The steamy warmth of the massage chamber’s air wafted gently across Commander Pepe’s flab ridden body as he laid face up on the soft padded table. Angelina and Sue moaned with pleasure as they rubbed and caressed his elephant like thighs. He’d been lying there almost quarter of an hour now, and the stresses and strains of the current crisis seemed far, far away. He turned his head and smiled at what he saw. Against the far wall, naked and sweaty, stood Suzanna Havabanana. She was humming to herself dreamily and swaying gently. The course of hard drugs that had been sprayed into her blood stream had well and truly taken effect.

“I need you.” the commander said to her.

Suzanna grinned and approached him, sexily swaying her hips to maximum effect. A wave of pleasure buffeted the commander’s soul as he watched, transfixed by her sensual power. He had made the right decision in enticing her to his chamber. The drugs would ensure that she would never desire to be a scanner operator again. All she would wish to do from now on would be to pleasure him beyond reason. In fact, she would actually experience intense depression when she wasn’t doing so. Her life would now be a rapid succession of incredible highs and soul crushing lows, each balancing out the other just enough to prevent any attempts at suicide. The chemical engineers at the Amino Mind Alteration Clinic had formulated some incredible substances and the commander made a mental note to reward them for their efforts sometime in the near future.

Suzanna was standing over him now. She placed her hands on his chest and squeezed his folds of skin. “You have larger breasts than me.” she said breathlessly.

“They’re not as perfectly formed though!” he said with glee as he gazed at the two melon-like bulges that swung in front of his face. Moisture dripped from them and trickled down his chin. He laughed. “This is fantastic!” He grabbed her and lifted her up.

Suzanna giggled like a child and took up a position straddling his waist. “Let me show you paradise!” She said, starting to rub herself up and down his giant gut. Angelina and Sue continued to massage his legs. Geraldina appeared from out of the steamy haze and started to stroke his face. The commander looked up at her and she smiled at him in a totally caring and utterly intoxicated way. What more could any man want? It was pure...

An alarm sounded. The girls were startled and left the commander’s body. They ran and huddled into a corner. An unfortunate side effect of the drugs was to make users hyper-sensitive to loud noises. As soon as one was heard, they would experience incredible levels of fear and anxiety, as was demonstrated here.

Commander Pepe was furious. He got to his feet and stared with annoyance at the quivering bodies in front of him. He decided that he wouldn’t reward the chemical engineers after all. Grabbing an almost tent sized towel, he wrapped himself up and operated the communicator. “Who the hell set off the alarm in my chamber?!”

“It was me sir.” replied a strained voice. “Harrison Ectoplasm.”

The commander bellowed at the top of his voice. “It’s a prison offence to disturb any senior officer during a stimulating rub-down!”

The nervous voice replied. “I’m sorry sir, but you have to see what’s happening!”

“Explain!”

“It would be better if you saw for yourself.”

Commander Pepe slammed his fist onto the console and silenced the channel. “What in Lucifer’s name could be so bloody important that it warrants the disturbance of one of my sessions?!” He operated the chamber’s door control and an opening onto his balcony appeared. He walked out into the cool air-conditioned environment of the Amino Battle Command control room. It was a hive of activity and the loud hum of excited voices could be heard. Ignoring the chill he felt after leaving the super-heated bliss behind him, he walked across to the railings and looked down. His head of internal defences, Harrison Ectoplasm, was running around like a startled Ex’Rutior wildebeest.

“Your explanation had better be good!” the commander shouted.

Harrison looked up. “There’s no need for me to explain sir.” he said with a shiver. “Just look at the central view-screen.”

The commander looked up. A phenomenal high resolution image appeared. Incredibly rich and atmospheric surround sound filled the room.

What Commander Pepe saw chilled him more than the cold sweat that clung to his body. He shuddered. He shivered. He screwed up his eyes then looked again at the sight before him.

The entire staff of the command centre were silent now. They stared at their commander and awaited his orders.

Commander Pepe looked at them. He was lost for words.

More than a hundred cyborgs had connected themselves together to form the mighty mass of metal mayhem that was currently stomping its way down Opulent Avenue. Dozens of them had formed into groups to shape the arms and legs. Even more made up the torso. And three of the largest held each other tightly to create a head. They all tensed and relaxed their artificial muscles in perfect co-ordination becoming one entity instead of many, and becoming a force of destruction far more powerful than anything that had walked the palace’s streets before.

As the fifty metre high mass of machines stomped and clattered between the buildings it lashed out with massive fists, sending glass, masonry, and twitching body parts flying into the air. The contraption’s feet, made up of two large automatic luggage carriers, crushed groundcars and flattened trees and bushes. Lower class personnel ran like crazy to avoid the giant machine. Many, of course, were pounded into unrecognisable mounds of jelly, their uneducated brains unable to formulate adequate plans of escape. All in all, it was a scene of carnage and destruction on a bone grinding scale.

The huge cyborg collective was not completely unopposed during its rampage. Harrisson Ectoplasm had ordered almost all of his internal defence force to attack the metal intruder hard and fast. Several armoured skycars swooped low between the inner district’s towering buildings, blasting furiously with their rapid fire pulse cannons. Shards of smouldering metal were blown away from the machine’s outer layer of mechanoids. It seemed unaffected by the onslaught and returned the fire using rifles and other weapons taken from the shredded cadavers of slaughtered security staff.

A couple of forth class bounty hunters entered the battle, this time with more success. The missiles that they fired from their speedy little ships decimated the three cyborgs that formed the head. It had a short lived effect though, as three more mechanoids quickly climbed up to take their place. If the collective beast had not been within the Palace of Amino it could have been so easily destroyed, but high energy weapons posed too much risk to palace personnel.

The giant machine rounded a corner and seemed to stop for a moment. It leaned back slightly as if to look up at something. That was indeed what it was doing, for ahead of it was a most awesome sight. A sight so awesome in fact, that mental patients around the galaxy would operate on their own brains with butter knifes and hand whisks in order to get a coherent glimpse it. It was of course, the Central Tower. Less than two kilometres away, the one thousand storey tower of golden glass and steel glistened hypnotically in the early evening sunlight. The group of mechanoids seemed to like what they were seeing and began to stamp towards it kicking and squashing anything that got in their way.

Some more bounty hunters joined the fight, some on foot, providing much needed support for the dwindling numbers of internal security guards whose inadequate training had already left most of them maimed or deceased. But, without the use of weapons of mass destruction, it was a losing battle. Whatever it was that was controlling them was transmitting an almost constant control beam now, giving the mechanoids an endless stream of destructive commands, as well as energy to fuel their advance.

Suddenly, without warning, the cyborg collective halted its advance and stood perfectly still. The palace’s defence forces wondered why. The only movements it made was to block fusion blasts with its arms as some bounty hunters took the opportunity to try to wipe out the motionless target.

Why was it waiting?

The answer arrived swiftly.

A shape tumbled down from the roof of one of the nearby apartment buildings. It was hard to see what it was at first, it being so small against the back drop of giant glass towers. As it approached ground level the ground forces soon identified it. It was another cyborg, and a highly damaged one. It only had a torso, one arm, and a head, and plunged like a stone through the cooling evening air. It was heading directly for the mechanoid monster below. Some fusion blasts hit the falling cyborg’s body sending it into a wild spin, but there wasn’t enough time to destroy it. After a few seconds it landed squarely onto the shoulders of the mound of cyborgs. It took up position on top of the collective’s head. Instantly, the whole contraption began to lurch forward again, this time with more speed and vigour.

One of the bounty hunters identified the cyborg that had just fallen. It was Justin, and he had taken up his position as chief of the insane mechanoid mass. He obviously wanted to lead them personally on this final attack. An attack on the ultimate target within the sanctuary known as the Palace of Amino. An attack on the Central Tower itself.

Commander Pepe stood on his balcony overlooking the Amino Battle Command centre. He watched the massive view-screen that displayed the gigantic multi-mechanoid monster. It could be seen stomping and smashing its way ever closer to the centre of the Palace of Amino. A close-up on one of the smaller, but still quite impressive, adjacent screens showed an image of Justin on the head of the metal beast. He was waving his remaining arm wildly as if riding a bucking bronco and seemed to be having a satanically good time.

The commander looked down at Harrison Ectoplasm. “Your internal defence forces seem to be hopeless at stopping it!” he bellowed as Angelina and Sue padded his dripping flabby body with fluffy pink towels.

Harrison bowed down. “I’m sorry sir.” he snivelled. “They’re doing their best. Every member of my staff are now devoted to halting that thing’s advance towards us.”

“Not good enough!” Commander Pepe screamed. He beckoned to Suzanna Havabanana who was standing nearby and holding on to his robes. She walked seductively over to him.

Harrison sobbed. “I can’t do anymore!”

The three girls helped the gross commander into his many layers of regal clothing. “Act like a man!” he bellowed.

The head of internal defences held back his tears and straightened himself up. “Yes, sir!”

Commander Pepe finished dressing. “I’m assigning you a squadron of ten bounty hunter ships of stunning specification and deceptively unpretentious design. Develop attack strategies for them and prevent that stupendous contraption from reaching the Central Tower.”

Harrison quivered. “I’m not sure that I’ll be able to...”

“Don’t make excuses! This is the ultimate test of your abilities!” The commander stared down at the head of internal defences with fierce and authoritative eyes. “After the unfortunate imprisonment and demotion of Chimpapazapadon, you are the most senior member of staff available. Be successful or be forever assigned to latrine scrubbing activities at the Amino Bowel Disruption Clinic!”

The thought of that punishment almost brought up Harrison’s lunch. He swallowed hard, pushing the semi-digested snail and pickle sandwiches back into his stomach. “I will, sir!”

The commander nodded and turned to face Sub-Officer Samuel Griezy-Baykon-Rynd. “Samuel, provide Mister Ectoplasm with all the visual tactical assistance he needs.”

The queer visuals director signalled his compliance by waving gaily at the commander. “Absolutely anything you say, sweet blossom!”

Commander Pepe shuddered. He suddenly realised that the bent officer had seen him naked and wet. The thought of Samuel fantasising about his folded flabby frame sickened him greatly. The commander noticed that he was still waving. “Remember my warning about that sort of behaviour!” he yelled. “I will not tolerate butt hunting in my command centre! Get back to your work Sub-Officer Griezy-Baykon-Rynd!”

The officer did as he was told.

Wearily, the commander sat down at his console. What a day! He was stressed beyond time. If it wasn’t for his suicide suppression systems, he probably would have brutally hacked out his own throat with a pair of diamond studded scissors hours ago. Deciding to calm himself down, he began to breathe deeply. Suzanna, seeing her master’s distress, swayed over to him and began massaging his neck. He groaned with delight. Things were not all bad.

Then the commander’s console bleeped. He shrugged off Suzanna’s attentions. “What the hell is it now!” he shouted.

A crackle-coated voice spoke. “Communications cadet Morris McPherson the 2nd speaking, sir.”

“Well? Out with it, lad!”

“I have a call for you, priority plus one.”

“From whom?”

“Gerardo Blazin’Socks, a bounty hunter of ingenious inflammatory capability and conspicuous clothing.”

The commander shrugged. “Never heard of him, but you might as well put him through.”

“Connecting...”

There was a short burst of hiss followed by a strong accented voice of wildly varying pitch. “Cimminder Pipi?”

The commander was instantly annoyed by the voice. “It’s pronounced Commander Pepe!” he yelled.

“Thits whit a sid!”

The commander was in no mood for an argument. “What do you want?”

“I’ve finned yir missin’ binty hinters fir yir!”

“What?”

“I’ve finned yir missin’ binty hinters fir yir!”

The commander leapt to his feet. “You’ve found them? Sarah and Lloyd? Are you serious?”

“Absilitly!”

“Where?”

“I wis pitrilin’ the firists ti th’ wist whin I came accris a ship nier a kive. I idintified it as th’ Dightir Slightirir.”

“You mean the Daughter Slaughterer, Lloyd Helmet’s craft?”

“Yis, Thits whit I sid!”

“Okay, carry on young man.”

“I linded my ship an’ wilked inti the kive. It th’ bick wiz a dip chism...”

“A what?”

“A dip chism!”

“A deep chasm, you mean?”

“Thits whit I sid!!!” Gerardo Blazin’Socks was becoming annoyed at the commander’s constant corrections.

“Continue.”

“It the bittim iff th’ chism wiz anitha ship ill smished an’ briken.”

“And?”

“An’ I idintified it as th’ Sityr.”

“You mean the Satyr, Sarah Savage’s vessel?”

“Yis yis yis! Thits whit I sid!!!”

“Well? Are they alive and in good general health?”

“Ni, absilitly nit!”

The commander swallowed. “How are they?”

“Thi’re did!”

Commander Pepe was confused. “They did what?”

“Thi’re did!!!”

“They did what?!!!”

“Thi’re did!!!” Gerardo Blazin’Socks yelled. “Did did did did!!!”

It finally hit home like large blunt axe heated to a high temperature and brought down heavily onto the back of the neck. The commander was gutted. “Show me.” he ordered solemnly.

The bounty hunter transmitted a visual of what he had found which was automatically routed to the main view-screen. Lloyd Helmet’s silver and blue body armour was clearly visible amongst the wreckage. His giant shoulder pads were heavily stained with blood and smeared with lacerated body tissue.

“I want to see his face.” the commander ordered.”

“Yir kint.”

The commander was shocked. “What did you call me?” he bellowed.

“I didn’t kill yer anythin’! I sid yir kint si his fice!”

“Why not?”

“Lick!”

Gerardo pointed his finger-mounted camera at where Lloyd Helmet’s head should have been.

The commander almost puked at the sight. The bounty hunter’s whole head had been crushed into a bloody paste and was completely unrecognisable. Folds of torn brain material had spread and dried across the Satyr’s hull.

“Show me Sarah Savage.” Commander Pepe ordered trying to hide his distress. Suzanna kissed the back of his neck in sympathy.

Gerardo Blazin’Socks wandered across the Satyr’s hull and into its cockpit via a huge gaping hole in its canopy. The image was very shaky for a while as the bounty hunter struggled his way in. All too quickly the image became clear and steady. The commander wept at the sight that appeared before him. Sarah Savage was lying on her back on the floor and was covered in litres of her own blood. Her broadsword, long and heavy, was embedded into her chest right up to its hilt. One of her legs and one of her arms were missing. Dried blood had clotted thickly around the exposed joint sockets.

After a few seconds, the camera moved to a close-up of her face. It was pale and held a pained but defiant expression. She had obviously fought with every last ounce of her strength and will. She had been a formidable warrior of butcherous intent.

Commander Pepe sniffed. His admiration for her was indescribable. As well as lusting after her scab covered body, he had developed a great respect for her intellectual ability, especially evident during their long games of Trivial Pursuit. After a few seconds of deep and silent thought, he spoke quietly. “Bring their bodies back to the Central Tower immediately.”

Gerardo Blazin’Socks agreed without question. “Yis sir, iff cirse.”

The commander snapped. “And get some bloody elocution lessons on the way!!!”