Chapter 44

The pirate ship Peregrine slowed its descent into the atmosphere of Prodosia. It was coming in planetside, staying well away from the Confed base and Tanith’s Gully. While their orders stated they needed to get on the planet, they also needed to be discreet. Dropping in hard and fast was no way to get that done, so they came in quiet, using what stealth tech they had to stay off the scanners.

“I don’t get why we aren’t heading straight to town, pillaging it like we should be!” one of the men on the bridge moaned.

“You heard the orders from Briggs and Zarkazh. We are to play the long game here. Find a way to infiltrate the town, so we can put ourselves in a good position to get close to this ship that thwarted our attack on Veldhern,” the captain told the man.

“Playing spy ain’t my pace, Cap. I’m more of a straight up fighter. Give me a good fight and I’ll do well,” the man grumbled.

“Then you and those of a similar mind will stay and guard the ship. Anyone comes near who isn’t supposed to, you are more than welcome to tear their guts out,” the captain told his subordinate.

“Now that, I can do!” the man grinned as the ship touched down on the surface of the planet.

The men aboard all knew their duties, and they scrambled to be ready to complete them. Once the engines were powering down, a squad of men was in the cargo bay, readying the land rover they had brought with them. The outer bay doors opened and extended a ramp, so the rover could be rolled out.

They would need the vehicle to get close to the town and possibly the base, but that was a secondary objective. Their primary objective was to get as close to the Darkstrider as possible and learn all they could about it. If they could manage to steal the ship, even better! But for now, they had to find a way into Tanith’s Gully that would not arouse suspicion.

Unknown to the rest of the crew, there were several men that were placed aboard this ship deliberately. These men were agents of the Lady Zarkazh, sleepers, who were to stay hidden until a certain task or situation came up. Should certain conditions be met, they were then given a set of orders to carry out immediately. Sometimes the orders were to overtake a ship, assassinate an officer, and a myriad of things that could come up.

No one truly knew what Lady Zarkazh’s aim was, and there were few who truly did know. None who were out in the field were privy to such knowledge, and that was the way the pirate lady kept it. Even then, those who had such information only knew fragments of the whole. She always played things close to the vest, never letting anyone know the entirety of what she was up to.

The Pirate Lady didn’t become one of the fabled pirate lords by being careless. The last time she had been careless, those who crossed her lost their lives. It was not a mistake she would repeat, and it was the building block of her reputation as the ‘Blood Dame’. Many had thought to cross the woman when they sensed a moment of weakness, but that was a serious mistake on their part.

She not only took her pound of flesh when crossed, she also took a good deal of their blood as recompense, if she allowed them to live. No one knew what she did with the blood, and no one cared to know. Many rumors swirled around about what she did with it. Some said she would drink it, others said she bathed in it, among many others.

Zarkazh, for her part, did little to stop the rumors, as they only added to her already fearsome reputation. With her legacy as a fearsome and deadly woman established across the galaxy’s underworld, few would ever dare to be her adversary. If you were, you often didn’t live long enough to regret it, and if you did, often death was preferable.

One particular man, the XO kept this in mind as he set up the encrypted communique for the Pirate Lady. He was aware of a ship of her loyalists that was inbound to the planet and knew that his message would be sent to her from them. In the communique was everything new that had happened until that point, which Zarkazh demanded. She liked to know everything that was going on, as no detail was too small for her.

It took all of two minutes to ready the message and the transceiver he had cobbled together from bits and pieces. The moment it was sent, the XO then rushed through, dismantling it and hiding the pieces in his cabin. Once it was done, he then stepped out of quarters, cool as ice, with none the wiser.

While the man had sent the update his lady had required, he was unsure of how things would play out here. Sure, he had his compatriots here to back him up, but if things went sideways, he wasn’t sure if they’d come out alive. Many of the men aboard this ship were brutes and not logic thinking beings. If they caught him sending messages like this, he wasn’t certain if he or his friends would be able to talk their way out of this.

The crew that Jolena Sortani had put together under Lady Zarkazh’s orders was already underway to Prodosia. Jolena had tasked her most trusted lieutenant, Daphres Mahtarn, with this job. Daphres was not only a skilled pirate and captain, but she also commanded the respect of those around her, new crew members and old.

She had shown that she was not only a competent commander, but one that her crew looked up to. The Naucturi woman could be one hell of a hard ass when pushed, but she often did it in a way that didn’t invoke the crew’s ire. She had demonstrated that she cared for the wellbeing of her crew, and did everything she could to see them survive.

To her, they all mattered for the skills and talents they brought to the crew, but not just that. She valued the loyalty and camaraderie they had together and with such a bond, there was no length they wouldn’t go to, to succeed. As singular beings, they were fallible, weak, breakable, but as a crew, they were unstoppable.

Daphres had just received the communique from Prodosia, copied it, then sent the original message along to Lady Zarkazh. She took a few minutes and read the report, going over everything that was in it. So far, the conflict appeared to be escalating quickly. The natives were putting up a good fight and had even mounted a half decent defense against any incoming attackers.

While they put a damn good effort into defending their homes, it wouldn’t matter if the Confeds brought proper warships into the fight. With warships orbiting the planet, they could bombard the town at their leisure, while taking little in the manner of risk to conquer the world. Why the Human Confederacy was so hellbent on taking this world eluded the woman, but she felt she would figure out why soon enough.

Daphres had her orders, and they were to infiltrate the town of Tanith’s Gully and mingle along its population. Secrecy was paramount for this mission, as Lady Zarkazh had ordered it so. Their mission was twofold once they were inside the town. The first was to find a way to take that ship, the Darkstrider, as a ship that advanced needed to be in their arsenal! If they couldn’t take it, then they were to at least get the schematics for it.

The second reason was one of personal importance to her boss, and that was to locate and capture Dagan Min. While the crew knew of the mission to take him, only she knew the why. Supposedly, Dagan had done something to Lady Zarkazh in the past, and he was to be brought to her to face his punishment.

Daphres knew that punishing those who crossed the lady was a no-brainer, but she wondered why Zarkazh didn’t order the man killed. She didn’t know the reason Zarkazh wanted to punish Captain Min, but she knew it was a personal matter. It was then that she remembered Zarkazh had a penchant for meting out punishments personally. Daphres didn’t envy the man, as she knew the lady could be quite harsh, especially with that temper of hers!

“Arriving at the Voleskar hyperspace waypoint,” the helmswoman told her commander. Daphres smiled as the tunneling glow faded to starlines and they dropped into realspace.

“Excellent! How long before we jump again?” Commander Mahtarn questioned.

“Not even three minutes, ma’am. Just waiting on the new coordinates from the navicomputer,” the helmswoman replied.

In less than two minutes, the helmswoman guided the ship to the route to Prodosia and activated the hyperdrive. Moments later, they were back in hyperspace, on their way to the Abandoned Frontier. As she felt that subtle hint of vertigo that hit her every time they jumped, Daphres tapped at her wrist comms, sending off a covert signal through it. She then smiled when she heard the near-silent chime of acceptance, twice.

“Back in hyperspace, ma’am. Our ETA to Prodosia is just a little less than ten hours,” the helmswoman told her.

“Hmm. Very good! XO, you have command of the ship until my return. I am going to get myself some rest,” Daphres stated as she stood up.

“Yes, ma’am!” her subordinate saluted.

Daphres then turned and headed to the room that was on her left, which was her personal quarters. The door opened and then sealed itself behind her, automatically locking per her direction. Her room was a bit odd as the captain of a group of pirates. The motif of the room was one of birds that came in all shapes and sizes. There were holos and drawings of so many that the holos often cycled through the various species constantly.

She also had a tattoo of one on her back that she had done a while ago and had touched up often. It was of a phoenix, a mythological human bird that was made of fire. Not only did the bird itself look amazing, but the concept of being reborn from the ashes, thus never truly dying, appealed to Daphres. Just as the men who stood by her bed appealed to her in many ways.

“Door, full lock. Privacy mode engage,” Daphres commanded, and the automated pings sounded in the air, letting her know that her command was carried out.

“Gentlemen, the slow word is ‘Kestrel’. The safe word is ‘Penguin’. Do you understand what these words mean?” she asked both men.

“Yes, ma’am,” they replied in unison, as they had done this dance with her many times before.

“Very well, then. You two may assume command of me and do whatever you wish to me. You may begin,” she told them with a small smile.

“Well, look at what we have here, Dom! I think she’s an eager little slut who wants to get wrecked!” the Rondathan man stated with a lascivious grin as he pulled Daphres to him, making her gasp at the contact of their bodies.

“I think you might be right, Khale! She does look the part, doesn’t she?” Dominic replied with an equally lecherous smile on his face, as he stepped in behind her, grinding his rapidly hardening dick into the crack of her ass.

Daphres stared up at Dominic, who was the quartermaster of the ship. The man had served with her for some years now and had done well at his post. He made sure that everyone got what they needed, when they needed it. Dominic’s ability to read people and accurately predict their needs was uncanny, which is why he excelled at his position.

Though he had been offered a promotion more than once, he turned it down each time. He would often say that if anyone else did his job, they’d get it wrong. How he had guessed her needs all those years ago mystified her, but she wasn’t complaining. Since their first encounter, she’d made a point to be doing this on the regular and was glad that she did! Daphres didn’t need this now and then. She needed it regularly!

His gray eyes looked into her pink ones, and she saw all the lust and desire he had for her. The man was fit, but lean, his dusky skin pulled tightly over his compact, yet unyielding muscle he had on his frame. The black hair on his head was cut short and styled neatly, almost giving him a clean cut vibe. He wasn’t small, but he wasn’t huge either. He filled a perfect middle ground that left her wanting this man to just have her.

She then felt a hand gently touch her jawline and bring her gaze back to the man in front of her. Khale, like most Rondathans, was possessed of red skin and black hair, with his eyes a glowing, intense yellow. Like the man behind her, he had a strong and rugged jawline, which showed off his masculine features. The smile that played at his lips made him easily as appealing as Dominic, but that wasn’t the only reason.

Unlike Dominic, Khale was bigger, brawnier, but that often came with those who worked in engineering and repairs. Also, the man had a much weaker physiology than most other species, but it was something that he was correcting. A proper diet, rigorous exercise and, of course, genemods, had helped the man adjust to the rigors of working on a ship.

Recently, Khale had become much stronger, as a result of his genemods strengthening his body over time. Over the past few months, his newfound strength had been something that Daphres had enjoyed immensely! Especially when he tanned her rear with his bare hands, which left her begging for more! Daphres felt herself warm up just thinking about it!

“So, what do you say, sweetie? Do you feel like being used by my friend and I? If you don’t, then tough, because we are going to have you in every way we want, and you’re going to love it!” Khale told her, the grating sound in his voice sending goosebumps though her body.

“Hey, Khale! I think she likes the idea!” Dominic said to his friend, as he pushed his hand down past Daphres’ waistband and under her panties. She yipped when she felt the man’s fingers slide up and down her slick pussy lips before he withdrew them. He then put his fingers to his mouth, sucking on the moisture he had taken from her.

“Nice! How does she taste bud?” Khale questioned.

“Like a strawberry milkshake! Sweet and creamy at the same time!” the dark haired human grinned.

“Ooooh!! I need me a taste of that!” Khale growled as he scooped Daphres up and carried her over to the bed.

“W-what will you do to me?” she asked, her voice quavering convincingly.

“I was thinking about something like this!” Khale rumbled as he took the pants that Daphres was wearing and ripped them down the middle.

The tearing sound surprised Daphres as the fabric gave way, exposing her to the man. She still had a pair of underwear on beneath, but they didn’t stay there for long, as they were torn in half as well. Her steaming, dripping pussy was now on display for both men to see, making the woman shiver from the cold. The cold sensation didn’t last long, as Khale put his mouth to her bits, bathing them in the heat of his mouth.

She shuddered with delight as Khale’s lips kissed hers, making her squirm and writhe on the bed. Daphres almost plopped down onto her back, but the adrenaline coursing through her kept her upright. With Khale working his magic tongue on her nethers, it was hard to do anything else other than squirm.

“Hope you haven’t forgotten about me, honey!” Dominic’s gravelly voice told her, as she felt his hands on her chest. His fingers danced along the seams of her shirt, before he took large fistfuls of it and tore it to shreds. Her teal green flesh was on display for him to see, her perky tits drawing his eyes like bees to honey. Dominic grabbed the front of her bra, and with one hand, ripped it from her body.

Normally, Daphres would have been loath to have her clothing destroyed, but what she had worn was old and in need of replacing. She had made sure to wear older or secondhand clothing when she played games like this. Even though Khale was occupied with eating her pussy, he also took the time to peel what was left of her pants off her legs, leaving her completely naked.

“Now, I’m liking what I’m seeing!” Dominic growled as he descended on her sizable mounds, licking, sucking, nipping, and pinching her titflesh. These new sensations, coupled with what Khale’s tongue was doing to her bits, she could feel the familiar sensation of orgasm on the horizon. As a result, Daphres began to lose all sense of time and felt her eyes roll into the back of her skull.

“Hey buddy, I think she likes it! Want some more, honey?” Khale asked, as he stopped his oral ministrations. Daphres simply nodded, too far gone into bliss to even care about what she wanted and how she wanted it. Right now, the only thing that mattered was her reaching that peak of bliss.

Smiling, Khale went back to licking and sucking on Daphres’ honeypot, making the woman squeak as she neared the peak she sought. She was close, so close that she could almost taste it and a few seconds later, she did. Instead of it being something that hit externally, it felt like she was melting from the inside out! The feeling saturated her every cell to where she felt she would turn into a puddle of goo at her men’s feet.

She didn’t know how long it lasted for, but that she lost all track of time because of it was more than enough for her. Daphres blinked a few times, as she could feel like she was being moved about. Shaking her head a few times, Daphres cleared the orgasmic stupor she was in and finally came to. She was on all fours, with Khale behind her, rubbing his cock up and down her slit, while she looked down on Dominic, his thick tool throbbing and in need of tending to.

“Well? It’s not going to get slick on its own! Suck, bitch!” Dominic grated while grabbing a handful of her orange hair, pushing his dick past her lips.

Daphres fought him for a moment, until he put both hands on her head, slowly forcing his dick into her mouth. She pressed her lips tight, and would have held them there, but was then surprised when Khale pushed his cock into her. Her mouth popped open, and that was all the invitation Dominic needed as he drove his meaty cock into her mouth and down her throat.

Eyes bulging in shock, Daphres went with it, letting the human in front of her fuck her mouth, while the Rondathan behind her split her open with that massive tool of his. She gagged slightly, but was still able to breathe all right as the men forcefully spit-roasted her. Daphres registered a bit of pain while they did this, but the pleasure that surged through her outweighed any pain that she felt.

Khale and Dominic took charge of her, making her move for their pleasure. Since they had taken the time to give her some at the start, they took what they wanted from her now. Daphres enjoyed every moment they were using her, making her feel like the cock drunk slut she was. But she only became this woman for these two, and no one else, as there was no one else she could trust like this.

Though what they were doing could be hazardous, they all trusted one another to stay within their limits. If any strayed outside the limits or pushed too far, well, that was what the safe word was for. So far, they had pushed her close to the brink with this, but backed off just enough to where she felt safe. Daphres knew that when it came to these two, her safety was paramount.

“Hey, you want to switch it up?” Khale asked, as he was enjoying sawing in and out of Daphres’ love canal.

“Hmm. I was thinking that we do something different this time. Get below her. I want her ass!” Dominic grinned as he pulled his dick from her mouth. Daphres’ eyes widened for a moment, then she gazed up at Dominic, catching his gaze.

“Kestrel,” she told him quietly, letting him know to go slow with this.

Dominic smiled and nodded, then reached over to the nightstand next to the bend. He opened the drawer and pulled out a bottle of lube as Khale shifted and put Daphres on top of him. Dominic quickly moved behind them, making sure to soak his dick liberally in the lube he found. Once his cock was dripping with it, he squirted a good dollop of lube on the puckered star of her anus, lined up his dick and pressed into her, slowly.

Daphres used her hands to spread her ass cheeks apart, making it easy for Dominic to enter her. He took his time, pressing slowly against her, as she had asked. The pressure back there was intense, as Dominic’s dick tried to find a way in. Not a moment later, she felt the slight pop as the head of his cock entered her backdoor.

“Oooooohhhh ... fffffuuuuuccccckkkkkkk!!!” she crooned, as Dominic slid into her, slowly stretching her rear hole out with his meaty dick.

“Looks like we found ourselves a genuine slut, didn’t we man?” Khale chuckled.

“Yes ... you ... did!!!” Daphres moaned as Dominic continued his way into her ass, stuffing her full of cock. Khale was already inside her quim, buried to the hilt and making her feel like a whore in heat.

“Oh, yeah?? Are you a good little cockslut? You want that dick inside you, don’t you?” Khale grinned as he shifted his hips, making her moan in delight at the sensation.

“I ... do want it ... fucking me hard ... filling both of my holes ... with your dicks and ... your cum!!” she breathed as Dominic finally was buried inside her ass.

“You want that cum? You want us to breed you, like the cheap, filthy slut that you are??” Dominic growled, gripping her by the neck and pulling her close, so he could bite it.

“YES!”

Hearing that word put a dark fire in both men as they started ravaging her. Daphres’ lust and desire went through the roof as she was overcome by the pleasure that assaulted her. Both men didn’t stop and Daphres lost her mind to the constant bliss that wracked her body. The pair of them worked up to a rhythm where one was inside while the other was on his way out, keeping the Naucturi woman perpetually on the edge.

She didn’t know how long they kept at this for, as she lost all sense of time, surrendering herself to the carnal delights she was experiencing. Daphres could feel herself slipping back and forth between tumbling off the edge into orgasmic bliss, and climbing back down to a lesser high, so close to the precipice of it. She groaned in frustration as she wanted and needed to go over, but both men seemed content to just torture her.

“You want that cum inside your little pussy, don’t you, you little slut?” Khale asked her.

“Yes!”

“You want us to fill both holes with our cum? Let us claim you as our personal little cocksleeve?” Dominic questioned.

“Yes!!”

“Be everything we want ... in this life and ... the next?” Dominic whispered into her ear.

Hearing these words put Daphres in a state of shock, but one that had an unintended effect; it pushed her over the edge, making her cum hard. Her insides clenched like a vise on both men, squeezing their cocks and forcing them to give up their offering to her. Dominic and Khale howled like wolves, emptying their balls deep into this woman, granting both her and their wishes.

Daphres’ mind tried to cope with the onslaught of pleasure that enfolded it, but even for her, it was too much. All coherent thought was obliterated as pleasure took center stage in her mind. Her body was awash in endorphins, pushing her past the point of no return, then bringing her back. As her mind faded, she drifted, soon finding her way to the land of dreams.

In this dream, she saw herself living with both of her lovers in a nice home. They were all older, a bit thicker and there was one very important difference. It wasn’t just them living there. Daphres held a baby in her arms, nursing her while she watched Dominic and Khale play with a pair of toddlers, who ran about, squealing with joy.

This sort of scene should have mortified Daphres, as she had never wanted this, ever! Yet, the more she looked at the scene of domestic bliss, the more it appealed to her. She then started awake, coming out of the nap as she blinked and looked up at both men. Daphres then remembered to breathe and slowly shifted as she moved to be closer to the men.

“P-penguin,” she told the men weakly. They blinked and did what they knew to do, giving this woman the soothing aftercare she needed. They massaged all her sore parts, using an aloe based cream where they were rough with her. As the pair did this, she sniffled slightly, catching their attention.

“Captain...” the human was about to ask.

“Please ... call me ... Daphres,” she told him and his friend. Both men looked at each other, then her, thunderstruck that she was being like this with them.

“What is—” Khale started before he was cut off.

“Come here, both of you! I want ... cuddles,” she told them as a tear escaped her eye.

Neither man could believe what he was hearing, but they were more than happy to give her what she wanted! The bed was just large enough to accommodate all three of them and the men sandwiched Daphres, keeping her warm and safe. Daphres moved her arms to hold both of her lovers close, not wanting either one to go anywhere. She sighed and almost sniffled as she could feel her emotions overtaking her.

“Captain? Daphres? Are OK?” Dominic questioned, his concern evident.

“I ... think so. I’m just ... I’ve been ... thinking. About what we ... discussed last time,” she told him.

“But ... you said that we would never discuss it again. Ever!” the Rondathan man told her, reminding her of her words.

“I remember what I said and ... I was ... wrong,” she admitted, her eyes seeking the men out. Their eyes found hers and looked at the woman with pure adoration. They knew what she was saying wasn’t easy, as she had been through a literal wringer just to get this far in her life. The fact that she was admitting this to them was a big step for her.

“So, this means ... what?” Khale queried.

“It means that I am ... considering what you two offered me. Your ... proposal doesn’t sound like such a bad idea, since ... I started giving it some thought,” she told them.

“Really? You’re not yanking our chains or anything like that?” Dominic asked.

“Nope! I am ... being honest. For the first time in ... I don’t know how long I am telling you two the truth,” Daphres replied with a small smile.

“So, that means...” the Rondathan grinned while running his hands up and down his lover’s body.

“That means that you shouldn’t get too excited, as there is still a lot to think about and consider! But, it also means that my view of this ... proposal is more ... favorable than it was before. Something like ... fifty/fifty, so to speak,” she informed the pair of them.

“That you are even entertaining what we ... proposed is beyond amazing!” Khale said as he leaned in and kissed Daphres tenderly.

She responded in kind, letting what she felt for this man come out to the fore. When the kiss finally ended, Daphres was all smiley and giggly, feeling like a girl getting her first kiss. She felt another finger trace her chin and turn her head, and she looked into the gray eyes of Dominic. Her breath caught as he kissed her too, much like Khale did, taking her breath away in its intensity.

“Are you two ... trying to convince me to think on it more?” Daphres asked with a slight smirk, figuring these men were trying to persuade her with some seriously hot, next level kissing. If she was being honest with herself, it was kind of working.

“Not at all! We are just showing you how happy we are because of this,” Khale said with a faux innocent smile.

“Seriously, you have no idea how happy this has made us!! Actually,” Dominic said, as he looked down at his crotch and smirked. “Maybe we should show you just how happy you have made us.”

“You are ... what ... whoa!! You are ready again??” Daphres questioned, her shock apparent on her face.

“Well, when our lady says nice things like that, I can’t just help getting more than a little excited!” Dominic told her as he got to his knees, his cock at full mast once again.

“And he’s not the only one who is excited about the prospect of this!” Khale stated, as he too was raring and ready to go for another round.

“Ooooohhh mmyyyyyyy!!! Well, I certainly hope you two plan to make good on your promise to fuck me into oblivion! The gods know I am in need of such things happening regularly!” Daphres giggled as she let both men have her.

“Be careful what you wish for!” Dominic chuckled as Daphres squealed in delight.

The Confederate battlefleet dropped out of hyperspace, arriving in the Prodosian system. As it slowed in realspace, the battlecruiser, Lee’s Vengeance, initiated a ping for all ships, to be doubly sure that each ship made the jump correctly. The ping came back, and all ships were accounted for, which made Captain Walczak smile. That he had brought the fleet this far, losing no ships and going undetected, was a minor miracle.

“All ships falling into formation, Captain Walczak. Staying high and tight, as per your orders,” the helmsman told him.

“Very good! Take our ships to one quarter speed and bring us into orbit around Prodosia!” Walczak ordered. “What is the status of the other ships? Are they all battle ready?”

“Reports are coming in now, sir! So far, everything is looking good, and the only issues being reported are minor,” the communications tech reported.

“How minor?” Walczak questioned, as he wanted to be sure his fleet was in tiptop shape for the battle ahead.

“Some small glitches with the displays, along with a few corridor’s lights not powering up properly, but their techs are on said problems and should resolve them before the day is over,” the tech replied.