Jack's Wage Slavery Pt. 02

They got to the far corner of the building and peered around to see their target. The ship was on the launch cradle and it looked like there was a crew of Allsa Komanae scrambling to get it fueled for take-off.

Nann pulled her sniper rifle from her pack and snapped the long barrel onto it. She quickly calibrated the scope then in rapid succession took out the three men manning the hoses and the one operating the fueling truck.

They heard a rumbling behind them and saw two cargo trains skimming past them on the way to the ship. The one closest to them slowed down.

"Major! Get everyone on board! I have the trains slaved to me," Ray called out from the first open cargo bay. Leo sprinted the short distance to the second cargo car and jumped in. Maxim followed and the others ran for the end cars. The first train was drawing all the fire from the remaining Allsa Komanae by the ship's loading bay. They were close enough for Maxim and Leo to hit their targets and the incoming fire quickly stopped as they picked off the guards.

Ray had their decoy train move to the opposite side of the ship as they pulled in by the open cargo bay. He shut down the trains and they sprinted to the cargo door. Ray saw a group of ten small rectangular storage pods waiting to be loaded. He scanned them and suddenly froze.

"Major!"

"What is it?"

"The pods! They contain... children. Most are human children!"

"What?!?" She ran over to the first pod and went to open it.

"NO! They're in stasis. It's safer for them to stay like that for now. We shouldn't open them until we get them back onto our ship." Ray moved into the cargo area and scanned the pods inside. "I have three more in here. The rest are just full of normal cargo junk."

Nann and the Major kept watch as Maxim, Ray, and Leo moved the three pods outside onto their train in the last car. They moved the other ten onto the train which didn't leave much room for the team.

"Ray! Can you hack your way into the ship's navigation system?" Nann asked him.

"Uh, maybe. I can try but I'm going to need to get to a main terminal. The cargo area doesn't have a terminal and the crew has locked the inner door manually from the inside."

"Boys?" Nann said to Maxim and Leo. They rushed back into the ship. Moments later they rushed out and everyone ducked behind the engine of the cargo train. Nothing happened for a few seconds and Nann was about to ask when the charge blew. The noise was deafening and the lower half of the ship bulged outwards destroying the cradle the ship was sitting in.

They all peered over the engine at the destroyed ship. There was a tear in the hull plating up the side so wide Ray was able to fly through it into the Engineering department to find a terminal.

"Geezus! What the fuck was that?!? How much explosive did you use?" Nann griped, seeing the damage. "We should have been much further away!"

"Ship's hull contained blast... mostly. I used only two seeds. It took three to blow windshield." Leo muttered.

"You're using that crazy organic shit from the Altarians? You know that stuff's too powerful! The windshield would have been some kind of reinforced polymer on an armored personnel carrier! Of course it took more!" the Major barked.

"Bal said destroy ships. This does both," Leo answered.

Ray returned. "Sorry Major, the ship is dead as is the rest of its crew. They were behind the door when it blew. The blast cut the power to the computers too. I'll need access to a ship before Leo blows it up.

Taking a position on the engine Ray got the cargo trains moving again as his teammates got comfortable in the car directly behind the engine. Their shield train was still with them, out front between them and the remaining two ships.

Cha'Risa contacted the SEAL team at the second ship to let them know they were on their way. The Captain she reached reported the crew had locked themselves inside and without blowing a hole in the ship to get inside they were stalemated. They wanted the pilot for interrogation.

The trains approached the ship and they heard a siren start to wail.

"Uh Major, I think it's preparing to launch." Nann said.

"Leo, give Nann five seeds. Nann hit the side of that ship! Up top, away from the cargo hold."

"Captain, pull your team back. We're going to blow the ship!" Cha'Risa yelled into her comm.

They watched the SEAL team beat a hasty retreat as the cradle began to enclose the ship in preparation for launching it.

Nann prepared a payload round and Leo dropped five of the seeds into the impact gel. She slapped the round into her sniper rifle, aimed, and fired before the cradle was completely in position. Seconds later the ground jumped under them as the cradle split open and the top half of the ship tore free and crashed to the ground.

"I think it's a fair bet to assume this ship is dead too. Let's get to the cargo before it burns up," Nann called out over the noise.

They pulled up and Ray shot forward. He hooked a tentacle into the wreckage of the cargo bay door and ripped it open. He suddenly shot sideways as a plasma bolt fired out of the open doorway glancing off his side.

"OW! FUCK!" he yelled as Maxim leapt forward to fire three rounds into the Allsa Komanae lying on the floor of the cargo bay.

"RAY!" Nann screamed.

"I'm ok! He just grazed me but FUCK did that hurt!"

Leo walked up to Ray and gave him an angry shove. "You open door, you stand aside! Always!"

"Sorry," Ray said.

"GO! Check cargo." Leo said, rattled by the close call.

Ray swooped around Maxim and scanned the pods. "I have three more. All children. One is human." He began unhooking the pods from the restraints. Leo and Maxim carried the pods outside where the SEALs took them to the cargo train.

"Why are they stealing children?" the SEAL Captain asked as he reached the cargo bay.

"No idea. Ray, is there any chance you could get anything from the computers in this ship?" the Major asked.

"Sorry, no. We only have one more chance."

"What are you trying to do?" the Captain asked.

"We need a working computer terminal on one of these ships so Ray can read their navigation system to get the coordinates to the homeworld. Two out of the three ships have been destroyed. Last chance." Cha'Risa explained.

The Captain nodded and spoke into his comm to reach the sailors at the last ship. He spoke quietly for a few seconds. He looked back at the others. "They've breached the ship and are making their way inside. They know we need the ship intact."

Ray rushed away once more to a maintenance building on the edge of the tarmac and moments later they saw a large vehicle roll out of it and turn their way. It was some kind of firefighting equipment but best of all it had plenty of room for passengers. The cargo train which wasn't riddles with holes was now full of cargo pods so the personnel climbed onto the large vehicle. Ray got the shield train moving towards the third and final ship and had the full train follow. Then he got their ride moving and pulled it up beside the second train.

"We have the pilot!" the Captain called out, listening to his comm. His team cheered.

They pulled up along the side the third ship and Ray shut down all of the vehicles.

The Major called Queen Elissa.

"Major Ash! Is everyone alright?"

"Yes though Ray has a nasty scar."

"Oh my! Tell him to be more careful!"

"We found quite a few kidnap victims in the cargo of two of the ships. They are in stasis pods. They're all children."

"Children?" her voice was quiet.

"Yes, so far all children. They had to be recent abductions. Most seem to be human and the rest are from a bunch of different races."

"I'll send shuttles and Tik to pick them up." The Queen's voice had ice in it. "Excellent work Major. Please pass along my thanks to the others."

"Thank you. Captain Vickers tells me we have a pilot in custody and we are going to ask Ray to try to read the navigation logs of this ship."

"Excellent! The city administrators were killed by their staff before the SEAL teams got to them. It was a bloody battle but only minor injuries on our side. The teams are heading back to the ship. Keep me informed of your progress!" Queen Elissa said, her voice warming up considerably.

Ray was already flying over to the ship. The SEALs led the pilot from it and Ray went inside. He scanned the cargo and found five more children. The SEALs carried the pods outside and put them in the intact cargo bays of the shield train as Ray went up to the bridge. He scanned the computers and saw how he could interface with it. He found the navigation logs and began downloading them. Then he noticed something else.

The Major sent both cargo trains back to the spaceport double-time. Colonel Bertillon reported that all Allsa Komanae in the buildings were dead. They'd refused to surrender and fought to the death. All of the pilots in the base were dead as well. They'd taken their own lives rather than be interrogated. Cha'Risa frowned and watched their prisoner being led to the truck. Why was it acting so... calm?

SHIT!

Ray's voice blasted out over everyone's comm. "EVERYONE GO! THE SHIP'S ENGINES ARE SET TO OVERLOAD! GET CLEAR! NOW!!!"

"RAY! GET OUT OF THERE!" Nann yelled into her comm from the driver's compartment of the truck where she'd been familiarizing herself with the controls.

"No time to wait, I'll be right behind you! GO!"

Nann got the truck started and the sailors jumped onboard. The truck jerked forward then began to accelerate towards the admin buildings. Cha'Risa was standing on a platform on the back of the truck holding a grip bar as she watched for Ray.

They were almost back to the building when she saw something ejecting from the front of the ship towards them in a ballistic arc. Then the ship blew in a huge flash of white light. The shockwave raced outwards.

The truck swung wide and Cha'Risa clung to the handrail with all her might as the truck ducked in behind the shelter of the building before the blast wave struck. The building's windows blew out and the five story edifice shook on its foundations.

The Major frantically looked upwards just in time to see a tumbling ejection capsule drop into the trees of the ridge line a few kilometers away. No parachute had deployed.

Seconds later the shuttles arrived to pick up the cargo pods. Nann dropped down from the cab just as Maxim, Leo, and the Major ran past. "WHERE'S RAY?" she yelled. The Major just gestured for her to follow.

She chased them to the closest shuttle. The Major told the Tik pilot to lift off and head up the ridge line. It wasted no time and soon they were traveling north at treetop level. They found and hovered over the spot where the capsule had crashed through the treetops. The four commandos rode cables down to the forest floor. A few hundred metres further north they found the wreckage.

The pilot Tik joined them after it slaved the shuttle to its control. It ripped open the capsule's door and lifted Ray's motionless shape from inside. "His energy levels are much too low. We must get him back to the ship," was all the Tik said. The commandos hooked up to the cables and rose back up to the shuttle deck. They gathered around Ray as the pilot got them headed back to the Blade of Reason at top speed.

"God damn you Ray! You are NOT dying on us again!" Cha'Risa growled.

Chapter 22

Jack woke feeling almost unbearably hot and his arms were tingling. Eve and Stella were pressed up against him on both sides and his mind went to another moment so long ago where he'd woken between two hot females. He grinned.

"Are you awake now Jack?"

He lifted his head to look over Eve's head to see Kekk standing a few feet away. Behind him was Ghia looking anxious. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong. Just too many pheromones! We're going to find a place to have some private time then it is our turn to sleep. We will return shortly." He turned and Ghia took his hand. They rushed to the doorway and peered outside. They slipped out the door and were gone.

Jack dropped his head back and Eve snuggled in closer. He had to get up but Stella threw her arm over him and he was trapped once more.

He thought back to the conversation they'd had the night before. They knew they had no food and that was going to be a problem. The water was still flowing but there was no power. Once the power came back online they might be able to secure some food. Maybe. The communications and network services were the biggest threat as they controlled the collars but they weren't coming back on without power. The Grellian suggested they immediately go to the spaceport to get to the ships. Unfortunately they were quite a ways from that location and unless they could steal a ride walking was going to take all day.

They discussed plans for getting there the following day as Jack and Ghia were exhausted. In a huff the Grellian walked away from the group into the darkness... and didn't come back. Kekk looked outside and there was no sign of the large stony being. Their motley crew was minus one Grellian. Kekk and Stella took first watch and the rest slept. Jack was supposed to take a turn during the night but they let him sleep.

Now he was trapped under two soft and hot furry females.

Luckily Joseph came to his rescue as he began to fuss on the bed next to Jack's.

Instantly awake, Eve lifted her head to look over at the child and saw he was just waking. She smiled at Jack's happy grin.

"You are an excellent mother," he said.

She frowned and rolled out of bed but he caught the joy in her eyes as she moved to collect the child.

Stella clung tighter to Jack and he'd had enough. He saw the slight upturn at the corners of her mouth so he knew she was awake. He ran his teeth down her throat and released a deep rumbling growl. She bleated and grabbed at the sheets. Given his escape Jack gave her a sweet kiss and jumped off the bed before she could grab him again. She looked up at him with heat in her eyes and licked her lips.

"Am I really like that too?" Eve asked. Stella looked at her in surprise.

"No, not quite... but close. I think Altarians are naturally horny-" Jack stopped as his eyes rose upwards to the growths rising over his head.

Stella began to laugh until she couldn't breathe. Eve was watching the blush rising on his face with fascination.

Shaking his head Jack headed for the shower. He was still covered in sweat. He wondered what he was going to do about getting clean clothes.

The water was cold but it was refreshing and he was able to get clean. He was surprised Stella hadn't followed him in.

Jack walked out of the shower room putting his funky tunic back on. As it slipped over his head he spotted some stains that might be Allsa Komanae... blood? He sighed and pulled it down.

As it cleared his head he spotted Eve and Stella standing side by side looking at him with fear in their eyes. Then he spotted the stranger holding Joseph in her arms.

It was a woman. She was tall, as tall as he was, and wore a charcoal grey gown that hid her body but gave the impression that she was slim. Her head was exposed as the gown's hood was pushed back and he saw she had no hair, at all. Her skin was porcelain white which made the blue of her sensual lips seem darker. Those lips were smiling now.

"At last we meet Jack. I've been so looking forward to it."

Her voice was like the smoothest, sweetest honey dripping onto his tongue. He found himself wishing she'd keep talking then blinked in confusion.

"Prime?"

"Yes! Very good, Jack! You're not as much of a disappointment as my... underlings suggested you'd be." She practically devoured him with her large blue eyes. Glowing blue... wait, glowing?

"We need to have a little talk but this isn't the place so it's time to take a little sleep." Prime said sweetly. Eve and Stella collapsed like puppets with their strings cut. Jack took a step towards them but froze when Prime lifted Joseph in the air as if she was going to slam him down.

"You've damaged my prettiest work ever! That won't do. Hold very still now," she said and Jack was beginning to wish she would stop talking. Her voice was seriously messing up his mind.

He missed the Allsa Komanae sneaking up behind him until the stun rod jammed against the base of his skull and his brain lit up.

When he returned to his body he found himself naked on his back, secured to a table much like the one he'd been on when they attached the collar. He couldn't move his head and the memory of the pain that day came rushing back and his body jolted.

"Shhhhh... calm yourself Jack. Everything is fine."

It was Prime but he couldn't see her. The sound might have been coming from below the table.

"You really did a number on my lovely collar. I spent so much time on it ensuring it was perfectly calibrated to your biosignature so it could transmit every nuance of your experiences. Now I have to fix it while you are wearing it. I'm sorry Jack, this isn't going to be pleasant for you. The receiver is fried and that's going to require replacement of that link. That's... well that's going to hurt like nothing else you've ever felt." Her voice was calm like she was talking about something mundane like the weather.

Jack grit his teeth together as his body shook.

Prime went on oblivious to his discomfort. "I'll take care of that later. I'm so pleased the transmitter is still functioning perfectly. That would have ruined all of my plans. Once I have it recalibrated we'll take it out for a test drive. I may even share the feed with your friends over there as a nice break from all the pain. Oh yes, that's right, you can't see them. Well, it's the females you were with. They're getting a little disciplining now. I'll let you hear a bit of their sweet pain." She did something he couldn't see and suddenly he could hear Eve and Stella's cries of agony. Then it was gone. "Ah! Just a little bit. You don't deserve any more reward than that! Time for that recalibration."

She was silent for a bit and Jack began to feel flames licking at his toes. A band of heat and excruciating pain climbed up his legs. Jack began to hyperventilate as he tried to keep from screaming. His jaw clenched and he willed himself to rise above the pain. It was harder than anything he'd done before but he was next aware that the pain had already risen above his nipples and was still climbing. His jaw muscles were so rigid he was worried about cracking some teeth.

Then it was up to his chin and crossing his face. He held his breath and the band passed over his eyes and left through the top of his head. He gasped in a breath and every muscles sagged in relief. When he opened his eyes again he saw Prime was standing next to the table watching him with an odd expression.

"You didn't scream."

Jack saw something in her eyes then. Doubt. A flaw in her armor. It was only there for the briefest moment but he saw it. He closed his eyes and relaxed. He heard an odd sound and reopened them to see she had dropped her gown to her feet. Her skin was flawless and hairless. She had no breasts so he assumed her species weren't mammalian. He forced his eyes away from her sleek body.

"You- you look nothing like the other Allsa Komanae," he ground out.

"No, I don't do I." Her voice was pleased as she looked down at her body and smiled. "I'm an example of the perfection of our species while they are the result of a millennia of poisoning. They must be commended for their brave efforts to survive though. Of course that's not their doing to be truthful. It's just proof of the overpowering will of a Prime at work. The one who gave his being to this perverted cloning process to keep the species alive must have been desperate and possibly injured to have attempted something so bold. The results... a shadow of our glory but one which lasted... until you."