Silver Ch. 02

A soft buzzing indicated a private call was awaiting Jameson. Excusing himself from Rayner's presence, the older man slipped from the room. On his return it was obvious his relaxed mood was changed. The senior male made no reference to the call and none of his family questioned him. They were well aware that Jameson would discuss whatever was necessary in his own time. Apart from the call, the rest of the day passed happily and the group relished the peace and comfort of simply being family.

It wasn't until Aurora retired to bed that Jameson finally spoke about his call.

"I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, boys, but I've had a call specifically requesting you for a mission. It would mean working closely with a local planetary delegation from Wraithe. Wraithe has been fluctuating between remaining part of the Federation and allying itself with a group of more hostile worlds. They've indicated that the response they receive from the Federation could sway their decision."

"You aren't happy, Papa," Tristam observed.

"This is a border world. You're all aware of how awkward it is to easily patrol them to ensure they meet the Federation's codes of equality, freedom and liberty."

"Wraithe had a reputation for slavery and brutality," Sholto provided. "There were the elite caste and the slave caste. Supposedly these castes no longer exist, but as far as can be established, what were slave castes still live in extremes of poverty and most of the work they can get is in some form of servitude."

"It's almost impossible because of its location to descend and perform a spot check. Many believe that the planet simply enjoys our protection and subsidies whilst keeping to its old ways. Making sure that when a delegation does visit they see what they need to see."

"Smoke and mirrors," growled Uist.

"Exactly," Jameson nodded. "Many would gladly see Wraithe exiled from the Federation. But because they are a border world, their government ensured they ingratiated themselves with similar. If we refuse to send one of our best teams, the team they have requested assistance from, then the inference is that we have little concern for the smaller border worlds. The planet could easily sow dissent and doubt along the borders."

"It seems we have little choice. We have to show equality to all our worlds. Do we know why we were selected? Is it just our reputation?" asked Tristam.

"As far as I am able to ascertain," Jameson nodded. "The best I can uncover is that the delegation leader: Beckla, has asked for your team. Supposedly she has heard you are one of the top Elite teams and she has stated that if we wish to prove we want to protect border worlds, then we should be prepared to send our best when requested. I have to confess I dislike the woman intensely. I would advise you to be as wary of the delegation that you are supposed to help as you would of any potential predator."

"What are we up against?" Uist asked.

"Wraithe set up a small mining colony on an inhospitable asteroid. They lost contact two weeks ago and immediately put in a request that the Federation send them support to investigate. They claim that pirate raids have been attacking their ships and fear buccaneers have attacked the colony. We have agreed to send a small military force and some mining experts."

"Pirate attacks aren't usually something we would be involved in," Rayner observed.

"They have also mooted that the pirate attacks are just fronts by another border world. That's what they want us to look into." Jameson explained.

"A very volatile scenario," Xavier sighed. "The military will want control."

"They are in charge of defence, you would be in charge of the investigation and I have also negotiated that the Elite team have overall authority to stay or leave as the situation dictates. This is a very isolated area and communication is poor."

"We don't have much choice in this do we, Papa?" Rayner asked quietly as he nuzzled gently against the older man.

Jameson drew Rayner into his embrace. "As dark haired, of slender build, of smaller stature or simply being of another race, you all would be seen as substandard. Theophilus would make an exotic...pet." He moved to include Theophilus in his hug. "They favour the physically strong, tall and blond," He managed to include Sholto, sheltering all of them in a loving hold. Jameson's grip tightened as the blond buried his face in the mature male's shoulder "They would be impressed with the power of you, Tristam, and Uist although an off-worlder. Xavier would be something to avoid, not attractive enough to be a pet." He tenderly kissed each of the boys he held. Theophilus' chronological age was immaterial to Jameson. To him, Theophilus would always be one of his 'boys' just as Xavier was. "Go to your husbands, my sons," he said releasing the trio from the safety of his arms to that of their mates. "Think about it hard and well. I will see you all tomorrow." He kissed the other three males before leaving.

As Jameson left the room, three thoughtful couples sat in contemplative silence.

It was almost a foregone conclusion that Tristam accepted the mission. Through Jameson he contacted the major in charge of the military team. Derrick was known to the group and was amicable to Tristam's recommendations. It was established that Tristam's team would make the preliminary sweep and initial investigations whilst the military secured the camp and the mining team made their checks. If any protracted work was necessary, Tristam had the right to call in any other Elite groups he deemed essential or he could choose to relinquish the investigation to another team. It had not been easy to negotiate the latter. Beckla proved difficult to agree the terms with, but eventually conceded. Tristam was more than half convinced that the reason for their selection was the woman was still entrenched in Wraithe's old mind-set. Anything less than the best would be seen as substandard which was not acceptable to a Wraithe denizen of the supposedly discontinued elite caste.

********

The six moved as one towards their first face-to-face meeting with Beckla and her team, Derrick's platoon and the miners. Tristam had already spoken to the miners' leader Kaz and was impressed by his quiet intelligence. As they entered the room, the silence was almost palpable. Beckla stood aside from the others, her group behind her. Tristam had been appraised that she was a physician and that her group included medical technicians amongst other less defined personnel. However, he was still unprepared for the sight they made.

Beckla herself was easily six feet or more tall. She was powerfully built with short-cropped platinum blonde hair. Her pale blue eyes lit up as she ran them over his and Uist's forms. Tristam was aware of the almost sub-vocal growl from Uist. Beckla's team were all tall, powerfully built blond males. Tristam noticed the lascivious looks directed at Theophilus. If he had held any doubt as to Jameson's meaning of the word 'pet', they vanished under the openly leering looks. Uist's growl intensified as Beckla approached. Tristam's sense of scent was enhanced, but Uist's was keener still. However, as Beckla drew nearer, the unmistakeable scent of arousal assaulted Tristam's nose.

"I am Beckla," the woman announced curtly. "Group Leader." She ran her eyes over Tristam and Uist, lingering on the body of the cat-man to Tristam's side. "I am pleased to see two such excellent males," she continued. "I have never been so close to a PrideHomer. They are indeed all I have heard they were purported to be." She reached out a hand as if to touch Uist's chest.

"I am Tristam, Elite Leader." Tristam moved to intercept the hand even as Uist's warning growl was heard. "Uist is Second-in -Command. We are both mated." He drew Rayner to his left arm as Uist drew Sholto to his right. "Rayner and Sholto," he said as the younger men took their places. "My final team members are Theophilus and Xavier, also mated." As he spoke, Theophilus moved to stand between him and Uist with Xavier behind. It was Tristam's intention to show they were a single cohesive group. "If at any time you or a member of your group treats any of my people with less than the equality and respect they deserve, we will withdraw from the investigation."

"You mated with Betas," Beckla sneered curling her thin lips. "Male Betas. A waste of your potential. You choose to consort with sub-species," her look was contemptuous and then she gave a cold smile. "However, I have been assured your team is the best. That is what we desire." As she spoke her last word, her gaze returned to Uist. She stared pointedly at his groin and deliberately licked her lips.

Uist was disgusted by the blatant sexual display. He had been announced as mated and he pulled Sholto tight to his side. Such a display on PrideHome would not have gone unchallenged, but here he deferred to Tristam's judgement. He felt a hand press reassuringly at the small of his back. He feasted his eyes on the beauty of his mate and inhaled his scent deeply. He then faced Beckla with the coldest stare he possessed. For a fleeting second, he saw the anger and revulsion as her gaze flicked briefly to the auburn haired smaller man and then the mask was back in place.

Beckla turned away, a malevolent smile on her face. She hissed at her group, but neither Tristam nor Uist were able to make out the words. Instinctively he and Uist glanced at each other. Pulling their mates tighter to their sides, they moved simultaneously closer to Theophilus. Picking up on the undercurrent, Xavier moulded his large frame behind Theophilus. As Beckla turned round she took in the silent message, however, the cold smile remained frozen in place.

The teams travelled on a large military ship that was sufficiently large to house "Silver Star". There were extra soldiers to pilot the huge craft, but these would not be leaving the Mother ship. Tristam's group got to know the platoon of soldiers under Derrick's command. Derrick was a powerfully built man, with dark black skin and a shaved skull. The Sergeant was Myla, an athletically built woman with close-cropped brunette hair and there were six other soldiers: one female and five male. Kaz had three mining experts with him, all male. Despite their divergent backgrounds they were all comfortable with each others presences. Beckla and her group remained resolutely aloof. The others had quickly discerned that ignoring Beckla and her people was the best way of dealing with them.

Due to an imminent meteor storm, those landing were forced to do so at the equivalent of the middle of the night. The storm was likely to last a couple of days. It also meant that ship to shore communication would be impossible. Tristam took his people down in "Silver Star" wanting its wealth of equipment to hand in case of emergency. The rest descended in a basic military transport shuttle. On landing, Beckla led them to the miners' barracks.

"We would be best to stay here now and begin to unravel the mystery after resting," Beckla announced. "Our scanners show no life, so there is no urgency. I am taking my people to the Med Labs where we will rest."

No-one argued as she left. In truth, the others were glad not to be in too close company with her group. Beckla's men had not spoken to anyone, only leered at Theophilus and at the women, irritating everyone.

**************

As the equivalent of morning dawned, Beckla came to provide schematics of the mine and the building and to agree the arrangements of who investigated what. Kaz and his three men went with two of Beckla's men and one military escort. Theophilus and Rayner wanted to check communications and again were assigned two of Beckla's men and Myla as military escort. Uist and Sholto went to simply allow Uist to use his finely tuned senses to try and pick up anything that would explain the apparent disappearance of the miners. They also had two of Beckla's men, but eschewed a military escort. Tristam and Xavier opted to remain at the barracks to examine schematics. Derrick and two men decided to check the rest of the facility, leaving the rest of the platoon with Tristam and Xavier. As the people went about their various tasks, Tristam was unable to suppress a shiver. Xavier glanced over.

"What is it, my brother?" he asked.

"I can't explain it, Xavier," Tristam replied. "But something here feels very wrong. It went against all of my instincts to trust Beckla and her people."

"That is very bad," Xavier murmured. "Your instincts are impeccable."

"Let us look at those schematics again. I have some ideas about defence."

***********

Rayner and Theophilus were uncomfortable in the presence of Beckla's men. The large blonds were constantly trying to pet Theophilus and laughing at his evasions. Rayner glowered at them, but received only further laughter for his attempt. It suddenly struck Rayner what it was that seemed so wrong. These men were making no attempt to locate missing miners. They were relaxed, as though they were at home. They were not concerned that men had apparently ceased contact and disappeared. He glanced at Theophilus and could see his brother of the heart was thinking along the same lines as Theophilus' hand slid towards the knife he wore concealed at his thigh. There was a sudden flurry of movement and Myla dropped unconscious to the floor.

"Not so fast, pretty," one of the two men growled. A small gun's muzzle was pressed against Rayner's temple and the sidearms he and Theophilus carried were removed. A third man appeared and slung the unconscious woman over his shoulder taking her in a different direction as the hands of the dark and blond men were bound behind their backs and they were ushered towards another section of the complex. Theophilus and Rayner were taken to an empty room in the medical facility and Rayner was shoved roughly to the floor by the far wall.

"Let him be!" Rayner shouted as the men enjoyed pawing and groping at Theophilus.

"It's a shame about this little toy," one man said as his hands traced the outline of Theophilus' sex through his leggings. "We should have been able to keep him as a plaything."

"Beckla wants all the Betas dead. Her way of regaining her pride after the rejection of the cat-man. She intends for him to know that she killed them to teach him a lesson."

Tiring of their games with Theophilus, they shoved him to the floor next to Rayner. They glanced around as a third man entered.

Rayner's eyes were drawn hypnotically to the ...pouch...he held. Some form of egg sac and it was moving. Rayner could see... things... inside, about the size of kittens and his mouth went dry with fear.

"Feeding time for Beckla's babies," the third man laughed as the first two left. He threw the writhing, slimy bundle to the floor just feet away from the bound young men.

Theophilus had his back to whatever landed so closely with a wet squelching noise and he didn't want to speculate on what they faced. They were bound and helpless and from the look on Rayner's face he was glad he couldn't see behind him.

"Rayner, press yourself against the wall," he urged.

Breaking his horrified gaze from the writhing sac, Rayner manoeuvred himself so his back was hard against the wall. As Theophilus moved closer, Rayner couldn't suppress the whimper of disgust as a slimy insect-like appendage pushed through the rapidly disintegrating sac.

"What are they?" he whispered.

"Do not look at them, my brother," Theophilus urged as he blanketed his body over Rayner's. "My constitution is somewhat more hardy than yours. Perhaps I can withstand ... whatever the attack may be."

"Theophilus, no," Rayner whispered realising the blond's intent.

"Remember that I love you, Tristam, Sholto and Uist more than any save Xavier," he kissed Rayner softly on the lips and moved again to try and fully cover the dark slender form with his own. "Tell Xavier my love for him will never fade. Lay very still, my brother."

Rayner buried his face in Theophilus' shoulder as chitinous sounds approached. He felt the blond stiffen as the sounds came closer. He couldn't stop his tears as Theophilus' body jerked repeatedly before becoming limp. The golden eyes each leaked a single crystal tear before the light in them dimmed. Rayner gave a mental scream of anguish.>Not dead. Not dead. Not dead< the younger man cried out in his mind as he pressed as close as possible to the unmoving body above him.

***********

Uist was disgusted with himself. He and his mate had been caught in a simple trap. Sholto had been unconscious when taken from Uist's side. The sight of his helpless mate on a screen in his room was the only thing preventing his escape attempts. He had been warned that Sholto would be killed if he tried to free himself. He lay naked, spread-eagled on a medical bed, his wrists and ankles secured. He glared as Beckla entered his room.

"If you hurt him in any way, then no power in this universe will prevent me seeking my vengeance on you and that of my pride on yours," Uist growled.

You are in no position to threaten me, cat," Beckla said. "By now your other Betas are already providing sustenance to my creations, a suitable punishment for your earlier behaviour. I wanted a PrideHomer from the start of my experiments. Your DNA, for intelligence, speed and strength, would be perfect. Your Federation," she laughed. "So easy, so gullible." Beckla's eyes devoured the powerful, naked form. She reached to Uist's furred genital pouch and pulled free the lax organs. She calmly weighed the full sac before moving to stroke the impressive, limp, penis.

Releasing her prize, Beckla pulled apart the coat she wore. The studded fastenings snapped open to display her own nudity. She knew on her world her body was prized for its strength and musculature, but she frowned as the bound male stared at her as though she was one of the lowest of the subspecies of Wraithe. She caressed her breasts, ensuring her red nipples stood erect on the firm white flesh. With a smile devoid of humanity, she moved to straddle the naked body. Her body was hairless and she ran her hands over herself, sighing as she did. She bent forward, licking her lips. Her mouth fastened on one of Uist's prominent nipples, sucking it then biting hard. She repeated the manoeuvre on the other before sliding down the restrained body to suck at the still unresponsive genitals.

Uist was filled with revulsion for the woman who violated him. He forced himself to concentrate, filtering out the wet heat that enveloped his sex. He decided not to worry if his flesh became erect. The erection would not be due to any desire or enjoyment on his part. Instead he focused on ensuring that his seed would not flow, nor would he be brought to climax. He centred his thoughts, devoting his energy to controlling his body.

Unaware of Uist's ability, Beckla allowed the impressive erection to slip from between her red, swollen lips. She positioned her body over the erect organ and swiftly dropped down, taking it into herself. Immediately she began a mixture of hard riding up and down on the thick shaft and clenching and releasing her inner muscles around it. She relished its hardness inside, angling herself so that it brushed her clitoris, which was sited inside her vagina. She moved rotating her hips and moaning in pleasure as her orgasm built slowly. With an impassioned cry she convulsed around the solid rod still impaling her. Her eyes opened to stare angrily at Uist. It was clear her attempt to make the cat-man climax had not succeeded.

Slowly she moved off the still hard penis. She stood at the side of Uist and waited for him to open his eyes. As he did, Beckla grabbed at his sac and squeezed it hard. She smiled as Uist's body arched and the helpless man bit hard on his lower lip to avoid making a sound of pain. Beckla looked at the blood that trickled from the abused flesh. She swiped at it, rubbing over Uist's nipples before licking the nubs clean, savouring the coppery taste.