by Nick Broad
“I take it from the look on your faces,” she said, running her hands down her midriff, “that the Gamma reactor was a bust?”
I gave Shay a weary little nod. Meiko started at my side, watching me from the corner of her eye. I knew she was waiting for me to explain everything that had happened down there. She probably wanted to see Shay’s reaction to the news that a Xenian Queen had taken up residence in her prison - wanted to see if Shay could convincingly fake not knowing she’d been there.
I wasn’t interested in any of that. The drama about Bathory could wait. We had a jailbreak to stop.
“Reactor was too damaged,” I said, settling into the second-best chair in the command station. “It managed to kick partially back on, then burnt itself down to slag. It’s totally inoperable now.”
“Pity,” Shay said in a tiny little voice. It took me a moment to figure out why she was being so guarded: she was probably expecting an explosion of anger out of me. After all, she’d destroyed the other hope we had of getting enough energy for the solar sail.
I’ll take you to task for that later, I said with my eyes, giving her a glare that was pure command. She didn’t have the reaction I expected. Instead of fear, she shuddered with lust, grinning at me and nibbling her bottom lip. She was looking forward to being punished.
“You’re such a freak,” I said with a laugh, shaking my head.
“I’m your freak,” she said, sounding pleased. “Remember that, Noah.”
Yeah, I thought, something sour exploding in my stomach. And maybe you’ll tell me one of these days whether I’m really on the Forbidden List...
“I will,” I said firmly. “Later. Right now, we’ve got a situation.”
Shay groaned and rolled her eyes. “Don’t remind me. Hey, Chirrup - could you knock it off with the alarms, please?”
I didn’t even realize how used I’d gotten to the sound of the jailbreak alarm until it stopped. The silence was deafening, a faint ringing in my ears the only sign that it had been there at all.
“Thank you,” Shay said. “By the way - where’s your fairy girl?”
“Ruby is slowing down the Red Tigers,” I said. “Somehow. Shay - I need your help. We’re going to stop those assholes from getting off this station.” Briefly, I outlined the speech that I’d made to Meiko and Ruby, the one that had gotten them so pumped to fight.
Meiko had been right. It didn’t do shit to convince Shay.
“Absolutely not,” she said with a little groan, leaning back in her seat. She posed one leg over the other like a lingerie model, and it was only then that I realized not only was she back in her fuck-me pumps, she’d unzipped her shipsuit almost all the way down to the navel. She wanted me focused on one thing: her. It didn’t help that she was so ridiculously fucking hot - and she knew it.
“This is happening whether you’re in or not,” I said, confirming it with a glance at Meiko. She nodded. “But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t greatly need your help, Shay. You’re the only other android on this station - the only one who’s as strong as me.”
She couldn’t miss the emphasis I’d put on those three words. ‘Only other’ meant I hadn’t told Meiko or Ruby about Shay and her clones, which meant I was keeping her secrets for now. Her eyes widened a fraction, then she covered it with a blank expression.
She sighed and sat up, both feet touching the floor. Or her heels did, at least.
“Look, I admire your enthusiasm,” Shay began.
“That’s what Meiko said,” I shot back. “She agreed to help.”
Shay’s head lolled back on her shoulders like a teenage girl told she can’t stay out after curfew. “But the Tigers are in and out of this place like it’s a bank! They get picked up by Galactic Police, thrown in the Oubliette, then a few days later they’re back out on the street. Well, the galactic street. Look, you know what I mean!”
“I do,” I said firmly. “They’re not getting out this time.”
Her eyes flashed. “Where the hell would we even put them? There’s no locks on the doors. How are we going to keep them in a cell? Have you thought about that, Noah?”
“I have.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “There’s one place on the ship that’s very secure. Can you think of such a place, Shay?”
She paled all the way to the color of milk. I was, of course, talking about her sex dungeon. Which the rest of the station wasn’t even supposed to know about, much less visit.
“No,” Shay said slowly, working her lips around the word like she was about to give it a blowjob. “Fuck no, Noah. That’s not happening!”
With a grin, I leaned forward. Shay’s eyes widened as I put my lips to her ear, dropping my voice low enough that only she and I could hear what was said:
“Shay, I fucked you so hard your clones came. If you ever want your Daddy to punish you like that again, you need to give me what I want.”
She leaned back, eyes widening as she tried to determine whether I was serious or not. A moment later, she realized I wasn’t going to back down.
“Fine,” she growled, sighing back in her chair. “Fucking hell. You can use...that location, Noah. But it doesn’t even matter. The Tigers must be almost all the way to the escape pods by now - there’s no time to set up an ambush...”
The door to the command center slid open. Ruby stood in the doorway, her wings flashing and the biggest grin I’d ever seen on her face.
“Hi everybody,” she said, half walking and half floating over to the replicators. “Geez, I’m thirsty! I need some nectar, stat!”
While she made it, I asked the question: “Did you do what you needed? Did it work?”
She turned around, a cup of nectar in her hands, still smiling. “Yes on both counts, Master.”
“What?” Shay’s expression was confused. “What have you been doing?”
Ruby flashed the group a conspiratorial smile. “I,” she said proudly, “set a trap!”
There were looks of surprise around the room. Meiko recovered first, giving Ruby a little fist bump. “Excellent,” Meiko said. “What kind of trap? How long will it slow the Tigers down?”
“You can see for yourself,” Ruby said, settling heavily down into her own chair. She looked exhausted, but completely satisfied - almost the way she did after the two of us finished a couple rounds between the sheets. She had the same red blossoms of heat on her cheeks, the same sweat-soaked lock of hair across her forehead. It made me viscerally aware of how easy it would be to toss all of this aside and fuck her brains out...
No. I needed to focus. That could come later.
“I can show you,” Ruby said, glancing up at the ceiling. “Chirrup, turn the main viewscreen on and show the tether to Alpha Spire. That hallway right before you enter the tether, specifically.”
“Can do!” The AI voice assistant blinked the lights in the ceiling, the digital equivalent of a wave. A moment later, the biggest screen in the command center turned on, giving us a panoramic view of the hallway leading to the Beta Spire’s tether. The feed was in high-definition, with speakers almost as powerful as a movie theater’s back on Earth.
For a second, I thought it was a prank: that Ruby had queued up a porn film. Then I realized what I was looking at.
In the hallway leading to the tether, the three members of the Red Tigers were having sex. No, not having sex - fucking. Fucking each others’ brains out.
“Holy shit,” Meiko said, her mouth dropping open. She looked shocked for a moment, then pleased as she watched the show. “Damn, Ruby - what did you do to them?”
The two men in the crew were on opposite sides of the furry, tigress woman. Eyepatch Man had both hands on her hips, his shipsuit unzipped and his cock pumping like a piston in her unprotected pussy.
“They might be Tigers,” Shay said wryly, “but they sure like doggy style...”
They’d probably chosen it so the tiger girl could pleasure both men simultaneously. While Eyepatch guy thrust and grunted, burying himself hi
lt-deep inside of her, she had her snout around the other man’s cock. She licked and sucked it lovingly - well, as lovingly as a woman who was part tiger could - before taking it deep in her throat with a lusty purr. The man put both hands on the back of her head, helping her deep-throat his dick.
“I covered the controls of the tether in fairy dust,” Ruby said proudly. “When they put their hands all over it, they got it all over each other. Then nature took its course - made them realize there were much more fun things they could be doing than escaping...”
It did look like fun. Yet as I watched the tiger girl service both men, giving in completely to her primal, kinky urges, something twisted in my stomach.
“Welp,” I said, unable to stop the words, “there goes any chance of her joining the harem.”
All three women turned to stare at me simultaneously.
“Master?” Ruby asked, giggling.
“Did you think we were all shrinking violets before we met you?” Meiko asked sharply, looking pissed.
“You were going to fuck the tiger!?” Shay yelled, sitting up.
It was Meiko’s reaction that I needed to worry about. “Of course not,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m not an idiot - I know I’m not the first guy any of you have had sex with. But knowing that’s a lot different than having to see it.”
Ruby gave me a nod, seeming to get it instantly. “I know, Master.”
Shay was practically doubled over with laughter, dividing her attention between me and the action on the screen. “Fuck, Noah, I knew you were horny. But you were getting hard thinking of sticking your dick in that!? We really must not be giving you enough pussy...”
“It’s not about that,” I snapped at Shay. “She was interesting. And she looked pretty strong. She’d have made a good member of the crew.”
“‘Made’?” Meiko looked even more furious than before. “You’re really going to disqualify a woman from joining you because you’ve seen her having a threesome? Are you that much of a neanderthal, Noah?”
“Not that we want them to join,” Shay said, snickering. “Or was that what you meant by tying them up in my special place? You naughty fucking boy...”
“You’re not listening to me,” I said, shrugging both of them off. “It’s not about someone’s history - I understand that. But what we’ve got going on here is different. It’s a commitment.” I glanced at the screen, where the tiger girl was going porn-star wild all over Eyepatch Man’s cock. “A girl like that wouldn’t be happy just sharing me with other girls - she’d probably want to have sex with other guys, too. And eventually she’d want to add them to the harem!”
“Like a...polyamorous thing,” Ruby mused, putting a hand to her chin. “There are some cultures that function that way...”
“Yeah, well I’m not from one of them,” I said, harsher than I’d intended. I relaxed a bit and continued. “I apologize if that’s not anyone here’s cup of tea. But that’s the way the crew is - and that’s the way I want it to stay. I’m not comfortable with any of you doing things outside of the crew, or with different guys. If you’re not okay with that, then fine - let me know, and we’ll part on good terms.”
The tension in the room was thick. I hated having to do this now of all times, but it was better to get it out of the way sooner than later. That way, no one’s expectations got shattered.
“I’ll agree to whatever you want,” Ruby finally said in a little voice. “You know I love you, Master. And if you love other girls, than I love them too...”
It was so cute I had to put my arm around her waist and pull her to me. “You know I wasn’t worried about you, baby. You’re solid as a rock.”
“Yes, well, you don’t have to worry about me,” Shay said, rolling her eyes. “I tolerate this whole ‘harem’ thing, but you know I only have eyes for you. I’m not going to fuck anyone else - you should know better than anyone that I’ve been looking for one particular person for a very long time...”
My cheeks heated, remembering the Daddy speech she’d given me back in her dungeon. “I know,” I growled.
“Besides,” she added with a little glance at the screen, “I don’t find eyepatches very attractive. Or fur...ugh! Imagine the shedding!”
I started to laugh. “I am, and it’s gross.” Then I turned to the person in the room I was most worried about. “Meiko?”
She stared at me, her face unreadable. “You really want to do this now?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said. “I do.”
She held my gaze for a few more seconds, trying to beat me in a contest of wills. It wasn’t working. Her lips turned down in a frown, and something inside of her deflated.
“Alright,” she said with a shrug that was a little bit too casual. “I understand, Warden. Not like there’s any other eligible men on this station, anyway.”
“But if there were, you wouldn’t stray,” I said, unwilling to give up the point. “And you wouldn’t try to add them to the harem. Right?”
Her composure broke. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she stood up, looking so frantic that Shay, Ruby and I jumped backwards.
“I didn’t think I was ever going to fall in love again!” she screamed, hands balled into fists at her side. “I shut that part of myself out, closed it off when-”
She clamped a hand over her mouth. That crazed look was back in her eyes, but only for a moment. Then she was calm.
“I never expected this to happen to me again,” she said in a tiny, defeated voice. “You’ve won, Noah. I’m yours. I’ll do anything you want. I...I love you, you idiot...”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “I love you too, Meiko. I love all of you.”
Tears were in Meiko’s eyes. I stepped forward and embraced her, the scent of her hair filling my nostrils. It was good, and before I knew what I was doing my hands were down at her ass, squeezing insistently...
Shay made a gagging noise. “Alright, we all wuuuuv Noah. Whoop de damn doo! Can we please move past this shit already?”
I laughed. So did everyone else.
“I am disappointed, though,” Ruby said when the laughter died down. “I was really looking forward to having threesomes with Meiko or Shay along with you, Master. I’m sad you don’t want that...”
The look on my face set everyone into hysterics again.
“That’s different,” I sputtered, trying to regain control. “You know it is-”
“Yeah, because it benefits you,” Meiko shot back. “Whatever. We love you, Noah. And we’re going to stop those Tigers from leaving the station - together.”
“Damn straight,” I said with a grin. “Okay, Chirrup - dismiss the Red Tigers porno, please. Just let us know when they look like they’re finishing up. We’ve got an attack to plan.”
“Yes, Warden!” The AI chirped in its cheery English accent. “And may I just say - were I possessed of a body with concomittal sexual organs, I would be pleased to share you as well!”
“You’re always my number one girl, Chirrup,” I said with a grin. “Now show me the loop around the escape pods.”
The plan was fairly simple: I explained it all within the space of a few minutes, with occasional contributions from the other members of the team. Ruby would remain in the control center along with Chirrup, providing real-time information along to the team.
“I still think I should be there,” she protested, sipping weakly at her nectar.
“You’ve done enough,” I said. “You’ve given us the chance we need. Now you need to rest. You can barely fly.”
“Alright,” she said. “But I still don’t like it.”
Meanwhile, Shay and I would take position on either side of the Alpha Loop. The path split into two when the Red Tigers came out of the Alpha side of the tether, working its way in a rough circle around the station until they met on the other side. Either one of us had a fifty-fifty chance of being the path the Tigers took. When that person saw them, they’d go on the defensive, while the other android
went the other way around and hit them from behind.
“A real ambush,” Shay said approvingly once I’d explained. “That might actually work. It’ll be three against two, but both of us together might be stronger than all three of them. Especially if they’re still tapped out from all the fucking.”
“We just need to hold them,” I said, staring at the loop. “It’ll be one against three until the other person arrives - it could get dicey.”
“I can handle myself,” Shay said with a little snicker. “Can you?”
I didn’t answer that.
Either way, the ambush would happen in the Loop. Shay and I would either stop the Tigers there, or they’d overpower us somehow. Having done that, they’d limp their way to the escape pods, probably convinced they’d taken care of all the obstacles in their path.
They’d walk right into Meiko, who’d be waiting for them in the shadows.
“I can do that,” Meiko said in a worried tone when I explained it. “But there’s a problem.”
We locked eyes. I didn’t have to be a mind-reader to know what she was talking about - I’d seen it when she was fighting the Xenian Queen. There was something inside of Meiko, something that wanted to be let off its leash so badly it nearly overpowered her. I’d seen it come right to the brink of taking control, and I’d watched Meiko fight it harder than the monster that had been trying to kill her. I desperately wanted to know what it was, but I also knew it was a delicate conversation we didn’t have time for.
“If it comes down to it,” I told her, lowering my voice, “don’t let it out. Just let them go.”
Meiko shook her head. “That won’t happen,” she said, steel in her words. “I won’t let it. I have control.”
“Do you?”
We all turned to Shay, who had whispered the words so quietly they were barely audible. “Obake, I admire you. I really do. You have a level of mastery I never thought your kind was capable of. But you’re fraying. Anyone can see it-”
“Shut up.” Meiko hissed. “Not another word, Shay. Not one more.”
To my absolute shock, Shay’s mouth snapped shut.
Both of them nodded, a spark of understanding passing between them that I couldn’t hope to grasp. Meiko leaned back in her chair, seemingly satisfied.