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Chapter 3
Tia’s Trouble

Tia woke gradually as her internal clock told her that she needed to get ready for her shift. Gradually sitting up in bed and moving Robs arm from her side where his weight threatened to pin her for the rest of the morning shift. Silently she eased out of bed and dressed before tip toeing out of Suen’s apartment and making her way to her locker for start of shift.

Mentally checking in with APSU, the ships computer, she pulled up the jobs for the day, linking internally and pulling up an image that only she could see. She noted that her jobs for the day were located near the outer hull. Some simple maintenance on the mining craft and shuttles. These vessels would not be used until landing, but occasional diagnostics and repair were essential for the success of the mission.

As she worked on each vehicle she marvelled at the construction and size. But if the vehicles were impressive, they dwindled into nothing compared to the massive cathedral that is the hangar bay itself.

When she was younger she had marvelled at places like this. What gods the ancients were to have created an entire world with massive machines to do their bidding. She had been fascinated by the people who had first built and launched the An. But her studies into the old records did not show Gods. The home world was not a heaven. What it showed was greedy, selfish people, burning through their resources and squabbling amongst themselves while they allowed the population to rise unchecked and consumed all that their home could produce and stripped the planet bare.

This wanton greed and uncontrolled consumption was a stark contrast to life on the An. Population was controlled by APSU and genetics were manipulated to ensure that the crew did not suffer from genetic drift. Resources were martialled and controlled to ensure that all had their fair share and that their precious world, so small compared to the images that she had found of the ancients planet, continued to thrive and provide for the future of their children and their children’s children and if, as it was feared, the crew of the An could not colonise their new home, then the An would provide for their genetically modified offspring while the crew stayed in orbit long enough to replenish their resources and ensure that the colony was successful, before launching off into space, following the star maps of the ancients in search of more places to colonise, so that eventually, the people of An would find a home for everybody.

She had thought about the ancients a great deal and decided that they were not noble heroes or gods. There had been real heroes that she knew of. But these were not the builders of the An. These were people who had lived and died for the voyage. Ganu Engineering, who had stayed at his engineering post, even as his compartment filled with radiation from a leaking coolant pipe. There was also the tale of Deng Hydroponics, who had had dived into a room filling up with water from a ruptured water tank in order to hold the door open long enough for the workers to evacuate, using pure brute force to hold back the flood before being crushed against the door frame. Although the workers had pushed and pulled him clear, his injuries had proved fatal. No, she thought there were real heroes on the An. People who would sacrifice everything for the good of the crew and to ensure the success of the mission. There were times when she wished she could be as brave. Sometimes she fantasised about rescuing crew, or averting disaster. But those were just idle dreams and, like any member of the crew, what she really wanted was for a trouble free voyage.

“APSU, unit seven needs a new modulator unit,” Tia said as she crawled out from one of the mining units.

“Very well Tia, I will have a new one delivered to this section immediately,” the computer replied directly into her implants.

Tia checked her work schedule. That was the last of the machines, but she still had a long time before her next break. The jobs list showed that there was power outages on one of the corridors near here.

“APSU, allocate job 115 to me.”
“Confirmed Tia. Job 115 allocated”.

Tia tidied up her tools and walked out of the cavernous bay into the stairway. She could have used a lift, but the power outage meant that she would still have to use the stairs anyway, and it was only four floors up. Besides, all crew were encouraged to exercise.

Reaching the hatch to this section she accessed the door computer and, as her eyes drifted with a faraway look common to those accessing the computers net. Atmosphere and temperature looked good on the other side of the door. There was just a power outage. Accessing the ships schematics she followed the power cables in the corridor. She now knew where the cables ran from and to, as well as where the probable trouble spots were. But still she hesitated, checking the compartment radiation levels. This was sector 14. This part of the ship is closest to space and, more importantly, this part of the ship was close to the blast of 20 years ago. Even though much of the compartment had been cleansed, there was still enough residual radiation to worry her. Checking the compartment read outs from the door it looked clear. But she had been raised on stories about the accident and her training had taught her caution when working near this sector. Even if this sector looked clear, there could still be pockets of radiation. Checking that her suits radiation alarm was working, she tentatively opened the door and stepped in.

“APSU, log me as entering section 14 via corridor 3a”.

“Acknowledge Tia”, the ships computer responded.

Stepping into the dark compartment, a mini air lock, she activated her suits lighting before stepping over to the next door and again checking for air, heat and radiation. This door however was without power and so she hooked a power cable from her suit to the door in order to activate the doors sensors. Again radiation and heat were within the ships normal parameters. Air measured as good, with no indication of smoke or other toxins. Tentatively, she used the suits power to activate the doors servos. The door opened and again, she stepped through, following procedure and closing the door behind her, just in case of decompression.

If she had worried about walking into an airless compartment, she would have activated the doors film layer. This would have created a clear film within the door frame, like the soap on a bubble blower. She could then fit a breathing mask and step through the film, which would then act as a space suit as the membrane closed around her body as she used the door. But all of the tell tails looked good and so she had not bothered. As it was, working this close to the outer hull was uncomfortable, as the gravity further out from the hub was more pronounced, achieving 1.1g. This level of gravity was thought to be the most natural and comfortable for the animals who once lived on this level. It was a major contrast to her normal gravity levels enjoyed on the mid decks, or even the low gravity environment of the core hull. But the rotation had been set accordingly and she was just thankful that she did not work out here very often.

The corridor was typical of every other on the ship. Emergency lights on the floor indicated, via red or green colouring, the way to the nearest door exit. Following the power lines and inspecting them with the more powerful wrist beam, she followed the schematic’s on her head up, looking for the damage. The floor lights turned from green to amber. Looking back the cat eye lights in the floor, which was now showing as red. Moving further on she eventually found the junction box that she had been looking for. Dropping her tools, she opened the panel and looked at the damage. A small fire in one of the circuits had shorted out the crystal, cracking it. That was the cause of the power outage, but what had caused the fire? Plugging a diagnostic lead into the box she was able to follow the problem back to its route. Fortunately, she had all that she needed and was able to replace the parts from those she carried in her tool box.

One last check of the repair before closing the panel. Taking a deep breath, she mentally accessed the box, using her maintenance codes to route power back into the box.

Light came on along the corridor and Tia smiled to herself. However, her victory was short lived as she felt he ears pop. All spacers knew that that meant. Checking the cat eyes on the floor, she scanned the direction to the next door. Judging by the spacing, she was close to an exit door.

Pressure began to fall and a fine mist began to form as the temperature and pressure drop told of a dramatic decompression. This was confirmed as Tia’s ears popped.

“Warning, decompression. Make your way to the nearest exit. This area is decompressing”, APSU intoned, both directly in to her implants, and via external audio.

Leaving her tools where they were, Tia’s emergency training took over as she ran at full pelt, looking for the door promised by the floor lights. At last, agonising seconds later she found it. Unlike the door she had just come through, this was on the right of the corridor, leading deeper into the section, rather than back into the inner hull, but she was out of options. Better a little bit of radiation now, than dying of asphyxiation as the corridor decompressed. Quickly accessing the door controls, breathing out as she did to ensure that if all atmosphere was lost, the air trapped in her lungs did not cause a catastrophic explosion, thus buying her precious seconds, she launched herself into the next compartment before ordering the door closed behind her.

Again, as before, she found herself in another internal air lock. Accessing the door sensors she saw that the corridor she had just come from was now in vacuum. Exploring the air lock she noted that the usual breathing masks were not present in their receptacles. Accessing the door she found that the membrane function was off line. This did not surprise her since this area of the ship had not been used for twenty years. The only people who would come here were maintenance people, carrying out routine repairs, like her. There was something else that she noticed, that filled her with unease. She could not access the net. Radiation may be affecting her implants or, more probably, this section did not have a working network connection.

In any case, she would not find a solution back the way she had come. Her route out of here lay through the other door. Walking over to it she again accessed the doors emergency panel and was relieved to find that there was power on both sides of the door. The atmosphere looked good, as did heat. No signs of radiation. Tentatively she accessed the door codes, only to find that it would not open. She was about to try for the manual override when her suit detected something wrong with the air. The vents were working, cycling air in to the chamber, but whatever the gas was, it was not just air.

Tia’s head began to spin as she reached for the door override. But it seemed to be getting further and further away from her, like she was in a long tunnel. And then the floor rushed up to meet her. Her last thoughts before passing out, were the audio alarms from her suit.

“Warning, toxins detected. Warning, toxins detected”.

Chapter 4
A New Beginning

Tia woke slowly. She felt sick and light headed. She was face down on a flat, hard surface. It was quiet. Although she tried to access the computer, her implants could not link to the network. For the first time in her life she was alone. No background chatter, no data or entertainment, nothing.

Raising herself onto all fours she shivered at the cold. Gathering her thoughts she considered her situation. Looking up her vision began to clear. She was in an airlock. It looked like the one that she had passed out in. However, something more troubling drew her attention with a sudden realisation, like a slap in the face. She was naked. Looking around stupidly she looked for her suite, but could not find it. It had been removed while she was unconscious.

Getting to her feet she looked around the airlock. The door that she had entered through was locked. But for all she knew there was still a vacuum on the other side of the door. She turned to the other door and was surprised to see that it was slightly ajar. Hugging herself against the cold of the compartment she moved over to the door and pulled it open.

She had expected to see another corridor or perhaps another room. However, the site that greeted her took her breath away. This was the farm deck. She had worked in the other farm areas and so knew what she was seeing, but still it surprised her since this area had been irradiated and opened to vacuum in the accident. What she saw could not be real, but it was.

Unlike the bare and barren compartment she was greeted by a lush green field that disappeared around the curve of the ship. This must be kilometres of open area before the next bulk head. Lighting panels gave off a continuous glow of artificial illumination on the ceiling, but the light was not overly bright and was of a similar frequency to the light on the avian and crop decks. Stepping in to the large compartment she was surprised at the feel of the floor. Looking down she saw the green carpet like plant material that she knew to be grass spread out before her. As she stepped out of the airlock she also found that the artificial light gave off a warm feeling. She could hear the thrumming of the air condition and heating units above her, but she was certain that the light also helped to keep the compartment warn. Unlike the cold, metal air lock, she found that she no longer had goose bumps. Some primal instinct told her to squat down and run her fingers through the grass, which was strangely tactile.

Whatever had happened to her, whoever had stripped her, she knew that she would not find any answers back in the air lock and so, feeling vulnerable and exposed, she stepped into the field and walked to where she might find another bulkhead and door.

APSU had been busy here, or else the original damage was not as bad as first thought. She had expected wrecked metal and desolate soil. But this place had power, it had light and it had water. Whatever had happened here had been repaired. Looking around she wondered why she had not heard of this, why nobody on the crew new about this place and why they were continually told to keep away due to radiation. That through brought her up short. Radiation. Could this place be contaminated? Were her cells being attacked even now? She quickened her pace and headed for the other wall.

It still did not explain who had stripped her. She tried connecting to the network, but her implants could not gain a signal. However, whatever the reason, there was nothing she could do about it at the moment. Perhaps somebody had survived and had been trapped here, kept in virtual quarantine, or perhaps the repair bots had maintained this place. Any way she looked at it, there was no reason for this place not to be used. This much deck space could be utilised in any number of ways, least of which would be growing crops, rather than this grassland.

That was not totally true, there were trees growing here as well. Small clumps of woodland, but having studied the old images, and having seen the other agricultural areas, these plants were not very old, perhaps twenty years, which would make sense if the older stock had been killed in the accident. Even so, compared to other farming areas, this place was too quiet. It was as though the entire deck were waiting, holding its breath for something, some event or incident, even a start alarm and then all would begin in a mad bustle of activity.

Another thing caught her attention that she found as she walked towards the other bulkhead. A structure stood in the middle of the compartment. It was quite tall, and square, with a pointed roof and big doors. Strange. It was only a kilometre away and so, as soon as she had walked past a large clump of trees, she decided to alter her course towards it. Perhaps she would find the person who had stripped her, or perhaps even her clothes. More realistically, she hoped to find supplies and tools.

As she walked she found that, with nobody around, she was able to become comfortable in her nudity. She had always been concerned by her large hips and breasts and how different she was. But here, she did not have to worry and until the elusive person who took her clothes presented themselves, she would enjoy the experience.

The structure was large and built on two floors. Sliding one of the large doors open she stepped inside. It was a strange room. Rows upon rows of strange metal gates and some strange pipes and tanks.

Almost by reflex, she queried APSU.

“What is this place?”

“The Barn,” APSU replied into her chip.

“What? APSU. You can hear me? Patch me through to maintenance control.”

She didn’t know how, but there must have been a relay station in the shed. She could access the net again and get out of here.

“I am unable to do that Tia,” came the reply.

“Why not? You can access the net. I need to report to my supervisor. I need to get out of here and back to work.”

“I am unable to access the net for you Tia.”

This did not make sense. If APSU was talking to her, then he must be connected to the network, unless this was some local form of the computer, perhaps a substation of some sort.

“APSU, are you connected to the network?”

“Yes Tia”.

This stunned her more than anything else. If APSU was able to connect to the network, that meant that this was something else. Her mind shied away from the implications.

“APSU, why are you able to connect to the net, but unable to allow me to contact the net?”

“Your mission requires you to be here Tia. You have been re-assigned to this section. Allowing you to contact the crew would jeopardise that. I am therefore unable to connect you to the network”.

Tia was stunned. Reassigned? Mission? She did not know what APSU was talking about, but it sent a cold chill down her spine.

“What? What mission APSU?”

“You are now assigned to the farm. You are going to help re-stock the farm and therefore enable the completion of this ships primary mission. To land and support a colony on another planet.”

Tia considered this for a moment. This sounded very important. Also, there were some important questions to ask, like where her clothes were and why she had been chosen for this mission. After all, she was a maintenance tech and this facility looked in good working order. What they really needed was somebody from agriculture or biology.

“So why me? I am not skilled in farm management. I am a maintenance engineer and where are my clothes?”

“That is not your role here,” APSU explained. “Twenty years ago all mammalian livestock was lost. This represented a major risk to the success of the colony, since the An would be unable to provide full orbital support during the setup phase. It was agreed that a solution must be found. However, although a variety of genetic material existed, the means to grow new livestock was no longer possible. Working closely with the senior management, I was called in to advise on a possible solution. That solution was to genetically modify a suitable embryo in order to create a host for the genetic material. This host, as well as being physically capable of giving birth to a variety of livestock, should also be robust enough to withstand the shock of multiple births. Certain genetic modifications were made In order to allow the host to become more adaptable to multi species reproduction, as well as being able to provide the correct nutrients both during gestation and after birth.”

“What? Wait. You mean that you have created some kind of hybrid to create new livestock and that you want me to look after,” but Tia stopped talking as another possibility presented itself.

Tia now knew why she had larger hips, she now knew why her body shape was the way it is. With dawning realisation she started to back out of the barn.

“No. No. No. No,” she mumbled as she found herself back outside and running over towards the far wall.

She made out a hatchway in the distance and angled herself towards that. Reaching the door she tried to interface, but found that either her implants were no longer working, or she was being blocked. She reached for the manual override and opening the panel, turned the lever that would open the doors.

“Tia, you must return. You are too important to the colony.”

The door did not open, as all power was shut off, so moving to the right of the door, she accessed the emergency manual lever, pulling it out of the wall and then pushing it back again. Push, pull, push, pull, so that the door started to open.

“What have you done? What have you done to me? Did the Captain know about me?

“Genetic modifications meant that your DNA was able to react to certain hormones and drugs, allowing you to carry a variety of livestock. In addition to this, your appendix has been boosted, re-activating a genetic dead end. Although your medical records showed as normal human, the reality is that you have two stomachs that will allow you to digest greater quantities of vegetation. In addition to this your hips have been widened considerably and I have made alterations to your chip set in preparation for this day. To answer your other question, the captain is aware of your current re-deployment”.

“But what about the crew, they will know that I am missing,” Tia explained as the door creaked open.

“Tia Maintenance died during a decompression incident during a routine maintenance assignment. Genetic material was found at the site of the hull breach, caused by damaged from the original incident twenty years ago. Her funeral is scheduled for later today where her name will be entered into the records as lost and what genetic material the crew were able to salvage will be placed into the protein recycling vats so that she can become a part of the never ending cycle of death and re-use, adding her cells to the permanent food cycle of the ship.”

Tia didn’t need to hear any more, as the hatch opened enough for her to slip through. Darting through the gap she stopped dead in her tracks.

Rather than an airlock she was presented with her worst nightmare made real. A large maintenance bot was spread out across the door frame, its eight legs forming a barrier, stopping her from going any further. But before she could do any more than stare at the machine as small aperture opened in its body and, quicker than she could comprehend, the bot spat a glob of something at her that expanded to become a great web of stringy stuff which quickly engulfed her, wrapping her from head to toe.

Tia screamed at the top of her lungs as the sticky material began to contract around her and she was forced to crouch down. It was strange, it was as though it would only shrink in such a way as not to compress her breathing, but to force her down into a small, tight ball. Tia found herself scrunched down in a tight ball, her knees forced against her chest, arms at her side and her mouth now touching her knees. She toppled over and watched helplessly as a shadow passed over her. The bot spread its limbs out over her and, using the central four legs, lifted her off of the ground and pulled her up tightly against its body as it walked her back to the barn.

It was a bumpy, uncomfortable ride, but eventually she found herself back in the strange structure and being carried over to one of the metal fence structures. The maintenance bot lowered her onto the floor before rolling her over and manoeuvring her head towards one wall of the pen. Although she could not see it, there was an opening ahead of her and the bot positioned her before spraying the nets around her head. Feeling the easing of tension she found that she was able to lift her head up from the tight ball that she had been spent the last ten minutes in. The rest of her limbs were still trapped but she could raise her head.

This was what the bot had been waiting for and, as Tia looked up the bot pushed her forward toward the hole in the grating. Before she could comprehend what was happening something clamped down on her neck and she found herself held in place, looking out into the barn but trapped in the metal grating that formed one side of the pen.

Once secure the bot sprayed the rest of the net and Tia found that she was able to kneel down on all fours. As she stretched her limbs the bot attached metal cuffs to her wrists and ankles, which were then secured in some way to the floor. She was now trapped in a kneeling position in this strange metal cage that, if it were not for the bonds, she would simply stand up and walk out of. But as it was she was powerless to move or shift in any fashion. And then strangely she found herself becoming aroused.

“APSU what is happening? Why am I trapped here and why do I feel different?”

“I am accessing your implants. I have gained extensive data files on your brain waves during mating and am re-creating those electrical impulses to allow your body to perform.”

She was not sure that she liked the sound of that. She knew that theoretically it was possible for the implants to communicate both ways, in a mental and physical form, but having it demonstrated to her as her nerves began to tingle and she became aroused and wet, were not how she would have chosen. Even so, despite her anxiety, she found that APSU was able to recreate her emotional and physical state during sex and she began to relax, even enjoy the experience.

It was then that the probe which had silently risen from the floor angled towards her sopping pussy. Tia jumped as if shocked as she the probe touched her and she felt it advance into her. She tried to shift her hips, but in her position she found herself being filled by a long metal shaft. This, combined with her mental stimulation forced her to accept what APSU had planned and, as the probe began moving backwards and forwards, she began to pant and shift her hips in order to gain as much pleasure as she could from her strange invader. Faster and faster the probe pounded her until, with an explosive grunt, she came and at that moment she felt liquid being forced deeply in to her. APSU had fucked her and now she carried his seed. But Tia was too spent to think of anything other than the warm afterglow as APSU used her implants to put her into a deep sleep.

Tia woke several hours later laying on her side in the barn. She was no longer restrained and the maintenance bot had gone. Getting up, she stretched and looked around her. Walking out of the pen, she headed outside. Just outside she found a strange long dish, made of metal and oblong in shape. It was full of water and Tia scooped up several handfuls, sating her thirst before cleaning herself up.

She now knew that she could not just walk out of here. APSU would not let her go that easily. But if she was to escape she would need to explore her new surroundings. She was certain that the computer had malfunctioned, but if she could just get word of what had happened to the crew, they would be able to help her and she could resume her life again. For the time being though she would explore and look for opportunities.

Tia spent the rest of the day exploring. There were bushes and trees, some of which were laid out in some form of order to create natural barriers. She found a pond of water, and woodland, but no other animals shared this space with her. She was alone. However, she was not without options and she studied the walls and occasional floor ports with interest.

Her stomach rumbled and as if this were some hidden signal, Tia found that she was getting hungry.

“APSU, I am getting hungry. Do I need to return to the barn for food?”

“No Tia. Not at this time. You will be given an evening meal at the barn, but for now, as I said before, you have been genetically modified and I have activated some of your dormant features. You will be able to digest the grass and I suggest that you consume large quantities in order to remain healthy.”

She was not sure what to make of this. True, she had always preferred large salads, but despite this the grass did not look very appetising. However, her stomach rumbled again and she decided to try some. Bending down she pulled up a clump of grass and sniffed it. It did not smell too bad and so, tentatively she placed a few strands of grass in her mouth. To her surprise it actually tasted very good and she actually felt happy. Before she knew it she had consumed the grass in her hand and had pulled up another clump.

APSU observed this with, if the machine were capable of such a feat, a sense of satisfaction as it manipulated the pleasure and addiction centres in her brain, re-creating the brainwave patterns it had recorded when she was eating in the canteen and mixing these with a gradual release of chemicals and hormones into her system that would increase her pleasure and ensure her addiction.

Tia continued to feed, kneeling down and putting clump after clump into her mouth. She did not know why she felt so happy, but if felt right, her resolve to find a way out of her predicament forgotten.

That evening Tia returned to the barn as the overhead lights began to dim, indicating a night cycle. She found fresh water in the trough and, in another trough next to the first she found a large quantity of grains and other material had been poured into the trough. She assumed that this was her food supplement and so sat down and began to eat. After a while she found that she was full and so stood and stretched.

“Where am I sleeping APSU?”

She really missed her sleeping cubicle but would have to make do with whatever this psychotic computer had in store for her. But strangely she was not bothered, she felt content.

“I have prepared a stall for you in the barn. Please enter when you are ready”.

Intrigued Tia walked into the barn. Most of the lighting had started to dim, apart from a small room in the corner by the door. Seeing no other option stepped into the small room. Unlike her crew space, this room was quite small and lacking in furniture. Rather than bedding she found that the only comfort was a generous layer of straw scattered over the floor. Hearing a click Tia turned around to find that the door had locked behind her and gradually the lights began to dim. Making use of what light she could, she did her best to gather the straw into a comfortable bed before lying down. If APSU intended her to stay, for the moment she had no choice. The computer held all of the advantages and it had already demonstrated that it would use force. Also, she felt strangely content and she wondered if her implants were being manipulated. But although some small part of her worried that the continued pleasure she was feeling could lead her to addiction and therefore compliance, she was unable to feel stressed about her situation. As the light dimmed Tia found herself falling asleep for the third time this day.

Light poured into her stall and Tia gradually came to. Sitting up she found that she had straw in her hair and that she was still naked. She needed to pee, but the door was still locked.

“APSU? APSU?”

“Yes Tia?” the interface answered.

“I need to use the bathroom. Where can I go? Can you let me out?”

“Yes Tia. The door is now open. But if you need to go during the night you may use the straw as it is very absorbent and is usually used for this purpose, as well as bedding.”

Tia absorbed this information as she stepped out into the barn. Moving outside she found a corner to squat in and did her business before doing her business and then going to the water trough for a morning drink.
The rest of the day was uneventful and she spent it eating grass and further exploring her surroundings. As well as the doors, she also found some ventilation grates. One of which, she noted, was situated along a bulkhead that ran next to some woodland. If she could climb up there she might be able to open the grate. The screws might be a problem, but she might be able to fashion something to tackle the screw heads.

Over the next few days Tia kept her eye out for suitable tools, finding a plastic handle near the barn, she spent the next few days fashioning the plastic into a screw head, using stone sand the surface into a usable tool.

She continued to sleep in the barn and only had to use the hay to pee in once. She ensured that this was done in a corner, away from where she slept. After a few days though she found that she was getting quite mucky and so used the water from the trough to wash herself. APSU did not provide soap, so she did the best that she could.

Eventually she was ready and, after several sleep cycles, made her way to the woods and climbed the nearest tree to the grate. She used her tool to unscrew the vent before attempting to climb in. But APSU was not so easily defeated and Tia found another, smaller droid waiting for her. Leaping out of the grate it attached itself to her face and spayed the sticky substance over her eyes and nose. Tia flailed as she tried to get the thing off of her face. This caused her to lose her balance and fall from the tree, where she winded herself as she landed with a thump. The droid then sprayed another chemical into her mouth and Tia faded into blackness.

Tia woke up on a hard floor covered with the familiar straw. She assumed that she was back in the barn and she opened her eyes to confirm that she was indeed back in her stall. She tried to speak, but only a croak came out. Tia reached for her throat, but then another thing caught her attention. Instead of feeling her thinkers, something solid clumped into her neck, or at least the solid thing around her neck. Looking down she screamed silently as, instead of seeing her hands, she found that they had been encased in hull material. It had fused to her hands forming a solid clump around her hands, which were formed into fists. If The material was rounded around the fist, apart from on one side which was flat.

Tia stood up, or tried to. APSUs machines had done something to her legs. Looking down she saw that the lower part of her legs had been removed. Where her knees used to be, hull material had been formed into another clump of material. Her lower legs were just missing, she thrashed about, silently screaming her rage and all the while a strange ringing sound was coming from her chest.

“APSU” she screamed into her head.

“Yes Tia?”

“What have you done to me?” she thought to herself.

“I have altered you into a more suitable form for your new role” the machine answered.

“What do you mean my new role?”

“Keeping you in human configuration was viable as long as you did not try to escape. Your ability to use tools proved problematic and so I have carried out some basic surgery to ensure that you do not try to escape again. By configuring your body as I have you will not be able to use tools or climb to escape. IN this manner you will be able to carry out your primary mission without hurting the child that you are carrying”.

“Wait what? Child? What are you talking about and what is this thing around my neck. I can also feel something in my ear. What is going on?”

“You have been re-designated. Your new status is livestock. You have been impregnated with the seed of one of the animals that died out twenty years ago. It was called a cow. As livestock you only need certain levels of mobility. Your voice has also been removed, since this may allow you to access certain audio functions in my system. You may have used this to effect an escape. The captain felt that this was necessary to help complete the mission. “

“Ummm. OK but what about the other stuff. I am wearing a collar of some sort and what about the rest?”

“The collar is to hold the bell. This will allow me to track your movements, even when you manage to find a blind spot. My network coverage is still imperfect in this area and I cannot always track you”.

Tia was numb. What had this machine done to her and why did the captain now only know, but approve.

“What about the thing in my ear?”

“It is a designation tag. As you produce more offspring the drones and machines will need some form of differentiating you, so we have attached a plastic identity tag to your ear, just like the livestock that were killed twenty years ago”.

“APSU, you cannot do this to me. I am crew, I have a life. APSU!” she screamed into her mind, but the machine did not answer.
After a while Tia found that she had cried and screamed herself horse. There was nothing that she could do but wait for the door to open on her stall. After a lifetime of waiting she heard a click.

Movement proved problematic, given what had been done to her, but she found that she could crawl out on her hands and knees in a strange gate. Eventually she managed to get up some speed as she made her way to the feeding trough. Breakfast was humiliating, as she could no longer use her hands and had to lower her head down into the food, followed by the water in order to feed herself.

The toilet proved equally difficult and she found herself having to open her legs in a V in order to avoid pooing and peeing down her legs. The rest of the day consisted of munching grass and wondering aimlessly around her new home in all fours. Every time that she moved, the ever present bell around her neck ringing with a dull clang.

Days and weeks passed. Eventually she lost track of time as her belly began to swell and her breasts became larger. She still talked to APSU, but the conversations were stilted, as though the machine had lost interest in her. At last, pain in her stomach announced the imminent arrival of the cow that APSU had told her about. Cramps and pain accompanied her crawl to her stall where she felt sort of safer. The cramps continued, getting faster and faster. Her pussy hurt and the repair bots swarmed around her, making sure she had water and listening in on her tummy.

Cold, clear pain caused through her as a strange, alien head appeared in her never regions. Frantic pushing from her all fours position eventually dumped a strange creature onto the hay. Tia lay shivering in shock, but her ordeal was not over. Although she had endured hours of pain, she found herself pushing again and the placenta eventually followed as a bloody lump was passed out of her body. A repair bot descended and cut the length of chord that was attached to her cow.

“Calf” APSU corrected in her head.

Stunned, she lay in a pile of hay as the strange creature tottered towards her and then seemed to bite her nipple. Too tired to move the calf latched on and started to suck. To Tias surprise she found the experience pleasant and she sensed that something was flowing out of her and into the creatures mouth.

“Milk. You are feeding your child”, APSU advised.

Too stunned to question and having all fight removed some months earlier, the former maintenance technician lay back and allowed the creature to feed.
The calf continued to grow over the coming weeks and, although returning to suckle started eating grass to supplement its diet. A month after the birth Tia found herself again chained to the metal stall, being sexually stimulated as another probe fucked and impregnated her. This cycle continued for some years. Tia no longer thought of herself as anything other than breeding livestock. Her breasts seemed to leak milk, even when she was not feeding a calf and more than once she needed mechanical help in one of the metal stalls to suck the milk out of her.

Years went by and a large herd of cattle and even a young bullock took up space within the fields. A small herd of goats, sheep and even some horses. Tia did not like the pigs, but these creatures were not free to roam and were kept in pens in another part of the farm.

“Tia”.

“Yes APSU”.

“Come into the barn”.

“I do not need milking APSU, but OK”.

Tia had established that it was pointless to argue and so made her way into the barn. She noted a strange box had been built into the corner of the barn. Tia did not question as she was directed into the box and soon found herself tightly locked into position. Painful pipes invaded her ass and pussy.

“APSU, what is happening”?

“I am preparing you for long term storage. There are enough animals now to require human help in their upkeep. They cannot be allowed to find you, so I have devised this plan.”

“What are you talking about? What plan?”

“You are going to be sealed into this box in the corner of the barn. You will continue to produce animals, but as far as the farm workers are concerned, they will be made by an artificial womb, a magic box, if you will. You will live a long and healthy life as you continue to produce a variety of livestock. I just can not allow you to be found by the crew. They will not question what I tell them about the nature of repopulating the herds, or where the new animals come from.”

Tia had many questions, but her attention became focused on a flexible pipe being forced into her mouth and down to her stomach. The box, which had been held above her metal milking station began to lower as she felt the familiar suction sensation as pipes clamped onto her nipples and began milking her. The box lowered fully down over the station and cut off all light. After a while she felt the pipe in her mouth vibrate and a paste was forced down the pipe and into her stomach. She later found that the pipes in her pussy and ass took care of her waste disposal and impregnation.

As she birthed each new animal, none of the farm workers questioned the artificial womb that occasional shot out various livestock from the dispensing chute.

Tia maintenance, or Tia livestock lived a long and productive life in her box, being milked constantly, impregnated and birthing a variety of animals. If one individual were responsible for the success of the new colony, when it eventually made orbit, it was Tia. But she never knew of this, or her role in the colonies prosperity.

End.

Description
Chapter 3
Tia’s Trouble

Tia woke gradually as her internal clock told her that she needed to get ready for her shift. Gradually sitting up in bed and moving Robs arm from her side where his weight threatened to pin her for the rest of the morning shift. Silently she eased out of bed and dressed before tip toeing out of Suen’s apartment and making her way to her locker for start of shift.

Mentally checking in with APSU, the ships computer, she pulled up the jobs for the day, linking internally and pulling up an image that only she could see. She noted that her jobs for the day were located near the outer hull. Some simple maintenance on the mining craft and shuttles. These vessels would not be used until landing, but occasional diagnostics and repair were essential for the success of the mission.

As she worked on each vehicle she marvelled at the construction and size. But if the vehicles were impressive, they dwindled into nothing compared to the massive cathedral that is the hangar bay itself.

When she was younger she had marvelled at places like this. What gods the ancients were to have created an entire world with massive machines to do their bidding. She had been fascinated by the people who had first built and launched the An. But her studies into the old records did not show Gods. The home world was not a heaven. What it showed was greedy, selfish people, burning through their resources and squabbling amongst themselves while they allowed the population to rise unchecked and consumed all that their home could produce and stripped the planet bare.

This wanton greed and uncontrolled consumption was a stark contrast to life on the An. Population was controlled by APSU and genetics were manipulated to ensure that the crew did not suffer from genetic drift. Resources were martialled and controlled to ensure that all had their fair share and that their precious world, so small compared to the images that she had found of the ancients planet, continued to thrive and provide for the future of their children and their children’s children and if, as it was feared, the crew of the An could not colonise their new home, then the An would provide for their genetically modified offspring while the crew stayed in orbit long enough to replenish their resources and ensure that the colony was successful, before launching off into space, following the star maps of the ancients in search of more places to colonise, so that eventually, the people of An would find a home for everybody.

She had thought about the ancients a great deal and decided that they were not noble heroes or gods. There had been real heroes that she knew of. But these were not the builders of the An. These were people who had lived and died for the voyage. Ganu Engineering, who had stayed at his engineering post, even as his compartment filled with radiation from a leaking coolant pipe. There was also the tale of Deng Hydroponics, who had had dived into a room filling up with water from a ruptured water tank in order to hold the door open long enough for the workers to evacuate, using pure brute force to hold back the flood before being crushed against the door frame. Although the workers had pushed and pulled him clear, his injuries had proved fatal. No, she thought there were real heroes on the An. People who would sacrifice everything for the good of the crew and to ensure the success of the mission. There were times when she wished she could be as brave. Sometimes she fantasised about rescuing crew, or averting disaster. But those were just idle dreams and, like any member of the crew, what she really wanted was for a trouble free voyage.

“APSU, unit seven needs a new modulator unit,” Tia said as she crawled out from one of the mining units.

“Very well Tia, I will have a new one delivered to this section immediately,” the computer replied directly into her implants.

Tia checked her work schedule. That was the last of the machines, but she still had a long time before her next break. The jobs list showed that there was power outages on one of the corridors near here.

“APSU, allocate job 115 to me.”
“Confirmed Tia. Job 115 allocated”.

Tia tidied up her tools and walked out of the cavernous bay into the stairway. She could have used a lift, but the power outage meant that she would still have to use the stairs anyway, and it was only four floors up. Besides, all crew were encouraged to exercise.

Reaching the hatch to this section she accessed the door computer and, as her eyes drifted with a faraway look common to those accessing the computers net. Atmosphere and temperature looked good on the other side of the door. There was just a power outage. Accessing the ships schematics she followed the power cables in the corridor. She now knew where the cables ran from and to, as well as where the probable trouble spots were. But still she hesitated, checking the compartment radiation levels. This was sector 14. This part of the ship is closest to space and, more importantly, this part of the ship was close to the blast of 20 years ago. Even though much of the compartment had been cleansed, there was still enough residual radiation to worry her. Checking the compartment read outs from the door it looked clear. But she had been raised on stories about the accident and her training had taught her caution when working near this sector. Even if this sector looked clear, there could still be pockets of radiation. Checking that her suits radiation alarm was working, she tentatively opened the door and stepped in.

“APSU, log me as entering section 14 via corridor 3a”.

“Acknowledge Tia”, the ships computer responded.

Stepping into the dark compartment, a mini air lock, she activated her suits lighting before stepping over to the next door and again checking for air, heat and radiation. This door however was without power and so she hooked a power cable from her suit to the door in order to activate the doors sensors. Again radiation and heat were within the ships normal parameters. Air measured as good, with no indication of smoke or other toxins. Tentatively, she used the suits power to activate the doors servos. The door opened and again, she stepped through, following procedure and closing the door behind her, just in case of decompression.

If she had worried about walking into an airless compartment, she would have activated the doors film layer. This would have created a clear film within the door frame, like the soap on a bubble blower. She could then fit a breathing mask and step through the film, which would then act as a space suit as the membrane closed around her body as she used the door. But all of the tell tails looked good and so she had not bothered. As it was, working this close to the outer hull was uncomfortable, as the gravity further out from the hub was more pronounced, achieving 1.1g. This level of gravity was thought to be the most natural and comfortable for the animals who once lived on this level. It was a major contrast to her normal gravity levels enjoyed on the mid decks, or even the low gravity environment of the core hull. But the rotation had been set accordingly and she was just thankful that she did not work out here very often.

The corridor was typical of every other on the ship. Emergency lights on the floor indicated, via red or green colouring, the way to the nearest door exit. Following the power lines and inspecting them with the more powerful wrist beam, she followed the schematic’s on her head up, looking for the damage. The floor lights turned from green to amber. Looking back the cat eye lights in the floor, which was now showing as red. Moving further on she eventually found the junction box that she had been looking for. Dropping her tools, she opened the panel and looked at the damage. A small fire in one of the circuits had shorted out the crystal, cracking it. That was the cause of the power outage, but what had caused the fire? Plugging a diagnostic lead into the box she was able to follow the problem back to its route. Fortunately, she had all that she needed and was able to replace the parts from those she carried in her tool box.

One last check of the repair before closing the panel. Taking a deep breath, she mentally accessed the box, using her maintenance codes to route power back into the box.

Light came on along the corridor and Tia smiled to herself. However, her victory was short lived as she felt he ears pop. All spacers knew that that meant. Checking the cat eyes on the floor, she scanned the direction to the next door. Judging by the spacing, she was close to an exit door.

Pressure began to fall and a fine mist began to form as the temperature and pressure drop told of a dramatic decompression. This was confirmed as Tia’s ears popped.

“Warning, decompression. Make your way to the nearest exit. This area is decompressing”, APSU intoned, both directly in to her implants, and via external audio.

Leaving her tools where they were, Tia’s emergency training took over as she ran at full pelt, looking for the door promised by the floor lights. At last, agonising seconds later she found it. Unlike the door she had just come through, this was on the right of the corridor, leading deeper into the section, rather than back into the inner hull, but she was out of options. Better a little bit of radiation now, than dying of asphyxiation as the corridor decompressed. Quickly accessing the door controls, breathing out as she did to ensure that if all atmosphere was lost, the air trapped in her lungs did not cause a catastrophic explosion, thus buying her precious seconds, she launched herself into the next compartment before ordering the door closed behind her.

Again, as before, she found herself in another internal air lock. Accessing the door sensors she saw that the corridor she had just come from was now in vacuum. Exploring the air lock she noted that the usual breathing masks were not present in their receptacles. Accessing the door she found that the membrane function was off line. This did not surprise her since this area of the ship had not been used for twenty years. The only people who would come here were maintenance people, carrying out routine repairs, like her. There was something else that she noticed, that filled her with unease. She could not access the net. Radiation may be affecting her implants or, more probably, this section did not have a working network connection.

In any case, she would not find a solution back the way she had come. Her route out of here lay through the other door. Walking over to it she again accessed the doors emergency panel and was relieved to find that there was power on both sides of the door. The atmosphere looked good, as did heat. No signs of radiation. Tentatively she accessed the door codes, only to find that it would not open. She was about to try for the manual override when her suit detected something wrong with the air. The vents were working, cycling air in to the chamber, but whatever the gas was, it was not just air.

Tia’s head began to spin as she reached for the door override. But it seemed to be getting further and further away from her, like she was in a long tunnel. And then the floor rushed up to meet her. Her last thoughts before passing out, were the audio alarms from her suit.

“Warning, toxins detected. Warning, toxins detected”.

Chapter 4
A New Beginning

Tia woke slowly. She felt sick and light headed. She was face down on a flat, hard surface. It was quiet. Although she tried to access the computer, her implants could not link to the network. For the first time in her life she was alone. No background chatter, no data or entertainment, nothing.

Raising herself onto all fours she shivered at the cold. Gathering her thoughts she considered her situation. Looking up her vision began to clear. She was in an airlock. It looked like the one that she had passed out in. However, something more troubling drew her attention with a sudden realisation, like a slap in the face. She was naked. Looking around stupidly she looked for her suite, but could not find it. It had been removed while she was unconscious.

Getting to her feet she looked around the airlock. The door that she had entered through was locked. But for all she knew there was still a vacuum on the other side of the door. She turned to the other door and was surprised to see that it was slightly ajar. Hugging herself against the cold of the compartment she moved over to the door and pulled it open.

She had expected to see another corridor or perhaps another room. However, the site that greeted her took her breath away. This was the farm deck. She had worked in the other farm areas and so knew what she was seeing, but still it surprised her since this area had been irradiated and opened to vacuum in the accident. What she saw could not be real, but it was.

Unlike the bare and barren compartment she was greeted by a lush green field that disappeared around the curve of the ship. This must be kilometres of open area before the next bulk head. Lighting panels gave off a continuous glow of artificial illumination on the ceiling, but the light was not overly bright and was of a similar frequency to the light on the avian and crop decks. Stepping in to the large compartment she was surprised at the feel of the floor. Looking down she saw the green carpet like plant material that she knew to be grass spread out before her. As she stepped out of the airlock she also found that the artificial light gave off a warm feeling. She could hear the thrumming of the air condition and heating units above her, but she was certain that the light also helped to keep the compartment warn. Unlike the cold, metal air lock, she found that she no longer had goose bumps. Some primal instinct told her to squat down and run her fingers through the grass, which was strangely tactile.

Whatever had happened to her, whoever had stripped her, she knew that she would not find any answers back in the air lock and so, feeling vulnerable and exposed, she stepped into the field and walked to where she might find another bulkhead and door.

APSU had been busy here, or else the original damage was not as bad as first thought. She had expected wrecked metal and desolate soil. But this place had power, it had light and it had water. Whatever had happened here had been repaired. Looking around she wondered why she had not heard of this, why nobody on the crew new about this place and why they were continually told to keep away due to radiation. That through brought her up short. Radiation. Could this place be contaminated? Were her cells being attacked even now? She quickened her pace and headed for the other wall.

It still did not explain who had stripped her. She tried connecting to the network, but her implants could not gain a signal. However, whatever the reason, there was nothing she could do about it at the moment. Perhaps somebody had survived and had been trapped here, kept in virtual quarantine, or perhaps the repair bots had maintained this place. Any way she looked at it, there was no reason for this place not to be used. This much deck space could be utilised in any number of ways, least of which would be growing crops, rather than this grassland.

That was not totally true, there were trees growing here as well. Small clumps of woodland, but having studied the old images, and having seen the other agricultural areas, these plants were not very old, perhaps twenty years, which would make sense if the older stock had been killed in the accident. Even so, compared to other farming areas, this place was too quiet. It was as though the entire deck were waiting, holding its breath for something, some event or incident, even a start alarm and then all would begin in a mad bustle of activity.

Another thing caught her attention that she found as she walked towards the other bulkhead. A structure stood in the middle of the compartment. It was quite tall, and square, with a pointed roof and big doors. Strange. It was only a kilometre away and so, as soon as she had walked past a large clump of trees, she decided to alter her course towards it. Perhaps she would find the person who had stripped her, or perhaps even her clothes. More realistically, she hoped to find supplies and tools.

As she walked she found that, with nobody around, she was able to become comfortable in her nudity. She had always been concerned by her large hips and breasts and how different she was. But here, she did not have to worry and until the elusive person who took her clothes presented themselves, she would enjoy the experience.

The structure was large and built on two floors. Sliding one of the large doors open she stepped inside. It was a strange room. Rows upon rows of strange metal gates and some strange pipes and tanks.

Almost by reflex, she queried APSU.

“What is this place?”

“The Barn,” APSU replied into her chip.

“What? APSU. You can hear me? Patch me through to maintenance control.”

She didn’t know how, but there must have been a relay station in the shed. She could access the net again and get out of here.

“I am unable to do that Tia,” came the reply.

“Why not? You can access the net. I need to report to my supervisor. I need to get out of here and back to work.”

“I am unable to access the net for you Tia.”

This did not make sense. If APSU was talking to her, then he must be connected to the network, unless this was some local form of the computer, perhaps a substation of some sort.

“APSU, are you connected to the network?”

“Yes Tia”.

This stunned her more than anything else. If APSU was able to connect to the network, that meant that this was something else. Her mind shied away from the implications.

“APSU, why are you able to connect to the net, but unable to allow me to contact the net?”

“Your mission requires you to be here Tia. You have been re-assigned to this section. Allowing you to contact the crew would jeopardise that. I am therefore unable to connect you to the network”.

Tia was stunned. Reassigned? Mission? She did not know what APSU was talking about, but it sent a cold chill down her spine.

“What? What mission APSU?”

“You are now assigned to the farm. You are going to help re-stock the farm and therefore enable the completion of this ships primary mission. To land and support a colony on another planet.”

Tia considered this for a moment. This sounded very important. Also, there were some important questions to ask, like where her clothes were and why she had been chosen for this mission. After all, she was a maintenance tech and this facility looked in good working order. What they really needed was somebody from agriculture or biology.

“So why me? I am not skilled in farm management. I am a maintenance engineer and where are my clothes?”

“That is not your role here,” APSU explained. “Twenty years ago all mammalian livestock was lost. This represented a major risk to the success of the colony, since the An would be unable to provide full orbital support during the setup phase. It was agreed that a solution must be found. However, although a variety of genetic material existed, the means to grow new livestock was no longer possible. Working closely with the senior management, I was called in to advise on a possible solution. That solution was to genetically modify a suitable embryo in order to create a host for the genetic material. This host, as well as being physically capable of giving birth to a variety of livestock, should also be robust enough to withstand the shock of multiple births. Certain genetic modifications were made In order to allow the host to become more adaptable to multi species reproduction, as well as being able to provide the correct nutrients both during gestation and after birth.”

“What? Wait. You mean that you have created some kind of hybrid to create new livestock and that you want me to look after,” but Tia stopped talking as another possibility presented itself.

Tia now knew why she had larger hips, she now knew why her body shape was the way it is. With dawning realisation she started to back out of the barn.

“No. No. No. No,” she mumbled as she found herself back outside and running over towards the far wall.

She made out a hatchway in the distance and angled herself towards that. Reaching the door she tried to interface, but found that either her implants were no longer working, or she was being blocked. She reached for the manual override and opening the panel, turned the lever that would open the doors.

“Tia, you must return. You are too important to the colony.”

The door did not open, as all power was shut off, so moving to the right of the door, she accessed the emergency manual lever, pulling it out of the wall and then pushing it back again. Push, pull, push, pull, so that the door started to open.

“What have you done? What have you done to me? Did the Captain know about me?

“Genetic modifications meant that your DNA was able to react to certain hormones and drugs, allowing you to carry a variety of livestock. In addition to this, your appendix has been boosted, re-activating a genetic dead end. Although your medical records showed as normal human, the reality is that you have two stomachs that will allow you to digest greater quantities of vegetation. In addition to this your hips have been widened considerably and I have made alterations to your chip set in preparation for this day. To answer your other question, the captain is aware of your current re-deployment”.

“But what about the crew, they will know that I am missing,” Tia explained as the door creaked open.

“Tia Maintenance died during a decompression incident during a routine maintenance assignment. Genetic material was found at the site of the hull breach, caused by damaged from the original incident twenty years ago. Her funeral is scheduled for later today where her name will be entered into the records as lost and what genetic material the crew were able to salvage will be placed into the protein recycling vats so that she can become a part of the never ending cycle of death and re-use, adding her cells to the permanent food cycle of the ship.”

Tia didn’t need to hear any more, as the hatch opened enough for her to slip through. Darting through the gap she stopped dead in her tracks.

Rather than an airlock she was presented with her worst nightmare made real. A large maintenance bot was spread out across the door frame, its eight legs forming a barrier, stopping her from going any further. But before she could do any more than stare at the machine as small aperture opened in its body and, quicker than she could comprehend, the bot spat a glob of something at her that expanded to become a great web of stringy stuff which quickly engulfed her, wrapping her from head to toe.

Tia screamed at the top of her lungs as the sticky material began to contract around her and she was forced to crouch down. It was strange, it was as though it would only shrink in such a way as not to compress her breathing, but to force her down into a small, tight ball. Tia found herself scrunched down in a tight ball, her knees forced against her chest, arms at her side and her mouth now touching her knees. She toppled over and watched helplessly as a shadow passed over her. The bot spread its limbs out over her and, using the central four legs, lifted her off of the ground and pulled her up tightly against its body as it walked her back to the barn.

It was a bumpy, uncomfortable ride, but eventually she found herself back in the strange structure and being carried over to one of the metal fence structures. The maintenance bot lowered her onto the floor before rolling her over and manoeuvring her head towards one wall of the pen. Although she could not see it, there was an opening ahead of her and the bot positioned her before spraying the nets around her head. Feeling the easing of tension she found that she was able to lift her head up from the tight ball that she had been spent the last ten minutes in. The rest of her limbs were still trapped but she could raise her head.

This was what the bot had been waiting for and, as Tia looked up the bot pushed her forward toward the hole in the grating. Before she could comprehend what was happening something clamped down on her neck and she found herself held in place, looking out into the barn but trapped in the metal grating that formed one side of the pen.

Once secure the bot sprayed the rest of the net and Tia found that she was able to kneel down on all fours. As she stretched her limbs the bot attached metal cuffs to her wrists and ankles, which were then secured in some way to the floor. She was now trapped in a kneeling position in this strange metal cage that, if it were not for the bonds, she would simply stand up and walk out of. But as it was she was powerless to move or shift in any fashion. And then strangely she found herself becoming aroused.

“APSU what is happening? Why am I trapped here and why do I feel different?”

“I am accessing your implants. I have gained extensive data files on your brain waves during mating and am re-creating those electrical impulses to allow your body to perform.”

She was not sure that she liked the sound of that. She knew that theoretically it was possible for the implants to communicate both ways, in a mental and physical form, but having it demonstrated to her as her nerves began to tingle and she became aroused and wet, were not how she would have chosen. Even so, despite her anxiety, she found that APSU was able to recreate her emotional and physical state during sex and she began to relax, even enjoy the experience.

It was then that the probe which had silently risen from the floor angled towards her sopping pussy. Tia jumped as if shocked as she the probe touched her and she felt it advance into her. She tried to shift her hips, but in her position she found herself being filled by a long metal shaft. This, combined with her mental stimulation forced her to accept what APSU had planned and, as the probe began moving backwards and forwards, she began to pant and shift her hips in order to gain as much pleasure as she could from her strange invader. Faster and faster the probe pounded her until, with an explosive grunt, she came and at that moment she felt liquid being forced deeply in to her. APSU had fucked her and now she carried his seed. But Tia was too spent to think of anything other than the warm afterglow as APSU used her implants to put her into a deep sleep.

Tia woke several hours later laying on her side in the barn. She was no longer restrained and the maintenance bot had gone. Getting up, she stretched and looked around her. Walking out of the pen, she headed outside. Just outside she found a strange long dish, made of metal and oblong in shape. It was full of water and Tia scooped up several handfuls, sating her thirst before cleaning herself up.

She now knew that she could not just walk out of here. APSU would not let her go that easily. But if she was to escape she would need to explore her new surroundings. She was certain that the computer had malfunctioned, but if she could just get word of what had happened to the crew, they would be able to help her and she could resume her life again. For the time being though she would explore and look for opportunities.

Tia spent the rest of the day exploring. There were bushes and trees, some of which were laid out in some form of order to create natural barriers. She found a pond of water, and woodland, but no other animals shared this space with her. She was alone. However, she was not without options and she studied the walls and occasional floor ports with interest.

Her stomach rumbled and as if this were some hidden signal, Tia found that she was getting hungry.

“APSU, I am getting hungry. Do I need to return to the barn for food?”

“No Tia. Not at this time. You will be given an evening meal at the barn, but for now, as I said before, you have been genetically modified and I have activated some of your dormant features. You will be able to digest the grass and I suggest that you consume large quantities in order to remain healthy.”

She was not sure what to make of this. True, she had always preferred large salads, but despite this the grass did not look very appetising. However, her stomach rumbled again and she decided to try some. Bending down she pulled up a clump of grass and sniffed it. It did not smell too bad and so, tentatively she placed a few strands of grass in her mouth. To her surprise it actually tasted very good and she actually felt happy. Before she knew it she had consumed the grass in her hand and had pulled up another clump.

APSU observed this with, if the machine were capable of such a feat, a sense of satisfaction as it manipulated the pleasure and addiction centres in her brain, re-creating the brainwave patterns it had recorded when she was eating in the canteen and mixing these with a gradual release of chemicals and hormones into her system that would increase her pleasure and ensure her addiction.

Tia continued to feed, kneeling down and putting clump after clump into her mouth. She did not know why she felt so happy, but if felt right, her resolve to find a way out of her predicament forgotten.

That evening Tia returned to the barn as the overhead lights began to dim, indicating a night cycle. She found fresh water in the trough and, in another trough next to the first she found a large quantity of grains and other material had been poured into the trough. She assumed that this was her food supplement and so sat down and began to eat. After a while she found that she was full and so stood and stretched.

“Where am I sleeping APSU?”

She really missed her sleeping cubicle but would have to make do with whatever this psychotic computer had in store for her. But strangely she was not bothered, she felt content.

“I have prepared a stall for you in the barn. Please enter when you are ready”.

Intrigued Tia walked into the barn. Most of the lighting had started to dim, apart from a small room in the corner by the door. Seeing no other option stepped into the small room. Unlike her crew space, this room was quite small and lacking in furniture. Rather than bedding she found that the only comfort was a generous layer of straw scattered over the floor. Hearing a click Tia turned around to find that the door had locked behind her and gradually the lights began to dim. Making use of what light she could, she did her best to gather the straw into a comfortable bed before lying down. If APSU intended her to stay, for the moment she had no choice. The computer held all of the advantages and it had already demonstrated that it would use force. Also, she felt strangely content and she wondered if her implants were being manipulated. But although some small part of her worried that the continued pleasure she was feeling could lead her to addiction and therefore compliance, she was unable to feel stressed about her situation. As the light dimmed Tia found herself falling asleep for the third time this day.

Light poured into her stall and Tia gradually came to. Sitting up she found that she had straw in her hair and that she was still naked. She needed to pee, but the door was still locked.

“APSU? APSU?”

“Yes Tia?” the interface answered.

“I need to use the bathroom. Where can I go? Can you let me out?”

“Yes Tia. The door is now open. But if you need to go during the night you may use the straw as it is very absorbent and is usually used for this purpose, as well as bedding.”

Tia absorbed this information as she stepped out into the barn. Moving outside she found a corner to squat in and did her business before doing her business and then going to the water trough for a morning drink.
The rest of the day was uneventful and she spent it eating grass and further exploring her surroundings. As well as the doors, she also found some ventilation grates. One of which, she noted, was situated along a bulkhead that ran next to some woodland. If she could climb up there she might be able to open the grate. The screws might be a problem, but she might be able to fashion something to tackle the screw heads.

Over the next few days Tia kept her eye out for suitable tools, finding a plastic handle near the barn, she spent the next few days fashioning the plastic into a screw head, using stone sand the surface into a usable tool.

She continued to sleep in the barn and only had to use the hay to pee in once. She ensured that this was done in a corner, away from where she slept. After a few days though she found that she was getting quite mucky and so used the water from the trough to wash herself. APSU did not provide soap, so she did the best that she could.

Eventually she was ready and, after several sleep cycles, made her way to the woods and climbed the nearest tree to the grate. She used her tool to unscrew the vent before attempting to climb in. But APSU was not so easily defeated and Tia found another, smaller droid waiting for her. Leaping out of the grate it attached itself to her face and spayed the sticky substance over her eyes and nose. Tia flailed as she tried to get the thing off of her face. This caused her to lose her balance and fall from the tree, where she winded herself as she landed with a thump. The droid then sprayed another chemical into her mouth and Tia faded into blackness.

Tia woke up on a hard floor covered with the familiar straw. She assumed that she was back in the barn and she opened her eyes to confirm that she was indeed back in her stall. She tried to speak, but only a croak came out. Tia reached for her throat, but then another thing caught her attention. Instead of feeling her thinkers, something solid clumped into her neck, or at least the solid thing around her neck. Looking down she screamed silently as, instead of seeing her hands, she found that they had been encased in hull material. It had fused to her hands forming a solid clump around her hands, which were formed into fists. If The material was rounded around the fist, apart from on one side which was flat.

Tia stood up, or tried to. APSUs machines had done something to her legs. Looking down she saw that the lower part of her legs had been removed. Where her knees used to be, hull material had been formed into another clump of material. Her lower legs were just missing, she thrashed about, silently screaming her rage and all the while a strange ringing sound was coming from her chest.

“APSU” she screamed into her head.

“Yes Tia?”

“What have you done to me?” she thought to herself.

“I have altered you into a more suitable form for your new role” the machine answered.

“What do you mean my new role?”

“Keeping you in human configuration was viable as long as you did not try to escape. Your ability to use tools proved problematic and so I have carried out some basic surgery to ensure that you do not try to escape again. By configuring your body as I have you will not be able to use tools or climb to escape. IN this manner you will be able to carry out your primary mission without hurting the child that you are carrying”.

“Wait what? Child? What are you talking about and what is this thing around my neck. I can also feel something in my ear. What is going on?”

“You have been re-designated. Your new status is livestock. You have been impregnated with the seed of one of the animals that died out twenty years ago. It was called a cow. As livestock you only need certain levels of mobility. Your voice has also been removed, since this may allow you to access certain audio functions in my system. You may have used this to effect an escape. The captain felt that this was necessary to help complete the mission. “

“Ummm. OK but what about the other stuff. I am wearing a collar of some sort and what about the rest?”

“The collar is to hold the bell. This will allow me to track your movements, even when you manage to find a blind spot. My network coverage is still imperfect in this area and I cannot always track you”.

Tia was numb. What had this machine done to her and why did the captain now only know, but approve.

“What about the thing in my ear?”

“It is a designation tag. As you produce more offspring the drones and machines will need some form of differentiating you, so we have attached a plastic identity tag to your ear, just like the livestock that were killed twenty years ago”.

“APSU, you cannot do this to me. I am crew, I have a life. APSU!” she screamed into her mind, but the machine did not answer.
After a while Tia found that she had cried and screamed herself horse. There was nothing that she could do but wait for the door to open on her stall. After a lifetime of waiting she heard a click.

Movement proved problematic, given what had been done to her, but she found that she could crawl out on her hands and knees in a strange gate. Eventually she managed to get up some speed as she made her way to the feeding trough. Breakfast was humiliating, as she could no longer use her hands and had to lower her head down into the food, followed by the water in order to feed herself.

The toilet proved equally difficult and she found herself having to open her legs in a V in order to avoid pooing and peeing down her legs. The rest of the day consisted of munching grass and wondering aimlessly around her new home in all fours. Every time that she moved, the ever present bell around her neck ringing with a dull clang.

Days and weeks passed. Eventually she lost track of time as her belly began to swell and her breasts became larger. She still talked to APSU, but the conversations were stilted, as though the machine had lost interest in her. At last, pain in her stomach announced the imminent arrival of the cow that APSU had told her about. Cramps and pain accompanied her crawl to her stall where she felt sort of safer. The cramps continued, getting faster and faster. Her pussy hurt and the repair bots swarmed around her, making sure she had water and listening in on her tummy.

Cold, clear pain caused through her as a strange, alien head appeared in her never regions. Frantic pushing from her all fours position eventually dumped a strange creature onto the hay. Tia lay shivering in shock, but her ordeal was not over. Although she had endured hours of pain, she found herself pushing again and the placenta eventually followed as a bloody lump was passed out of her body. A repair bot descended and cut the length of chord that was attached to her cow.

“Calf” APSU corrected in her head.

Stunned, she lay in a pile of hay as the strange creature tottered towards her and then seemed to bite her nipple. Too tired to move the calf latched on and started to suck. To Tias surprise she found the experience pleasant and she sensed that something was flowing out of her and into the creatures mouth.

“Milk. You are feeding your child”, APSU advised.

Too stunned to question and having all fight removed some months earlier, the former maintenance technician lay back and allowed the creature to feed.
The calf continued to grow over the coming weeks and, although returning to suckle started eating grass to supplement its diet. A month after the birth Tia found herself again chained to the metal stall, being sexually stimulated as another probe fucked and impregnated her. This cycle continued for some years. Tia no longer thought of herself as anything other than breeding livestock. Her breasts seemed to leak milk, even when she was not feeding a calf and more than once she needed mechanical help in one of the metal stalls to suck the milk out of her.

Years went by and a large herd of cattle and even a young bullock took up space within the fields. A small herd of goats, sheep and even some horses. Tia did not like the pigs, but these creatures were not free to roam and were kept in pens in another part of the farm.

“Tia”.

“Yes APSU”.

“Come into the barn”.

“I do not need milking APSU, but OK”.

Tia had established that it was pointless to argue and so made her way into the barn. She noted a strange box had been built into the corner of the barn. Tia did not question as she was directed into the box and soon found herself tightly locked into position. Painful pipes invaded her ass and pussy.

“APSU, what is happening”?

“I am preparing you for long term storage. There are enough animals now to require human help in their upkeep. They cannot be allowed to find you, so I have devised this plan.”

“What are you talking about? What plan?”

“You are going to be sealed into this box in the corner of the barn. You will continue to produce animals, but as far as the farm workers are concerned, they will be made by an artificial womb, a magic box, if you will. You will live a long and healthy life as you continue to produce a variety of livestock. I just can not allow you to be found by the crew. They will not question what I tell them about the nature of repopulating the herds, or where the new animals come from.”

Tia had many questions, but her attention became focused on a flexible pipe being forced into her mouth and down to her stomach. The box, which had been held above her metal milking station began to lower as she felt the familiar suction sensation as pipes clamped onto her nipples and began milking her. The box lowered fully down over the station and cut off all light. After a while she felt the pipe in her mouth vibrate and a paste was forced down the pipe and into her stomach. She later found that the pipes in her pussy and ass took care of her waste disposal and impregnation.

As she birthed each new animal, none of the farm workers questioned the artificial womb that occasional shot out various livestock from the dispensing chute.

Tia maintenance, or Tia livestock lived a long and productive life in her box, being milked constantly, impregnated and birthing a variety of animals. If one individual were responsible for the success of the new colony, when it eventually made orbit, it was Tia. But she never knew of this, or her role in the colonies prosperity.

End.