Degenerate Star Ch. 04 - Loyalties

"Why don't you go help your friend?" Rohm said.

Riley nodded and got up off her knees. She was supposed to be in control here, she'd engineered things perfectly. Yet, here she was trudging over to the workbench to watch her crewmate get railed. Not as if asked, but told, compelled to do so.

She looked down at K'rra, and an aberrant thought popped into her mind. She's so pretty. Riley couldn't but help admire the heart-shaped pale azure face. The science officer had lips a shade of lilac, always looking like she'd put on lipstick perfectly. When Riley thought of kissing those lips, she felt a twinge of dirty and a burst of heat from inside. No, from the implant, she told herself.

The bearded human was still grunting away behind her. K'rra was lost, drifting in her own mind after a series of orgasms. Riley wondered how long the man intended to torture the poor woman.

As if reading her mind Henfry slowed to a stop, "Enjoying the show slave girl?"

Unable to think, Riley simply nodded.

"Go ahead and touch yourself. You can watch me fuck your stuck-up little friend here and enjoy it proper-like."

Riley's hand slipped past thigh and to her center. Her knees became weak, and she slowly knelt down to the deck.

Laughter from behind her, "Zed is going to fucking kill you."

"I didn't touch her. She's choosing to do this." Henfry shot back.

She was choosing this. Or was she? Riley's thoughts were jumbled. When her fingers rubbed past her clit, and the piercing, everything became clear. She wanted to orgasm.

Henfry started moving again. He wasn't gentle, hadn't been the entire time he'd made poor K'rra cum multiple times. Riley watched as his chrome hand gripped the science officer's hip, slamming her back into him. K'rra weakly moaned.

Listening to the blue woman's hungry grunts Riley wanted nothing more than Zed to do exactly this to her. She wanted to feel the monster inside her, and know that she was giving him something nobody else had ever had. Her fingers flew across herself faster.

Seeing her crewmember's pained face, twisted in both hurt and pleasure, Riley couldn't help herself. She leaned forward, threw an arm around pale blue shoulders, and pressed herself to those perfect purple lips. She needed her mate to know she was there for her. That the captain was also suffering the same torments and degradations. They were sisters in misery and pleasure.

K'rra sighed into her mouth and Riley devoured it. She sucked the breath from the woman being pounded mercilessly, felt it enter her own lungs and delighted in being able to share so deeply. All the while, her fingers danced across her little nub and the madly vibrating piercing.

The science officer broke the kiss and announced, "I'm going to cum."

Riley tried to press her lips back to the blue woman but K'rra whispered, "Cum with me."

Filthy, dirty, naughty thoughts. Her parents would be so shamed. Yet Riley wanted nothing more in the whole universe. Her fingers worked in a frantic tempo and yet climax eluded her. Riley groaned in frustration.

From behind her Rohm enthusiastically shouted, "Fuck yeah, make these bitches cum together."

Laughing Henfry demanded, "Let me know when you're there slut."

Riley could hear the wet disgusting sounds coming from her fingers and cunt, but still could not find the right touch to make it work. She ached for release, yearned for it, needed it singularly. She cried out, "I can't..."

"Zed's got her locked." Rohm said.

Henfry nodded, "Ok sluts, both of you cum right now."

There was an explosion of heat and Riley was consumed by it. She felt herself collapse forward, warm, wet lips meeting hers. She heard and felt another crying out, and herself as well. Intertwined cries of ecstasy, a double helix of climax. Riley rode herself for a long time. At some point, the kiss completely broke. She tumbled to the deck. A man was groaning as well. Three, three, orgasms, ha ha ha, Riley thought. Her body quaked on the deck as she went completely fetal.

From far away, Henfry demanded, "Now clean me off whore."

Looking up, she saw K'rra's head disappear behind the workbench. From the deck, Riley couldn't see what was happening, but she could guess from the slurping noises.

She tried looking past the workbench and saw the handle of a pistol long forgotten underneath it. An officer should always carry a sidearm she'd been taught in Academy. It was a symbol of status, of personal power. Without thinking she reached out to secure the weapon.

Searing heat lanced through every implant. Riley shrieked and rolled away clutching her wounded crotch. The euphoria of the recent orgasm completely gone.

Rohn leaped up, yelling, "She reached for something under the workbench!"

The younger engineer dropped to his knees and looked. He then pulled a nasty-looking disrupter from under the table.

"This yours?" Rohm asked Henfry.

Henfry shoved the blue woman away from his junk. "Yeah. Been wondering where that slippery slipped away too."

"Heads up." Rohm said as he tossed the loaded blaster to the older engineer.

Henfry caught it, inspected it, and set it down on the bench. "Bitches leave, we got work to do."

Both K'rra and Riley stood up to leave neither looking the other in the eyes.

Riley stopped as K'rra left naked, "I need to finish the initial review."

"Didn't you hear what I said cunt?" Henfry growled.

"I got it. I'll finish the review." Rohm said.

"Uppity fucking bitch. Where in the void is this universe headed when slaves can demand shit..." Henfry muttered as he snatched his overall up from the deck. He headed straight for his cubby-hole, "I'll be in my office."

Rohm gestured to the console and they both took their original positions.

"That was low... devious," Riley told the engineer.

Laughing, he said, "Look, sugar-tits, you came in here barking orders. We just needed to remind you your place."

Rohm placed his hand on her lower back again. She froze up, feeling the heat of it radiate through her whole body. She clenched her thighs thinking, not again.

"And, at any time I can remind you your place again and again if needed," Rohm explained. "So watch your tongue and your little miss fucking know it all attitude. Understand, slave?"

"Yes, sir." The words spilled out without thought. She considered a moment and asked, "So why are you finishing the review?"

Rohm sighed, "Zed will probably beat my ass with Jadaciux's arm for using you just now. He won't kill me if I show that I was cooperating. I'm just a man. I can't help if a horny little slave slut wants to grease my weasel. Henfry? He'll be walking home soon."

"Walking?" Riley said.

"Yeah, right out an airlock."

"Oh... yeah," Riley said. She felt dumb for having missed the innuendo. Walking home in space wasn't possible. Of course, it was a euphemism for getting spaced. She wondered if the implants were having an effect on her cognitive abilities. As bad as being a slave to her own body's pleasure receptors stuck on overdrive was, the thought of becoming a dumb mindless body during it was even worse. Time, time, time, look at what's become of me...

They spent the next hour discussing the ship's woes. Everything needed emergency maintenance, especially the hyperdrives. They'd have to make port very soon or risk a mis-jump or worse. From what she gathered from Rohm, not one of the four engineers on the ship was skilled enough to make the proper repairs.

There were, however, a lot of things that could be patched up in ship. Cleaning was number one. Many of the eccentricities in the ship could be chalked up to poor maintenance. A thorough cleaning, starting while traveling, would be a great first step.

Not only that, but it would make a great cover for her crew. If she led the cleaning operations, she could check in on all of them, and together, they could begin hatching a plan to steal one of the launches.

The thought of organizing a cleaning operation made her feel in control again. She'd have been offended to no end in another life if her sole duty was to lead a cleaning party. Here, though, it made her feel like a captain again, like she would be back in control of at least a tiny part of her life.

They wrapped up the review with Riley feeling more depressed about the state of the ship but better about what she could do actively to improve it. She already had a plan in place to confront Zed.

Rohm shut down the console and asked her, "So? Wanna blow me?"

"Stars, yes," Riley said, falling to her knees. The engineer stopped her as her hands wrapped around the fasteners on his breaches. She blinked and realized she'd done everything on autopilot, without any thought. Rohm placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her down on her knees.

"Remember this right here. You are a slave all the way through. Naked, kneeling, looking up at a man. Get used to it. It's the rest of your life." Rohm smiled wickedly. He then turned and left her, kneeling naked on the deck.

As Riley went back to her cabin, she pondered the incredible highs and lows she'd experienced on the ship. She felt exhausted and worn down. An equilibrium had to be found. She knew if she relaxed into her new role as a slave, all would be lost. Tired as she was, she had to push herself these next few weeks, no matter what the emotional cost, to escape. Damn, it would feel so good just letting go, lying tucked under one of Zed's arms.

She passed a few crew, but they gave her wide birth. As she trotted up the aft stairwell she decided to try seeing if the bridge would open. She punched the controls, and nothing happened. Turning to head to her cabin, she heard it slide open suddenly. She entered to see Zed, the wolf, and a human in what looked like an argument over one of the consoles.

Zed looked up, saw her, and waved her to the group. She saw a local star map hologram rotating slowly. Three colored paths connected different star systems. They each went in the same general direction, overlapping in many spots.

"Let's see what our guest captain thinks," Zed said to the others. To Riley he said, "These are the routes each of us are proposing. Thoughts?"

Riley studied the map a moment then asked, "Can we get an overlay with starports?"

"We are not stopping at a starport," Vgg-r growled. He looked across the holomap at Zed, "Are we captain?"

Zed glared at the wolfman a moment then looked at Riley, "That is not in the plan."

"Well, we may need to change plans," she pressed her forefinger and thumb together, "We are about this close to a catastrophic hyperdrive problem."

All three cursed at once. Zed had the final say, "What are you talking about?"

She looked into each being's eyes and continued. "The cowling has been removed to keep the flux capacitors from overloading. It's only a matter of time before it shorts out. If that happens during a jump..."

The three raiders exchanged glances. Zed turned to the other human, "Go check this out."

Turning back to Riley, he asked, "So they cooperated with you?"

"More or less. Rohm was helpful, Henfry on the less side."

"If this is true, I'm going to space that useless fuck," Zed told Vgg-r.

"If I don't tear him to pieces first," Vgg-r said.

"The ship is in a terrible state," she explained to Zed. "We need to get to a starport with repair capabilities asap. I wouldn't risk more than another jump or two. Beyond that there are generator troubles, impulse drives are a complete mess, energy distribution, life support... Honestly, there isn't a system that couldn't use a complete overhaul."

"We don't have time for all that." Zed looked cross.

"Right," Riley said. The more time she convinced them to stay in a starport the better chance that a Federated patrol vessel would catch up. "The hyperdrive is essential. I'd also suggest impulse drives and life support. The rest is icing. You can operate on it. You've been doing so, but when we get to the destination, you're going to want to invest in some serious maintenance."

Vgg-r whistled and shook his head. "I told you Henfry wasn't qualified."

Zed snapped back, "It's too late for tears now. Let's just focus on what we can do. We limp back to Coalition space, and we can escort him out the airlock. The crew won't mind. It will increase their bonuses if his share is redistributed."

"I'd gladly give up his share to sink my teeth in his throat." The wolf snarled.

Zed nodded, "Maybe we let the crew vote on that?"

Riley was horrified at how casually they talked about killing one of their own. Then again, they were perfectly capable of abducting other beings and selling them into lifelong slavery.

The map changed, showing nearby starports. Out on the fringe of Federation territory, there weren't many with repair facilities. Zed pointed one out, "We're in luck. There's one just two jumps away."

"That's deeper in Federated space." Vgg-r pointed out.

"If a rescue ship is following, maybe that will throw them off?" Zed replied.

The wolf stroked his chin, "Also means more reinforcements."

"Captain? Your thoughts?" Zed asked Riley.

She stared at the map, "I don't even like making two jumps. But it looks like all we've got."

Zed eyed her suspiciously, "Is that so?"

She knew Zed would ultimately make this decision. If she was too eager, he'd think it was a trap. Best to change the subject and let him make the choice on his own. "Your call. There's something else I wanted to discuss. A cleaning detail to get this ship back in order."

The Vulgarian snorted, "You think I'm going to wear an apron and scrub brush? Or him?"

"No. I wasn't thinking that at all." Riley said, suddenly aware of just how naked she was. "You have six... guests on the ship with no duties. I could organize my crew into a cleaning detail. I've already got the list of priorities and order of operations. In three or four weeks we could have this ship back in order. And it will make it much easier to spot deficiencies in systems."

Zed was still staring at the map, uninterested in what she was saying, "Sure. You and the other slaves can clean. You're in charge."

Inside Riley cheered. She touched Zed's shoulder, "Thank you, captain."

She'd be able to see her entire crew. They'd have meetings and be able to talk. They could plan, plot things out. There were the launches, she was certain they'd make port. Opportunities were opening.

A double ping sounded throughout the ship. The ship would be entering normal space in moments. Riley grabbed Zed's bicep. She needed something to brace herself against, and it was there. It had gotten to the point where she barely noticed how naked she was among those with clothing.

Zed hunched over the console, gripping the sides. Vgg-r eyed him and followed suit, hunched over the console while gripping its edge in his clawed paws.

Looking at the wolf-man, Riley was struck by how similar the two standing men were. They were roughly the same size and bulk, each with eyes that burned as they glared at each other across the console. Vgg-r was covered in fur with a thick lion's mane and pointy dog ears. Zed was bald, barefaced, and very human-looking, except for his unnatural size.

Zed's eyes darted towards Riley, "You should grab a seat."

Vgg-r answered, "The same risks you take, I take."

Zed looked at him and grinned. Riley gripped Zed harder. There was no way she was going to be seen as weak in front of these two chest-thumping apes... or dogs... men in general.

"True enough," Zed said evenly, "We've been through some rough spots." He smiled, showing a grin that was warmer than Riley could ever imagine on such a hulk of a man.

"That we have," the wolf nodded. He, too, smiled, although it was far from comforting. Downright unsettling, actually.

The ship lurched, and she gripped Zed's arm tight. There was a moment of weightlessness, an unsettling feeling of queasiness, and then everything snapped back to its proper place. The shifting colors outside the viewport vanished and were replaced with comforting black void dotted with stars.

The hatch hissed open and the navigator entered the bridge. He shook his head, "It's as bad as she said."

"Fuck," Zed hissed, "let's get a ping and start working on the next jump. We're going to the starport in the Mykriam System."

The navigator returned to his seat and began working, "We're in the pipe. Spinning computer up... About five minutes to lock down jump co-ords."

Vgg-r's predatory eyes glanced at Riley. Naked there was little she could do to cover herself from the wolfman within breathing distance. She pressed herself to Zed's arm.

"Jump when ready," Zed told the navigator.

Vagg-r's gaze went back to Zed. Neither one moved to take a seat. Even though the jump made Riley nauseous and weak, if the men weren't moving, then neither was she. If she staggered and fell, Zed was right there. And Vgg-r. She was sandwiched between them as they stared each other down.

Vgg-r finally broke the awkward silence, "I'd like to sample your slave."

"I'll just bet you would," Zed said. He made no move to cover or protect Riley. Instead, he stood staring over the console at the wolf. The Navigator's eyes darted, looking at one, then the other, then buried himself in jump calculations.

"I still have a bottle of that Vuluvix wine. I'd be willing to share it."

"What are you proposing?"

"Only what I've offered. I could enjoy the wine alone, but it's much sweeter sharing with a respected packmate." Vgg-r said.

"Hmmm, maybe some music, and some dance," Zed glanced down at Riley.

Vgg-r's gazed followed with a smile, "Like old times. After the breakout, and that first job."

Zed laughed, "Just enough for a night at that brothel, but we couldn't afford two slaves..."

Vgg-r practically purred, "Yes. Good times. Simpler times."

It was a low, friendly growl, but to Riley, it sounded menacing. She squeezed Zed's arm hoping this wasn't going where she feared it was. The Navigator looked up cocking an eyebrow, Riley could read his lurid imagination playing on overdrive just from the grin.

She hated that they were talking about her like a commodity. But that's what she was. Every moment on the ship she was reduced further, closer to being a thing. At the same time, the thought of being shared made her giddy. She felt wanted, desired. Her mind screamed no, but every nerve was amped up, excited at the prospect. Naked, in front of three men, talked about, inspected, she couldn't help but squeeze her thighs together and feel spikes of warmth shoot through her.

Looking up at Zed she hoped he would decline. And hoped he'd accept.

There was a double ping from the speakers. Zed and Vgg-r stared at each other, while Riley noticed the navigator looking at her with a lecherous smile. The ship lurched. The stars distorted. Colors bathed the bridge. The nausea hit Riley and she staggered. A wave of weakness swept through her and she lost the grip on Zed's arm.

Staggering, she fell backward. Right into the wolf. A furred arm wrapped around her. Then a thick, ruddy-skinned one did. The fur was so soft. The skin was so firm. All against her bare flesh. The contradicting sensations overwhelmed her. She was frozen, caught between the two hulking beasts. Both men moved in closer, surrounding her, engulfing her. She was tiny, lost between them. Trapped in their arms.

Riley looked up at Zed, hoping he would accept. Hating herself for wanting such base wanton desires. Praying he would decline. Praying he would accept. Unable to breathe or think.

Zed's eyes caught hers. She could tell that he knew everything. Knew all about her careful considered upbringing. The focus on school, not social activities. Not many friends, no boyfriends. Never had she imagined being with multiple partners at once. And yet here she was on the cusp of having it occur twice. Two men. Two men. Zed could see how much she wanted it. How much she didn't want it. If she had to choose, she'd be torn in two.