To Clan and Conquer (Clan Beginnings)

by Tracy St. John

  The door behind him hissed open and he jerked around as the pair walked into the room. Both halted to stare at him in shock. Degorsk had an insane moment when he thought he would burst out laughing. He had never seen Lidon look stunned. That he had been the one to put such an expression on the stoic Nobek’s face was pure triumph.

  Then fury darkened both the faces before him, and Degorsk was glad he hadn’t laughed. It would have possibly gotten him badly hurt.

  Tranis shouted, “What the fuck are you doing in here? You’re supposed to be leaving!”

  The telltale sound of the last shuttle lifting off filled the room. Degorsk smiled weakly. “Oh, it was time to go? Guess I’d better get back to the dock and grab my ride then.”

  He tried to stand on legs that didn’t want to hold him up, not under those livid stares. Lidon streaked across the room and helped him up by yanking Degorsk’s collar. The Nobek screamed in his face. “You know that was the last one that just left, damn you! You’re supposed to be safe!”

  Rage boiled off the weapons commander. Degorsk didn’t dare speak. He was too scared. Lidon was really, really pissed off, the angriest Degorsk had ever seen him.

  Tranis approached slowly, his steps measured. The iciness in his voice frightened Degorsk as much as Lidon’s raw fury. “You disobeyed a direct order, Imdiko. I want to know why.”

  Degorsk licked his lips. Tranis had called him ‘Imdiko’ instead of doctor. That meant the anger he felt was of a personal rather than professional nature. The frigid glare the Dramok gave him wasn’t because of Degorsk’s insubordination.

  Protesting was only going to make the other two men madder. Probably nothing Degorsk could say would calm them down. They’d wanted him safe and sound and somewhere else. How could he make them understand ‘safe’ wasn’t always an option? That sharing death with the ones you love was imminently preferable to continuing on alone?

  “I’m waiting, Degorsk.” Tranis’ eyes were getting darker, meaner, narrowing as he readied to lower the boom.

  Degorsk blinked against the brutal stinging in his eyes. His voice was little more than a whisper. “I just couldn’t. I couldn’t go and wait and wonder if you’d gotten yourselves killed. I can’t be left behind again.” He stared into Lidon’s face, pleading. “I can’t, my Nobek.”

  The anger bled from Lidon’s face. He relaxed his grip on Degorsk’s collar without letting go and pulled the Imdiko close to press a kiss to his lips. He gave Degorsk as gentle a look as a Nobek could muster. “I know. I’m still beating your ass royally for putting yourself in danger like this and making my life more difficult.”

  Degorsk grimaced and fought for his composure. “I figured on that. Can’t say I’m looking forward to it.”

  Lidon’s brows drew together and he glared. “You shouldn’t.”

  Tranis sighed. He reached up to squeeze Degorsk’s shoulder then pulled away. He told Lidon, “I want him restrained so he doesn’t take off on us again.”

  “I can do that. I believe there are some cords in a storage bin over there.”

  Tranis went and got them, black flex cords meant for securing cargo. The binds were soft, and Degorsk made no complaint as Lidon tied his wrists together behind his back. Then the Nobek pushed him back into the chair and tied him to that.

  It really wasn’t necessary. Degorsk had no intention of running off. He wanted to stay as close as possible to the two men. He still didn’t protest, realizing it would not be appreciated at this point. Tranis and Lidon were genuinely worried for him. Their anger had been a thin veneer over the fear that his staying behind would get him hurt. It warmed him inside to know he meant that much to them.

  While Lidon bound him, Tranis got to work on the computer at the next desk. Degorsk watched the Dramok tap furiously, his fingers flying over the keyboard at an awesome speed. Faster than Tranis could have issued voice commands. Impressive.

  To show he wasn’t going to fall apart after his emotional display, Degorsk asked, “So what are you doing now? About the defense, I mean.”

  Lidon answered. “Programming the defensive shielding into the same frequency as the shuttle.”

  Tranis grunted impatiently. “Damn it. Passcode protected. I should have figured on that.”

  “Hold on. I’m pretty good with codes.” Finished with trussing Degorsk within an inch of his life, Lidon joined Tranis. Now his fingers flew, even faster than Tranis’ had. While they worked, Degorsk simply sat and watched them. Even with brutal punishment on the horizon, the Imdiko felt good about his situation. He’d stayed behind, with the Nobek he belonged with. And maybe the Dramok he belonged with too, though only time would tell on that one.

  After a couple of minutes, Tranis grinned at Lidon. “You are good.”

  “Thank you.” The weapons commander looked quite pleased with himself.

  After a few more moments, the pair straightened and nodded to each other.

  Tranis said, “That’s it. Now we just have to get into position.”

  Both dark heads turned to regard Degorsk. The Imdiko’s stomach flipflopped, but whether with fear or anticipation, he wasn’t quite sure. They stepped close.

  Tranis said, “Quiet for a change. Regretting your rash actions?”

  Degorsk stuck his chin out. “Not one bit.”

  Lidon’s gaze was filled with dark promise. “That may change.”

  The Nobek freed Degorsk from the chair, but kept his wrists bound with a length of cord hanging like a leash. Lidon wrapped that in one fist and grabbed the Imdiko’s waist-length braid with the other, close to his head. He used both to pull Degorsk to his feet.

  Degorsk hissed. “Ouch. Can I keep my scalp, please?”

  Tranis snorted laughter and started for the door. Lidon shoved Degorsk, making him follow.

  The Nobek told him, “Walk. And if you want to keep any of your hide, keep your mouth shut.”

  A dozen insults formed in Degorsk’s head, and he wisely kept every one of them to himself. Instead, he obeyed his Nobek, watching Tranis’ tight, muscular ass as he followed him. He’d get as much pleasure out of life as he could before the pair made it miserable with punishment.

  Lidon marched him out to the bay and straight up to the shuttle. They followed Tranis into the thoroughly disreputable-looking vehicle. Degorsk consoled himself with the thought that the thing would probably crash and kill them all before the two men had the opportunity to discipline him.

  The interior walls were dinged and dented. The few seating cushions left in the main cabin were torn. Most had been removed to make room for extra storage. A large cavernous space yawned wide in the back of the shuttle with bins lining the walls. It smelled of earth and fertilizer. Lots and lots of fertilizer. Degorsk had smelled sewage nicer than this. He wrinkled his nose.

  He said, “I think this bucket is older than you and me put together, Lidon.”

  Tranis moved into the cockpit, which was not separated from the rest of the cabin. There were two chairs in front of the piloting console. He started tapping the controls, and Degorsk felt the vehicle shift beneath his feet. Lidon steadied him as the shuttle lifted off its struts and slowly backed out of the bay.

  Tranis grinned at Degorsk. “It will fly. It will do a hell of a lot more, too.”

  Lidon pushed Degorsk towards a bench-style seat. “Lay down here. On your stomach.”

  “I’m not exactly tired enough for a nap, you know.” Degorsk wilted under Lidon’s assessing stare and wished he’d learn to keep his mouth shut. The dark promise in the Nobek’s eyes had him scared and aroused all at once.

  “Fuck me,” he whispered to himself.

  Lidon heard and gave him a predatory leer. “Don’t worry; I’ll get to that.”

  He tied Degorsk facedown on the seat, securing his legs and arms to the corners so the Imdiko was splayed. It was an embarrassingly vulnerable position, and Degorsk kept his face averted so Lidon couldn’t see how humiliated he felt.

  As soon as the Imdiko was
secured, Lidon swatted his backside. “Don’t go anywhere.”

  “Hilarious,” Degorsk muttered, refusing to look at him.

  Lidon went to the cockpit to join Tranis. Degorsk turned his head to look at the pair. He had a view of the backs of their heads and the vid readouts in front of them.

  “All systems are go,” Tranis said.

  “Confirmed. Diagnostics show all functions operational.”

  Degorsk felt the lift of the shuttle, and the outside view vid showed nothing but sky. Moments later, they were looking into the black view of space.

  Tranis stretched. “On our way.” He twisted around to look at Degorsk. “Comfortable?”

  Degorsk summoned the most withering look he could manage. “And everyone says my jokes are bad.”

  Lidon turned too and gave the Imdiko a slow, dangerous grin. Degorsk swallowed and was forced to look away. Sometimes the man terrified him. And that made him hard. Damn his weird makeup that turned fear and even pain into arousal. Presented with the right man, the seemingly negative reactions were a bizarre aphrodisiac.

  Surely what the Dramok and Nobek had planned for him wouldn’t excite Degorsk’s admittedly huge masochistic streak. No, he would certainly not like the punishment he would receive for his transgressions. They’d see to that. Yet for the moment, the anticipation of what was to come had his betraying body more excited than was appropriate.

  Minutes ticked by. Tranis and Lidon conversed in low tones, readying for the mission ahead. Despite the smell and overall condition of the shuttle, Degorsk wasn’t uncomfortable. It had been a long time since he’d last gotten any rest. The Imdiko drifted, lulled by the soft voices, and then fell asleep.

  He didn’t know how long he’d been out when he was wakened by the sound of the two men talking over him.

  Tranis was saying, “That’s going to be a hell of a wakeup call,” when Degorsk opened his eyes.

  “Are we there yet?” the Imdiko mumbled, blinking and trying to make the wisps of his brain coalesce.

  Lidon said, “Yes, we are. We’ve set up the linkage with the defensive satellites and are just waiting for an enemy to show up.”

  Tranis moved so Degorsk could see him without having to strain. “Have a nice nap?”

  The Imdiko studied the circles under Tranis’ eyes. “You need to rest too.”

  “We took a couple of stim tabs. We’ll be good for awhile.”

  Lidon said, “Meanwhile, it’s time to get to your punishment, my Imdiko.”

  Degorsk was abruptly wide awake. “Terrific.”

  Tranis lowered the seat’s backrest so that it lay flat. He picked something up off the floor and set it on the extended surface. Degorsk fought not to cringe as he looked at the first aid kit. Fuck. But had he expected any less?

  No. Insubordination was serious shit, and he’d known what he was in for when he’d committed the infraction.

  Tranis pulled the back of Degorsk’s tunic up to rumple under his armpits and across his upper back. A pair of hands that had to be Lidon’s tugged at his trousers. Cool air caressed his buttocks and thighs as the Nobek exposed him, baring him for discipline. Degorsk pulled at the cords tying his wrists. He hadn’t expected them to be loose, but he had no choice but to try anyway. Lidon had done a good job, as usual. There was no give.

  Tranis walked over to a bin and opened it. He pulled out two long lengths of braided cord. They looked like they’d been made of tanned animal hide. Degorsk’s heart skipped a beat. Then, true to form, his cocks twitched, heated, and filled.

  Shit.

  Somehow keeping his voice steady, Degorsk asked, “What the fuck are those?”

  Tranis examined them, took a sniff. “I think they’re harnesses of some sort. Smells like animal hide.”

  Lidon walked over to take one from the Dramok. He felt along the flexible cord, smacking it hard against one palm. It left a blatant red stripe on his skin. He nodded to Tranis. “This will do nicely.”

  “Shit.” Degorsk watched long enough to see them each loop one end of their straps around their fists before his courage failed him. He closed his eyes and pressed his face into the seat he was tied to. Adding insult to soon-to-be injury, he was hard. Lying on his erections was miserable torment.

  Footsteps let him know the two men were standing on either side of his prone body. Lidon said, “All right, Degorsk. I don’t think I have to enumerate the reasons this delicious ass of yours is going to be very sore for a very long time. Five lashes from each of us for disobeying orders, and another five from each for putting yourself in danger.”

  Twenty fucking lashes. Thank the Mother of All there was a first aid kit on board this tub. Degorsk snarled, “Just do it and get it over with.”

  There was a whistling sound as the strap whipped through the air. Then the sound of it hitting bare flesh rang out. An instant later, Degorsk’s ass seemed to explode with horrific pain and fire.

  “Shit!” he screamed.

  The blistering punishment rained down on him, sending pain blazing down his back, ass, and thighs. Degorsk couldn’t keep from jerking and howling, all thoughts erased by the monumental torment. Along with the pain came insistent arousal that only seemed to feed on the agony he was being subjected to. Somehow that was the worst part of the whole thing. He was in hell, and yet he was close to climax.

  At last the blows ended, leaving Degorsk shaking, writhing, and groaning. He hurt. Damn, he hurt. And still his cocks pulsed insistently, as if begging for more punishment.

  Lidon said, “Excellent work, Commander. Not one bit of broken skin.”

  Tranis’ voice was breathless, and at first Degorsk thought it was from the exertion. His words told another story. “Welted and bruised all to hell though, isn’t he? Of course, that’s what we were going for. Damn. That was really something. I don’t think I’ve ever been so hard.”

  Degorsk peered up at them through tear-blurred eyes. Tranis was indeed magnificently aroused, his cocks straining mightily against the fabric of his formsuit. One look at Lidon showed he was just as erect.

  The Nobek’s face was filled with a softness that was so alien it almost made him unrecognizable. Degorsk’s heart throbbed painfully at the blatant un-Nobek show of adoration.

  Lidon dropped the strap he was still holding and caressed Degorsk’s cheek. “I’m sorry, my Imdiko. It’s not that I want to enjoy punishing you harshly. You just move so beautifully under discipline.”

  Degorsk swallowed, but his voice still came out trembly. “Well, I’m not exactly crazy about being beaten, but laying on this erection is killing me. If you’re done, please get me the hell up.”

  Tranis’ eyes went dark even as he spoke with shock. “You’re aroused? After that?”

  Lidon licked his lips, and the strange tenderness on his face fled before savage lust. “I have excellent taste in Imdikos, don’t I?”

  They worked quickly then to untie Degorsk. He lay limp even after he was free, too worn out to move. Lidon slipped an arm around his waist and lifted him to his knees. Whether by accident or on purpose, he brushed Degorsk’s livid cocks as he did so. Pre-cum spat from the Imdiko’s primary sex, and Degorsk shouted as erotic wanting surged brutally. He needed to come so fucking badly.

  Lidon groaned in his ear. “Damn it, Degorsk. You’re worth a thousand Pirases. What took me so fucking long to realize that?”

  He rubbed Degorsk’s sore ass roughly, making the Imdiko yell again. More pre-cum dribbled.

  Lidon’s chuckled as he teased Degorsk’s anus with tickling fingertips. “Your ass is very, very hot from the discipline. I think I’m going to have to shove my cock in you and enjoy all this heat.”

  Degorsk shivered. He had no strength at all, no way to defend himself. Having Lidon pound into his poor, beaten ass would only make his fiercely throbbing flesh more tormented, but the need to spill was hurting worse.

  He sighed. “Fine, torture me some more, but at least let me come.”

  “Of course, my Imd
iko.”

  Behind him, Lidon moved, freeing his cocks from his formsuit. His larger one pressed against Degorsk’s anus, and the Imdiko opened himself. Lidon slid inside, sighing with pleasure as he filled Degorsk’s tight channel.

  Degorsk hissed as his lover’s groin met his bruised ass. He leaned forward, bracing his hands on the seat, trying to lessen some of the contact. However, Lidon moved with him, refusing to be separated. His arm closed round Degorsk’s waist, holding him tight. “Your ass is on fire, my Imdiko. It feels good against me.”

  “Glad you’re enjoying yourself so much,” Degorsk groaned. His back, ass, and thighs were on fire, all right. He couldn’t believe the beating hadn’t broken his skin. And still the pain continued to feed that strange part of him that seemed more Nobek than Imdiko in its enjoyment of torment.

  Lidon offered, “His mouth is free, Tranis.”

  Tranis stood at the end of the bench seat, his arms folded over his chest as he watched them. “Thanks, but if you don’t mind, I’ll wait for his ass. I’ve never wanted an ass so bad in my life.”

  Lidon sighed. “You won’t have long to wait. Damn, he moved so well under my discipline. I wish I had my cockring.”

  Degorsk growled, put out of temper by pain and arousal. “Would you fuck me already? Damn it, you two talk too much!”

  Lidon grabbed his braid and yanked the Imdiko’s head back, forcing it onto his shoulder. “As you wish,” he growled, watching Degorsk’s face.

  The Nobek worked his cock in and out of Degorsk’s ass, pounding hard against the sore flesh. Degorsk yelped with every thrust, but the sounds were more need than pained. Lidon had found that spot, and just beneath the Imdiko’s second cock, something pulsed with every surge into his body. The whole while he was forced to look into Lidon’s face, that deadly, beautiful face. The Nobek’s eyes drank in the sight of Degorsk’s erotic suffering and grew darker with every cry the doctor made.

  The pressure beneath Degorsk’s cocks was swelling, growing larger, threatening to burst. One wail bled into the next as it fed into his pricks, making them so hard they curved up against his body and bounced off his belly with each strong shove Lidon made into him.