Excommunication

Stacy floated on her back, gently splashing the cool water. "It's lovely in here."

"Ha! Reluctant to get in, reluctant to leave. Forever has it been so with you."

"I never want this moment to end." Stacy gently moved her arms and legs, treading water while she admired Astra's muscular body, her still-wet skin glistening in the sun. "It's like a dream."

"Well real life is out here waiting for you." Astra held her arms wide, cocking her head to the side slightly.

Stacy floated to the bank and climbed out. She snuggled into Astra's arms and they held each other tight for a moment.

Astra broke the slightly damp embrace and started up the grassy hill. "Come on," she said over her shoulder, "we've got a whole world to explore."

"Astra the traveller," said Stacy quietly to herself. "Princess of beauty, commander of my heart, buttcheeks of marble. To hell's heart I'll follow thee. For love's sake I give my last kiss to thee."

Stacy followed Astra up the slope. When she got to the top she was already dry so she picked up her white shirt and then noticed that the teleport bracelet wasn't where she had left it. She was sure it had been right there in the grass next to her clothes. Panicked, she picked up her jeans and shook them out. "Astra, have you taken my bracelet?"

Astra had slipped on her white tunic and was tying her belt on. "No," she looked around in the grass. "and I can't find mine either."

"Looking for these?" said a man's voice.

Stacy spun around and saw Kester swaggering towards them. He was wearing a slightly flamboyant all-leather suit with knee length boots and had a large blaster strapped to his hip. He held up his right hand in which he clutched two teleport bracelets.

Ogilvy came into sight over the brow of the hill. "Come on Kester!" he said half-running, half-stumbling after Kester. "I told you I don't like wide open spaces. They make me feel..." Ogilvy stopped dead in his tracks. "...exposed."

Stacy crossed her arms in front of her naked breasts. Then she realised that she was holding her shirt in her hand and pulled it on. She tugged at the hem but it didn't come any lower than her belly button.

"What in the name of Belboz are you two doing here?" said Astra, snatching the bracelets from Kester.

"Kester didn't move a muscle but did have the faintest trace of a smile. "Something came up." Abruptly he turned his head and looked Astra directly in the eyes. "A fleet of ships just jumped out of hyperspace."

"Are they hostile?" asked Stacy pulling on a pair of blue jeans.

"I don't know," said Kester. "We didn't wait to find out. Carl's taken the ship to a safe distance."

"Lucky Carl," said Ogilvy.

"Why didn't you just..." said Stacy as Astra handed her a bracelet. She looked at it and then up at Kester. "Oopsie."

There was a loud rumbling sound and a shadow fell over them. They looked up and saw a huge whale of a ship float into view. It was a dark grey slab that filled half the sky and had a large shape of a crucifix glowing in the center of its belly.

"The magisterium!" shouted Kester over the sound of the ship's mighty engines.

The ship passed slowly overhead and they saw its huge blue-white thrusters push its immense bulk inexorably towards the sparkling spires of the city in the distance.

"But this isn't Magisterium space!" shouted Stacy.

"It isn't," said Kester, "At least not anymore. This just makes it official."

Stacy looked at the ship and then back at Kester. "I don't understand!"

The ship came to a halt and a bright beam of energy shot out of the belly of the ship, tearing apart the city.

"Excommunication!" shouted Kester. "They're being excommunicated!"

1. They returned to the ship
2. They couldn't return to the ship for now

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