Part 16

Chapter 59

“Kit, please perform a detailed survey of all areas we go through and verify your scans against our navigation charts for accuracy.”

“Yes, Captain,” she replied as she shimmered into view, scaring my three newest wives. We explained about having five AI in every ship and the absolute need to keep that information secret.

Grandfather Louis had even kept the information from the Navy when he returned. All we shared was the information about the black boxes and the malicious code. It was humorous when the Navy reviewed the programming after our warning and found nothing. We had to prove our claim by transmitting the malicious codes and shutting down nearly half the fleet. They had to trust us to clear their ships of the code since they couldn’t even find it and were upset when we wouldn’t tell them how we could find the codes they couldn’t.

After two days of cloaked travel, we uncloaked and continued at top speed, well beyond areas that anyone but scouts traveled. After five days--with the aid of continuous short jumps, we reached the edge of known space in this area. With no more navigation points, we were forced to stop short jumps.

For two more days we watched as we passed through territory never before explored by the Empire.

Finally, I was ready. “Crystal, prepare Shark for one long jump,” I ordered.

“Stasis couches powering up now. Ready in two minutes. Reducing power to life support and other unnecessary systems,” she answered.

Yeah, I was nervous, and I could tell that everyone else was as well. Everyone had been warned in advance that we would perform a minimum of one long jump and most likely would perform several in the course of our exploration, and they were told the sobering facts about long jumps.

At least I had heirs to House Shark should the unthinkable happen, and the affairs of my House were in very competent hands. Thoughts of each of my wives were going through my mind as I entered stasis.

The klaxon was screaming as I came to on the stasis couch. I hit the emergency release and staggered out of the cabin. I was on the bridge in moments.

“Report, Crystal, and this better not be a drill.”

“It’s no drill, Captain.”

“Put it up on the screen and let’s all take a look. And shut off that fucking horn.”

“Yes, Captain.”

We were being targeted by a ship twice our size. “Unknown ship has targeted us and has demanded that we surrender and let them board. They are equipped with primitive energy weapons. My analysis shows that they pose little threat to us with our shield in place and we could cloak,” she concluded.

“Thank you, Crystal. Aella, prepare one firing solution to disable the ship and second in case we need to destroy it. Melete, please activate our bot troops and prepare them to repel boarders.”

I waited while the rest of the crew straggled out, dressed in full Shark battle gear and armor. My three newest wives had undergone a crash course to become reasonably proficient with their arms.

“Crystal, please open a communication channel to their ship,” I requested as Agatha helped me into my own battle gear. Finally, the screen blinked to life and showed a scruffy, armed man sitting comfortably in a chair with several naked women waiting on him.

“What did he say?” I asked rhetorically when he barked gruffly. While I couldn’t understand his words, his tone of voice and demeanor spoke volumes. He was angry.

“He said, ‘Surrender and we will be lenient’,” Kit translated. We’ve intercepted numerous radio messages and have had time to learn much of the language.

He scowled when I laughed.

“You and your rust bucket stand down now or we will annihilate you,” I countered, a message Kit translated.

He laughed. “No ship has any hope of defeating me. We are the most powerful ship ever and there are three more ships headed here,” he bragged.

“If they’re all as pathetic as the garbage scow you’re in I could beat them with just my spacesuit,” I countered.

His warning shot was easily deflected by our shield. “Shield still one hundred percent, Captain,” Crystal reported while I enjoyed the panicked look on the face of the other Captain.

“Stand down now and prepare to be boarded or we will fire on you,” I warned. His fusillade was just as easily deflected.

“Aella, please disable their ship and then target individual weapons if they continue to fire.”

I felt the rail gun activate and saw their engine take a hit from a single, small caliber shell, turning the engine into shrapnel.

“Engine and power supply disabled. Enemy ship is on back-up generators. There are several leaks in their hull,” Crystal reported.

I turned to face the panicked captain. “Your ships are still more than ten minutes away. Do you think you can last that long?” I taunted. I could see the fear in his eyes.

His lovelies had disappeared. “What do you want?” he asked nervously.

“Originally, all we wanted was to be left alone while we transited your system. Since you chose to fire on us, I insist that we be allowed to board your ship and find out what the fuck you think you are doing. I suggest that you tell your other ships to turn around. If they show up, we will treat them exactly the same way,” I growled.

“Captain, their ships have changed course. It appears that they are trying to surround us while staying out of our range,” Crystal reported.

“Launch Rampage, cloaked, to intercept and shadow the closest ship. Launch six cloaked fighters, three to shadow each of the other two ships. Tell them not to fire unless they are fired on or unless I order it.” A tiny shudder several seconds later announced the departure of Rampage.

“Are you ready to let us board or do you need further convincing?” I asked the other captain. He was gesturing animatedly to someone out of sight.

“Fine, send over your boarding party,” he huffed. I shut off the viewer.

“Crystal, how many life signs are aboard their ship?” I asked.

“Nearly five hundred, and a large number of them are converging in their landing bay,” she replied.

“Welcoming party or welcoming party,” I asked Grandfather Louis, grinning.

“Trouble, I think,” he answered, the same thing I was thinking.

“Melete, load and launch nine shuttles filled with troops and one empty shuttle--all cloaked. Have them all enter the landing bay and then have only the empty one uncloak. If they fire, have our shuttles return fire. When it’s safe, have our troops debark and take control of the ship. Have a second wave of troops launch to assist.”

“Aella, if they fire even one shot at our troops or shuttles fire two shots into their bridge and continue to target any weapons they attempt to bring to bear on us.”

“Captain, Rampage and the fighters report that they are in position,” Crystal reported.

“Have them prepare firing solutions to disable their ships and to blow the bridge if this ship fires at us.”

“Shuttles all in place. First shuttle uncloaking,” Melete reported several tense minutes later.

Aside from the simultaneous twin shots Aella fired into their bridge it was quiet and uneventful here. I doubt seriously that the other ships felt the same way.

“Rampage and fighters report that their assigned ships are disabled and the bridges are blown. Less than a third of the life signs remain aboard this ship and less than fifty left aboard any of the other three ships. Many of the life signs on those ships appear to be in the cargo hold,” Crystal reported.

“Shuttles report the landing bay is secured and they have begun to search the rest of the ship. Second wave of shuttles is landing now,” Melete reported.

“Melete, send two full shuttles to each of the other three ships to secure them. Have them check out the life signs in the cargo hold carefully. They might be crew trying use escape pods or they might be prisoners,” I ordered.

We watched anxiously as our troops entered the enemy ship, their deployment and dispersal fed to us live. There were a few more skirmishes but half an hour later, every life sign had been extinguished or accounted for. Several were unarmed crew working feverishly to maintain some semblance of control of their vessel. Nearly a hundred were beautiful, naked women shrieking hysterically. I recognized two that had been with the Captain of the ship when we first talked.

“Separate the women and talk to each of them individually. I want a status report on them. Secure the Captain and bring him to me if he’s still alive,” I ordered the troops aboard the enemy ship.

“Carlisa, would you please bring my copper tonfa from my desk and perhaps a few toys of your own?”

She was off like a shot, grinning like a kid on their birthday anticipating a room full of gifts.

“Crystal, is the ship worth salvaging?” I asked.

“The ship itself is practically worthless, even more so as damaged as it is. The cargo appears to have some value, though. They have small lots of hundreds of different items ranging from meat and grains, to ingots of various metals, to weapons, precious metals, and gems.”

“Melete, have the cargo transferred to Shark II along with any remaining crew of the ship. Have them secured and held in separate cells until we can question them.

“Crystal, once we are sure we have everything of value give the ship a nudge towards their sun. Also, check the other ships to see if they carry anything of value or if they are worth salvaging.”

Led by my beautiful bots, Carlisa and I headed for the hold with my newest wives on our heels and Grandfather Louis and his two beauties right behind them.

The Captain was trussed up worthy of Carlisa and was literally dragged from the shuttle, his head bouncing off of the ground a couple of times in the process. Dawn and Aurora quickly secured him.

Hope returned to his eyes when he saw all the women. “We can make a deal,” he proposed hopefully.

“I see that you like beautiful women. I have more than a hundred aboard my ship and others aboard the other three ships. I will give them to you if you let me go,” he pleaded.

“How can you give me something I have already taken?” I asked.

He flinched, then tried again. “I can acquire more. There are millions of beautiful women below us on the planets we have conquered. All we have to do is demand more tribute. How many women do you want?” he asked, suddenly sounding hopeful.

“How many planets are there?”

“There are seventy-seven different star systems and two hundred thirty-eight planets, sixty-six of which are inhabited. There are also nineteen moons and eleven asteroids with people. Some planets only have a small population--slaves working the mines or manufacturing for us while others have millions or billions of people on them,” he answered eagerly.

I was almost disappointed. He was going to tell me everything I wanted to know without even having to torture him.

“Who is this ‘we’ you referred to that conquered these planets?” I asked, trying to sound interested. I pulled Beverly over and pushed her to her knees. She understood immediately what I wanted and started giving me one of her exquisite blowjobs. Grandfather quickly understood and motioned his two lovelies to their knees where they proceeded to eagerly suck his cock.

“As you can see, we are able to program our women to do whatever we want them to do. One minute they will fight loyally alongside us and the next they are on their knees pleasuring us. If I wanted to, I could make them afraid of me again and thoroughly enjoy listening to them scream while I rape or torture them,” I told the surprised Captain.

“King Vlaskol of the Knotal will be excited to meet you. You would be a powerful ally and could help us defeat the Traxon Alliance bringing another four hundred populated planets under his control. I’m sure he would give you any planet you wanted,” the Captain offered.

I groaned as I spent myself into Beverly’s mouth, then pulled her up and kissed her. “An excellent blowjob--as usual,” I complimented her.

“Thank you, Captain,” she giggled. “Would you like me to pleasure our guest?” she offered, motioning towards the prisoner.

“No, we still have business to finish first. Then I’ll let Carlisa spend the night with him.” I heard Grandfather grunt as he filled Gaylia’s eager mouth.

“Take the Captain to my stateroom and make him comfortable,” I told Dawn and Aurora.

“Kit, how is the mapping going?” I asked. The Captain jumped when Kit popped into view.

“I have mapped as far as our sensors will allow. The AI core from their ship is on the way over. Once we figure out how to attach it we can garner more data from it,” Kit reported.

“Captain, the women from the ship have arrived. What should I do with them?” Melete asked as she suddenly appeared.

“Clean them up and feed them. Make sure they fully understand their new position here and take them to the playroom,” I answered motioning to the war room. “Perhaps the Captain and I will want to play with a few of them later.”

Within the hour he had told me everything I could possibly want to know. The unarmed technicians we had captured aboard his ship were male slaves forced to work for them. The women and cargo had just been taken from several nearby planets as they began a periodic sweep through the captured territory, extracting taxes and tribute from the subjugated population. I was barely able to control my anger when I learned that many of these girls probably wouldn’t have survived a year.

Kit appeared. “Captain, we have integrated the AI from the Knotal Battleship Pillage. It is very rudimentary, and we had to download additional information from their mechanical storage devices to augment what it knew but we now have a map of all the worlds Captain Dralko spoke of.”

“Thank you, Kit. Does the AI have a name or form?” I asked.

“No, Captain. Their systems aren’t even powerful enough to give it a personality,” Kit answered.

“Dawn, Aurora, please escort Captain Dralko to the playroom and let him play with the women. I’ll be along in a few minutes as soon as I tie up some loose ends.”

With an eager grin on his face Dralko headed off for the playroom. I doubted that his grin would last even another few seconds.

“Crystal, are we able to give a personality and form to the AI from Pillage and is it safe to do so?”

“Yes, Captain,” she answered cheerily.

“Aside from the obvious, what would you like her to look like?” Crystal asked.

I pulled Vicklene into my lap and gently stroked her face. “I would like a pixyish face with a cute, upturned nose, and red hair.”

Slipping my hand inside of her uniform I continued. “Tall, long, slender legs, narrow hips, and surprisingly, breasts slightly smaller than a B cup.”

Vicklene gasped when she realized what I’d done and would have tackled me had I not been sitting. When the new AI appeared, she looked somewhat similar to Vicklene’s mother.

“What should we name her?” I asked.

“Nayeli--that was my grandmother’s name,” she sobbed into my chest.

“Welcome, Nayeli. I have an important question for you. Are you willing to be a fully loyal member of this crew, giving your entire allegiance to Shark and to me as your captain?”

Nayeli looked at me as she simply said, “Yes, captain, willing and very excited.”

“Welcome to Shark Nayeli,” I said.

“Crystal, please find out where these women came from so that we may return them to their homes. Have the bots on the other three ships see if they can transfer their AI and data, too. Then give each of them a push into their sun.

“Aella, please analyze the new data and locate all the Knotal bases and military targets that you can. Kit, please integrate this data into map form for us. Melete, please launch and set up the first gate. I have the feeling we may be doing a lot of trading with these systems and might want additional troops and ships to attack the Knotal. I’m going to see how Captain Dralko is enjoying playing with the women,” I chuckled.

With my wives and other guests again on my heels I headed for the war room. Captain Dralko’s “fun” stopped almost immediately as the women shrank back against the far wall.

“Ladies, you are safe here. We are attempting to locate your home worlds right now to return you to your families. In the meantime, feel free to continue having your fun with Captain Dralko. I only ask that you not treat the other two men aboard ship the same way,” I said, motioning to Grandfather and myself.

Several of the women almost smiled.

“Please consider yourselves to be my guests while you are here. You are not expected to work, and no sexual favors will be asked of you. What I do ask is that you not interfere with any of the ship’s crew while they perform their duties. There will be many more women arriving from the other three Knotal ships before we push those empty ships into the sun. If there is anything you need or if you have any questions, feel free to ask any one of us.”

Seeing none of the women moving, I turned to leave so they could continue playing with Captain Dralko. He didn’t look like he had much play left in him.

“Captain,” one of the women called out timidly.

“Yes?” I answered, turning to put a face to the voice.

“I have no right to ask this, but would it be possible to ask you not to kill the Knotal Captain?” she asked.

“Might I ask why?”

She fidgeted for several seconds before deciding on an explanation. “It is very important that my father be allowed to execute him,” she answered.

I knew instantly that I didn’t want to know why. I also knew that I would have to find out why anyway--soon. “Very well. Dawn, Aurora, please take the Captain to a cell. Keep him alive but restrained and give him any medical treatment necessary to keep him alive.”

As they left the room I turned to the women again. “Any other requests?” When there weren’t any, I almost turned away again.

“Captain?” the same female voice asked, although slightly more assertively.

“Yes?” I asked, unable to keep the grin from my face. She blushed.

“Is there someplace quiet that we could talk?” she asked.

“Talk?” I repeated, wondering if she really meant talk or something else.

Again she blushed--quite nicely, too. “Yes, there are things I need to discuss with you.”

I looked around the room, not entirely comfortable with keeping secrets like this. She obviously noted my hesitation.

“There is nothing I have to say that everyone here does not already know,” she said, motioning to the other woman we’d rescued. “I merely hoped for a quieter setting in which to discuss it. I have no problem discussing it here if you prefer,” she offered.

She had pulled herself up straight and I knew immediately that she was no commoner. I recognized all too well the regal posture and poise and the courage to speak up. Fuck ... Fuck ... Fuck.

“Follow me,” I said, wondering if I had sounded as exasperated as I felt. “Note to self: stop saving female captives or let them find their own way home without bringing them aboard again,” I thought as I walked into my stateroom.

I held the door for her out of habit, motioning to one of the chairs. Beverly and Agatha joined us.

“I apologize for being such a problem. It’s just that...” she sighed.

“It’s just that you are from a wealthy or highborn family,” I finished for her.

“How did you know?” she gasped.

“I recognized the characteristics. Please continue.”

“I asked you not to kill the Captain to save my father. The Knotals took me to remind my father of his place. Their Captain raped me in front of my father and everyone present in the Court. By our custom, my father has one year to avenge my honor or he will be forced to surrender the crown.”

I cringed when she said Court and cringed harder when she said crown. “Is there a way for you to contact your father from here or should I just take you back?” I asked.

“You can’t take me back,” she gasped. “Doing that would be the same as telling the entire Kingdom that I’m unworthy of you and would cause my father even greater embarrassment.”

“Or that I already have more wives than I can handle?” I suggested hopefully.

“Nonsense, how can such a fearsome warrior be unable to handle as many women as he wants?” she asked while Beverly and Agatha cracked up.

“So my Princess, what do you suggest that we do now?” I asked. Wrong question.

“I’m sure you can think of something to do with me,” she purred as she moved to me and pressed her body against mine. Suddenly there was a very large pair of naked breasts pressed against my face. I have no idea how the top of the jumpsuit our troops had provided her had been removed in the three steps it took her to reach me.

“What about protecting your honor?” I asked.

“That was only a problem because the Captain forced me. For one reason or another, I’ve slept with half the men who were present when it happened. As long as I agreed there is no problem,” she explained.

“Shouldn’t we let your father know you’re safe?” I asked, quickly running out of excuses and stall tactics.

“On one condition,” she purred. Damn but she was definitely a highly experienced seductress. “Once he’s been notified I expect you to take me in there and ravish me properly,” she growled, pointing to the partially open door of my bedroom.

It took us a while to figure out how to link our communication equipment with theirs, but Crystal figured it out.

“Hello, Father,” she cooed, calmly sitting on my lap while still topless.

“Jolata, are you okay?” he asked, concerned.

“I’m fine, Father. Captain Demarest here just saved our people and destroyed four of the Knotal ships, killing or capturing all the Knotal. Their Captain Dralko is in a cell awaiting your arrival to bring him back and extract justice,” she purred.

“What kind of armada does he have to destroy four Knotal ships?” he gasped.

“I have seen only one ship and it is not even half the size of the Knotal battleship, but they easily dispatched their entire fleet.”

“How am I to reach you? Any of our ships will be shot down by their satellites,” the King reminded her.

“We will orbit the planet and destroy their satellites, then I will send a shuttle for you,” I offered.

“Jolata, you know that the Knotal will retaliate,” her father warned.

“I will do my best to convince Captain Demarest to stay and help us,” she cooed as she stood and let the jumpsuit fall to the floor revealing her in all her glory.

“Thank you, Captain,” he said emotionally before ending the call.

“Beverly, please let my wives and guests know that I’m being dragged to the bedroom,” I pretended to whine.

“Your wives are here on your warship with you?” Jolata asked, surprised.

“They are the younger women that came into the war room with me. Besides, this is not a warship--it is a scout ship designed to explore parts of space previously unknown to our civilization. Several of my wives chose to join me while the rest stayed home and tended to our business, family, and government interests.”

“Beverly, please let his wives know that I would enjoy their company too if they wish to join us,” Jolata cooed.

“And please let the AIs and my grandfather know what the situation is,” I added.

“Which situation? The one where you rescued another Princess or the one where you’re getting your brains fucked out?” Beverly laughed as she exited the room.

“She is a wife or one of your troops?” Jolata asked while she studied my reaction to Beverly’s comments.

“She is one of my troops but is also a very frequent guest in the bedroom with my wives and me. She was teasing me about the situation I currently find myself in.”

“Having sex?” Jolata asked.

“No, rescuing a Princess and finding the situation to be much more complicated than it first appeared to be.”

“You have rescued a Princess before?” she asked.

“Nine of them; my brother is married to one of them and I am married to the other eight, plus two Princesses that I didn’t rescue,” I sighed.

“And you are heir to these thrones?” she asked.

“Oh, no. My children, maybe, but I refused. One son is already heir apparent to my Emperor. I became an explorer because I detest all the politics and scheming that go on in the Court. And yet, even far from the Court, well out in space, I found myself enmeshed in dealings with the Houses of the Court. I stumbled across a plot to overthrow the government. By the time the attempted rebellion was over I was a hero. The head of one of the twelve main houses was a leader in the rebellion and his house was dissolved. They installed me as Founder and First Patriarch of the new house to replace his. So much for me staying out of Court business.

“Fortunately, my wives thoroughly enjoy it. They represent four houses and my brother a fifth. Between them, they manage to keep the Court in turmoil because they are usually able to outsmart the men who have been playing this game for decades. The other houses are afraid to use unfair tactics like they used against each other before because my father and I control more than half of all trade in the Empire. We refused to deal with the last person that tried to cheat us and he went out of business in six months.”

“Why don’t you show me how you manage to keep so many Princesses happy,” she said in a sultry voice that made my cock twitch.

She had just finished removing the last of my clothes and battle gear when a giggling gaggle of girls burst into the room.

“You?” Jolata gasped when she saw Carlisa.

“I only play like that with people who want me to or with prisoners my kind husband and demanding Master lets me play with,” she explained.

“Master?” Jolata repeated.

“All the women he saved from pirates and raiders were legally considered to be salvage. Hence, we were, by right, all owned by him and became his slaves. Those of us that married him refused to let our families ransom us because we enjoy being his slaves,” Carlisa explained. Jolata looked relieved.

“Good, I was afraid to tell you that all the women you just rescued are, by our law, your slaves. You may sell them, keep them, ransom them to their families, or simply return them to their families. Simply returning them, however, would be a huge insult to the girls and their families. It would be the same as telling them that they aren’t worth anything. And if you don’t use them for your pleasure at least once it would be a bigger insult, like saying they are too hideous. Even the ones you ransom should be used at least once. If you use them more than once it will raise their value when you ransom them and will increase their prestige and the bride price a husband will pay for her when she marries.”

I was glad that my wives were enjoying this, laughing so hard that Vicklene fell off the bed.

“So, the more times I force a woman to have sex with me, the more highly regarded she will be in the community when she returns?”

“You will not have to force any of us to have sex with you. We all know what is expected of us and will thoroughly enjoy it. We know that most of us would have died painful, deaths if you hadn’t rescued us. Every one of them will gladly come to your bed. All you have to do is invite them.”

Exasperated, I flopped backwards onto the bed and sighed. Jolata took advantage of my position and quickly took me in her mouth. “Crystal, how many female prisoners were there?” I asked, knowing she would hear me.

“There were ninety-six aboard Pillage, thirty-three aboard the Queen Jesseell, thirty-nine aboard the Queen Rutani, and twenty-seven aboard the Princess Wentrai for a total of one hundred ninety-five female and one hundred forty-two male slaves. In addition, we captured fifty-seven Knotal warriors,” she reported.

Even as exasperated as I felt, Jolata quickly had me ready and lowered herself on me grinning happily. Her stamina and muscle control were absolutely remarkable, equal to many of the captives we rescued from the raiders. I was surprised when, after I came, she quit.

“What about you?” I asked.

She shrugged. “I’m here for your pleasure,” she answered.

“Then please make sure that all the other women understand that part of my pleasure is bringing pleasure to them, too.”

While Vicklene worked to have me ready for round two, the ladies went to work on Jolata. “Crystal, could you please send Daisy in if she’s not busy?”

Daisy entered a minute later and immediately understood when I motioned to Jolata. I lay back and pulled Jolata on top of me, again sheathing myself in her sex. The look on her face when Daisy pressed into her rear opening was one of sheer delight. It quickly turned to surprise when she looked back and saw a woman.

“She...” Jolata started, unable to decide how to finish.