His Human Subject

by Stella Rising

  I tell myself it’s rice pudding, but nearly retch as the chunks amble down my throat. I try imagining it’s cottage cheese and nearly choke. It tastes like an old sponge went rancid.

  “This is disgusting.”

  “Get used to it, human. If you serve me well, I promise I’ll buy you a treat once in a while.”

  I kick the leg of the table as hard as I can, knocking the bowl to the floor.

  “Oops.”

  Vahree’s hand shoots out, catching my cheek. “I told you to behave.”

  Forgive me, Dani. I couldn’t help myself. I hope she’ll understand.

  “Why are you doing this?” I ask, forcing from my mind the burning imprint of his hand. “Isn’t there a better way for you to live?”

  Vahree scoops the sludge back into the bowl with his uninjured hand. I don’t care what he tries, I’m not eating that shit.

  “A better way? You mean, settling on a Dominar-owned planet and getting some boring job?”

  “Yeah,” I reply. “Wouldn’t that be better?”

  “Maybe,” he says. “Except for the part where they surgically remove my pheromone glands. The Dominars demand my people surrender our genetic birthright and pretend to be something we’re not. If I wanted to live on Nivinai, surrounded by emasculated weaklings, I could have gone there decades ago. The thought makes me sick. Venai are meant to dominate, and if I can’t do it to females of my species in my ancestral home, I’ll do it here.”

  “You’re a monster,” I growl. “The Dominars were right to take over your world. They could have given your women the allure antidote, like Prust gave me. Instead, they gave you a choice...”

  Just like they gave me and all the thousand humans living on Piskiron. How has that worked out for us? Is this really what’s best for my people? Splintering us in two? Is this how I would want my children to turn out? Is this the kind of life I’d want for them?

  “You’re one to talk, Alexis,” says Vahree.

  “I know.”

  He sighs, throwing the bowl of goop into a metal basin. “Sometimes I wish I’d been born on Nivinai and had my allure removed at birth. Maybe then it would just seem normal to me. If I never experienced the rush of its power, perhaps I wouldn’t crave it. I can’t imagine existing without it.”

  Why is he telling me this? Am I supposed to feel sympathetic? Glancing backward, I weigh my odds at successfully kicking him in the crotch.

  “Nothing, Alexis? I tell you my darkest secret, and this is the thanks I get?”

  “What do you want? I’m sorry your ancestors were scumbags?”

  Smiling, Vahree shoves me enough to keep me moving.

  If I hadn’t been a fighter pilot and had my entire life’s ambition terminated in minutes, would I feel the same about the Dominars as I do now? Would I care about how they’ve changed Earth? So what if I couldn’t be a fighter pilot anymore? There weren’t any more wars. So what that I got shot down in the battle? Everyone else did. We never stood a chance. We thought we all might die, but we didn’t. Isn’t that a good thing?

  “My ancestors?” Vahree murmurs. “They were just being true to themselves. At least they were honest about their desires. Today’s Venai are sniveling hypocrites. They think they’re so wonderful, but they’re not. Some of my people have tried rejoining them—had their glands removed and everything. You know what always happens to them?”

  “What?”

  Vahree squeezes my wrists. “They get ostracized. No one wants to associate with them, no one forgives their past. To the Venai, my people will always be exiles. For us, it’s this or nothing.”

  “What a shame,” I grunt, staring down at my feet.

  My squadron held a one-year reunion of our attack at our newly decommissioned base. I hadn’t seen Talon and the others since we’d all been let go at the beach. Within an hour, I found myself standing alone at the punch bowl, watching them all laugh about old times. No one wanted to hear Anti-Alien League rhetoric. No one blamed the Dominars for our early retirement like I did. Yet, they never unfriended me on social media, or spoke ill of me in public when asked.

  My people on Piskiron, on the other hand, turned their backs on me the minute I told them about me and Prust. What would they do if I told them that leaving Earth was a mistake? Would they welcome me back, or treat me like an exile?

  “Maybe if you all went back to Nivinai,” I say. “If you were together, the rest of the Venai might not welcome you, but you’d have each other. In time, maybe you’d be forgiven. And your children would have better lives.”

  He sighs, loosening his grip. “Thank you for saying that, Alexis. Truly. But even if you’re right, it’s not what my people want. No one is taking away our allure. Without it, we’re nothing.”

  “I’m sorry you feel that way,” I say, shaking my head.

  When we get back the cargo bay, Vahree throws me back in my cage, but doesn’t leave.

  “Are you okay?” Dani asks, staring at my bruised face.

  “I’m fine.”

  While Dani and I watch, he retrieves from a storage container a pair of elevated platforms. Smiling as he works, Vahree fastens them to the floor and assembles a metal frame on each one. Eyeing us both and humming to himself, he attaches to each frame two sets of cuffs, as well as a larger yoke near the top.

  When he’s finished, he comes and gets me up. “Move it,” he barks when I attempt to wrench out of his grip.

  He walks me to the first platform, then starts fiddling with my bonds. My muscles tense, looking for a moment to strike. I shift my weight to the back of my feet, ready to launch myself. Then Vahree shoots me.

  “You think I’m stupid?” he says, bending down to remove my bindings.

  I seize and shake, stunned by the electric current sizzling all my nerves at once. The shot feels less potent than the last one I got, but it’s more than enough to knock me out long enough for Vahree’s needs.

  Pulling a knife from his belt, he says, “Try to hold still.”

  He slices through the cords and then my clothes.

  I moan in fury, unable to stop him as he renders me nude, shredding my clothes into pieces. Frigid air adds fresh shivers to my ebbing convulsions.

  Then, as if my humiliation wasn’t complete enough, Vahree picks me up and locks my wrists and ankles into the frame’s cuffs. He secures my neck in the yoke, then adjusts the cuffs until my arms and legs are spread, with my hands hoisted high over my head. By the time I recover from getting stunned, I’m totally locked in—fully helpless and bare.

  “You... shit,” I mumble, drool escaping my lips.

  I swear and curse Vahree as he binds Dani on the platform next to mine, not sparing her the stun bolt he used on me. Each epithet gets a bit clearer as my body’s feeling returns.

  When he’s finished restraining Dani and me, he paces around us, examining our naked forms.

  “Lovely,” he says, running a finger up the outside of my leg, tracing my figure. “Smooth, soft, and healthy. And there are a thousand of you on Piskiron. I am going to be so rich, I might even retire.”

  He strides away before I can spit on him. Humming again, he sets up a table next to the platforms, then empties onto it the contents of a big black chest: whips, canes, plugs, gags, and more.

  “Something for everybody,” he says, picking up a cane and taking a few practice swings. “Remember I told you we can cause pain the old-fashioned way? To be honest, we actually prefer it.”

  A chime sounds from the security monitors. All three of us turn to look as the displays switch to a view from the ship’s exterior. Half a dozen smaller vessels are approaching. None look like Dominar craft.

  “It’s my clan,” Vahree explains. “They got here really fast! They probably didn’t want to miss any of the fun.”

  I turn to Dani, trying to impart a sense of hope. Then I close my eyes and think of Prust. Wherever he is, I hope he knows what he’s doing.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Vahree
gags me and Dani before leaving the cargo bay, stuffing thick black balls into our mouths and buckling them extra tightly. He greets his associates as they take turns docking with his ship and coming onboard. Removing their helmets and armored suits reveals impressive physiques but ghastly faces, all lined and cut by deep scars and sunken eyes. Clearly Vahree provides the looks in his clan. Several of them flash missing teeth when they smile, and a few have only a single eye, the other sewn shut at the lid or replaced by a cybernetic sensor. All of them are men, and they mill about impatiently.

  Vahree struts around, grinning and shaking hands until everyone has joined the party. The group’s collective buzz grows every minute, the sound piped into the cargo bay for Dani and me to hear.

  “Oh, they’re watching us now,” Vahree says, speaking English no doubt for our benefit. He points at the security cameras. “Wave hello to our new friends, boys.”

  The exiles laugh, some thrusting their hips at the cameras while others show off their muscles.

  “Now follow me,” he adds, pointing the way. “I can’t wait for you to see your first human females. You’re in for a real treat. They’re attractive, they’re stupid, and there are hundreds more on Piskiron. But these two in particular are some of the finest females I’ve ever seen.”

  Dani screams, thrashing against her restraints. Built from thin metal bars, the frames holding us look flimsy, but refuse to budge.

  “Hey, it’s going to be okay,” I say.

  “I’m going to kill that asshole,” she replies.

  I smile. That’s the spirit.

  As they head for the cargo bay, Vahree gives the exiles a brief summary of the situation. “Unfortunately, these two humans have been treated against allure by their Dominar friend. Yet, capturing them was still remarkably easy,” he says. “And I doubt the other humans will receive the same treatment, since they dislike and distrust the Dominars too. That means the rest will be remarkably susceptible to allure.”

  The men laugh, clapping each other on the back.

  When they arrive, their grins grow wider and their tight, dark pants begin to bulge. I will myself still, preferring not to fuel their arousal with my struggles. Not that it matters much—the exiles stare shamelessly, eyes glued to our exposed bodies.

  “Men, this is Alexis and Dani,” says Vahree, standing between us and wrapping his arms around our shoulders. “Aren’t they adorable?”

  They laugh in assent, approaching for a closer look. One bends down to inspect Dani’s pussy; she tries to knee him in the face, but her limbs are stretched too taut for her to move. She glares, blinking rapidly to keep back her tears.

  I shut my eyes, not wanting to see Vahree’s people. Like dirty bikers drooling at a strip club, they laugh in crude grunts. They reek of sweat and oil.

  “Hey, eyes open!” Vahree barks, slapping my ass. “We want to see how pretty they are.”

  I do as told, taking in the sight of the dozen disgusting aliens. My cheeks burn, wishing I could break free of my bonds and beat the crap out of them all. One reaches out to feel between my legs; I try to twist my hips out of the way, but can’t. Vahree, however, slaps the man’s hand away.

  “No touching,” he says. “You can share the other, but this one is mine. For now, anyway.”

  The exiles chuckle more while Vahree removes my and Dani’s gags.

  “Alexis, why don’t you tell your new friends a little bit about yourself? I’m sure they’d love to hear about how you convinced a thousand people to leave their home and come to the Blight.”

  I unbow my head and meet their leers, moving my gaze from one man to the next until all eyes are on me.

  “Six years ago the Dominars invaded Earth,” I begin. “They stole from me a promising career and embarrassed me in front of my friends and family. I never forgave them, or appreciated what I still had.” I turn to Dani. “Good friends.” I look back to Vahree. “And safety from monsters. I let hatred blind me from the truth. I thought I knew what was right. I thought I could help my people, and that led me to make terrible mistakes. I convinced myself the Dominars were bad, and that I wasn’t free. I got thousands of people to believe me, and then I dragged so many of us out to a crappy planet in the shittiest part of the galaxy.”

  The Venai laugh again, elbowing each other in the sides. At least they don’t have any illusions about the Blight. Vahree beams, hands at his hips in triumph. Dani offers me a supportive smile.

  “I’m sorry I brought you here,” I say to her. “I wish I could take it all back.”

  “Thanks,” she replies. “I know you didn’t mean for all this to happen.”

  “That’s so sweet,” Vahree drones. “Really heartwarming.”

  “I made a mistake in thinking you might have some shred of decency,” I say to him. “That one might be the worst of all.”

  Vahree snorts, rolling his eyes.

  “But since then I’ve made some good decisions too. I fell in love with a wonderful man: a Dominar, despite everything I’ve felt about his people. I followed my heart, rather than my prejudices, and found a man who cared for me like no one ever has in my life. I found a man who would be patient with me, challenge me, and make me a better person, even though I fought him every step of the way.”

  “We get it,” says Vahree, stepping to the table full of toys and torture tools. He selects a whip and inspects its hilt.

  I shake my head, smiling as a blur of motion moves across the security monitors.

  “I don’t think you do,” I say. “Prust would do anything for me. He helped me be a better leader to the colony even though he wanted the colony to fail. He put my interests before his, and he’s helped me clean up my mistakes.”

  “Good for him,” says Vahree.

  Up above, through the control room windows, I see Prust wave to me and flash a thumbs up.

  “He even snuck on board a Venai cruiser to save me and my best friend.”

  Vahree wheels around, his jaw dropping. I see it all in slow motion, my nanites now activated. He said if I used them, the cargo bay doors would open, venting the atmosphere into space. He wasn’t lying.

  Wind whips at me and Dani, sucking out into space everything that isn’t nailed down. Vahree and his men try to run, but there’s no time; they fly through the widening doors, thrust into the endless abyss. Dani and I, locked in our bindings on the platforms bolted to the deck, stay put. Bone-chilling cold envelops us as the world turns silent, the atmosphere gone. Unable to breathe, I choke, my vision growing dim.

  Then the freight doors shut, and air floods the room. Prust kicks open the control room door and leaps down to the floor.

  “Are you okay?” he asks, running up to us.

  “Yeah,” I say, inhaling deeply. I turn to Dani. “You?”

  She shivers, but nods. “Yeah.”

  Prust quickly gets to work releasing us from our restraints.

  “Thank you so much,” says Dani. “I’m so sorry I left, that you had to come get me. I acted like such an idiot.”

  “No, you have nothing to be sorry about,” I reply. “It was their allure. You couldn’t help it.”

  She nods, brushing away a tear with her freed hand. “Well, I’m sorry I wasn’t super supportive when you told me about your relationship. I was being a jerk. What you and Prust have, I never could have imagined. I couldn’t resist Vahree, and my feelings for him weren’t even real.”

  “I shouldn’t have kept it secret for so long,” I say. “You were right to be mad.”

  As soon as Prust gets us both free, I hug Dani hard. “Wanna go back to Earth?”

  She laughs. “Only if you’re coming too.”

  I let go of her and turn to Prust. He pulls me into his embrace and kisses my forehead. “I’m glad you’re okay, pet. You did a great job, by the way.”

  “Thank you, sir. You had a great plan.”

  “Ready for phase two?” he asks, rubbing my back.

  “Yes, sir,” I say, looking up into the empt
y cockpit.

  Dani taps me on the shoulder. “Hey, what’s phase two?”

  * * *

  Without the convenience of a Dominar fabrication unit, we have no choice but to scour the Venai ships for some clothes that fit me and Dani. Prust finds us pairs of work pants, slicing off the legs with a knife; we use rope for makeshift belts. The Venai’s tops are way too big for us, but we tie off the loose fabric and tuck them into our pants. Thankfully, for phase two, we don’t have to look good.

  Strapped into my seat in the cockpit of one of the smaller Venai ships, the plan fresh in my mind, I call out, “Everyone ready?”

  “All set!” Dani calls out from the back.

  Yes, Prust transmits via our nanites.

  “Okay, here we go!”

  With Piskiron now in sight, I disable the autopilot and hit the throttle. The vessel’s controls are similar enough to a fighter jet’s for me to understand, and for everything else I can download the information directly into my brain. One benefit of accepting my mistakes about the Dominars is getting to use their tech guilt-free—and it sure comes in handy.

  The ship handles like a dream, and I maneuver around, enjoying the feel. It’s been far too long since I last flew. This might not be the same as a dogfight in an F-35, but today I’m a pilot again—in space.

  Accelerating as we enter the planet’s atmosphere, I trigger an explosive attached to the aft thrusters; the blast gives us a kick and sets off warning klaxons throughout the ship, but the craft holds together.

  You sure this was a good idea? I ask Prust via nanite.

  I trust you, Alexis. Now land this bird.

  Silencing the alarms, I laugh. Steady on the stick, I keep us on course.

  Smearing black, billowing smoke across the sky, we race toward the planet’s surface. Busted bits of thruster break off and rain down as fiery debris. By now we should have the colony’s full attention.