support the International Still’s Disease Foundation.

CONTENTS

Duali-Teaze (Rose Caraway)
Repair Mission (Annabeth Leong)
Situation Normal (Lynn Townsend)
A Matter of Taste (E.S. Wynn)
Getting Even (T.B. Bond)
Love in a Space Elevator (T.B. Bond)
Longing (Elizabeth Black)
Forbidden Goods of the Galaxy (Zee Giovanni)
Birth of a Monster Whisperer (Nobilis Reed)
Gyozo's Mate (Essemoh Teepee)
Yvette (George Box)
The Joy Ride (Jade Waters)
S.E.T.H. (Nickie Jamison)
Sense-Think-Act (Elliot DeLocke)
Love is a Virus (Delilah Night)
Rose of High Barbary (V.L. Locey)
Of Gods and Men (Adrik Kemp)
A Fully Functional Lo^ghi (Skilja Peregrinarius)
Navigator (Kathleen Tudor)
Bleeding Red (Elizabeth L. Brooks)
The Power of Positive Thinking (Malin James)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Coming Together
• Release date: Dec 15, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311370181

Lynn Townsend

Described as a social tornado, Lynn Townsend is a geek, a dreamer and an inveterate punster. When not reading, writing, or editing, she can usually be found drinking coffee or killing video game villains. Lynn's interests include filk music, romance novels, octopuses, and movies with more FX than plot. For more information, please visit paidbytheweird.blogspot.com.

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Coming Together: Among the Stars

© 2014 by Lynn Townsend, editor, and contributing authors

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover art © 2014 by Alessia Brio

All digital rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.

Smashwords edition

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/comingtogether

License Notes

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Coming Together is intended for adult readers only.

Please keep this ebook away from children.

Table of Contents

Introduction © Lynn Townsend

Duali-Teaze © Rose Caraway

Repair Mission © Annabeth Leong

Situation Normal © Lynn Townsend

A Matter of Taste © E.S. Wynn

Getting Even © T.B. Bond

Love in a Space Elevator © T.B. Bond

Longing © Elizabeth Black

Forbidden Goods of the Galaxy © Zee Giovanni

Birth of a Monster Whisperer © Nobilis Reed

Gyozo's Mate © Essemoh Teepee

Yvette © George Box

The Joy Ride © Jade A. Waters

S.E.T.H. © Nickie Jamison

Sense-Think-Act © Elliot DeLocke

Love is a Virus © Delilah Night

Rose of High Barbary © V.L. Locey

Of Gods and Men © Adrik Kemp

A Fully Functional Lo^ghi © Skilja Peregrinarius

Navigator © Kathleen Tudor

Bleeding Red © Elizabeth L. Brooks

The Power of Positive Thinking © Malin James

About the Authors

About Coming Together

Introduction

A Little Science Friction

The first of these factors is the compelling urge of man to explore and to discover, the thrust of curiosity that leads men to try to go where no one has gone before. Most of the surface of the earth has now been explored and men now turn on the exploration of outer space as their next objective.(1)

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

Nickie Jamison--whose lovely story about aliens and scientists you'll find between these covers--and I were talking books. Specifically, she asked me for recommendations about science fiction romance, or science fiction erotica. We're both quite fond of the genre; we did our initial bonding over episodes of Firefly. However, I didn't have many recommendations. Science fiction and sex. How strange that I didn't have a whole list of books for her.

We spent hours in our local bookstore, combing the shelves, and failing to find what we were looking for. There were romance novels, and science fiction novels, and erotic romance novels, but--and there are some few amazing standouts, which is great--just not a lot of science fiction erotica.

One of those blue/pink issues that infuriates me; science fiction was for boys, and erotica was for girls, and don't get your peanut butter in my warp drive.

One of the best pieces of writerly advice I ever received was Toni Morrison's quote, If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.

I couldn't find it, so by Grapthor's hammer, I was going to write it!

In the meanwhile, either because the time was just right, or because I was looking so hard to find it, the sub-genre of science fiction erotica has filled out a little, leading me to such wonderful tidbits as Nobilis Reed's Monster Whisperer series, who generously contributed a prequel story.

But the idea stuck; I wanted to bring my two favorite things together; science fiction and erotica.

The literature of ideas, science fiction has guided us through what is impossible, improbable, and merely implausible. Dreams we had that were only expressed in stories, plays, and television shows, have become more and more likely over time. In a strange loop of science building fiction and science fiction directing science, we now all carry around something in our pockets that can connect us globally with each other (Star Trek's communicator) and access unlimited data and information (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy). Researchers and scientists are, at this very moment, attempting to learn the secrets behind transporting matter from one place to another, they have created a substance very much like transparent aluminum, and they can move objects (very small objects, at the moment) through space faster than the speed of light, all things first imagined by writers.

Despite all that, what's the one thing that Captain Kirk is most famous for?

All the alien women that he made time with.

To boldly go where no man has gone before...

From exotic and sensuous green alien women to exploring the mating customs of the coldly logical, science fiction's thrust has always been to explain humans to ourselves, to explore in a way that moves past offense and particulars to what binds us together as a species, to what keeps us apart as individuals. At the core of all this is the erotic. Our mating rituals, our sexual customs, our wants, needs and desires, placed just desperately beyond our reach, close enough to see, feel and want. Science fiction aliens allow us to explore those things that makes us the most human. It is not always logical, but it is often true.

Back in the real world, one of my close friends suffers from a rare form of systemic inflammatory disease, called Still's. Characterized by joint pain, high fevers, and a salmon-colored rash, Still's disease usually strikes children, but my friend developed it as an adult. In addition to the main characteristics of the disease, it also lead to extreme fatigue, dependency on treatment drugs, and a general lessening of quality of life. Still's currently has no cure, there are only treatments of symptoms, and some of those treatments, like long term steroid use, can be almost as unpleasant as the disease itself.

My friend is a writer.

When I decided to combine my desire for more science fiction in erotica with a charitable donation, I first thought of my friend, for whom any of the myriad science fiction medicines or treatment options would benefit her. Perhaps we can't just give her an injection and have her cured, but science fiction can benefit her and hundreds others like her, in this manner.

The International Still's Disease Foundation conducts research and assists with costs and medications needed for those who suffer from the condition. I've had some correspondence with the Board of Directors of the Foundation and have found them to be wonderful, caring people; exactly the sort who would be right at home in the medbay of a space-going vessel, treating illness, conducting research on alien anatomy, and discovering new cures... among the stars....

Lynn Townsend

October 2014

(1) Introduction to Outer Space. The White House. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington D.C., 26 March 1958.

Duali-Teaze

© Rose Caraway

I like it when she turns the lights low like this because when she walks around me, her silhouette becomes a sensual whisper. She is completely naked, save that shiny, short little skirt and those thigh-high boots that make her legs look like black liquid. Her fingertips touch my skin with the softness of warm flower petals as she wraps the rope around my wrists. The slow zip of the braided rope she drags over the I-beam above makes my nipples hard. She leans in, her lips so damn close to mine that I can feel their heat. I want to stick the tip of my tongue out just to taste those experienced lips of hers. But she pulls the rope taut and my wrists are pulled upwards, toward the ceiling, until my arms are straight and my weight isn't quite the same. I feel lighter, though both feet are still flat on the cold steel floor. I hold my breath so that I can hear and feel the sigh escape from her lips when she's satisfied with my new position. The arches of my feet tingle, my cock is beginning to flood with blood.

* * * *

I'm a commanding officer of the Majority, Earth's take-no-shit military police force. Billy gets a particular kick out of that alone. The Native Officer and the Alien Newcomer. She loves to hear about me catching the bad guys; you know--hero stories. She'll bend over--warp speed--if I string the words, smuggler, contraband and shoot-out in the same sentence. Yeah, she's a heroism junkie. But tonight isn't about that. And when I say her, let me clarify; a Duali-Teaze's sexuality is purely subjective. I can't tell you how many bar fights alone I used to bust up just because some assholes couldn't agree to disagree.

Duali-Teaze's have a physical nature that confuses most earth-born men and women. It can fuck with your head pretty quickly.

But right now, this one tying me up, has something I have come to need. And I can't wait. But I must wait, I must be sure, or she will abandon me right here, in the almost-dark. Forever.

It was obvious to the Majority that we couldn't call them its because they are people, after all. Trust me, scientists worked their asses off trying to prove it and then disprove it. There are some major physical differences between us and them, though. For example, the Duali-Teaze's naturally have no hair, anywhere, and that makes for a smooth fuckin' ride. All of them have the most beautiful caramel colored skin that ranges from light to dark. And Billy's people have spectacular nocturnal vision. Which is why my sweet, sweet Billy is having no trouble with her ropes right now.

They have incredible reflexes, too. I've seen her pluck a gnat out of the night sky, like it was nothing. They also have long, dexterous, serpentine tails; another of my favorite things about her. But the last major difference, well, I have some trouble with still. But the almost-dark is helping me with this. That's why I'm here. To focus my desire. To sort myself out. In fact, the Majority nearly had a civil war on their hands when our people started fucking their people. Which, by the way, was practically immediate.

That's when the Zealots took their stand. Their position was that since this androgynous race was indeed more sexually diverse than us, they should not only be accepted, but sexual relations between the two peoples should be favored. They also felt that we shouldn't use labels like Men or Women since the newcomers were both male and female in body. The Zealots even tried to form The Language Efficiency Team whose purpose was to redefine and restructure pronouns. The term Duali-Teaze came along when scientists discovered the sadomasochistic tendencies of these newcomers. And that's when the controversy regarding sexual intermingling really took off.

Our people are just too scared to be honest with themselves, about how they like to fuck. Right now, coitus with a Duali-Teaze is illegal. But I'm an officer of the Majority, I know how to keep certain things secret.

* * * *

That tight enough, sweetling?

Unlike most of the people of earth, my beautifully bald Billy knows how to use words and my body very well. Her lips stray to my earlobe and my veins burn with the pressure of hard lust when her bare nipples graze my chest. It makes my balls draw up tight, and my palms sweat. She pulls the rope a bit more, my heels nearly leave the floor.

Yes, Domina. Thank you. My voice strains in the small, almost-dark room.

Good boy. Now do not speak unless I instruct you to. Her breath against my earlobe teases my cock and she knows it, because the moan that escapes my lips just now makes her tug the rope harder. She flicks her tail and strikes my ass with one, delicious hot snap! She plays our game very well.

I didn't give you permission to moan, did I? The sensations as her voice waves reverberate against my bare skin make the bell of my cock swell and I am sure I am dripping already. Billy loves to make me drip. Hopefully it will please her enough to forgive my careless infraction, my selfish disobedience.

You may breathe and blink, that is all.

I know that she is pleased by my renewed obedience because the rope is tugged yet again by her skilled hand, her strength sends delighted shivers down my spine and I clench my buttocks with anticipation. The balls of my feet are all that touch the floor now, and though the rope digs into both my wrists with its coarse fibers, I let my head fall back in elation. I'm intoxicated by the tight stretch, the hard pull and the near weightlessness it's giving me.

Billy's soft chuckle carries in the almost-dark as she steps away from me to fasten the rope to the anchor I know is on the nearby wall. Automatically, my eyes close all on their own. I want only to listen as her heels strike the steel floor like a hammer against an anvil with each purposeful step she takes. When she speaks next it is from behind, at my left ear. The predator has circled her prey. God, how my cock drips because of it.

Now, sweetling. Billy takes another step and now her deep purring voice caresses just behind my right shoulder. She reaches around and drags a sharp nail down the center of my chest and the entire length of my trembling abdomen, slowly, teasing me as though she were cutting me open. Now, I have you where I want you. When her nail leaves my skin I can still feel the shadowed, prickling burn of its sharp edge. Suddenly, I can't find my breath because her fist has closed around my cock. A rumbling groan billows from my throat of its own free will.

Silence! Another stinging spank across my ass sends the blood to my cock with such force it feels like I could come right now.

My throat works, hard. Shame wrestles with desire as I try to compose myself. Billy waits for what feels like an eternity before she begins stroking me again, smearing the warm liquid that seeps from my cock. Then her tail snakes around my balls until my sack feels tight.

You are very hard, I like that. Good boy. And I can smell that delicious sex juice of yours. I can hear the lust in her voice against my back. My skin erupts in goose bumps. Then she takes a section of my flesh between her teeth and bites my shoulder. She uses both her hands to pump me, extracting more pre-cum. The balls of my feet feel numb as I gently press my hips forward. Her thumb smears my juice over the tip of my cock, in my mind I imagine that it is her tongue lapping, licking, and tasting. But now her hands, tail and gripping teeth are gone, the warm air of the room is all that touches my sweat-soaked skin. Worry courses through my brain, disappointment floods my blood. I snap my head up, temples pounding, but I keep my eyes closed. Hopeful. Listening.

Don't worry, my love. I am just getting a stool. Her voice soothes my fear like a mother gently singing a lullaby; her heels keeping time like a metronome. Now I hear the sound of the short wooden legs of the stool as she places it in front of me. I nearly open my eyes but squeeze them tight at the last second, before I ruin everything.

* * * *

I have come tonight for one purpose. Billy and I have been seeing one another for almost six months. Our secret rendezvous are always passionate and energetic. But time has passed quickly and the more I learn from her, the more of her I want. From the very beginning Billy has been kind, gentle. She knows my body better than I do. She goes as far as I want, never pushes me beyond what I can mentally or physically handle. She has taught me more about myself than anyone. I have learned the importance of trust, and that even the most powerful heroic soldier for the Majority must--no needs to surrender his control occasionally. This is why I love Billy. She understands me, she understands my needs. Billy lets me put myself in her hands, without fear. I don't have to control everything, I can surrender.

She loves me, too. But she refuses to be in a monogamous relationship with me unless I accept her, completely. Tonight, in the almost-dark, Billy is putting her trust in me, as much as I am in her, even though I am the one restrained. After tonight, things are going to change. Both of us will discover if this love we share was meant to be.

* * * *

My throat is empty of its lubricating moisture, my lips are dry. I instinctively want to lick them, but I haven't gotten Billy's permission, so I leave my lips as they are. I can feel the sudden pressure of heat against the length of my body, like a shield of energy as she steps onto the stool.

I flex my blood-filled fingers; the rope scratches and digs into my tender wrists. My feet feel like nothing more than blunt stilts holding me in place, but I know that Billy won't let me fall. The musky scent of her sex makes me dizzy. I do not forget that I must not move, but instinct wins out; my tongue flicks out on its own volition, nervously, to wet my parched lips. Billy's swift fingers catch my face, her vice-like grip pinching my cheeks together, forcing my lips to purse. My tongue is caught in mid-lick and another stinging spank lands on my ass and my hips push forward, my cock wants to fuck.

No, no, sweetling. You weren't permitted to wet those lips of yours. Her voice, though still quite low has a new sound. It is her own lust threatening to upheave her composure. I feel breath against my face then the hot wetness of her sweet mouth, the graze of her teeth as she drags them over my thirsty, dry tongue. When her teeth come together, I wince. The sharpness is dulled immediately when her hand closes around my cock again. She strokes with a tight fist while thrusting her tongue deep into my mouth, mercifully quenching my thirst. She releases my cheeks, allowing me to kiss her in return now. Though my weight hurts my wrists, I eagerly pull myself up a little higher to reach Billy's delicious mouth. I am lost in the wet cave of kisses and her vigorous, absorbing cock-strokes when I feel there is a new sensation. It's a soft yet sturdy, gentle probing. A hot wetness pressing against my cock's lubricated tip.

She's removed her skirt.

Her kisses are changing now. They are demanding more effort from me. Two firm breasts push into my chest and Billy's hips push and grind against mine, her cock nudges against my abdomen while mine prods against hers. She strokes us both while groaning into my mouth. I wish my hands were free. I want to touch her breasts, to pull her to me, to touch her...

Her kisses stop. Touch me, sweetling. She demands. Open your eyes, look at me while you touch me.

Slowly my eyes open in the almost-darkness. Her sweat captures the candlelight like tiny specs of glitter all over her smooth head and face. Her eyes are full of passion, lust and love. But there is also an unmistakable, dark edge in them as well. As though she has prepared herself for my denial. My head is racing, my arms ache, and the balls of my feet are numb stubs of nothing now. But how am I to touch her? I am restrained. It is then that I realize that her hands have stopped stroking me, they have fallen to her sides. The golden candlelight is dancing over her lithe frame as I let my gaze fall down the length of her nakedness. She still hasn't given me permission to speak, so I must remain silent. But I want to say the words; the words that I know will instantly set her fear at ease.

Her small breasts rise and fall with each breath she takes. The tight muscles of her abdomen shape their strength with the same impassioned breaths. I see her. The part of her which she fears I will not accept. I cannot look at her eyes at that moment. I am afraid to see the terrible fear that I know is waiting there.

The golden darkness casts a dancing light over the shape of it. It is smaller than mine, but erect just as powerfully. This is the first time she's allowed me to see the front of her. It strains my neck and shoulders to look down at such an angle but I continue, despite the discomfort. I wonder if she has done this on purpose. Causing this additional pain-pleasure even at this crucial moment between us. This is the part of Billy and all the others like her that has caused so much conflict between our people. Then a word, that label, Duali-Teaze spears my brain and I feel shame. Though she has demanded I call her this during our sessions together, I cannot feel light with the carelessness of it.

My vision has begun to blur, but I blink the blurriness away, I must examine her.

Billy's feet shift and I see that her beautiful erection has begun to lose its hopefulness. My heart is breaking and I see her body waver. She is on the verge of stepping off the stool. I must stop her. But she hasn't given me permission to speak and so I cannot forbid her leaving. And my hands are tied, how can I touch her? Prove to her that I accept her? That I love her?

The numbness in my stick-like legs seems to have affected my brain. And when I see the last hesitation of her shiny black boots as she moves to step from the stool, my hips thrust forward as if to grab her or somehow catch her. My Billy! The movement causes my cock to brush against hers and she gasps and remains still. I find her eyes with mine, I am resolute and fearless. The soldier in my blood moves to action and I thrust forward again, nudging her cock, proving to her that I love her.

Even in the almost-dark I can clearly see the relief in her eyes. And now I can feel her fast-responding hardness. I bite down on my tongue, obeying my Domina's command of silence, yet my thrusts are causing me to groan. Sweat trickles down my back and the sides of my face as she leans closer, allowing my cock to pet hers.

Speak. Her voice is thick with emotion.

My breath explodes out. Don't leave me, I love you!

Together, our kiss dissolves each of our fears. Mine that she would leave me, hers that I wouldn't love all of her. Her hands are a flurry over my body, my nipples, and then my cock. Her tail...