Welcome to the Jungle

You look out the viewport of the Breaker at the world below you. Storms seem to cover the overwhelming majority of Hellno, with pockets of neon pink and orange plant life visible in between grey clouds. Sensor ghosts and contradictory data streams across your readouts. “Melodia, remind me what we know about this place again.”

“That we really don’t want to stay down there any longer than we have to.” She’s restrained in the co-pilot's chair again. After the dog fight, you are quite comfortable with her at the helm, so you’ve promoted her to bridge-**** while Alexa takes over her menial responsibilities. Alexa seemed to be taking to her duties well; it really surprised you how easily she was able to move around the ship in the armless gimp suit with built in hobble skirt. Not to mention how good a scrubber she was with that brush gag. Melodia continues. “There’s all the sensor interference that you can see and the storms make flying there difficult. Don’t even think of trying to radio the Breaker while your on surface. Your personal communicator doesn’t have the juice to break through. I only know a little about the surface. Back in the day, the Syndicate used to think all Hellno's anomalies would make it a good smuggling base so they tried to set up shop. Turns out there’s more. The plant life continuously emits spores that have a variety of effects, everything from hay fever to hallucinations.”

“Let me guess, some of them are going to make me horny.” It’s not a question

“Almost certainly. There’s also the animals. Everything is either a pest, wants to eat you, want's to impregnate you, or is paranoid and aggressive because it lives on a planet where everything makes it’s life miserable. Expect tentacle monsters.”

“Of course. Anything else?”

“That about covers it. There was some rumor about indigenous peoples from the survivors of the Syndicate outposts, but they were all driven insane by this place, so it’s hard to take them seriously.”

“So there are definitely natives down there badass enough to live in this alien hellscape.”

“Yup. Given everything else we know about this planet, I would assume they're kinky rapists, cannibals, or both.”

“So, to recap, this planet is probably filled with things that will try to **** me, eat me, or otherwise ruin my day?” Melodia nods. It’s good to know what I’m getting myself into. Deep breath. “Okay Melodia. Transmit the signal.”

She nods and taps a few keys. The Dixon VII, acquired with such great effort, finally fulfills its purpose. The device, little more than an overpowered transmitter, screams across the void and through the tangle of Hellno’s magnetic field and electrical interference. Somewhere far below, the distress beacon Melodia cast off on that fateful day hears the command it has been patiently waiting for and calls back.

That call is little more than a garbled whisper by the time it reaches the Breaker. “Melodia is there anything you can do to boost the signal?”

“That is the boosted signal. The only reason we can pick up anything at all is because those distress beacons are supposed to reach across whole systems.” She taps a few keys. “It’s just enough to get a position lock. It’s on the nav computer. Shall I take us in mistress?”

“No.” you smile. “I want to do it.” You’ve waited so long. This is it. Damn whatever is down there; you’re finally getting your score.

Planetary entry starts smooth, and stays that way until you hit lower atmosphere. Once there, the turbulence begins. A bump here, a tussle there; it’s not that bad at first. But it steadily increases. As you descend through dark storm clouds, the Breaker lurches back and forth. Winds buffet the ship and rain strikes the view screen in heavy sheets. It seems silly that things like rain would trip up a modern spacecraft, but the interference to the sensors means that you’re relying on what you can see through the viewport, and the Breaker does not have windshield wipers.

You are completely unprepared for what lies beneath the clouds. Contrary to a sky so black night is redundant, the surface of Hellno is lit up by a trillion lights. Plants that must be bio luminescent spread out as far as the eye can see. They rock back and forth in the wind and the rain. All the colors of the spectrum are present but the most common are the neon oranges and pinks that you saw from orbit. You’ve seen cities that didn't shine as bright as the flora of Hellno.

Finding a place to land is difficult. The beacon itself seems to be located in a thicket of trees. At least you think they’re trees. Maybe they’re mushrooms. Either way, they’re really big and they’re too densely packed for you to land the Breaker. You have to settle for a spot two miles to the south in a clearing.

Melodia helps you select your gear. Long range sensors showed the Freedom’s End launch its **** shuttle not long after you left them. There’s no telling how many pirates Mal crammed into that thing, but you’re not too worried. For one thing, they’re chumps based on what you’ve seen. For another, that shuttles acceleration is laughable compared to the Breaker. They’re still five hours out. Much more concerning is Bellextra. Her ship isn’t as fast as yours, but it’s not far off. She’ll catch up to you in two hours. That is not a lot of time to salvage this ship and get off planet. You make your selections with her in mind.

Of course you take your pistols and your whip. Knowing what to prepare for this time, you hang a couple of EMP grenades from your bandoleer, along with your usual assortment of explosives. You take along a few self propelled darts filled with a special cocktail you made just for Bellextra. It’s really just a concentrated dose of the paralysis-aphrodisiac combo you used the first time. It would kill your average sentient. With Bellextra, you’re just hoping it will slow her down. A rebreather goes over your face, and you fill a backpack with basic survival gear. You grab a basic combat rifle, with an under slung taser attachment. For the finishing touches, you tug a hooded duster over your fitted flightsuit. Unfortunately, your entire wardrobe is black, which means you’ll stand out like a sore thumb on a world that looks like a collaboration between Dr. Seuss, Picasso and Salvador Dali.

Melodia kneels by the doorway like the dutiful **** that she is. She bites her lower lip as you prepare to leave. “Melodia, take care of the repairs while I’m gone. It’s all pretty minor so you should finish up by the time I get back. When your done, I want you to oversee Alexa’s ongoing punishment for failing to satisfy me. There a couple of preset options in the dungeon’s computer, and I’ve given you limited access to those systems. Just pick whichever one you think is sexiest and the Breaker will take care of the rest.” You pause, imagining the tight Asian pulled to the floor by a yoke, her ass and legs completely at the mercy of your whipping bot. "Be sure to include a lesson on the finer points of muff diving while your at it. I’ll be testing her when I get back, and if she’s not improved, you’ll share in her punishment.”

“Thank you for this responsibility mistress. I won’t let you down.”

“I know.” You’re consciously avoiding eye contact. The ramp descends and the deck is awash with colors, cold air, and rain. Before you can descend into this strange land, Melodia hugs you from behind. You freeze for a moment as she squeezes. “Melodia, what are you doing?”

“It just seemed right.”

You relax and pat her arms. “Good girl. Always follow those impulses that seem right.” With that you walk out into the rain, sealing the ramp behind you.