Chapter 190 - New Life

*(mood song: " Vitalic - Waiting For The Stars")

On the emptiness of space, Antonio had just woken up to check the spaceship. When suddenly an alarm sounded.

Antonio was alarmed, he knew what that alarm meant so he ran to the pilot seat: "Imminent collision alarm?! Spaceship AI why didn't you detect it?!"

Spaceship AI: *Sorry, they appeared out of nowhere-*

Antonio: "They?" Antonio had already sat at the captain's seat, seeing twelve objects rapidly approaching the spaceship from left and right, he pivoted the spaceship down and accelerated, but the objects seemed to instantly change course. "what the hell..."

Spaceship AI: *objects seem to be... spaceships of some kind, captain-* it made a pause *we are being pinged with multiple communication signals, do I accept?*

Antonio was shocked but quickly composed himself: "...fine, let's hear what they want!" the lives of billions of future colonists and his crew were on his shoulders.

An alien appeared on a screen with cyan colored skin, four eyes, and a scar destroying the two on its left side: "We will turn your spaceship into a bloody hell and sell it for scrap if you don't surrender mate"

Antonio: "...what happens if I surrender?" secretly pushing a button to automatically wake up the others.

Alien: "Not much mate, we will just sell you all as slaves, if you meet a good master you guys will survive after all, you look like a strong chap, so be clever about this ai?"

Antonio: "Give us a minute to decelerate, this is an old spaceship"

The Alien bobbed its head side to sides: "Fine, it does seem primitive enough, but don't take too long chav, cheerio!"

Antonio cut the communication and instantly ran to the engine room.

Antonio: "AI, do we have a chance to win?"

Spaceship AI: *...I don't know their capabilities captain, it can't be calculated, and they are more...*

Antonio: "...well, if we're gonna be slaves anyways, I would prefer to put up a fight, we'll ambush them here, tell the others to put on their spacesuits, grab a weapon and some supplies, and wait for me on the surface landing ship"

Spaceship AI: *what about the aliens? they seem to be getting ready to come aboard by matching our speed and trajectory..."

Antonio chuckled: "Tell me once they are onboard, and copy yourself on the lander"

Spaceship AI: *yes captain!*

Back at the alien spaceship, they were chatting over a round table where one alien talked to eleven other holograms.

Hologram 1: "Captain, was it wise to give them time? we can board them now-"

The captain was the alien with two scarred eyes.

Captain: "Aye, these humans are primitive, Bits 'n Bobs all of them are different, but that's also what makes them valuable, they are rare and people find rare things dishy!"

Hologram 2: "They seem a bit naff for my taste... maybe to man the engine room, the radiation keeps killing the slaves there"

Captain: "That would be a waste, the other two spaceships got away, so we can't miss this one... hahaha~ once they leave their solar system they are fair game!" looking at the side "oi! how long till we are in position?"

Crewmate: "Less than a minute captain!"

The Captain chuckled: "aight! call them again!"

A hologram screen appeared again in the middle of the table and a black screen appeared.

Captain: "Human, are you ready to surrender?, don't feel under the cosh about it, we will sell you to good owners if you cooperate~"

Antonio: "Oh, yeah sure, we are just having some issues..."

Crewmate: "Captain, the human spaceship seems to be rotating erratically, we can't dock like this!"

Captain: "Oi human, keep your spaceship steady or you will get an earful once we board ya! and turn on your visual!"

Antonio: "...just some problems with the engine decelerating so early, the systems malfunctioned so-"

Captain: "Hah! What a fat porky lie! tractor beam them steady!"

A dozen beams came from the alien spaceships and landed on Antonio's spaceship, making it stop in place as it stopped rotating.

Captain: "Now, board those quack bastards!"

Crewmate: "Aye captain, board ship docking!"

-- Back inside Antonio's spaceship --

Antonio waited in the engine room with his spacesuit on as he finished overloading the antimatter containment module and ran to the lander craft, where Elena and Monico were already suited up and waiting.

Spaceship AI: *we are being boarded!*

Both Elena and Monico were really nervous, her thing was raising plants and growing food, and Monico was just a systems engineer.

Antonio saw them trembling and tried to comfort them: "Don't worry guys, remember your training and we will be okay"

Monico: "No training prepared us for an alien boarding..."

Antonio: "But we were prepared for a loose biological hazardous being loose inside the ship and for a hull breach, just combine the two"

Elena: "Wait, hull breach?"

Antonio: "Yeah, part of my plan, now guys, time to strap to your seats, we will only have one chance!" as he quickly sat on the pilot seat. 

Monico and Elena looked at each other and quickly did the same.

Spaceship AI: *aliens on the first deck!*

Antonio: "Set off the charges!"

Elena and Monico: "CHARGES?!"

Antonio chuckled: "Yep, hold tight!"

Spaceship AI: *asteroid mining charges setting off in 3...2...1...* 

*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!* a series of explosions rocketed the spaceship as the spaceship suddenly moved slightly forward.

Antonio: "Now!" pushing a lever all the way forward as the spaceship ripped out of the docking clamps and sped forward.

-- Back at the pirate flagship --

Hologram 3: "They killed the boarding crew, and are trying to escape!"

Captain: "Flogging a dead horse~ activate the tractor bea-"

*BOOOOOOM!* an enormous explosion blew up as the antimatter containment failed completely, engulfing the boarding spaceship obliterating it, and pushing all others away, including Antonio's current one.

Captain: "BOLLOCKS!" he observed the debris of what used to be one of his spaceships and anger boiled inside him "BLOODY HELL... TRACTOR BEAM THOSE BLOODY CUNT GITS ARSES BACK HERE!"

Eleven beams of light instantly locked onto Antonio's spaceship.

-- Antonio's spaceship moments prior --

Elena: "Yeah, we are gonna make it!"

Monico: "Shh! Don't jinx it!"

Elena: "What could-" 

A sudden stop pushing them forward.

Monico: "I knew it!"

Antonio: "Status report!"

Spaceship AI: *a mysterious force is pulling us back captain*

Antonio: "Shit! can we pull away?"

Spaceship AI: *shuttle's engines already at maximum capacity*

Antonio: "There's gotta be something else we can do..."

Spaceship AI: *Captain, we are being pulled inside the docking area of their flagship*

Antonio stood up: "Well, I refuse to bow down, I will go on my terms!" opening a case on a side and grabbing a rotatory multiple rocket launcher, originally designed to deal with armored biological threats. 

Elena and Monico nodded seriously and followed suit, setting themselves near the hatch entrance.

Antonio: "Now hold tight... reverse engines full speed!" 

The acceleration was instant, as the force of the traction beams was already pulling them back, making the shuttle violently enter the hangar, crushing multiple crewmates and lighter assault spaceships on the way.

Antonio felt the spaceship come to a stop.

Antonio: "Fire and release everything we have!"

Spaceship AI: *releasing fuel, firing asteroid destruction missiles, deploying emergency beacon, deploying emergency flares... CAUTION! possible ignition detected-*

*BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM!* two rockets shot from the front, hitting another small spaceship and making it explode, while the emergency beacon stuck to the ceiling, and finally the magnesium flares ignited the released hydrogen gas cloud, creating a massive deflagration that set the entire area on a sea of flames.

Antonio: "Now! open the ramp!" 

Spaceship AI: *ramp opening, hostile targets approaching from all directions*

Antonio smiled: "Good, we won't need to aim then!" and ran down the ramp shooting rockets "POR ESPAÑA Y POR LA TIERRA!"

Elena and Monico soon followed suit: "POR ESPAÑA Y POR LA TIERRA!!!"

Rockets flew in all directions as they quickly released cartridges containing twelve small rockets and shot again and again from behind the debris of a burning spaceship.

Antonio: "Out of rockets!"

Elena: "Me too!"

Monico: "Me too!"

Antonio took out a pistol: "Retreat back inside for the final stand!"

Everything around them was now in flames while the pirates approached very cautiously after the missile barrage, so Antonio and the others were able to run inside the spaceship and close down the ramp.

Suddenly a metallic thud was heard and the spaceship powered off.

Antonio: "Seems like they EMP'd us..."

A voice was then heard resonating from outside.

Captain: "YOU DID IT NOW! YOU BLOODY CUNT GITS YOU DESTROY ONE OF ME SHIPS AND NOW YOU KILL HALF OF ME FLAGSHIP CREW?! ONCE I GET YA, I WILL SELL YOU ALL TO A CRAWLER PIT FOR ALL THOSE BLOODY BUG BASTARDS TO FILL YA WITH THEIR EGGS AND LET IT HATCH AND DEVOUR YOU FROM INSIDE!... DON'T EXPECT TO HAVE A QUICK DEATH!!!"

Antonio chuckled: "Now this is more like it! we have just set a precedent"

Monico: "And that is...?"

Antonio: "That capturing humans is a bad idea! they will think more about it the next time they wanna try... it's the least we could do haha~"

Elena: "Well, a pity no one will ever know back home"

Antonio: "You never know, as long as we are still alive, there's always a way!"

A metallic thud was then heard and then a buzzing sound.

Elena: "What is that?"

Antonio touched the floor and felt the metal vibrating.

Antonio: "If I had to bet they are going for a breach... this will be hard..." he opened a crate and took out a portable railgun "Thankfully our expedition carried all the defensive equipment" he opened another crate and took out land mines "this will come in handy, come lets set some in all the other rooms, we have five minutes at most!"

The mines were easy to set as they only had to twist the activator on top and pull a pin on the side. They all bunkered down in the bay room as it had the thickest walls in case of a forced landing, and soon a metallic thud was heard from the cockpit, followed by a mine setting off.

*BOOOM!* 

Antonio nodded to the others and he peeked inside, a six legged robot laid on its side, completely busted and missing one leg completely.

Antonio: "Well that's not good... they have robots..." he looked at the hole in the ceiling, and saw an alien peek inside, but it didn't see him, so Antonio carefully aimed and shot it right through the head, blowing the gore all around "one less~"

The pirate captain was again heard on the speakers: "...no anger mate, just take it calmly and bloody surrender, or I will have to cut my losses and blow you up!"

Antonio shouted from cover: "THEN DO IT ALREADY YOU PUSSY BASTARD!"

Captain: "...is the translator not working properly? you... wanna die? haha... are all you humans such bloody idiots? hahaha, oh well a shite primitive race..."

Antonio: "Oh yeah? you dare fight me one on one and see it?"

Captain: "Of course not you wanker, why would a captain do the work of a grunt? So uncivilized..." and more silently it could be heard "do it" spoken to someone else.

A seal was then set on the hole and pressurized poison gas was quickly pumped inside, making them all have difficulty moving in their suits, as the gas seeped everywhere.

But Antonio just shot a couple of shots to the walls in the cockpit and the pressure was quickly released.

Antonio chuckled: "Was that the best they could come up with-"

Captain: "Drop the bell!"

Antonio's eyes dilated: "Bell...oh no..."

*BRAMNG!!!* a metallic thud echoed as Antonio looked through a window to see a gigantic metallic bell enveloping them.

Antonio: "I should have saved some rockets..." he waved back "Everyone! we are doomed..."

Elena and Monico also saw it and were equally disturbed.

Elena: "What now?"

Monico: "We could go and cut it open"

Antonio: "Yeah so they could just lift it and capture us easily outside..." Antonio opened a compartment on the side and pulled a lever down, making the light come back as the spaceship powered on.

Spaceship AI: *emergency power activated*

Antonio closed the cockpit door and with a plasma tool from his belt closed the door shut.

Antonio: "Life support, focus on pumping air out of the spaceship"

Spaceship AI: *On it captain, though I must inform you that the atmosphere control system wasn't designed for the continued use of the pressurizing pumps like this, system failure is expected in one hour and twenty five minutes*

Antonio: "Alright, we got some time to think now-"

Captain: "I can see you humans~, stop wasting our time and surrender, just open the damn up before yer brains bloody pop off yer heads you cunts!"

Antonio: "Sigh...connect me to that bastard, it's regrettable but we can't do any more than this if we wanna live"

Spaceship AI: *yes captain*

An image of the pirate captain appeared on the screen of Antonio's arm guard communication device.

The pirate captain had a smile on his face: "Ready to surrender cunts?"

Antonio: "We... are ready to talk about it... but first, why hunt us humans?"

The pirate captain snickered: "Right, fine I suppose I can tell you while you waste your precious final moments as a free being, you see... everyone in the galaxy likes exciting and new things, so you humans are just that, a rare product for us to sell"

Antonio: "Why not... abducting people from Earth then?"

Captain: "Earth? ah your planet's name... well indeed that would be the easiest path to take, but the solar system of every race that only lives on one planet and doesn't live out of it, becomes a protected species by the intergalactic government, but the moment you guys leave your solar system... its fair game to hunt you"

Antonio came to a realization: "Like a natural reserve... and how much will you get in exchange for us?"

Captain: "Hmm well, around two hundred thousand arkcoins for each of ye if in perfect condition... at least if I sold ya to a collectionist, or a genetics lab" he made a pause "And don't forget the insectoids they will bloody raise you as food there~"

Antonio: "...how much do you pay your sailors?"

The captain was confused for a second but then laughed: "Haha...no, you can't join ma crew, not after what ye did"

Antonio: "Don't pirates need to be fierce? I believe we have proven ourselves fierce enough"

Captain: "You see... there's something even more important, and that is trust... the men you killed, I trusted them, can you trust not to get stabbed by one of us at any moment in revenge? no right... and so we can't trust you"

Antonio: "There needs to be any way to make money and come to an agreement"

Captain: "haha... HAHAHAHA bloody cunts fine, hear this, ya owe me 6 million arkcoins in reparations, if you can get that amount working on the ship before we reach the slave market... then I might let you guys go~"

Antonio: "Then... how much for our spaceship?"

Captain: "What spaceship? this is already mine, you guys have nothing to offer other than hard work and meat..."

Antonio: "Food... we are colonization experts, perhaps we could man the life support systems?"

Captain: "And kill us all easily? Nay"

Antonio: "Then... food growing? we could grow vegetables from Earth, those would also get a high price and wouldn't run out"

Captain: "Hmm that could make some money indeed, lots of rich people love trying new things... fine, you got yourself a deal, our engineers will help you make the needed equipment, but before that, hope you ain't a boring shit~ I promised me crew they could beat you up half dead~"

Antonio: "...just me, I... will take all the blame" signaling for Elena and Monico to remain silent.

The Captain seemed to argue with someone and bobbed his head side to side: "Very well, you will be beaten up and I will spare the others"

Antonio nodded: "Thank you, I will come out now, I never told you my name, I'm Antonio"

Captain: "Haha ~ I'm captain Welshty chap, hope you make us a lot of money... if you survive that is, cheerio~"

Sounds were heard outside as the bell was lifted.

Elena: "Are you crazy?! they will kill you!"

Monico: "Yeah!"

Antonio: "No, we are too expensive remember? I will survive..."

Elena: "But... it's not fair..."

Monico: "dammit!"

Antonio sighed: "Nothing ever is, and my battle body is the most resistant of us... I just hope Erik and Sarah will do fine without us, we might never see them again, and probably no more colony ships will ever get to them, they will be stolen by pirates... the future of our race... depends on them now..."

Elena: "I will download the AI on a chip and hide it, could come in handy"

Antonio: "Good idea, no point in being picky, use your *prison pouch* if you have to"

Monico: "I will hide some simple tools too, for now we need to put on the communication chips and the contact lenses, we will be able to hear and see what the others do, it should give us an edge"

Antonio: "This ain't the time for a final stand, we are cornered and out of options, we need to learn more and figure out a way... our fate... no, THE FATE OF EARTH DEPENDS ON US!"

All three of them put on serious expressions as they hid tools implanted under their skin and inside their bodies, even using fake skin lumps on their backs, as aliens wouldn't be aware of human anatomy.

-- Back at the submarine --

Erik was lying down on the med bay table as it scanned his belly, and Inky lying down on another table. Sarah was by his side holding his hand while Rose analyzed the data.

Rose: "Yes, your two daughters are ready to be born, and Inky's too has three fully formed daughters inside her"

Erik and Inky smiled delightedly.

Erik's pregnancy was barely noticeable, but Inky on the other hand was quite bloated.

Inky: "...is this normal for humans? isn't laying eggs easier?"

Sarah held both Erik and Inky's hand while other octopeople looked quietly from the open door.

Sarah: "It is, though your babies seem to be the size of one year old human babies so... it should be harder or simpler since your morphology seems to be rather flexible..."

Rose: "Indeed, with me here there's nothing to worry about~" her arms then reformed and became completely smooth without any nails "Let's begin the extraction- I mean, birth"

Sarah grabbed a needle full of liquid and injected it on Erik's neck.

Sarah: "A low dose of Oxytocin should start the contractions, as for Inky... we better wait for it to start naturally with her, it should happen in a couple of hours... I think"

Ten minutes passed and Erik started to feel contractions.

Erik: "Ugh... the fuck... it's like pushing out a rock..."

Rose: "I will give you a hand~" and her right hand secreted fluid and then slid right inside Erik in one go, finding the head of one baby and aligning it to the birth canal, slowly helping to push it out safely.

Erik: "aaghhh... almost!!!"

And finally, after thirty minutes, the first daughter was born, a small baby girl with pale gray skin, short 1cm long golden metallic hair, and sky blue eyes filled with intelligence.

But Erik couldn't rest as Rose plunged her hand inside and skillfully aligned the second baby so the head was pointing to the birth canal and the umbilical cord didn't get in, and soon the second daughter was born too. A purple blue skin, short 1cm long metallic silver hair, and green eyes that looked all around with curiosity.

Erik quickly caught his breath and took his two daughters on his arms, while his body quickly healed.

Erik: "Aww, you two a so cuuuute~"

Sarah examined them closely too: "Hmm the first one seems more humanoid, and the second one more octopeople but still humanoid... fascinating... have you thought of any names?"

Inky who was lying nearby was also excited, as the beds got closer automatically so she could also touch her daughters.

Inky patted their heads lovingly: "...Erik is good with names, you decided on them already?"

Erik nodded with a wide smile: "The first one shall be called Zoey, meaning eternal life in hope she lives a happy long life, as for the second one..." he caressed her slightly scaly skin, and saw the blue with traces of purple on them he couldn't help to ting of the ocean and feel inspired "Oh, I just thought of a better one, the daughter of Poseidon... Eirene!"

Sarah: "Hoh... that is indeed a good name"

Inky was confused though: "Who is Poseidon? Erik is the father, not him!"

Erik laughed: "No, Poseidon was a god from ancient times, he was the god of the ocean. Basically, a god was a way for ancient humans to explain the natural phenomena and natural disasters by humanifying them, to have someone to blame or plead to on their minds, and invent stories about them to explain what their knowledge couldn't explain"

Inky nodded: "...okay, well the names do sound pretty" She remembered something then "Anyway..., god... you said Rose was like a god one time before right?"

Rose: "Haha ~ well I am indeed quite similar, after all, any science advanced enough is indistinguishable from magic~"

Inky: "Is that so- ugh... I feel a pressure it's aggh!" spikes of pain were coming from inside her.

Rose: "Seems like you are gonna give birth soon too"

The octopeople were alarmed though.

Timberly: "Ugh... it seems painful, I think laying eggs is much better..."

Her comment led to nods from the surrounding octopeople that watched from the door.

Rose: "Well, there are pros and cons, the descendants absorb much more genetic material, and their initial bodies are way more developed at the moment of birth, so they will grow faster and probably develop stronger traits" she pondered "while on the other hand, egg laying depends on mass generation to finally create a strong descendant, on a dangerous environment like this world, it's the better option to avoid extinction, after all, many weaker can defeat a single strong opponent..."

Sarah: "That might be true, but once lots of strong individuals come together they can secure a safe environment, something that is difficult to do just with more numbers"

Rose: "Empires can also fall, like the octopeople already experienced, but they survived thanks to their high birthrate, if they had had to give birth they would be dead by now"

Sarah had no argument against that, she had just wanted to say a counterargument since genetics was her field of study.

Sarah sighed and looked at Erik: "Indeed, those who adapt survive, and the more descendants the better to mutate successfully and survive..."

Erik stood at the side of the table, with his two daughters in his arms: "Enough discussion about genetics, they are our beautiful daughters, and that's all that matters" and he sat at the side of Inky, holding them together as he caressed her belly.

Inky was starting to sweat in pain, but the pain seemed to go away when she saw her beautiful daughters, caressing their faces with a smile as their intelligent eyes looked back at her.

Inky said with a smile: "Wait a while, your other sisters will be born soon- ugh..."

Zoey and Eirene seemed to ponder it and nod then, making Erik laugh: "Haha ~ they are so cute!"

Erik looked at Rose: "Can you make me some warm blankets? it's important to keep newborns warm"

Rose: "Got it covered"

And two padded bots entered the room, taking the babies from their arms carefully and glowing slightly as they emitted heat.

Rose: "Tada! robot nannies, you are welcome~"

Hours passed, and Inky started giving birth too, luckily her body was way more elastic than Erik's and she didn't need so much help to give birth to three beautiful daughters. 

The first one humanoid with grey skin, short black hair, and aquamarine eyes. 

The second one was the most humanoid of all, with normal looking pale skin, black hair, and brown eyes. 

And finally, the third one that looked exactly like Inky but with silver hair and ocean blue eyes.

Erik grabbed them from the exhausted Inky to let her rest, as he quickly decided on names: "Let's see, the first to be born I will name you Ana, the second..." reminded him of Elena "since you remind me of someone I will call you Elena, as for the third one... eyes blue and deep like the ocean... hmm, Maria then, it should mean Star of the Sea if I remember correctly... well it sounds pretty anyway~" and bopped her nose carefully "aww so cute~"

His stomach growled at that point.

Timberly: "Haha, let's go eat shall we?"

Erik nodded as three more bots entered the room and took the daughters.

Erik: "I'm indeed quite hungry, I'll go once Inky feels good enough to stand up" looking back at the resting Inky with a smile.