Steampunk Harlots Ch. 46

The girls saluted as they ran off to their objectives while Inky made her way to the centre shaft of the city where most of the other girls would be. She shouted her arrival and quickly saw Foxy come out of her room half-dressed to start banging on doors. Their efforts propagated with every girl they called on, and soon everyone was rushing in various states of undress to the main elevator. Inky was itching to move during the ride to the surface and was thankful it went faster than descending. Vile had elected to wait for the next round so that most of the crew could fit in on the first trip. Tonna had gone off to find Leira in the moon pool so Inky knew everyone was accounted for.

"So, something happened?" Hannah asked, unaware of the understatement of her slightly sarcastic question.

"Lots of things. I don't want to explain several times so just wait until we are all together."

"We literally have nothing to do until the surface. Also, we are both officers. Repeating ourselves is pretty much all we do."

Inky let out a heavy sigh, some tension lifting off her shoulders as she smiled. "You know that endgame we all knew would happen eventually? It's happening now."

****

"What do you mean?" Liddy asked as the ship shook during takeoff.

Inky took a breath. "The general I was fucking? Well, some messenger barged in and told him that a message that had been lost for a week was found, and it was a call to arms. Apparently Crater Peak is calling any and all cities and their armies to aid them in order to mount a resistance."

"Resistance from whom?"

"The kingdoms. Both the east and west have their armies on the way. Apparently, Crater Peak is the focal point."

"So, a lot of airships are emerging from the water! Did we steal something?" Ving shouted from the bridge.

"They move fast." Hannah looked out a window and nodded with approval.

"No, but we need to get to Crater Peak fast so run like we did!" Liddy shouted in response to Ving before turning back to Inky. "Anything else?"

"I don't know." Inky was annoyed she couldn't have read the rest of the message. "That's all they said in front of me. I'm just worried they will have a lockdown going when we get there."

"I bought my charter in Crater Peak and am a citizen. They shouldn't keep me out even if they don't recognize my title from another city." Liddy glanced towards the rear of the ship thinking about the piece of paper locked safely in her quarters. "It depends on how paranoid they are."

"I guess this means I get to wear my old uniform again," Hannah mused out loud.

"Didn't you get dishonourably discharged?" Mari cocked an eyebrow at Hannah.

"Technically yes, but I was naked at the time so they didn't actually take the uniform. It's not like they sent out a notice or have my poster everywhere. Should do fine to get us through the door at any rate. Especially if I don't use my real last name."

"Let's call that plan B then," Liddy commented, not particularly liking the idea. "But shine your boots all the same." She waited as Hannah made a less than sharp salute before heading off down the stairs. "Everyone else, I want everyone ready. Depending on the wind and Ving, we should arrive in less than a day. So grab some sleep. Real sleep, no sex. We might just have to hit the ground running when we get there and I have no idea when we will be able to rest. Hopefully, we will get a better idea of what is going on when we get there."

Hope raised her hand. "Do you have any friends we can call ahead and talk with?"

"No, the crater walls block the radio until we get over them. My guess is that we won't be doing that until we have passed the gauntlet of the border guards. Crater Peak has the largest airship navy in the world so we won't be sneaking in, that's for sure."

Hope sighed and tried in futility to think of another plan. She realised they were just going to have to wait.

****

As it turned out, there were other obstacles to get through before getting over the mountains around the city. Armed camps littered the terrain around the railway network that linked the city to the rest of the world.

"Hope, thank whoever you worship for not putting me in charge of sorting out this logistical nightmare." Hannah stared at the armies arrayed across the plains. She almost failed to spot the small village that functioned as a way station and maintenance point for the traffic that flowed into the city. It had been overwhelmed with troops and airships parked anywhere there was open terrain.

"I will, but whoever is in charge is probably the poor soul we need to talk to. He might be too stressed to care about a single airship."

"Damn, if only we had women we could tempt him with. I hear some men are receptive to sexual advances by women. Some even shirk their duty in an effort to please them since they certainly can't do it themselves."

Hope rolled her eyes.

"Alright, we are setting down!" Liddy called as she stormed out of the bridge. "Apparently we need to talk to someone on the ground before we can get over the mountains. Civilian traffic isn't quite being blocked, but given the runaround for sure."

Hannah tore open her uniform causing all the buttons to pop apart in a ripple to reveal the expensive red satin bra covering her breasts. "Ready to secure entry captain!"

Liddy stared at Hannah's breasts as she shimmied them enough to make them jiggle. "Is there anyone in this city who hasn't seen them before?"

Hannah, looking thoughtful for a moment, replied in an unsure tone. "There might be a few I haven't fucked yet. I mean, presumably, anyone who wasn't an adult when we left is on the menu now."

"Right, well focus on the ones most likely to help and go from there." Liddy got herself a drink from the bar and gulped it in a single go. "Assuming I can't deal with whoever is there to meet us."

"With this level of chaos, I doubt anyone important enough is going to be meeting us any time soon." Inky came down from the lounge with her girls in formation behind her. "We will escort you anywhere you need to go."

Liddy nodded at Inky while she imagined scenarios in her head as they landed. Once on the ground, it didn't take long before they saw a small group of soldiers approach in a similar uniform to Hannah's, though Liddy doubted they had also been modified to be torn off quickly.

"Oh great," Hannah sighed. "They sent enlisted to meet us." She knew that meant they were about as low a priority as was possible to get without being entirely ignored. "I guess I will go yell at them since they won't be taking civilians seriously."

"Button up first? Maybe?" Ving commented as she came out of the bridge.

Hannah looked down and then back at Ving and shrugged. She started doing her jacket up reluctantly covering her breasts again as she went down the stairs so she could greet their guests without a boarding ramp. Hannah opened the cargo bay doors and hopped out in time to face the corporal and his team.

The boy had clearly not been expecting a walking heart attack with red hair to greet him, let alone one matching his own uniform. He stammered for a moment as he searched for words.

"Right," Hannah stated in an unimpressed tone. "Let's skip the stammering and get to the part where you just take me to the command centre."

"Ma'am!" His voice cracked and he managed a shaky salute before turning to lead her away.

Hannah walked through the armed camp and saw militaries from a dozen different cities. Tension was in the air but it didn't seem directed at anyone in particular. Nobody seemed to have been given orders to dig in and soldiers with nothing to do was a dangerous situation at the best of times.

The walk took a while, but trying to manoeuvre any kind of vehicle through the chaos would have taken longer. When they did finally reach the command post the guards simply let them through. Hannah didn't have valid papers anymore so it was a relief, but part of her found the dereliction of the soldiers irksome. They all looked on the young side and she wondered how much training they had actually received.

Inside the command post was a mess of radio units and their operators with a big map on the wall where markers were shuffled about by people with long sticks. Off to the side was an office where her escort turned to face her and gestured towards. Hannah nodded to him and knocked on the door.

"Enter!" roared an angry voice at the end of its rope.

Hannah walked and the face that had just started to snap in anger turned to stunned stupefaction. She closed the door to give them some privacy and let the captain compose himself.

"What are you doing here?" He almost whispered in surprise.

"Trying to get into the city. Merchant vessel with our charter. I don't suppose we can just be allowed to go over the mountains?"

He laughed more to relieve stress than because of any humour. "I have dozens of city armies all wanting to get past the mountains. If we let anyone over they will riot."

"What is the situation here?" Hannah decided not to press the issue since things seemed right on the edge.

"We have the duke from the capital coming with his army of cities under some queen. Then the armies of the so-called 'Steam King' coming from the other direction. In the middle is us. Everyone who has not aligned is coming here with their armies to improve our position. But without knowing how we are going to side, I can't deploy any of them. We blocked all the tunnels into the city but this one. Most of our forces are bottled up within." He seemed relieved to finally have someone to share his frustrations with.

Hannah looked through the window of the office to the map. "This is the south tunnel. Whoever ends up attacking is going to be coming at you from the sides. So why not just split everyone into two teams and dig in."

"Because so many wars

have been going on I can't trust anyone to work alongside anyone else."

"So list all the major conflicts and send each participant to opposite sides. Anyone within those sides that have issues just get some random other city stuck in between them. Or have them defend the southern flank if they are too much trouble, and keep anyone who is entirely neutral act as mobile reserve"

He looked at Hannah, grateful. "Now that is a plan. But they aren't listening to me very well. Born beneath most of the generals here."

Hannah nodded in understanding. "Well, you can always send them to my ship. My friends and I would be happy to entertain them into more cooperative states. Then just issue deployment orders to their underlings. Either they follow them or interrupt their generals good time with refusal."

The captain laughed, this time with actual levity. "I'd ask if your friends could handle so many men. But they are your friends and I remember what got you in trouble before."

Hannah sighed with a smile, "It's not my fault the general was too vague when he told his personal guards to 'take care' of me."

"Then to top it off, you ran off and ended up with one of the Arly brothers." He pulled out a flask and passed it to Hannah after taking a sip.

"Both of them actually." Hannah took the flask and enjoyed a sip. "Probably what got their mother in such a snit when she walked in."

He laughed, "I heard that version as well. Shame about what came after. Though you don't have to worry. It's not like I am going to report you."

Hannah knew that the moment she walked in. They had both been the same rank when they first met and shared a noblewoman together who ended up pregnant. "I'm glad you are the one I found here, Tom. It's good to see a friendly face." She unclasped the first few buttons to reveal what she had hidden underneath.

"Not that I expect you to mind, but I can't just be seen doing that on duty. With someone who's supposedly my subordinate." He took a long look regardless.

"I think you need it. So how about I go someplace and when you leave to 'personally deal with the generals', you deal with me first."

Tom shifted his seat, adjusting the growing in his trousers. "Just go around back." He indicated the door behind him. "There is a door there that leads in there."

Hannah saluted sharply and left after adjusting her jacket so it wasn't obviously undone. Walking with purpose like she had just been given orders, nobody looked twice, at least not suspiciously. She found the door and pulled the handle. It was locked, but a moment later a metal thunk told her that had changed and she tried again. She quickly got inside and felt her jacket ripped the rest of the way off. Hannah kissed her old comrade and felt him grind his member against her through their pants. She worked his jacket apart more carefully and pulled his undershirt out of the way while he yanked off her bra. They kissed as their chests pressed together, crushing her breasts between them. Hannah loved the feeling of his hairy chest rubbing against her nipples.

Tom never could resist Hannah, not before when they worked together, and not even now that he was married. As he let her go to get down on her knees, he pulled out his manhood and watched it vanish inside the hungry mouth of his friend. He wondered who his wife had been taking to bed while he had been busy outside the city. Her usual partners were all deployed on high alert so he simply had to hope someone was still around to amuse her. Hannah was the first woman he had been with after getting married. As he pulled her up to sit on a supply box and laid her back, he pulled off her pants thinking of all the men who had been inside her and why that same trait had attracted him to his wife.

Hannah felt him pushing into her and moaned softly, knowing better than to make too much noise. She watched his jacket flapping open as he thrust into her knowing he was enjoying the sight of her breasts bouncing. Just as she was about to let out a hard moan, she heard the door open.

"Sir, everything alright? Can I help you find anything?" inquired one of the soldiers.

Hannah looked but couldn't see, the shelving unit beside her just high enough to hide her. She worried her clothing on the floor might still be visible but kept quiet.

Tom pulled his flask out of his open jacket. "Damn it, man! Give me a moment of peace to drink will you?! I have a plan for the generals but can't go in angry! Just get out and give me a minute!"

Hannah enjoyed how he kept slowly pulling out and pushing back in while yelling at his underling who soon vanished after closing the door. "Never a moment of peace is there?"

Tom grabbed Hannah by the hips and rammed into her hard and angrily. "Never."

A series of ragged gasps was all Hannah could do to reply as the angry sex gave her friend an edge. She hissed hard, trying to keep quiet as her climax came and shook her body. Not soon after, she felt him pull out and put himself back in her mouth. She felt his seed burst over her tongue and slide down her throat in a heavy stream, pumping through his manhood until he was finally spent.

"Hope I taste as good as you remember."

"Hard to say with so many different memories of so many different men." Hannah knew his kink and sure enough, a few more drops burst out of him almost instantly as she spoke.

He just watched her wipe the drop off her chin with her fingers and lick them clean. His wife usually had to do the same thing after her friends finished with her and he came in to cuddle.

****

Liddy was unsure of the idea, at least the second part of it. The captain had arrived a few hours after Hannah had gotten back and filled her in on the plan. Of course, they would encourage the idea that the army that technically served Hannah was the one they would side with. Now her ship was full of generals and lesser nobles all enjoying the ship's company. They didn't bother with payment, saying all services were a gratuity for their allegiance.

After they had arrived, the captain had given Hannah new papers that would at least get her into the city. She, on the other hand, would have to wait until the armies were busy redeploying and digging in before she would have a chance to get in without kicking up a fuss.

"You sure you can handle things on your own?" Ving asked, concerned.

"Of course." Hannah kissed Ving tightly who no doubt tasted the captain on her lips. "I grew up here and have new identity papers with my new name. I just need to get into the palace and find whoever Ostenburg sent as an envoy and let him know we are here. After that, I will send word to the captain if you haven't already gotten into the city."

"I am still uneasy about winging it like this." Liddy wore a fake smile for the benefit of the guests.

"It's politics and war, two of the least plan-friendly things in the world. Besides, the envoy should have a plan, ours is to find out what it is."

"Fine, but take some girls with you."

"If I do that, then you have less to keep you safe here. Besides, this isn't the kind of plan you can bring armed backup into." Hannah looked down at the clothing Mari had loaned her, thankful most of it was intentionally too small for her friend and fitted her well enough around the chest. "Kidnapped street girls tend not to bring guns while being forced into a harem."

"Not really forced," The captain corrected well aware he was splitting hairs. "Though who knows how other people do it. I just always heard that the nobles liked a fresh supply of pretty girls grateful for the comforts that make up for the other things they have to do."

"Look," Hannah started. "I am probably everything you could hope for in a harem girl. I love sex and want it as much as others want me, and that means almost constantly. But even I wouldn't accept that kind of life unless I was afraid of something. So even if you don't knock girls over the head and drag them off, it's still a cruel fate to offer the desperate."

"Hey, not saying I have ever done it before either way. Just that I was under the impression there was a choice being offered."

"Right, well, it's going to be short-lived. I'm just using it to get me inside." Hannah dropped the topic she knew he wouldn't really understand.

"If you aren't out by the time we get there, we will bust you out," Inky stated with a firm nod.

Liddy scoffed. "It's Hannah. They would need all these troops inside the city to keep her contained!"

"I had no idea you had such faith in my abilities as a soldier."

"Nevermind your soldier skills. Your capacity to cause trouble is limitless." Liddy smirked. "If we get there and you haven't managed to piss someone off, we will know something is wrong."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

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

Closing in on the final chapters now. Maybe 8 or so more, depending on how it all shakes out.

Id love to hear any comments as always.