Carpathia IV: Episode 167 - Prostate
Cadet Quarters
Though docked at Polaris Deep, with its vast shopping, dining, and entertaining facilities, the crew still had to return to the Shadowdancer to sleep, for that's where their accommodations were. As such, the ship was nearly empty, aside from a skeleton crew to maintain systems, during the daytime. For this reason, Darius returned to the ship during the daytime, for maximum privacy time, knowing that Mikado would be out taking in the station's amenities. Probably swimming naked somewhere, he guessed.
Naked.
Now was not the time to think about that. Darius had research to do. All the lights in the room were dimmed with only the light of the computer screen providing any illumination, giving him the feeling that he was in the middle of a covert operation. To him, at least, he was. With an intense concentration that blocked out everything, sounds, smells, and sights, but his computer screen, Darius searched the network and read.
Darius: "The prostate can be stimulated using a finger or object when inserted into the anus. Much intense pleasure is elicited in the penis when it is thrust inside. Therefore...
Darius paused. He knew this already. Still, there was a difference between knowing something and thinking about something. What should he do, he wondered? Practice first? Pounce on Mikado the next time he came in? Mikado would like that, but he didn't think he had it in him to do that.
Darius: Therefore, toys are recommended for practice. It is best to start small to avoid injury. Vibrators...
Subconsciously, instinctively, as Darius read, his hand slithered down his side toward his butt, but that didn't last for long. Suddenly, front door whooshed open and Darius felt his heart nearly give out in that instant, sending a spasm through his body. Before he could do anything, Mikado stepped inside and the fact that he was wearing an impossibly skimpy swimming bikini bottom didn't help at all.
Mikado: Woo! Good swim!
Darius's paws, reacting out of pure instinct, grabbed the top of his display and slammed it down on the keypad, sending little shards of plastic flying all over the place. Mikado stopped where he was and spoke after a lengthy pause.
Mikado: Um... Darius? That's... not a laptop.
Taking some time to collect himself, Darius looked around, first at his now-smashed monitor and then to his left and right to the bits of monitor screen crumbs lying all around him, on his desk, floor, and his lap.
Darius: Erm... So it isn't.
Mikado's ears shifted up and down, alternately making wider and narrower V-shapes, until he decided to deftly step around the monitor debris to the bedroom door.
Mikado: I just came to grab my ear wraps for the gym.
Frozen solid as an orange, floofy statue, Darius remained in his chair with his paws still gripping what was formerly the top of what was formerly his monitor. In the bedroom, he could hear Mikado shuffling around in his closet. Soon after, he stepped through the bedroom door again and left without another word. When the door to their quarters slid shut, Darius let out a giant gasp of air.
Now what?
Darius did the only thing he could do. What he should probably have done at the beginning. He picked up his tablet and retired to his bunk, closing the shutter after he climbed in. It was going to be an embarrassing request indeed when he would have to inevitably ask for a new monitor for his console in the morning.
Mikado strolled through the corridors between the lifts. With his quarters so deep in the Shadowdancer, it was a bit of a trek to get to the gym. All the while, he mulled over his most recent confusing Carpathian encounter. He decided to file it in the growing list of "strange things that Carpathians do" that he kept in his head. More than half of that list had Darius's name in it, a phenomenon that he chalked up to being bunkmates.
After the last lift and several more twists and turns, Mikado found the door to the gym and tapped the control. The double-wide doors clanked and rumbled open. Once he stepped in, he took an immediate left turn to the open room with the mats. There, he was surprised to find Sylvar and Teek.
Mikado: Oh! I expected everyone to be in the station's gym.
Sylvar and Teek stopped whatever it was they were doing and waved at Mikado.
Sylvar: Too crowded. I suppose that's why you're here too.
Mikado: Yeah, I didn't want to accidentally kick someone.
It was only just now that Mikado noticed several metal rods laying on the mats next to Sylvar just as he started waving him over.
Sylvar: Come on over. I think you might like to see this too. You don't mind, do you Teek?
Teek gave a smirk and rolled his eyes.
Teek: How could I? I don't even know why I'm here yet.
Sylvar waved at Mikado again and, this time, he trotted to him, full of curiosity. Sylvar picked up three of the metal rods on the mats and handed one to Teek, another to Mikado just as he arrived, and kept one for himself.
Sylvar: I found these on the Vashta ship. Don't touch anything of the buttons until I show you.
Careful to avoid the buttons, Mikado turned the rod over in his hands. It was much more than a rod, the most obvious indication was the rakish metal cover adorning one of the ends. His, like all the others, was about a meter long with several seams running along the length, making it clear that this wasn't a solid piece of metal. There was much going on inside. Aside from that and a couple of small buttons that were difficult to spot unless one was really looking for them, there wasn't anything else remarkable to note.
Sylvar: Okay, stand back, and away from each other, and do what I do. Don't worry. I tested all these before I brought them.
Sylvar stepped back and Mikado and Teek did the same. When Sylvar held out the rod, diagonally away from his body, again, they did the same. Then, Sylvar pushed one of the buttons and many things happened. The rod extended, parts flipped open, gaps automatically covered, and curved, thin blade sprouted from the top. Now, the rod was two meters long and bent several times along its length. Put simply, it was a scythe with an unusually short blade on the end of it.
Sylvar: Now you try! Hold it with the seams facing away from you and push the button. You won't be used to it the first time, so hold on tight.
Mikado and Teek exchanged glances and, holding tight as he could, tight enough to turn his knuckles white, Mikado pressed the button. Sylvar wasn't kidding, for the force of the transformation nearly sent the scythe jumping out of his hands at least twice. However, he held fast, and both he and Teek had a scythe identical to Sylvar's.
Teek: Didn't see that coming. This is a weapon?
Sylvar: Unimpressed? That blade is a little dinky, isn't it? Here's the best part!
Sylvar moved his finger to another button and pressed it. In an instant, a green, shimmering blade sprouted from the end and around the metal part at the top. Mikado and Teek watched in amazement.
Sylvar: If you ask any vashtari, they'll say that this is one of their traditional weapons, but that's a lie. They stole it from the komodo. They stole everything from the komodo. They were the masters of force field tech, and that's what this is. When it's green, like this, it can cut through almost anything that isn't metal with ease. It can cut through metal too, but that takes time.
Sylvar slid open a small panel on the handle, revealing a slider switch inside. He slid it all the way to the other end until his blade turned pale blue.
Sylvar: This is the sparring setting. It won't cut when it's like this. Why don't you try yours?
Neither Mikado nor Teek needed to be asked twice and, with giddy anticipation, found the same buttons on their own scythes and pressed them. Teek's was identical to Sylvar's in every way, as was Mikado's, except his blade shimmered red instead of green.
Sylvar: Oh, you got a red one!
Mikado: Is that bad? What's the difference?
Sylvar: Not bad. It's just the color. Only the elite guards use red.
Teek: Were... these used to kill anyone?
Sylvar: It's possible, but now they'll be put to good use.
Sylvar gestured to the pile of rods on the mats, of which there were still at least ten.
Sylvar: There were a couple hundred of these on the ship. Studying how those work will advance Carpathia's force field tech a hundred years. Admiral Zhang gave me permission to take some. I intend to return these to komodo like you, Teek, the rightful owners. I got enough for every komodo on the ship and more. I was hoping Trex could come too, but she's busy.
Teek: I suppose if you put it like that, I feel better about having this.
Sylvar: Mikado, if you're interested, you can keep that one. I got more than this to go around.
Mikado's eyes widened as he looked up at the shimmering red blade and then back to Sylvar.
Mikado: Are you sure it's okay?
Sylvar: Why not? You're here to learn, right? I figured you might be interested. How about it? Voxx trained me with these up until our ship blew up. I can give you your first sparring lesson. You saw how to switch to sparring setting, right?
Both Teek and Mikado nodded enthusiastically and accessed the sliders in their own scythes. Teek's turned pale blue, like Sylvar's, while Mikado's turned into a pale pink.
Mikado: Can I set mine down on the mats when it's like this? I need to put on my ear wrap.
Sylvar: Go ahead. It's harmless in that mode.
With a gentleness as though he expected the scythe to burn right through the floor, Mikado laid his down on the mat. Fortunately, nothing happened, just as Sylvar promised. His ear wrap, a long strip of fabric that resembled something a human might use as a headband, was tucked into the side of this bikini swimsuit. He pulled it out and unravelled it, revealing it to be at least four meters long. Sylvar and Teek watched with great interest as he started by wrapping the fabric around the base of his ears and then, with a speed that could only come with immense practice, wrapped it even more and tied it off with an ornate knot. Neither had any idea how he did it, but the result was that his ears were now pinched closer to the top of his head and folded backward, unquestionably to keep them from getting in the way during any sort of martial arts routine.
Now finished, with the remainder of the fabric now flowing behind him down to his butt, he picked up the scythe and held it firmly with both hands.
Sylvar: If you're both ready, let's begin!
Commissioned art in this episode from:
AvareonArt
Zelbunnii
Less_End
Thatwildmary
Colourbrand
Falke2009
