Repopulated Ch. 08

Chapter Eight

The alien's hands gripped at the bars of the cage as she shot all of them a murderous glare.

Her shattered diadem had been repaired, the gems replaced with new amethysts. Kate gasped at the sight, but she didn't feel any desire to get down on her knees and worship the alien as her mistress.

Feeling less afraid, she studied the bound alien more closely, noting that she had a golden collar wrapped tightly about her neck, decorated with more amethysts. Chains were attached from eye hooks on the collar to the sides of the cage, preventing her from moving too much in any direction. Under the collar, a gray slug sat happy, pressing tightly against her skin.

"This is our former tormentor and overlord collared for our pleasure," announced Doris smoothly, a bright smirk tugging at her lips. "Brought low due to overconfidence, she will now work for us against her former masters."

Khanja howled, her hands rattling the bars. The metal creaked as it shifted slightly under her grip, making Kate agitated.

She squeezed Jackie's hand, which her lover returned with a strong grip. That's right. She didn't have to be afraid of this creature any longer. She was the one under control.

"See how she struggles against her fate?" continued Doris, seemingly unconcerned at this display of strength. "With a burst of my power, she can be made utterly docile."

She touched the slug at Khanja's neck, and it shifted, growing tighter. The amethysts on her collar began to glow, her struggles slowing as a torpor spread to her limbs, eyes going dull as she gasped for breath.

"There is nothing to fear from her. She is under the control of my symbiote, and will do anything I say. Isn't that right, slave?"

She leaned over the cage, pressing a hand under the alien's chin as she stuck a thumb into her mouth. Khanja moaned, eyes rolling as a humming sound rent the air.

Doris pried at her teeth, jerking her jaw open. "Say it," she demanded. "Obey what I taught you."

"Yes, Mistress," gurgled Khanja, her mouth struggling to form the terran words.

The crowd hushed, staring at the alien overlord with fear and disgust. Doris let go of her mouth, turning around with a smug expression on her face. "As I said, I have complete control. We can do whatever we like."

Kate's resolve firmed. This was her opportunity to figure out what was going on. She gave Jackie's hand a quick squeeze, letting go as she took a step forward.

"And what is it that we like?" she asked, challenging the older woman. "I don't recall being consulted about these plans."

She turned to the other breeders in the crowd, noting how they shifted their feet. "None of you have been approached either, have you?"

She crossed her arms, looking back at Doris. "Please, enlighten us. What are you planning on doing with her?"

Muttered questions rose louder as the others moved closer, some of their voices rising with concern. Doris raised her hands to soothe their anger, her grin fading as she realized how precarious her situation had become.

"Look, I'm not planning on betraying you to them. If I wanted to do that, I could have turned you in ages ago," shrugged Doris. "I don't know if our benevolent masters would be very pleased at the fact that their local warlord has been waylaid."

She shook her head. "I would never do that, though, because I hate them - as much as you do yourselves. Give me leave, and I will explain myself."

Doris clicked the cage open, and the chains attached to Khanja's collar dropped free. The anger in the air faded, the crowd murmuring with fear as their former overlord rose to her feet, towering above them.

Kate noted that the alien was wearing a golden belt that cupped her privates. A chastity belt? She wouldn't be able to tell for certain unless she took a closer look, and she wasn't really feeling that brave

"This is a Slanadorian," announced Doris. "She belongs to an empire that spans multiple galaxies, pillaging and enslaving all who might resist."

She gestured at her armored body. "It should be obvious, but we are not of the same species."

A dark suspicion clutched at Kate's chest. "When you say we, I get the sense that you are not talking of your human host. What, exactly, do you mean?"

This was the crux of the matter. If the human named 'Doris' was no more, what hope did she have of retaining her inner self?"

"I could dodge your question, but I won't, because all of you need to know this," she sighed, staring out at the crowd with kindness. "I am Doris. But I am also Plaxx. This consciousness is a gestalt of both personalities."

"Whoa, whoa," interrupted Jackie, moving forward to stand next to Kate with her hands on her hips. "You're going to have to explain that one better. If you're a gestalt, who's the one in control of your actions? The one called Doris? Or the slug wrapped around your neck?"

"Both? Either? It's a differentiation that has no practical meaning," shrugged Doris. "We are human. We are Plaxx. We are one."

Ben cleared his throat. "Is that what is expected of all of us? That we'll go through this 'merging' process? Because I, for one, am rather uncomfortable with that thought."

Doris placed a hand possessively on Khanja's side, giving him a wide grin. "No, it's not a requirement. You can choose to remain as you are now, always on the outside, always seeking to understand what your symbiote wants."

She turned a hand over, as if she was flipping a leaf. "Or, you can take a step towards regaining control over your future, to better understand the alien organisms living with you. Because this is one thing I must confess to you - they're not coming off."

She stood strong as Ben walked up to her, fists at his sides. "You can't remove them, or you won't?" he grated out, muscles bulging.

"Can't," she said firmly. "Once the nervous system connections are established, it would be suicide to remove them. Some of your autonomic functions have been rewired through your neck slugs. Besides, you'd lose the ability to breathe in the atmosphere generated by the Sturge, guaranteeing a short, gruesome death."

She rolled her shoulders. "Even if you wanted to remove them, they wouldn't let you. The Plaxx have just as much a right to survive and thrive as we do."

"You would say that, of course, since you're one of them," sighed Jackie. "We can't trust anything you say."

"Perhaps not," Doris admitted. "But you can trust what I do."

She grabbed the cage and shuffled it off the stage, turning to march towards them. Hopping down, she ignored Ben's attempt at intimidation. "Use the provided translators and be silent as you watch this conversation. You can ask me more questions afterwards."

A bumbling pair of Tonkains appeared from the left, snorting as they paused at each converted human. Placing their trunk on the palm of an extended hand, the hairy tube pulsed, disgorging a small alien.

When it was her turn, Kate took hers without question and placed it on her forehead, waiting patiently for its tendrils to extend into her ears.

She couldn't wait until she knew enough of the alien language to forgo this! The tendrils were hardly comfortable, but she needed to know what was going on.

Doris wrapped a hand around her neck slug, and some of the dullness faded from Khanja's eyes. Their former mistress turned towards the screen and folded her hands behind her back as the spotlights moved into a neutral position.

A faint buzzing sound cut through the hushed silence. They were all waiting to see what she would do next.

Yet... she did nothing. The faint buzzing continued, her back flexing as a faint groaning hiss escaped her lips. Was she being... pleasured?

A small trickle of fluid appeared at the base of the belt, leaking down her thigh, but she paid it no heed, composing herself as the screen snapped on.

Khanja gave the scowling alien a bright smile. "Proctor Dahgla, it's good to see you again! Have you read my report?"

"Yes, and I don't believe it," hissed the Proctor, her head tubes standing up to express her displeasure. "How is it possible that my worst apprentice is achieving efficiencies higher than fifty percent above the norm? That's a hundred percent increase in captive acquisition and processing from your sector... unprecedented given our recent setbacks!"

Khanja spread her arms wide. "I have discovered the key to unlock this puzzle. Perhaps you would consider scheduling a visit to see what I have accomplished on the ground? A full one third of this world has already been pacified, so your presence should not cause undue risk."

The belt around the alien's midsection trembled. Kate could see the alien flinching, but it was subtle enough that the Proctor didn't catch on.

Her head tubes calmed down, lying flat against her skull. "Very well," she hissed, "but if I find that you have been lying to me, you will be sent back to homeworld and broken on the altar until not even the smallest falsehood may breach your lips."

Khanja shrank back, her face going pale. "I can confidently say that you will not be disappointed. Please reserve judgment until you have had time to assess my progress."

The Proctor scowled, pressing her hands together. "Go with the Protector, sister. And stop that trembling, it's unbecoming."

Khanja matched her gesture. "Go with the Protector."

The screen blanked, and her reserved mien crumbled. Legs writhing, she moaned helplessly as the belt increased its vibration, teasing her to a crushing orgasm.

Doris watched for a long moment, then stepped onto the stage, gripping her neck slug. "That's enough," she said loudly over the alien's cries of pleasure.

The former overlord's hands stiffened at her side and she stood tall, turning around to face her mistress. Sweat soaked her face, eyes glowing a dull blue.

"Very good. You've performed precisely as I had hoped," said Doris gently. "You may return to your cage."

The jewels at her forehead flashed, the glow in her eyes increasing in intensity. "As you command, Mistress," she replied, her lips mangling the words.

If there was an internal struggle, it wasn't apparent. She simply turned and climbed off the stage, compressing her form into the open cage. As she settled into place, the dangling chains jumped to her collar, securing themselves into place with an audible clank.

Her hand closed the cage door and the glow faded. Her former personality didn't return, however. Instead, her eyes drooped shut and she began to breathe gently, as if she had run a marathon.

This demonstration of control disturbed Kate greatly. If Doris was capable of such things, how could she ever be trusted in other respects?

"This is too much power," she blurted out. "Could you do this to any of us?"

Doris sighed, pressing her hands to her skull. She suddenly looked extremely tired. "Do you think I like doing this?" she asked forcefully.

A frown creased her brow over her human eyes. "No, let me rephrase. I do like doing this, but only because she would have done it to us, given the chance. We all would have been brainless bimbos, fucking and fellating each other without a care in the world, while she reaped the rewards!"

"This doesn't make us any better, though!" Kate protested. "We're doing the same thing. What makes us more benevolent?"

Doris threw up her arms. "Because we're not callous enough to kill them out of hand? Look, we're only using their tools against them! I'm not planning on turning them into second class citizens under a new regime brokered by me!"

A speculative look lit up her face. "The empire of Doris does have a nice ring to it, but no, that would never work."

Jackie squeezed at Kate's shoulder, but she held up a hand. "Good. I don't expect that our motives are pure in this, but I want to ensure that we're not going to go too far the other direction. Our freedom shouldn't require making another species our slaves."

"We'll have to compromise in the short term, though," warned Jackie. "That Proctor won't go down without a fight."

Doris shook her head. "A fight won't be necessary. I already have plans for an ambush. There are plenty of places here where we can trap her and her entourage. Once a collar has been locked around her neck, she'll be just as tractable as our pet Khanja."

Ben gave her a pensive stare. "If that works, what happens next? It's unlikely they'll let us go peacefully."

"That's true," replied Doris, dipping her head. "Our path to victory is anything but certain. We'll need to continue subverting their higher level personnel until we reach critical mass. Until that point, we risk an outright war. I can't promise that it will all go the way we plan."

Kate wasn't sure where her confidence was coming from, but a swell of rightness pushed her forward. She stepped onto the stage, facing Doris directly. "I'll join your cause," she announced, "but I will be your conscience. If you step out of line, I'll oppose every move you make."

Doris blinked, seemingly taken aback at her boldness. "I accept," she said, looking bemused. "We will all need to work together as one to have any hope of success. I'm not in a position to deny your demands."

"Good," said Jackie forcefully. "I'm right behind you on this. What say you all?"

The crowd raised their fists and roared their approval. Surprised, it was Kate's turn to be flustered. She hadn't been expecting this amount of support. Even Ben was giving her a proud smile!

Doris waited for the cheers to fade. "Now, before we do more planning, I have something else to offer you, but I suspect that not all of you will accept it."

"Oh? And what would that be?" asked Jackie, her words slicing the air like knives.

"It's very simple," replied Doris calmly. "I can teach you how to merge with your symbiotes."

Utter silence descended around them as everyone processed her words. "You can what?" interjected Jackie, vocalizing what they were all thinking.

"It's true. You can learn to be like me, a gestalt organism," she continued blithely, as if this was the most natural thing in the world. "Oh, come on, don't act like this is a huge shock. It's the logical next step, accepting that your implanted symbiotes and you are one creature."

Kate's mind raced. This wasn't a novel concept, but the suddenness of the announcement was shocking. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Right here? Right now?"

"That's right," Doris nodded. "It will be your own choice, but you must decide how much you are interested in having a hand in the future. Without a full connection to your symbiote, you'll never be anything more than a breeder."

A dark shadow appeared in her eyes. "It's too dangerous otherwise. The only reason they were able to control you is because you weren't as one. Once you become a combined organism, they can no longer use their psionic devices to control the symbiotes. They won't be able to force you to do anything."

Excitement and fear pulsed in Kate's chest at the possibilities. She could take this next step, join with the symbiotes, and leave behind her fear of being controlled.

But would she still be her after all was said and done? There wasn't really any way to know, was there?

Doris probably couldn't tell her, either, and not due to any deception on her part. Doris had been utterly changed into a new being. She probably couldn't even imagine what it was like to be a grandmotherly antique shop owner any more.

She weighed these thoughts in her mind, a strong impulse shooting through her brain as a definitive conclusion arose.

Yes. She would do this - because she wanted to have a say in protecting her future with Jackie, above all else.

"I'll do it," she announced suddenly, breaking through the chatter of the crowd. "I'll be your sacrificial guinea pig. That will prove to the others that what you say isn't a lie."

"No!" interjected Jackie strongly, crossing in front of her. "I can't let you do this through some misplaced sense that you're saving me. I'll do it."

Kate sidled up next to her, giving her a soft punch in the side. "We'll both do it, then," she said, giving her lover a determined stare. "Look, if we don't take this risk equally, we'll never trust each other again."

Jackie gave her a hard stare. After a long moment, she sighed. "You're right, little pickle."

Her lips twisted into a bitter smile. "I always felt that I wasn't the strong one in our relationship and now you've proved it to me. Within you lies an iron will, and I admire that."

"That's not true!" protested Kate. "You're the dominant one. You're always suggesting new positions, new approaches, new ways of having fun, and I've always taken everything you've given me!"

"That's right. You accepted it all, without protest. I could never do the same if I was in your shoes."

She wrapped an arm around Kate's back and gave her a tight hug. "We balance each other out. That's why we work so well together. And that is why I won't let you go it alone."

Tears welled up in Kate's eyes. That was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to her.

She brushed them away, turning towards Doris. "Our answer is settled, then. We'll be doing this together."

"Very well," replied Doris, "but I can only handle one at a time. Who will be first?"

Kate patted at Jackie's hand, taking a step forward. "Me," she said firmly.

Doris looked her over, her face recomposing into a blank slate. "You need not fear this. It won't be painful," she explained. "You will need to take off your bikini, however."

Whatever embarrassment Kate possessed had long since vanished after her conversion. She lifted her hands and undid the string, letting it flutter softly to the ground. "What next?"

"You only need to feel... and understand." Doris stepped up to her, flipping down her bra, the material twisting into a solid line under her breasts.

Her nipples popped free, triangular eyes glowing a strong blue as she stepped up to Kate. She glimpsed a sea of tiny, outstretched tendrils that waved softly from the bed of her areolae, vanishing from view as they were eclipsed by the slope of her own breasts.

She grunted as their boobs squashed in the middle, the tendrils latching onto her nipples as their bellies touched. This was not an unusual position to enjoy with her lover, but she had never done this with a different alien.

Doris' eyes sparkled. "We are conjoined. Now, let us connect, mind to mind, so that I can show you the way."

Kate frowned as Doris' neck slug shifted, a slim tail lifting from the surface. She hadn't even known it could do that!

Before she could ask the converted human to slow down, the tail whipped around and plugged into her own neck slug, sliding in through one of the holes on its side.

She moaned at the tickling sensation, wanting to remove herself from the uncomfortable stimulation, but it was too late. Their breasts were tightly bound together, and she wasn't going anywhere.

Within a matter of moments, she didn't want to go anywhere. The colors swirling in Doris' eyes were so deep, so beautiful. Why had she never noticed this before?

Her jaw gaped as she studied the diamond shaped outline of Doris' face. It didn't seem so alien anymore, given how familiar she was becoming with her own. The bony edges even seemed... a little alluring.

Oh, but that was only the case because she was seeing Jackie's face instead. She sighed, her eyes drifting shit as she imagined being scooped up into the arms of her lover.