Chapter Text
“Nothing from base, sarge!” Skyla Reeves voice quavered as she reported. The whine of a shuriken flashing by overhead drew a squeak, and the short trooper ducked her head down, covering it instinctively. Her sister Kalli put an arm protectively over her shoulder, guarding her from shrapnel as she looked for an enemy to shoot.
“Damn it.” Sergeant Odessa Viers looked back over her squad, a frown threatening to play across her lips. They’d been on patrol when the attack had started, grey fog billowing across the rocky hill, a spate of gunfire. Corporal Raphe and Guardswoman Chance had tried to charge ahead to high ground. Arvens and Mortens had panicked and tried to make a run for it. Odessa hadn’t heard from any of them since. The six Imperial Guardswomen left were pinned down behind a rocky outcropping, with no comms and no sign of their attackers.
“Fucking xenos,” Halstrea Pavlo spat, peering through the fog. She was pale and skinny, with a sour expression at the best of times. “Hiding in the fog like cowards.”
Fiora Gryf hefted her lascannon, firing wildly into the fog. “Come and get it ya dumb sons of bitches!” she roared. The team’s heavy gunner was big and buff, with pale skin and a blonde braid that technically violated hair regulations. “No worries, rabbit,” she said to the woman crouched beside her. “They can’t hide forever, and once we get in touch with command, they’ll blow these xenos to shrapnel.”
The last member of the squad, Suki Kyser, looked up at Fiora through a mass of black curls, managing a trembling smile. Suki had earned her nickname because of her large, dark eyes, brown, freckled skin, and tendency to shiver in anticipation of danger. “Sooner would be better,” she mumbled.
Fiora laughed easily, patting Suki on the head. “We’ve got this.”
Before she could say more, there was a whisper of motion to their left, and a small cylinder landed into the middle of the troop. It exploded in a flash of light, knocking the women off their feet. A second grenade erupted in a cloud of shimmering gas, and as Odessa tried to struggle upright, she inadvertently took a massive breath, feeling her muscles give out. The world swirled around her, and she felt an itching sensation running up and down her body as she fought to stay aware.
As the women around Odessa struggled to stand, several shimmering forms slipped out of the bushes, pulling back their hoods and opening their holo-cloaks to reveal a half-dozen Eldar in deep blue armor. They moved among the women, pulling away weapons, flipping them onto their stomachs, and pulling out thin wires to bind their arms tightly behind their backs. The guards each responded differently; Skyla and Suki went limp, terrified that their captors would hurt them, and Kalli tried vainly to lunge at the enemy grabbing her sister. Both Fiora and Halstrea were struggling with all of their might, but even the bulky guardswoman was no match for the Eldar manhandling her.
Odessa tried to stay still, focusing on breathing out and waiting for a chance. The Eldar binding her grabbed her arms, pulling them into a tight box tie behind her back, and elegantly wrapping a curling wire around them that pressed her fingers into her upper arms, leaving her without even a fraction of an inch of wiggle room. The Eldar pulled her up to her knees, reaching up to wrap the wire around her neck. It wasn’t sharp enough to cut, but she could tell that if she tried to adjust her arms to be more comfortable, the wire would make it hard to breathe. More wires pressed her arms into her back, forcing her to sit up straight and push out her chest as though waiting for inspection. Her squad was forced into a line beside her, each in the same position, some with rage in their eyes and some with fear.
The leader of the group looked over the women, and gave them a cruel smile. “How fortunate we were to find you,” he said. “When we learned you were searching for us, we simply had to extend an invitation.”
“Ffughhyuuu…” Fiora rasped, struggling as a soldier pulled her arms tighter behind her.
The Eldar leader looked down at her and smirked. “You are now the property of Ellanen’s Elect. As such, you exist only to amuse us. If you resist, you will be broken. If you submit, you will be broken. Just as with this battle, your choices are meaningless.” He snapped his fingers, and more of his soldiers arrived dragging the squirming forms of Corporal Charalis Raphe and Guardswoman Della Chance. The two women had been stripped entirely naked by their captors and wrapped in hundreds of fine white wires, which pressed into their flesh and left them no more than wriggling worms under their captor’s grips. The flesh of their breasts bulged against their restraints, with their arms pressed back and down against their asses. Even their heads were covered, netting holding their jaws tight and pressing down on their hair.
“Two of your soldiers showed great bravery,” the Eldar announced. “It did not help them. Two more showed their cowardice, with the same result.”
The captives were pulled to their feet, and pushed into motion; as they were, they saw what had happened to Gwenni Arvans and Reina Mortens. The two guardswomen who had run had been caught and stripped just like the ones who had charged, but instead of standing, they’d been bound into incredibly straining hogties, their ankles and wrists bound together above their backs, wires looping across their waists and over their breasts, and their mouths bulging with fabric held in by dark Imperial-issue tape. Each one was being carried by a particularly large Eldar, whimpering quietly as they bounced with every step, the wires pressing into their exposed flesh without cutting it.
The troop was marched through the undergrowth, towards the shimmering form of a holo-cloaked Eldar shuttle, gleaming and sleek and with its rear hatch already open. Fiora did her best to lean in to Suki, giving her a reassuring smile. “It’s going to be fine, rabbit,” she said, trying not to look over to her more-restrained squadmates. “We’re getting through this.”
One of the Eldar snorted, and gave Fiora a shove in the back, and she turned, gritting her teeth against her wire collar as she glared at him. “You wouldn’t be so tough if it was one-on-one, buddy.”
“Humans,” the Eldar sneered. “So amusingly unaware of their limitations.” He turned his attention to Suki, reaching down to run a hand lightly over her cheek. “Rabbits should know to fear the jaws of the hound,” he said softly. “That is how they live.”
“I thought our choices were meaningless,” Odessa said.
The soldier turned to look at her with narrow eyes. “Well, then,” he said. “Captain Naec-Mael, we have a volunteer to amuse us on our shuttle trip. This one wishes to engage with me, ‘one on one’.”
The Captain nodded once. “That should prove… entertaining.” He turned, issuing orders in the Eldar tongue, and the captives were marched onboard. Odessa tried not to shiver as she looked at the smooth, sloping walls. It didn’t look like something that would fly. As the shuttle hatch smoothly slid closed and a few Eldar left, the rest gathered in the nearly-empty cargo hold. Odessa found herself pulled down to sit on the lap of one of her captors, wires still pulling her body tight. His hand slipped under her jacket and shirt, fingers running lightly across her skin. When she started to pull away, his other hand jerked lightly on her bonds, and she gasped for breath, growing still and allowing him to explore her skin. His touch wasn’t unpleasant; he seemed to be gauging her reactions to each stroke of his fingers, moving to draw shivers and quivers from her as he waited for the entertainment to unfold.
Around Odessa, the other women were being similarly taken and fondled; even the two hog-tied women had some of the restraints holding them cut so that they could lay across the laps of their lucky captors, facing down and vulnerable to the touches of two Eldar each. The two women who had been bound in netting were instead dragged over to the far wall, the netting growing out to press them tightly against it, leaving them to struggle helplessly as they became no more than decoration for the gathered corsairs.
Fiora was brought to the centre of the chamber, where her bonds were released with a touch from the Captain.
“You wished to fight one of us,” he said. “And you will. Unarmed, you and your captor. When he wins, he will do with you as he pleases.”
“And if I win?” Fiora asked.
“You won’t.” With no further information, the Captain turned away, and the soldier that had mocked Fiora was standing in front of her. She barely had time to turn to face him before he was past her, her belt hanging from his hand.
Fiora turned with a roar, charging towards the soldier. He danced around her, darting and weaving, chuckling as she swung at the empty air. The buckles of her armor were released, one by one, and he laughed as he kicked out, sending her sprawling to the ground and pulling the armor off of her body in a single smooth motion. “Again,” he said.
The next few minutes were more of the same. Each time Fiora stood, her opponent easily evaded her, moved in, and stripped her of another piece of clothing. Soon, she was standing before the gathered Eldar in nothing but her underwear, swearing and panting for breath. The soldier crossed his arms, looking her up and down. “On the ground,” he said.
“No,” Fiora gasped. “You won’t…”
He swept past her again, one hand reaching to grab her by her braid and pull her in his wake, falling to her hands and knees with a gasp. The Eldar landed on top of her, sitting easily as he swatted her on the ass. “You will do as you are told, dog,” he laughed.
Fiora tried to struggle, but the exertions of the day had caught up to her. “Please,” she groaned. “Please, no more.”
“Oh?” The soldier shouted to the others in the Eldar tongue, and a wave of cruel laughter swept the room. He looked back down at his prey, spanking her a few more times. “Bark for me, Imperial dog. Show your kin how a member of the Guard fights.”
Fiora wriggled under him, her legs giving out and leaving her splayed out on the ground, pinned under her merciless captor. She weakly struggled, begging and pleading as the Eldar continued to toy with her, alternating between spanking her, pulling on her braid to make her look up at the people watching her humiliation, and wearing her down until she could nothing but whimper softly. Odessa was forced to watch the entire exchange, biting her lip as her own captor made sure to make his gentlest touches match each blow, humiliation and pleasure blending in her mind.
The show continued until, with a faint rumble, the shuttle docked with the corsair ship. The Captain snapped his fingers, and the Eldar gathered their captives and marched them once again, down bare corridors and to a set of small chambers. Finally, their bonds were pulled off, and the Eldar stripped the guards of their armor and clothing, leaving them shivering in their underwear. Odessa was led into a room with Fiora, Suki, Skyla and Halstrea, while the others were placed opposite them; glimmering walls of amber energy cut them off from each other.
Odessa staggered over to Fiora, who was shivering on the floor. Suki was already there, holding her tightly. “You did well, guardswoman,” Odessa said softly.
Fiora whimpered quietly, pulling away. “Fuck them,” she muttered.
“You kept your sisters safe.” Odessa reached out, hugging Fiora tightly. “We just have to hold out. This corsair ship will be found, and then we’ll be rescued.”
“What are they going to do to us?” Skyla asked. The former comms officer had pushed herself into one corner of the room, looking around warily.
“Nothing good,” Odessa said. “But they haven’t tortured us, just shamed us. They might just want humans to humiliate.”
“Sounds just like a xeno,” Halstrea agreed, hands over her breasts and hunched over. “They just want to watch us sweat.”
“Well, they won’t have the pleasure,” Odessa said. “We’re Imperial Guard. We stand strong, no matter what.”
Fiora laughed harshly. “We’ll see,” she muttered. Suki came over, putting her arms around Fiora’s back, and the large woman settled back into her. “We’ll see,” she murmured again, with less bile.
The lights slowly dimmed and went dark, giving the exhausted women a chance to rest. The floors of the cells were soft, but the air was cool, and by morning, they were curled up together for warmth, sprawled out on the ground.
Odessa was woken by the rough touch of a corsair guard, who pulled her off her feet while she was still bleary and confused. She was marched down a hallway, the guards ignoring her shouted demands to know what was happening, and shoved into an alcove. The door slammed shut, and what followed was a very uncomfortable few minutes as some kind of xeno tech vibrated around her, sloughing off dirt, sweat, and the rest and leaving her perfectly clean.
Her skin was still tingling from the experience when the guard grabbed her again, hauling her down yet another featureless hallway. He opened a door, pushing her through it, and into the presence of her captor.
Captain Naec-Mael regarded her coolly. Out of his armor, the Eldar was tall and thin, with cat-like eyes and long blonde hair pulled back behind him. He was lounging on a simple white chaise, the only piece of furniture in the room. “So,” he said, “you are the leader of our pets?”
“I am the sergeant, yes.” Odessa did her best to stand tall, uncomfortably aware of his eyes running over her exposed skin. Without her armor, it was clear that she was lithe and muscular, her skin a half-shade paler than the deep tan of her face and arms, but she didn’t feel like that would held her here. “If you’re looking for a ransom, it won’t work.”
Naec-Mael chuckled indulgently. “We do not need a ransom.” He snapped his fingers, and a wall on one side of the room turned clear. Odessa tensed as she saw two of her troopers, Mortens and Raphe, bound on their knees in front of a group of Eldar. Their faces were already stained with glistening liquid, and the Eldar were clearly preparing for another round. “I would like you to debase yourself,” the Captain said.
“No.”
Naec-Mael looked to the two women. “What is more important to you?” he asked. “Your pride or their lives? If you do as I wish, they will only be used for pleasure. If you do not, they will suffer.”
Odessa swallowed at the certainty in his voice. She looked through the window at the hopeless expressions of her squaddies, and closed her eyes. “What do you want?” she asked softly.
“Take off those ridiculous strips of cloth,” the Captain said, waving a hand. “Slowly.”
Odessa reached behind her, unclipping the straps of her bra. It fell to the ground, revealing her modest breasts, nipples stiff in the cool air of the ship. She knelt, pulling down her underwear and tossing it to the ground as well. She didn’t shave, but the sonic shower had somehow done it for her, leaving her smooth underneath. She stood again, resisting the urge to cover herself as the Captain considered his prey.
“Good,” he said. “You do not need to speak. Turn slowly, go to the window, and press yourself against it.”
Odessa’s fists clenched, but she obeyed. On the other side of the window, the Eldar were removing their pants, approaching Mortens and Raphe. She pressed her breasts against the window, and whimpered faintly as Raphe looked up, meeting her eyes. Surrender was written across the other woman’s face; far from the brave corporal who had charged into enemy fire, Raphe was already hopeless. Odessa wondered what she saw when she looked at her sergeant.
There was a whisper of motion as the Captain stepped up behind her. She felt his arms fall gently across her sides, and the weight of his arousal against her ass. “You humans are strange,” he said. “It is uncommon for us to fight your women. When we learned that your base had a full squad of them, I simply had to see what your mettle was.”
Odessa closed her eyes as his hands ran over her breasts, nimble fingers running circles around her nipples. “That’s why you targeted us?” she whispered.
“No,” the Captain said with a laugh. “That is why we spared you. Otherwise, we would have simply cut you down with your outpost.”
She’d suspected the outpost was gone, but it was still a blow. Hearing it as he ran his hands over her, waking a heat that she didn’t want to feel, made it even worse. She opened her eyes, fighting the waves of pleasure as the Captain’s hand drifted down her stomach towards her pussy, just in time to see Raphe gingerly taking one of the Eldar’s cocks in her mouth, her head bobbing back and forth in surrender.
“Now,” Naec-Mael said, “I will take you, and you will watch your subordinates submit to my men as you submit to me.”
His hands brushed over her breasts, and she groaned as her sensitive skin reacted despite her best efforts. He pushed into her, gentle but unstoppable. Odessa had plenty of experience with fellow Guardsmen, but this was nothing like that. It wasn’t that the Captain was particularly massive; he simply moved within her with the same inhuman precision and grace that he’d demonstrated in combat, sliding back and forth, hitting all of her most sensitive spots as his hands continued to run over her body, drawing out gasps and moans. “No…” she groaned, not sure who she was protesting to.
“You humans are so clumsy. Brutish. As easy to read as an open road,” Naec-Mael murmured. “And you will come for my pleasure.”
As he spoke, one hand stroked the back of her ear, and he pounded into her with an impossibly painless speed. Odessa’s eyes rolled back in her head, and she screamed out in pleasure as she succumbed, still hotly aware of the eyes of her squad on her.
Her first orgasm was far from the last. By the end of the day, Odessa was exhausted, once again covered in sweat and stains. The Captain had been her main tormentor, but he had allowed a few of his favored warriors to sample her, drawing out moans of pleasure and whimpers of need.
When she was returned to her cell, she was too tired to do more than collapse against the wall, curled up against her equally-exhausted companions. Halstrea had been swapped for Kalli Reeves, who was cupping her sister’s head in her hands and crying. “Glad to see you,” Odessa said.
Kalli swallowed. “I did what they wanted,” she sobbed. “Anything they wanted, just to see Skyla again. I shouldn’t have…”
“You did what you had to,” Odessa said. “Don’t blame yourself.” She turned to the others. “These corsairs seem to keep their words, at least so far. How are you doing?”
Suki shook her head, muttering something under her breath. She was collapsed in Fiora’s lap, hunched up against the larger guard. “Every bone in my body hurts,” Fiora reported, stroking Suki’s hair. “But you’re right. They do what they say they’ll do, good or bad. Might give us a chance. If we can get them to commit to something that gives us an opening.”
“Not a bad idea,” Odessa agreed. “Be careful. Don’t give away too much. But see what we can get out of them. If we’re careful, if we’re cautious, it might get better.”
It did not get better, and after three days of subjugation, Fiora was ready to erupt. Each morning, she was taken away from the others, cleaned and dressed in tank top, shorts, and combat boots, and led to face the Elder soldier who had humiliated her on their first day. She’d learned that his name was Hyrne, and each day he had decided to show her that humans were ‘inferior’ to Eldar through unfair challenges, ending in him roughly having his way with her. Other corsairs would watch, laughing at her frustration and failure.
Today, with her clothes, she had been handed a long, thin Eldar blade, and Hyrne had shown her a bell dangling from a string tied to his waist. “Cut it off,” he said with a smug grin, “and you will be returned to your cell untouched.”
“What if I stab you?”
“I do not offer prizes for impossible tasks,” he laughed. Then, before she knew what was happening, he was dancing past her. His blade flicked out, slicing a thin line just below her breasts, and her shirt sagged down to show off her belly without the blade so much as scratching her skin.
Fiora growled low. He may have had six inches on her, but she had fifty pounds on him, and he’d given her a weapon. She could handle herself. She charged forwards, raising the sword. She’d just knocked his little knife out of the way, and then…
There was a blur of motion, and then Hyrne was behind her, and her tank top was falling down on side, the left strap cut loose. One breast popped out, and as she spun and tried to stab at him again, he ducked low, slipped out, and sliced off the laces of her boot. Fiora took two steps, lost her footing, and slammed into the ground with a grunt of frustration.
“You fucking… ow!” Hyrne had grabbed her by her brain, pulling with all of his might as she tried to stand. She found herself surging to her feet, dropping her sword and reaching up to grab at his arm.
“When we first met, I thought to cut it off,” he said, easily evading her. “But it serves as such a useful tool to control you.”
Fiora flushed. She’d cared for that braid for years, fought against regulations and domineering officers, bound it in a bun to keep it hidden under her helmet. It was her determination. “You think you’re so great, asshole?”
“I do, yes.” He stepped in, blade flashing, and Fiora’s tank top fell to the floor, leaving her upper body exposed to his lustful gaze. “I fought in the Siege of Govvrun, led our corsairs in the Battle of Gariun Rift. And what did you do? Grow out your hair?” As Fiora lunged at him, he danced around her. With each slice, another piece of her shorts fell to the ground. “Your only power is numbers, ape. Your only usefulness is as a disposable tool for your masters. And they have disposed of you, so you had best recognize your place!” With the last line, he stepped back, flourishing his blade. Fiora was now completely naked in front of him, disarmed and stripped without receiving so much as a scratch.
“Best two out of three?” she said, covering her humiliation with a sneer.
Hyrne smiled thinly, raising his blade again. “Your will is your only valuable feature,” he said. “But no. You are not an opponent, human. You are warm-up before I train with the real warriors. And at the end of a warm-up, one must take time for pleasure.”
His own clothing dropped to the ground, followed by his sword. Fiora gritted her teeth. She was already aching and swaying from their fight, muscles screaming for a break, but she’d be damned if she let him have it easy. She raised her fists and settled into a fighting pose. “Bring it on.”
Fifteen seconds later, she was on the ground, arms tied tightly behind her back with a thin length of wire, hands trapped in bundled fists, and legs kicking helplessly as Hyrne plunged himself into her aching ass. One of his hands was holding her braid, pulling her head back to stare up at him, while the other reached down around her to rub against her pussy. “It will almost be a shame when you stop fighting,” he groaned, as he pumped against her over and over, not letting up for a moment. For such a skinny thing, he had more endurance than any of the chumps she’d let mess around with her back in the Guard.
“If that’s what you think,” she gasped, gritting her teeth against the pleasure he was inflicting on her, “don’t worry. You’ll have the ‘pleasure’ of me fighting until one of us is dead.”
For the first time since she’d met him, there was no cruelty in the laughter with which Hyrne responded to her statement, only amusement and joy.
Fiora was so engrossed in her struggles, she didn’t notice that one of her comrades had been quietly brought into the room to join the onlookers. Suki Kyser wasn’t easy to spot, anyway. The tiny woman was naked on her elbows and knees, her arms and legs bound in clear tape that both pressed them tightly together and provided a small measure of padding as she was forced to stumble along the ground. This morning, her current owner, a dark-haired Eldar who was as close to stocky as any Eldar could be and who she had gathered was named Tallisar, had taken her to some kind of medical station, where her nipples had been smoothly pierced and a pair of silver rings inserted. Those rings were now connected by a chain to a lead hooked to Tallisar’s hip, forcing her to desperately squirm along the ground to keep up with his easy strides. When she fell behind, the Eldar simply dragged her along the ground by her breasts, enjoying her whimpers and gasps.
Unlike many of his fellows, Tallisar did not speak Gothic; he simply barked orders at her in his xeno tongue, and somehow she understood the general idea. If she tried to respond with words, the Eldar would calmly press a button on his wrist, delivering a short, sharp electrical shock through the collar he had fixed around her neck. She’d managed to keep her responds to nods, murmurs, and the occasional yelp or moan, avoiding those punishments today.
Tallisar reached down, stroking Suki’s pussy. She was wet; she didn’t know why, but she’d been aching all day, and every time he gave her an order it got worse. He seemed amused to find her in that state, gently teasing her as they watched Fiora wriggling under Hyrne’s expert assault, but not pushing her over the edge. Then he stood, taking up the leash, and began to walk away, drawing a groan of frustration before Suki began trotting after him as best she could.
He’d already led her past Halstrea, who had been pinned to the wall and was being tormented by Eldar who wouldn’t let her come no matter how much she begged, and Gwenni, who had been in a room with a dozen Eldar, unbound and actively engaged in sexual relations with the lot and clearly focused on giving whatever pleasure would keep them distracted. Each time, he had stayed long enough for them to see her, squirming on the ground like a dog in heat, while he toyed with her, and then he had moved on.
Now, he stopped once again, in front of the Reeves sisters. The Eldar seemed fascinated by them, and this morning the two had been installed in the main lounge, in a metal frame that pressed stomach-to-stomach with each woman’s head between the other’s legs, mouths held open by ring gags. The Eldar would rotate the frames, taking one while the other had to watch from below, or using one sister’s mouth while teasing and toying with the other.
Tallisar knelt yet again, teasing Suki in time to the actions of the Eldar in front of her. She met Kalli’s eyes; the woman looked furious, but tried to offer Suki a sympathetic look before an Eldar stepped between them. Tallisar spoke, and Suki understood that she was to watch, and to be grateful to have only one master - for now. If she displeased him, if she stayed slow and clumsy and stupid, he could ensure that it was her behind ravaged by the others. She understood that if she had not climaxed by the end of the performance, she would be punished.
Suki nodded, tears in her eyes, and tried to close out the horrors around her, to focus on the pleasurable touch in her loins and the moans of surrender from Skyla as the Eldar had their way with her. She closed her eyes, groaned as Tallisar’s touch sent waves of pleasure through her, and when she came it was with a mingled sense of shame, relief, and ecstasy.
She opened her eyes again to see the Eldar watching her, drinking in her post-coital expressions. As she flushed at his regard, Tallisar smiled, and gave her a slight nod of approval.
Suki was led back to her cell to eat and rest, and one by one, her fellow captives joined her. Kalli and Skyla Reeves were quiet, huddled together in the corner as they tried to help each other recover from their ordeal. Fiora was almost limp, groaning from strain, but she sat down next to Suki and held out a small plum. “Saved you a little something, rabbit.”
Suki gently pushed it back to her. “You need it more than me,” she whispered.
Fiora chuckled, leaning against Suki and gently putting an arm around her shoulder. She looked sidelong at Suki’s new piercings, face clouding with anger. “We’re all going through it,” she said. “Least I get to stay in one place. You’re getting dragged around like a prize pig. You need the energy more.”
Odessa shook her head, leaning in the corner. “Suki’s right,” she said. “Everyone’s fighting, so everyone eats. Anyone got any ideas about what we do?”
“We hang in,” Fiora said bluntly. Suki reached up, gently massaging her shoulders, and she let out a soft groan of pleasure. “Imperium’ll get these corsairs eventually.”
“The base was hit,” Odessa said. She came over, rubbing Suki’s aching legs as Suki worked on Fiora. “We’re the only survivors. Command probably thinks we’re dead.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Fiora said through gritted teeth. “They’ll get caught on some operation or another, and then they’ll find us.
“Or blow the ship up with us in it,” Suki said faintly.
Fiora reached up, grabbing her hands, and turned to face her. “If they do, we’ll have died for the Emperor,” she said seriously. “And at least it’d be quick.”
Odessa nodded. “We keep them focused on us, keep them curious. Don’t give anything away, but do what you have to survive. All of you.” She put one hand around Fiora and another around Suki, gesturing for the Reeves to join them. “We will survive this,” she said.
Inwardly, though, she was worried. After three days, they’d already started to compromise, to give in. How much longer would it be before doing what they had to became doing anything for their owners?
—
It was another week before Fiora won her first victory.
Hyrne had equipped her in a costume made up of a series of twelve belts over her chest, arms, legs, and waist, each one attached by a single button. He had dressed in the same, telling her that it was a ‘variation’ on a classic Eldar training routine. “If you can release even one of my straps before I strip you, you will be rewarded,” he told her, smirking.
“Think you’re so good,” she grumbled, arms outstretched as she began to circle around him.
“I know I am.” Hyrne moved almost faster than Fiora could track. There was never a moment between when he was standing still and when he was in motion; he was simply in front of her, hands shooting out to slam into the buttons over her breasts and stomach, sending the belts clattering to the floor. He grabbed her by the braid once again, and Fiora winced as he slammed her down into the floor. Even with the padding, it knocked the wind out of her, and Hyrne easily kicked out, unlatching the belts looped around her legs and leaving them on the ground before backing away to give her a chance to rise.
Fiora stayed on the ground, hands pressed against the floor, breathing shallowly.
“If you are surrendering already,” Hyrne said with a laugh, darting forwards again, “it will not save…!”
As he moved to touch the latch on her arm, Fiora’s hand moved up to grab his wrist. He instinctively began to back away, and she lashed out with her other hand. He knocked it away, twisting out of her grip and backing off quickly. “A bold strategy,” he started, “but…”
He broke off. Fiora was sitting up, holding the belt that had been around his stomach in her free hand. She grinned at him. “But?”
“Well, well. What fire.” Hyrne spread his arms out. Fiora still had four belts wrapped around her arms, and one around her waist, while he had only lost one, but one was all he had said she needed. “It seems that you have withstood me today,” he said, approaching her.
Fiora moved to stand, but Hyrne’s hand was on her shoulder, pressing her back down. “After a warm-up,” he whispered, “one must take time for pleasure.” His hand moved through her hair, and her braid came apart under his touch, as surgical as in battle. She felt his fingers run across her scalp, and shivered with pleasure.
“But today,” he added, “the pleasure belongs to the human.” His hands slid down to her neck, massaging it. “Don’t get used to this,” he murmured into her ear. “You will not fool me twice with the same trick.”
“Then I guess… ooh… I’ll need to think up a new one…” Fiora’s eyes half-closed, enjoying his touch on her aching muscles.
“Take your time,” he murmured. His hands slowly worked their way down her back, one curling around to run around the outside of her breast. “I enjoy your… attempts. But that is a concern for the future. All that you need do now is appreciate your reward.”
Fiora closed her eyes, feeling his breath on her neck, one hand running gently across her breasts and the other drifting down her body. She felt herself melting into him as his usual cruel dominance was replaced by something much more gentle, but no less commanding, heat rising within her as his touch brought her to a level of pleasure she had never imagined in the fumbling hands of human partners.
For the first time since she had been captured, Fiora forgot to resist, forgot to struggle. She sank back, and let Hyrne have his way with her, giving up in victory what she had never allowed him to see in defeat. When they were done, and he stood, ruffled her hair, and left for his duties, leaving her some time alone before she was taken to her next task.
That night, the other women noticed that she wasn’t as exhausted as usual, and that there was a hint of light in her eyes. She changed the subject, leading the others in stretches to help smooth out their sore muscles, and fell asleep imagining what tricks she might pull to win another morning like this.
The next morning, Suki woke up to find Fiora curled against her, smiling and peaceful for the first time since their capture. The smaller woman slipped quietly out of her squadmate’s embrace, running a hand gently through her hair as she stirred. “Off to the grindstone,” she joked.
She knew that the others were trying to shield her from the worst of what they were going through. She knew that the Eldar were letting them. And worst of all, she knew that she was going along with it. Every day, she woke up planning to demand to take the place of one of the other women, just for the day - to be at the mercy of a crowd instead of performing for one master, and give them a rest. And every day, her determination only lasted until Tallisar brought her before whoever had drawn the least pleasant task, at which point her will crumbled and she did whatever he demanded of her to stay safe.
Today, bolstered by Fiora’s support, she was determined. Today would be the day that she finally stepped up. When she was cleaned, collared, and the chains were attached to her nipple rings, Suki kept herself submissively posed, hands crossed in front of her and head down. Tallisar entered the room to find her perfectly ready for him, and out of the corner of her eye she saw him raise a quizzical eyebrow, reading something in the pattern of her emotions that did not match her expression. But he took the leash, allowing his pet to walk behind him rather than crawl. He did this when he didn’t want to be slowed too much.
Suki followed Tallisar through the ship, demurely posing when he stopped to talk with one of his fellow corsairs and letting them look at her submission. He was taking his time today, working through his normal duties before beginning their games, and every second, she felt her determination get a bit shakier, replaced by imaginings of what she might be volunteering for. Simple service? Some painful game of chance? Hours of denial and begging, to the mockery of the crowd? Each thought was more terrifying than the one before… but the tingling in her loins was only continuing to grow, a quiet warmth spreading through her body.
After four hours serving as no more than a decoration, every inch of Suki’s body was begging to be touched, and all that she could think about was who she wanted to replace. Why today, of all days? Why wouldn’t he let her do this for her squad? Why wouldn’t let her give in? He hadn’t even given her any orders. His mind simply brushed over hers, and then he returned to his duties, barely paying attention to her at all. She knew he could feel her squirming, but he didn’t react. As though he was waiting…
Suki’s breath caught in her throat. He was waiting.
He knew exactly what she was planning. He wasn’t going to give her the opportunity. Not unless she begged him for it. Without words, using only her body and her desire. She bit her lip, looking up to stare at him, feeling the familiar terror and lust mingling inside her until she couldn’t tell one from the other.
Tallisar caught her expression. He smiled, and raised one eyebrow, asking the question without words. And Suki found her answer.
She dropped to her knees as she approached him, leaning out her head to nuzzle against his body. She looked off in the distance, to where she imagined her sisters were suffering, and made a faint sound of need. She looked up at him with pleading eyes, then pressed her breasts against him and rubbed gently up and down his leg like a dog in heat.
Tallisar watched the proceedings. He smiled, as she debased herself before him, for the favor of debasing herself even more. And finally, he nodded.
He reached down, grabbing the chain and pulling her to her feet; Suki bit back a cry of pain as it pulled on her sensitive, throbbing nipples. He led her to a room, where Halstrea was bound to a table, thrashing in pleasure as she was taken by a half-dozen soldiers, each one taking turns. He gestured to the table, and looked down at her. Last chance to give up.
Suki trembled, and shivered, and stepped towards the table to take Halstrea’s place.
As the other woman was unbound, she looked at Suki with a depth of gratitude that she could barely fathom. As Suki was strapped down, Tallisar gave her a look of approval that filled her with pride. And as the Eldar began to tease and pleasure her, turning the warmth within to an inferno, she knew that giving in was the best decision she had ever made.
The others noticed the change in Suki, but as with Fiora, they didn’t mention it. They still tried to care for her the most, but now she was taking their place more often, willingly submitting herself into degrading situations, just one more of the crew. Odessa watched it happen with concern, but she couldn’t say that she wasn’t doing the same. Every day, she did what Naec-Mael wanted, not to save one of her squad, but just to give them a gentler torment. Could she really stop Suki from doing the same?
As the days wore on, the routine slowly wore Odessa down. She found herself looking forward to her time with the Captain, her body craving his touch and the opportunity to at least lighten the burdens of her women. It was certainly preferable to being forced to submit to groups of corsairs as they prepared for their next raid, used to burn off their stress. She began to settle into the pattern, rising in the morning and looking over her fellows, then taken to be cleaned and fed before she was led to the Captain to learn if he would keep her close today or pass her around. At the end of each day, another feeding and a quick check-in with the ship’s physician to heal her bruises and ensure that nothing worse had happened. And then back again.
Until the routine broke.
“Hm.” The physician tilted her head, brow faintly furrowed and eyes boring into Odessa as she studied the woman. Her hands made faint passes in the air, directing her psychic probe. “How are you feeling?”
“Sensitive,” Odessa admitted. She had only been with the Captain today, but her body was begging for his touch even more than usual, breasts aching and tender after only a few gentle strokes.
“Yes, that would make sense. We will need to acquire medical data on our next raid,” the physician said to her assistant, who nodded.
Odessa looked between them, worried. She was afraid to ask what was happening, but the physician’s assistant saw her anxiety and chose to take pity on the human. “You are with child,” he said gently, touching Odessa’s shoulder. “It’s unlikely that you have sensed it, yet.”
Odessa stared at him, shocked out of her submission. “That’s impossible,” she gasped. “I haven’t been with a human…” She trailed off as realization dawned.
“Many things are possible when you intertwine with a superior species,” the physician said dismissively, turning away from her. “I will inform the Captain. We will need to test the other humans, of course. If one has become gravid, others may have as well. For now, return her to her cell and begin bringing the others by. It is too early for the youngling to require special care.”
Odessa was taken to her cell, and the other humans were brought before the physician one at a time, who studied them closely. Two hours later, the five women sat on the ground of their cells. “All of us,” Suki said slowly.
“All of us,” Odessa agreed.
“This could be good,” Skyla slowly offered. “They’ll care about the children, right? Maybe they’ll be more gentle. Care for us more.”
“More gentle?” Fiora echoed in disbelief. “Is that all you can think? We can’t… what do we do?” She slumped against the wall, tugging on her braid. The sensation of the hair pulling on her scalp had becoming comforting at some point. “Sergeant, what do we do?” she asked again.
“I…” Odessa started faintly.
Naec-Mael swept around the corner of the cells accompanied by a pair of guards, and the women scrambled to their feet as the Captain looked them over. He nodded, and the barrier between them fell.
“The physicians have told me that you are bearing my child,” he said to Odessa, ignoring the other women. “They will grow to be a powerful warrior, a corsair worthy of my name.” He held out one hand, imperious and commanding. “Come. Kiss me, and demonstrate your gratitude.”
Fiora’s jaw clenched, and she started to open her mouth. Before she could, though, Odessa stepped forward, walking up to her master. She let him take her in his arms, craning her neck towards him with her lips slightly parted. “Yes, master,” she breathed softly, slipping one hand into a gap in his clothing to run it across his skin. “Thank you for sparing us.”
Naec-Mael swept her to him, luxuriating in the kiss, one arm holding her tightly against him while the other stroked her back. Odessa’s eyes closed, accepting her master’s touch without hesitation.
Fiora’s protests died in her throat. She sagged back against the wall, clutching Suki for support as she watched her sergeant abase herself before the Captain. Suki held her back, staring down at her own stomach and thinking about the life growing inside.
When he was done, the Captain stepped back, gently but firmly pushing Odessa away. “Bedding suitable to your needs will be brought to you,” he said to the group. “We will not have our children raised as animals, after all. They are corsairs.”
“Will they be taken away from us?” Skyla Reeves asked quietly.
The Captain looked back over his shoulder. “Children need their mothers,” he said. “You will have the privilege of caring for them as they grow, along with your other duties.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you, master.”
Naec-Mael’s lips curled into a triumphant smile, and he gave her a single nod. “For the time being, you will continue to pleasure the crew. Once it is no longer safe to do so, you will be looked after by the physicians, until our children are born.” The barrier came back up, and he walked away, duty complete.
Odessa went back to her place in the wall. Hollow-eyed and blank, she stood there, one hand holding her belly possessively and the other brushing her lips as if trying to hold the Captain’s touch. Fiora looked away from her and sank to the ground, eyes closed, the last fragments of resistance fading from her mind as she realized that the Captain had been right. In the end, the womens’ struggles had meant nothing. They belonged to the corsairs, now and forever.
—
Five Years Later
“Let me help you with that.”
Geena turned thankfully, holding a massive crate filled with scrap odds and ends. She was a stocky woman, with sun-kissed skin and a muscular frame, but the sheer size of the crate had been causing problems. “Oh, could you? I just need to get it to the truck.”
The small, dark-skinned woman who had made the offer smiled up at Geena through black curls. “Of course,” Suki said softly. “Anything for the Guard.” As the two women moved the crate to the truck, she asked, “Have you been deployed here long? I don’t think I’ve seen you around.”
“Just a few weeks,” Geena said. “They rotated us in to replace the 26th. Which is why I’m busy scavenging parts that we should have, everything’s on its way to Xrexel.” She grunted, hefting the crate into the truck, and let out a long breath. “Oh, well. Not like anyone’s going to hit a little outpost like this while the biggest war in the sector is raging over there.”
Suki nodded. “And if they do, you’ll protect us,” she said. One hand brushed lightly against Geena’s waist, and the larger woman blushed slightly.
“Of course,” she said, climbing into the truck. “Be safe, citizen. Terra watch over you.”
“And you,” Suki said. She waited until the truck was trundling towards the base, and then triggered the small comm in her vest. “The garrison is understaffed,” she said. “I planted the bug on their lead mechanic; you’ll be able to find all the gaps in their anti-air defense.”
“Wonderful, Suki. Gwenni has completed her surveillance of the factory. Meet with her and return to the shuttle. You will be retrieved as soon as the raid is done.”
“They have a mechanic who would look wonderful on the wall,” Suki said dreamily, as she imagined Geena’s muscles straining against the corsair’s nets. Geena would be a fighter, she just knew it. It might take weeks for her to break. “The bug is tagged to her, to identify her.” She paused for a moment. “How is Shelaia?”
“She’s winning.” Back on the corsair ship, Naec-Mael looked across the room at the oldest of the corsair’s brood. Fiora was on the ground, wrestling and playing with three young children as they feinted and swarmed around her, laughing as she let them carry her to the ground. Shelaia had none of her mother’s shyness; she was crouched on Fiora’s head, cat-like eyes watching as she gloried in her height and fended off her fellow children. Naec-Mael’s own eldest, Raclan, was trying to climb up past her, hair dark like Odessa’s framing his cat-like eyes.
“She takes after her father,” Suki said with a quiet laugh, before clicking off the comm.
Naec-Mael looked over to the woman sitting on the floor beside him, watching the older children as she nursed. “It sounds as though we may have a new pet soon,” he said. “Suki seems quite taken; it is rare for her to request that we leave a particular survivor.”
“I’m sure she is thinking only of you, master,” Odessa said. She was holding two babies to her breasts; she had recently given her master twin daughters. After her first birth, he had taken her as his exclusive property, allowing her to focus on his pleasure and on the other womens’ children. “But I am glad. I’m sure the soldiers will approve of the new blood.” So would Halstrea. Both of the Reeves sisters were in seclusion, awaiting the births of their third children. Until then their only duties were assisting the crew in caring for some of the younger children. This meant that pleasuring duties were falling more heavily on the other women. Della and Reina enjoyed the arrangement, addicted to the pleasure it brought, and Charalis accepted whatever came her way. But Halstrea was hoping for another child of her own soon, and Odessa knew she was worried that all of the exertion was preventing her next pregnancy. With luck, this would calm her down.
“Yes, they will.” Naec-Mael ran a hand through her hair, ruffling it lightly. “It will be some hours until we are ready to strike, however. Vulnerable though these humans may be, it would not do to go in unprepared. Until then, I will enjoy my previous victories, and dream of what is to come.”
“Of course, master.” Odessa submitted to the attention, a small smile on her face as she stared down at her two youngest. Her master was happy with her, their fleet would soon have new riches, and her children were happy, growing stronger every day. It was all that she could wish for in life, and she was content.