The hike is very, very quiet. The only sounds are that which my own body produces, and as an undead, that's… nothing but a slight thump any time my feet hit the ground. The stars don't twinkle at all, and are just solid pinpricks of light. It's peaceful, unlike the carnage I'm leaving behind.

  I get to my friends safely enough, update them on everything via sign nguage, and we settle in for a night under the stars. Soon enough, we're back in the waiting room, the rainbow light and topsy-turvey tummy of the Drift Engine transition over the wrecked bridge. We get to work, starting with the ships.

  SpoilerFor The Wager, we upgrade the cloak to an Advanced Gray Cloak, the highest that gets, the power core to cover it, and still have a tiny amount of build points left to upgrade the shields slightly. At this point, it has the best engines avaible for the frame, the best cloak avaible, the ability to make it's own fuel, the Industry, and almost the best sensors in the game… we'll fix that next level, I expect… and the “Ultra” sensors that can get through our cloak shouldn't show up much. For the component tugs, we upgrade them to Persistent Particle Beams on their respective turrets (pretty much the best direct-fire weapon avaible that can still target small vessels), upgrade the shields significantly… and use the remaining build points to give those luxury quarters as well. I mean, why not? We haven't had much in the way of space battles, yet, and with the manufacturer discount they're just three points.

  For the mechs, we pretty much scrap them and start over. The merged mech gets two hundred forty points, with a main line limit of ninety. We go with a Dropship frame (for the fly speed and the ability to hold all of us), keep the Auger for the lower limbs (because a burrow speed rocks), and stick with the Tough Arms. We definitely enjoy the Mark 4 Eternal Core, and go with the Artificial Infandibulum tempte… so we can re-use the weapons, repce ammo indefinitely, and change energy types in energy weapons between fire, electric, and sonic. We go with a ser rifle and an autospear (the ser rifle can double as an area effect thanks to the Automatic property, while the autospear can switch to a ranged mode if needed). For the auxiliary systems, we grab two cargo holds (it's a drop ship, should be able to get back and forth through space), a weapon core (so that our guns can deal cold and acid damage as well, netting us all five of the standard energy types), a Haste Circuit (for when we need to run away fast), and a Psma Shock circuit (so we can add a little damage to our weapons after the first hit or two in a fight)... and spend a LOT of points on upgrades. We switch back to the Skyspy frame for the individual mechs, going with the same basic setup, but having a reconnaissance array, a cloaker, and the weapon core… also very few upgrades, because we can just spend all the points.

  We all keep going with our basic builds, but I shuffle a few things around: A custom casting tradition gives me the ability to cast directly through my Conjuration Companion, and gives me the Conjuration sphere companion directly… at the cost of not being able to cast anything other than summoning my companion when it's NOT via my companion. I also take the downside of the Merciful curse (if someone who isn't an enemy asks for healing, I have to give it if I have it… but I don't generally keep Life talents handy), and go ahead and grab Mental Focus and Emotional Casting to get the drawback feat Curse Mastery… which grants me the Padin's healing from the Merciful curse, with a side order of bonuses from my Mythic curse of Unaligned. I further shuffle a few feats around to get Extended Telepathy and Psychic Sense to go with the Limited Telepathy Graft and thus get a sixty foot radar for minds, plus the ability to talk to people that way. I also grab the Lengthened Control wraith haunt so that when I control my summoned minion directly, it sts for forty minutes rather than four. I get a few new talents… Call the Departed (to get my minion back in a slightly weaker state after it's “killed” without waiting), and Sturdy Pilot (a few extra shield points in starship combat and some temporary hit points for my mech suit (usually worn by my Conjuration Companion). The mech suit and companion advance, of course, and that means better weapons (rather than scaling pluses, because Starfinder doesn't do those): I go with a Light Excavation Laser (for ranged attacks) and an Immature Xenosh (for melee with reach and trip). I also take the time to change a few cosmetic details.

  Mythic advances as well; my ring doesn't get better (that won't happen until I hit Mythic-3 at level six), although I do switch it out to be my Spheres implement rather than the basically-useless Ring of the Iron Grip. I grab Flexible Counterspell to be able to have a chance at denying magic to anyone who casts nearby. For the Mythic feat… I go with Dual Path, and use it to grab Guardian for Absorb Blow; that lets me spend Mythic to reduce damage I take by a little.

  I do look over the avaible temptes… huh, Starfinder doesn't do the big stat scaling, so anything that would have big boosts there costs one less level, huh? Double-edged, that: On the one hand they're more accessible for the special abilities, but on the other big stat boosts are nice. Still… not now; there's too many css abilities I want. Maybe next level.

  [colpse]We go over each other's sheets and then… we're back in the real world… arguably. I look around… and there's the ship. Okay. Great… that works. And… the mind radar is working; I can tell where everyone is to within a few feet.

  I use my newfound Limited Telepathy “So… anyone else want to get out of this stupid system and away from those tater-tot heads?”

  I get a resounding chorus of yeses back, overpping… okay, good to know telepathy mostly needs to be one on one.

  We walk the short distance to the ship, and go inside. I find my gear, take the time to conjure my Companion, and get fully equipped… which mostly means putting gear on my companion, turning into a ring, and getting the creature into my mech suit… then using my now very extended active possession on my Conjuration Companion.

  Because this time, I have a male Conjuration Companion.

  It's a loophole to be a guy again… for forty minutes at a time, and then I need to renew it, recharging my spell points at some point in the mix as well. I'm not quite how I was… but in some ways, that's a good thing: My new body is far more fit than my original. I even have a six pack of abs now (because I designed the body's aesthetics). It's nice to feel strong, and I still have all my magic. Now to give it a test drive. Let's see….

  I go looking for my crew mates; I figure they'll have done simirly with their gear… I start by knocking on Alice's door.

  “Come on in,” she shouts, so I tap the pad mounted by the door, and see Alice still going through her footlocker… nicely nude already.

  She takes a quick look at me, and shakes her head, “Look, I'm not interested in guys. Charlene isn't either. Maybe check with Brett?” She goes right back to what she was doing, seemingly utterly unconcerned that she's sticking her rear end out while she bends over her footlocker, her perky funbags hanging in the air.

  Apparently, my intent was written all over my face. That's okay. “Thanks… sorry for bugging you.”

  I walk out as she waves dismissively, the door closing automatically behind me, and knock on Brenna's door.

  She speaks into my head, “Come on in,” and I do.

  Brenna is sitting at her desk, setting down a datapad as I walk in. She looks me over, and uses her telepathy, “Well hello there Mr. Universe…” she licks her lips, “...what can I do to you… for you?”

  She's not even looking at my face… there we go… “I'm David, in case you hadn't figured that out,” I begin, “and I was wondering if….”

  “I would love to throw down with that delicious chunk of man meat you're wearing,” she again licks her lips, “you designed that well, and I'm itching to find out how a real member feels in this new body of mine… Alice's strap-on is good, but… I'd like to try the real deal. I shouldn't need to worry about pregnancy in an undead body….”

  “I am happy to oblige,” I'm leering, aren't I? Eh, that's okay, she's not looking at my face, “mademoiselle.”

  “Let's get this to the bed…” she stands up and starts stripping as she walks, moving to her bedroom.

  I of course follow, leaving my gear - other than the ring that's technically me - behind. I find Brenma lying on her bed, already nude, her legs spread, inviting me, but her flower not quite open, yet, “Come on and warm me up, eh?”

  I oblige, putting my head between her legs and trying to remember what Charlene and Alice were doing when they got me all hot and bothered. It takes a while, but I eventually have Brenna bucking her hips into my face… at which point she speaks into my mind again, “All right… I think I'm ready for the main event… take me, lover.”

  So I climb up on the bed, and stick my battery dispenser into her bakery, her cool wet walls welcoming the intruder, squeezing me gently. It feels nice… she wraps her arms around me and smiles encouragingly, so I start thrusting as the generous handfuls on her chest squeeze and rub against my sculpted muscles. Pretty quickly I find myself clenching up as she wraps her legs around my waist, pulling me deeper, and I let loose my load into her depths.

  “That's it?” I hear in my head as I say the same thing.

  “My body is a little more responsive now, but it's not much different from my other holes for me…” she speaks into my head, “I was hoping for something… more? I don't know what. I could certainly feel the difference from the cool silicone, and that's welcome, as was the little kick when you went off, but…” she trails off.

  I consider, “It's was good, but…” I sigh, “...not the earthquake I get now from the… other me.”

  “Your current real physical body, you mean.” Brenna is looking in my eyes now.

  I roll off of her and y on my side, looking at her, “Yeah.”

  She rolls as well to keep eye contact, her chest sliding around a bit as she does, “Well…” she purses her lips and mentally continues, “...you did mention that other body is born of a fantasy. It makes sense that a fantasy feels better than reality, I suppose.”

  We y in silence for a while, just staring into each other's eyes, and eventually I slide down a bit, “Well… I may as well get you off too…” I go down and start working her gear.

  “Thanks…” she soon starts moving her pelvis as I lick and such, getting my thumb in there to rub her nub, my other hand up to fondle her chest. She's cool to the touch, but already mostly “warmed up,” so it doesn't take too long to have her bucking and clenching my head.

  “That was good…” she smiles at me, “Would you like me to return the favor?”

  I consider a bit, dismiss my summon, and take on my “normal” form, dropping my clothes on the ground, “Yes please….”

  And she does. And that is every bit as earth-shaking as I remember.