His office door locked, his tongue deep in Justin's mouth (to keep him quiet, he would explain, if asked), Brian thrust into Justin. And if he stared at Justin when they paused (their kissing) to breathe, even gazing into the boy's eyes, it was only because they were a color he'd never seen and filled with adulation he'd be a fool not to enjoy.

As Ben, Mikey, Emmett, and Ted looked at Carl's screen, Ben placed his hand on Mikey's shoulder. Mikey froze, but then hazarded a glance back at his commander. Ben squeezed the aforementioned shoulder gently. Mikey's eyes widened, and he blinked. Slowly. Languidly. Then he shivered. Ben smiled. Mikey smiled his goofy smile and turned back to Carl's screen.

Carl nodded and pressed a few buttons on his panel. "Okay. Here we go."

Justin's lips were soft, his mouth warm and wet, his ass impossibly tight. Brian moved to a kneeling position, pushed Justin's legs higher up on his shoulders, while also spreading them further apart, and thrust faster and deeper, even arching his back. Justin licked his lips. He was panting and flushed. He could see nothing but Brian's face, nothing but the three droplets of sweat rolling down from Brian's temple to his cheeks, his damp chestnut hair, his slightly open mouth, his dark, intense eyes…could hear nothing but the staccato of Brian's breathing…could feel nothing but fullness, stinging, and sparks...that and his suddenly cold mouth. He missed Brian's lips already. He reached up and traced them lightly with a finger.

Ben let his hand fall to Mikey's lower back. Mikey swallowed hard and stepped back a little, pressing his body against Ben's, more specifically pressing his ass against Ben's groin. Ben's eyes fluttered closed and then open again.

Carl bit off a curse. "Mother f-. There aren't any ships!"

Ben's head snapped up then (he'd been staring at Mikey's neck). "What?"

Justin licked his lips again and slid his hand to Brian's cheek. His thoughts were a mantra: "Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me." Brian increased their rhythm and then leaned down. A hair's breadth apart, breathing the same air, Brian and Justin were gazing…at lips and eyes. A nose nudge. A gentle press of lips. Then plunging and falling.

Clawing.

Clenching.

Groaning.

Smiling.

Stroking.

Moaning.

"Fuck!"

After a few moments' hesitation (shock), Carl ran to the captain's office and pressed a button.

Beep.

The rustling of two people hurriedly, frantically dressing. A quick peck.

Beep. Beep.

The snap of a panel being removed. The creak of someone inching his way back into the access conduit.

"Captain! Are you alright?"

A ruffling of blond hair. Another snap.

Another creak. This time of a chair being sat upon.

"Enter."

Carl stepped through the door quickly, laser pistol drawn, narrowed eyes quickly scanning the room. No sign of an intruder.

A questioning look. "Captain?"

"I'm fine, Lieutenant-Commander." No excuse at the ready. "Are we in sensor range?"

Horvath took a deep breath and holstered his pistol. "Just. We're getting preliminary results."

Brian stood and gestured toward the bridge. Horvath stepped through the door. Brian followed.

Mikey and Ben separated the moment they saw Brian. Ben gritted his teeth and started thinking about his first (and only) girlfriend. Remembering their clumsy, unpleasant coupling. A body too soft, too smooth. Remembered their lowlights, like photographs in series (huge breasts, grazing teeth, everything too wet) until his dick softened.

Back at his station, Horvath repeated, "There aren't any ships."

Brian snapped, "What do you mean, there aren't any ships?"

"No alien ships. Not a one."

Brian, his brow furrowed, asked, "Are you sure they aren't simply invisible?"

"No. I can't check for emissions that would indicate a cloaked ship at this distance, but…it doesn't look like the Liberty took external damage."

Brian repeated, "No external damage? So no fire fight?"

"Nope. Whatever killed them had to have done so after boarding the ship."

"And what about the colony?"

"I can't say. Not from this distance."

Brian frowned.

Ted interjected, "I don't know if this is relevant, but I found something strange in the survey reports."

Brian gestured impatiently with his hand, indicating that Ted should continue.

Ted fidgeted. "Ummm…a few members of the survey team said that they heard strange noises on the planet. They were never able to trace the source of the noises. Their sensors detected only plant and insect life."

"What kind of noises?"

"Some heard growling; others heard hissing. What's even stranger is that twelve members of the survey team just disappeared. Without a trace."

Horvath cut in, "And the brass still okayed the settlement?"

Ted shrugged. "According to the report, they felt that the benefits of having an outpost there outweighed the risks. The survey team was never able to prove that there was any real threat. The twelve could have simply got lost and starved or fallen off a cliff."

Mikey protested, "But couldn't they have swept the planet looking for them?"

"They did. But a sweep of that magnitude and depth takes time. A few days."

Brian waved his hand impatiently and sighed. "Alright. Schmidt, test the internal sensors. I want them 100%. Horvath, make sure your security officers are on their toes and coordinate with Commander Bruckner to recruit more from other areas. Anyone not needed in their respective areas should be given a security detail."

Brian then sat in his chair and flipped a switch opening a channel to engineering.

"Captain?"

"Boyd, look for ways to enhance our shields, particularly around the docking bay."

"Aye, Captain."

TBC…