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This story contains adult content and non-consensual acts. If that isn't what
you want to read about, please skip it (and the majority of works in my gallery).
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Cara of the Cosmo Corps
in
Crystals, Crystals Everywhere But Not a Thought to Think
Cara skillfully maneuvered her Cosmo Corps shuttlecraft down through the iridescent clouds of planet Quin, around the gleaming spires of its capital city, and finally onto the narrow docking port attached the hotel that she would call home until her mission here was complete.
Before powering down the ship, she ran a customary diagnostic to ensure that nothing had broken during her interstellar transit or atmospheric entry. As the computer systems self-diagnosed, she logged her arrival and sent word both to HQ and the teammate who awaited her inside the building.
In less than a minute, the computer informed her that all was normal. She then began standard powering down procedures and made ready to exit the ship. Once she was outside with her feet firmly planted on the ground, she removed her helmet, undid her hairtie, and shook her head to allow her long auburn locks to fall free over her shoulders.
She walked into the building and was pleased to see a reception area not unlike what a Terran hotel would have. It took the woman behind the front desk–who while genetically human like Cara was entirely alien when it came to culture and custom–only a couple of minutes to check her in, put her bio-credentials into the system for secure access, and direct her to the suite she would share with the other Corpswoman.
Cara had only been planetside for 20 or so minutes when Lunita opened the door to the suite and ushered her inside. The two teammates saluted one another, as per Cosmo Corps protocol. Then, with formalities dispatched, they grinned and embraced.
“It’s so good to see you, Cara,” Lunita said as she hugged her friend.
“You, too, Lunita,” Cara said. “It’s been a long time, and I really missed you.”
When they separated, Cara took note of Lunita’s attire. She had on not a flight suit nor any other sanctioned Corps apparel for the field. Instead, she wore a flowing, translucent, robe-gown that did more than hint at but less than fully reveal her feminine figure underneath. Beneath the garment’s hem, her feet were bare.
“Going native after just two days?” Cara said teasingly, but also curious about why her friend was dressed in such an out of character manner.
“Yes, but for a reason. Knowing and adhering to Quinian culture and customs goes a long way in making them feel more comfortable with outsiders. Even though they asked The Corps here to assist in their negotiations with The Confederation, they react more positively when we act and appear as close to them as possible.”
“That makes sense.”
“And truth be told, this clothing is extremely comfortable.”
“If a bit underwhelming in the protection department and bit more revealing than I’m used to wearing while on duty.”
“Yes. But, blending in with the crowd offers its own protection and also makes you feel like you’re wearing exactly what you should be. You’ll see.”
“I’ll see, huh? So I need to parade around in that getup, too?”
“You don’t need to, per se, but it’s a good idea. I think it will help a lot with the mission.”
Cara pondered the wisdom and, after a few seconds, decided she agreed with it. She nodded her acceptance.
“One more thing on the attire topic,” Lunita said. “Shoes are prohitited in the Diplomacy Chamber and many of the other official rooms. You can wear hose or socks if you want. But, honestly, I don’t recommend it. The floors are so slippery that they make sheets of ice jealous. Stockinged feet will almost certainly cause you to faceplant. Even barefoot, you’ll have to tread very, very carefully.”
“Copy that. Insubstantial frocks, bare feet, and slippery floors aren’t the worst things I’ve had to endure as a Corpswoman. And, on the plus side, if I look half as good as you do when in that thing, then I’ll take it as at least one win.”
“It’s the other way around, Cara: I’ll be happy to look half as good as you will when you’re properly outfitted.”
The two friends smiled, laughed, and hugged again.
“I want to get started on prepping you for the negotiations right away,” Lunita said when they had separated again a moment later. “But, we do have time if you want to get cleaned up first.”
“A shower sounds good. They do have showers here, right?”
“Yes, thankfully. The bathroom is through there.”
“Great! I’ll be out in a few and ready to dive headfirst into our Quinian diplomatic mission.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Food, drink, and a robe-gown awaited Cara when she exited the bathroom a little while later. The former two made her happy. The latter didn’t thrill her. But, at Lunita’s suggestion that she might as well get used to fitting in on this alien world, she put it on.
It fit well and was, as Lunita had said, very comfortable. She didn’t know how she would feel walking around in a flimsy dress with no shoes on while on duty. But here in the cozily safe environment of a hotel suite, the outfit and lack of footwear made her feel relaxed and at ease.
She snacked and sipped a soft drink, as Lunita went over the details of the negotiations with her.
“There’s one more thing you need to know about,” Lunita said about an hour later, when they had discussed all parameters of the mission. “The crystals.”
“Oh yeah, the crystals. I remember reading that they’re an intrinsic part of Quinian culture, and I saw a lot of them integrated into the architecture as I flew through the city.”
“Right. The Diplomacy Chamber is chock full of them on the ceiling and walls. And the floor is made of them.”
“Does that account for said floor being so slippery that I have to be barefoot to walk on it?”
“It does indeed. But that’s not the important part. What you need to understand is that the crystals can be…distracting.”
“Distracting? How so?”
“It’s hard to describe. So, here, let me show you.”
Lunita brought over a large carrying case and set it on the table they had been working on. She opened it up, and inside sat several large, multi-faceted, ice-like crystals. They glittered and almost glowed in the room’s ambient light.
“They’re beautiful,” Cara said. “And I could see how they would capture someone’s attention for a moment or two. But ‘distracting’ seems to be an exaggeration.”
“That was my first impression, as well. But the truth is, ‘distracting’ is an understatement. Take a closer look at them.”
Cara shrugged, leaned in closer, and stared at the crystals. Almost immediately, she understood Lunita’s warning.
Shimmering patterns of light moved continuously within each crystal. In one, the pattern mimicked the twinkling of stars on a clear, dark night. In another, the effect was more pronounced and brought to mind a fireworks display.
But the one that caught and held Cara’s attention elicited a gasp of awed wonderment from her.
Within the gleaming facets of that crystal, scintillating sparkles swirled and spun in a kaleidescopic rainbow spiral. It was the most enticing and enrapturing thing that she had ever laid eyes on.
In fact, she couldn’t take her eyes off it.
Lunita saw her friend’s reaction and nodded knowingly.
“I warned you,” she thought. “Of course, I knew you wouldn’t believe me without seeing for yourself. Which worked out just fine because I needed you to see for yourself anyway.”
For more than a minute, Lunita watched as Cara stared wide-eyed at the swirling spiral of chromatic light within the crystal.
“Captivating, isn’t it?” she said finally.
“...Yes…captivating,” Cara said.
“Hypnotic, really.”
“...Hypnotic…”
“You can’t stop looking at it.”
“...Can’t stop looking at it…”
“You don’t want to stop looking at it.”
“...Don’t want to to stop looking at it…”
“It’s hypnotizing you.”
“...Hypnotizing me…”
“There’s nothing you can do about.”
“...Nothing I can do about it…”
“But you don’t want to do anything about it.”
“...Don’t want to do anything about it…”
“You want it to hypnotize you.”
“...Want it to hypnotize me…”
“Being hypnotized feels right.”
“...Being hypnotized feels right…”
“It feels good.”
“...Feels good…”
“You are hypnotized, Cara.”
“...I am hypnotized…”
“Your mind is open to suggestion.”
“...Open to suggestion…”
“You will do whatever you’re told.”
“...Whatever I’m told…”
“That’s my good girl. Hypnotized, suggestible, and obedient, as I need you to be.”
“...Hypnotized, suggestible, and obedient…as you need me to be…”
“Now, let’s start brainwashing you to do exactly what I need you to do.”
“...Start brainwashing me to do exactly what you need me to do…”
Lunita laughed, finding it amusing how quickly and completely her friend had lost herself to the crystal’s hypnotic influence. Cara laughed, too, mindlessly mimicking her friend without any thought as to what Lunita was doing to her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cara awoke the next morning feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead. She washed up, ate, put on the robe-gown, and was ready to go when Lunita joined her in the living room half an hour later.
They left the hotel and walked the few blocks to the municipal hall that housed, among other official departments, the Diplomacy Chamber. As diplomatic envoys present at the request of the Quinian government, they had a small room set aside for them, where they could rest, work in private, and store their belongings. In that room, they shed their shoes and then made their way to the Chamber.
Cara noticed that all the Quinian women did indeed wear robe-gowns similar to theirs. What she didn’t notice was that no one other than herself and her teammate was unshod. She also didn’t notice that the floor–comprised of gleaming, glittering crystal as Lunita had told her–was not in the least bit slippery.
None of the Quinians commented on the Corpswomen’s bare feet, likely thinking that lack of footwear was simply a cultural or stylistic choice for them, much as Cara mistakenly thought of her hosts. The Confederate delegation, however, observed and made careful note of it, seeming by their smiles and head nods to approve of what they saw.
When they were seated at their stations and waiting for the business of the day to begin, Lunita nudged Cara.
“Make sure you don’t get distracted by the crystals,” she said, making a sweeping gesture that covered many of the glimmering, faceted areas of the room.
“Copy that. I’ll keep my eyes and attention focused on the negotiations.”
“I know you will. But I’m bound by Corps protocol to remind you. Oh, and see, just beyond our desks, right at eye level, there’s that type that captivated you last night. So please be careful.”
Cara spared a glance at the crystal formation that Lunita pointed out. She nodded, indicating that she now knew where it was and would avoid looking at it. With that out of the way, she could turn her attention to her datapad and begin reviewing her notes from the night before.
But she didn’t review her notes, nor did she look away. Instead, her gaze remain fixed upon the crystal. The spiraling pattern of vibrant, swirling, and ultimately mesmerizing lights took hold of her mind, just as it had in the hotel.
Lunita watched the passive induction play out for about a minute. Then she leaned in close and whispered into Cara’s ear.
“That’s my good girl. Hypnotized, suggestible, and obedient, as I need you to be.”
“...Hypnotized, suggestible, and obedient…as you need me to be…”
“You know what you must do.”
“...Know what I must do…”
“Excellent. Now wake up slowly and pay no more attention to that or any crystal…unless I tell you to.”
“...Pay no more attention to that or any crystal…unless you tell me to…”
Cara closed her eyes, turned away from the crystal, blinked a few times, and then finally opened her eyes again.
“We have our work cut out for us, but we know what we have to do,” she said, now fully awake, aware, and determined to fulfill her mission.
“Yes, we do. We’re Cosmo Corpswomen, and we get the job done.”
They gave each other a quick salute. Lunita winked. Cara flashed a smile. And then, they got down to business.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The negotiations went on all day, and they went very well…for the Confederation, but not for the Quinians. This did not occur despite the best efforts of the skilled, dedicated efforts of the Cosmo Corps representatives. It happened because of them.
Both Cara and Lunita gave a sterling impression of trying to help the Quinians, yet they deftly undermined their host world’s position in a variety of subtle, indirect ways. By the end of the day, a new agreement between The Confederation and Quin was all but hammered out, but it heavily favored the former. All that was left to do the next day was iron out a few minor details and then obtain signatures from all representatives.
The Corpswomen re-entered their suite long after the standard supper hour. They kicked off their shoes, walked into the living room, and plopped down onto the pillowy couches with sighs and moans of exhaustion.
“A good day’s work,” Lunita said.
“Yeah, it really was,” Cara said. “I didn’t realize how off-base the Quinian demands were. I’m glad that, while still siding with them, we could bring them closer to center so that they could actually broker a reasonable accord with The Confederation. And who knew that The Confederates aren’t the heartless, cosmic baddies that everyone says they are? Not me, that’s for sure. But I do now. Lesson learned.”
“Lesson learned, indeed. Well, we’ve earned ourselves a good meal and perhaps even a nightcap or two. Shall we?”
Before Cara could answer, a delicate chime sounded from the suite’s entryway.
“Hopefully that is someone who read your mind and instantly brought us food and drink,” Cara said sarcastically.
She got up and went to the door. When she opened it, she saw a tall, attractive woman dressed in non-Quinian clothes and wearing a large locket on a silver chain around her neck.
“Can I help you?”
“You and Lunita have already helped me more than you could ever imagine, Cara,” the woman said in a soft but commanding voice tinged with a Confederate accent. “But, yes, you can continue to help me now.”
Cara paused, unsure of what the woman meant and how to respond. Lunita walked up to stand beside her friend.
“It’s okay, I know who she is,” Lunita said to Cara in a calm, monotone voice. “We need to let her in and then help her in any way we can.”
Confused but trusting her teammate, Cara stepped aside to allow their guest to enter. Then she closed the door and walked behind Lunita and the woman back to the living room.
When all three of them were comfortably seated, the woman spoke again, absently playing with her locket as she did.
“You both did an extraordinary job today. We couldn’t have asked for a better outcome. Still, there is more work to do going forward, and you will continue to aid us. But that is for another day. Tonight, I come to you for…celebration.”
“I don’t understand,” Cara said, exchanging confused looks with Lunita.
“You will.”
The woman opened the locket and then let her hand fall away from it. It housed a crystal the size of an old Earth half dollar coin. From within the crystal, an all-too familiar spiral of dazzling colored lights spun round and round and round.
Cara’s eyes immediately locked onto the crystal. So did Lunita’s. After a minute or so, the woman spoke again.
“Those are my good girls. Hypnotized, suggestible, and obedient, as I need you both to be.”
“...Hypnotized, suggestible, and obedient…as you need us both to be…”
“I can’t say that I appreciate Quinian fashion. But even if you were dressed in the finest Confederate garb, I would tell you this: Disrobe. For my celebration, I want you naked.”
Without thought or question, Cara and Lunita did as instructed. In a moment, they stood before the woman, as bare of body as they were of mind.
“Very good, my beautiful thralls. Now, we will have some real fun together. Or rather, I will. You will take things slowly when I say so. And you will speed up to a frenzied pace when I tell you to. Here is how we will start….”
Hypnotized and brainwashed into mindless submission and obedience, Cara and Lunita carried out the instructions they received as all Corpswomen did: with precision, skill, and ability unmatched anywhere in the cosmos.