The Rask Rebellion

She lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling as she reminisced.

"When I worked on the Pinwheel as a diplomat, there was a human who I liked," she began with a drunken chuckle. "He was the station's security chief. He was an amputee, like you, and I wanted him so badly. I loved his scars, the way that he always defied me, the idea that this little human might even have the strength to take me in a fight. I was never able to sway him either," she sighed, more bitterness creeping into her voice. "You're a lot like him," she added, turning her head to peer at Cooper. "You're more aggressive than he was, though. You're foul-mouthed, confrontational, absolutely fearless. I find it harder to bury my feelings when I'm around you, the way you push my buttons makes me crazy."

"If you're expecting a pity fuck after everything that you put me through," he began, but she shook her head.

"I just want to feel alive again one more time before I die. Win or lose, I don't care, I just want to have you."

"Listen to me, you drunk lunatic," he began. "The Matriarch has lost, and she'd rather kill everyone in your fleet than admit it. You're the Admiral, you can do something about it. Contact the Coalition, surrender to them, and you won't be harmed. Better yet, let me talk to them. I know you care about your crew, I've seen it, don't let them all die for nothing!"

"I can't do anything," Korbaz grumbled. "When I told her that I wanted to surrender, she called me a coward."

"Wait, you actually told the Matriarch that you wanted to throw in the towel, and she said no? Korbaz, listen, you already made the right decision. The Matriarch isn't here. She can't punish you for doing what you know makes sense. Fuck her!"

"You don't understand," she continued, rolling over on the bed. She pushed her face into the sheets, her voice muffled. "Doesn't matter if I defy the Matriarch, the Crewmasters will still carry out her orders."

"Are you sure about that?" Cooper asked, wrapping his hands around the bars on the door to his cage. "If they're having some kind of...send-off orgy, then surely you've told them that they're about to kick the bucket? They can't all be fine with that. For fuck's sake, you're marching them into a bloody meat grinder!"

"What would you have me do?" she chuckled, freeing herself from the sheets. "Would you have me start a mutiny against the Matriarch? Who would follow me?"

"The people who don't want to fucking die for no good reason," he replied adamantly.

"I don't want to think about this," Korbaz mumbled, waving her hand at him like she was trying to swat a fly. "I just wanted to get drunk and fuck."

Cooper considered for a moment. He could break out of this cage if he wanted to, take out Korbaz while she was vulnerable, escape her quarters. But then what? He couldn't take on the whole crawler, and even if he managed to get away, where would he go? They were in the middle of a desert. What's more, could he really live with himself if he abandoned these people to their fate? Korbaz was smart, she understood what was happening here. She had even tried to sell the Matriarch on ending the war if he understood her drunken ranting correctly. All she needed was a little convincing, and hundreds of lives would be saved, but how could he get through to her?

"Oi, Korbaz," he yelled. She was lying on her face again, and he was worried that she might have passed out. He was relieved to see one of her furry ears swivel in his direction. "If you pull me out of this cage and try to force yourself on me, I won't fight back. I'll make sure that I'm as limp and as submissive as every other cat on this crawler. It'll be my mission to make it the most disappointing lay that you've ever had."

She lifted her head, scowling at him.

"But...if I play your game, if I give you what you want...will you hear me out? Will you seriously consider finding a way out of this mess?"

"Y-you'll really do it?" she asked, her eyes wide. "You'll put up a fight, make it exciting?"

"Ever since your cunt soldiers dragged me onto this piece of shit crawler, you've done nothing but piss me off," he snarled. He wasn't being entirely serious, but this was like seduction to her. He had to make her believe it. "Playing along would have meant losing, but now, it's no longer about codes and secrets. Hell," he added, flexing his prosthetic arm and listening to the whir of the motors. "Now that I'm all together again, I feel like I might just be able to take you..."

Korbaz could barely contain her delight, rising to her knees, her claws sinking into the mattress. She looked like a kid on Christmas morning. It might have been cute if she wasn't an eight-foot killing machine who was serving an insane despot.

"No tricks?" she asked excitedly. "I...I really get to have you?"

"No tricks," he replied. "You get a chance to settle whatever weird amputee human thing you have going on, and I get a chance to pay you back for all the bullshit you've put me through. But when we're done, I'm going to talk, and you're going to bloody well listen. Deal?"

Korbaz stumbled to her feet, making her way over to the door and hitting a panel on the frame, locking it.

"Deal," she confirmed, returning to his cage. She fumbled with the key, unlocking the door, standing back as Cooper stepped out.

"One thing," he added, rolling his shoulders. "No scratches on the face, yeah? It survived a plasma attack, and I don't want to mess it up."

"You're too fragile for that anyway," she replied, wetting her lips. "That's one of the reasons humans are so exciting, we have to find more...creative ways to break you."

"What happens if I win?" he asked. "Do I get to be Admiral instead of you?"

"It doesn't work that way," she chuckled, her prior self-pity seemingly forgotten.

"But you'll listen to me if I get one over on you?"

"Maybe," she replied with a shrug, flexing her claws like a human might crack their knuckles. "You'll have to find out. How's the arm?" she added, nodding to his prosthetic.

"Systems are all reconnected," he replied, the two beginning to square off.

"Good," she hissed, baring her teeth in a grin. She struck with surprising speed, her claws whistling through the air, Cooper raising his forearm to block the blow. Her curved talons bit into the polymer, carving out furrows in the black housing, Cooper feeling the impact shake his socket. While prosthetics could be many times stronger and more durable than flesh and blood limbs, they generally only had as much leverage as whatever bone they were connected to could provide. An amputee couldn't lift a truck, his arms would simply snap off where they joined to his organic body.

Cooper recovered quickly, ducking beneath Korbaz's arms, darting in to deliver a savage punch to her stomach. She gasped, doubling over, perhaps not expecting him to be able to hit that hard. He skipped out of her range as she swiped at him again, his prosthetic leg whirring as he danced. She was fast, far stronger than he was, but he got the impression that her inebriation was dulling her reaction times and making her clumsy.

"Boxing," Korbaz growled, wiping her mouth with the back of her furry hand. "I learned of this fighting style during my time on the station. Many Rask assume that you are defenseless, but humans have reinforced knuckles designed for blunt attacks. Good..."

"I've been in my fair share of fights," he replied, "and I'm not unarmed..."

Korbaz lunged, her claws flashing, but he dodged out of her path. Before she had a chance to recover, he dashed in, lifting his prosthetic knee and driving it into the side of her leg. She buckled, her head coming into range of his fist, Cooper driving it into her face with a swift jab. Blood spurted from her pink nose, Korbaz snarling in a blend of surprise and pain. She lifted him with her forearm, tossing him across the room like a toy. He slammed into one of the many finely-carved tables, his weight smashing it, the legs collapsing.

He lifted himself out of the wreckage, brushing splinters of wood off his pressure suit.

"Ugh, fuck this gravity," he groaned, cracking his neck as he took up a defensive stance. "Feels like I fell down a flight of stairs."

Korbaz pressed a pad against her nose, pulling it away to see that it was wet with blood. Her long tongue snaked out of her mouth, reaching up to sample it, her lips curling into a smile.

"I can't remember the last time I tasted my own blood," she purred, her amber eyes fixing on him. "It makes me feel young again."

"And this is sexy to you?" he wondered, making his way back over to the center of the room. "You guys have a fucked up idea of courtship."

"Think of it as foreplay," she replied, hunching over as she began to circle around him. He raised his fists, matching her movements, weaving left and right to keep her guessing as to where the next strike would come from.

"I'd rather think of it as payback," he said, narrowing his eyes at her. She lunged again, but her drunkenness was throwing off her balance, Cooper taking advantage to grip her purple sash with his left hand. He used it as leverage, swinging his prosthetic fist into her kidney, another groan of pain coming from the feline. This time, she managed to return the favor, her black claws swiping across his chest. They tore into his pressure suit, skimming the surface of his skin as he leapt clear. It was just enough to draw a few drops of blood, Cooper feeling the dull sting as he recovered.

Korbaz brought her claws to her lips, sampling his taste, her cheeks flushed red.

"I gotta say," Cooper said, rolling his shoulders. "This feels like a healthier way of settling our differences than what you've been doing so far."

"I'm glad you're coming around," she chuckled, straightening her sash. Her clothes creaked when she moved, the tight leather straining against her muscular rump and thighs. She eyed the slashed pressure suit, seeming pleased with herself. "I hope I didn't cut too deep, little morsel. I'm trying not to cleave you in two."

"You think I give a fuck about some scratches?" he scoffed. "You can't imagine the pain of plasma burns, you might as well be tickling me with a fucking feather."

"You're such a wild little creature," she laughed. She really was enjoying this, she actually looked...happy. They weren't trying to kill each other, after all, it was more like sparring. He had to admit, his blood was really flowing, his racing heart pumping adrenaline through his veins. It felt amazing to have his arm back, to be able to do something about his situation, finally.

"Come at me, you feral fuck," he barked. His insult filled her with glee, the Rask charging in, her heavy footsteps shaking the deck beneath his feet. He dodged out of the way just in time, using his prosthetic leg to trip her, sending her five hundred pound frame crashing to the floor. She landed near the wall, tearing down one of the flowing drapes as she lost her balance, the fabric cascading down to bury her. Cooper didn't waste the opportunity, darting in to deliver a few opportunistic jabs to the writhing pile as she struggled to free herself.

He retreated as she tore through the purple material, shredding it like a blender, strips of fabric slowly floating to the carpet. She turned to glare at him, throwing off the remnants of the curtain. She gripped her sash in her hand, tearing it from her chest, the medals that adorned it clattering as she tossed it to the floor. Next came her jacket, the Admiral shrugging it off, exposing the grey tank top that she was wearing beneath it. Her dusky skin glistened with moisture, her top stained with sweat, Korbaz reaching up to brush her damp fringe out of her red face.

Cooper's eyes were inexorably drawn to her chest, her breasts swaying beneath her top, her nipples pressing into the fabric. Her cleavage was soaked with exertion, making her skin shine beneath the chandelier. Her boobs were large and heavy enough to have broken a human woman's back, but Korbaz carried them with ease.

"That's the spirit," she purred, noticing where he was looking. "Do you understand now? Are you feeling it?"

"I'm feeling something," he muttered. The torn suit was bothering him, so he gripped the material with his prosthetic hand, tearing it away to expose his upper body. He let the tattered garment hang around his waist, Korbaz playing her eyes over his strange physique, muscle and flesh giving way to polymer and metal.

"Does it hurt?" she asked, her eyes fixed on the trio of red trails that she had left across his chest. "Do you enjoy the sting of sweat in a fresh cut as I do?"

"You're fucking crazy," he chuckled, shaking his head at the absurdity of it all. "No wonder nobody else on this crawler wants to tangle with you."

"Just wait," she hissed, stalking across the carpet towards him. "When I win this fight, I'm going to drown you in pleasure. I'll fuck you until you're numb, you adorable...wretched little..."

She swung at him, but Cooper gripped her wrist in his prosthetic hand, stopping it dead. The electric motors whirred, the frame creaking as her bicep bulged, her eyes wild as she pitted her strength against his. Cooper's feet skidded a little on the carpet, but he held her there, his fingers tightening their hold. Their prior intentions forgotten, they remained locked together in a kind of impromptu arm wrestling match for a few moments longer, Korbaz eventually breaking away.

She rubbed her wrist, flexing her fingers, looking him up and down with a new appreciation.

"Yeah," Cooper said, keeping a safe distance. "Not such easy prey, am I?"

"It wouldn't be this much fun if you were," she cooed. She surprised him by dashing closer, the muscles in her legs like coiled springs, sending her massive body powering across the room. It was only thanks to her lack of coordination that he was able to get out of her way, Korbaz struggling to turn, crashing into the shower cubicle. She went straight through whatever plastic substitute it used instead of glass, shattering it in much the same way, the fragments cascading over her. It didn't seem to be sharp enough to cut, Korbaz shaking herself like a dog, sending a few stray pieces flying.

"Looks like you're not getting your deposit back," Cooper muttered, the transparent plastic crunching under her feet as she made her way back over to him. She charged again, her claws narrowly missing his head as he ducked under her blow. Cooper delivered a flurry of rapid punches to her belly, her rock-hard abs protecting her from his human limb, but not the prosthetic. He darted out of her reach again before she could retaliate, Korbaz rubbing her belly as Cooper waved his organic hand to dispel the pain.

"Are you smuggling rocks under there?" he complained. "Fuck!"

"Did you hurt your paw, little kitten?" she cooed in a mocking tone.

Cooper decided to stop playing fair, eyeing a nearby stool, and lifting it. It was heavy, but not so much that he couldn't toss it at her with his prosthetic, rushing closer as Korbaz raised her arms to block it. It smashed into pieces, the three legs breaking off, Cooper using the opening to deliver another swift punch. This one was aimed at her throat, the Admiral's hands wrapping around her neck as she hacked and gagged, stumbling backwards.

"You little bastard," she wheezed, surprising him with her tail. She wrapped it around his ankle, pulling his foot out from under him, sending Cooper crashing to the carpet. The impact knocked the air out of him, even a short fall on this planet hurt like a motherfucker. Korbaz leaned over, swiping at him, Cooper rolling clear as her talons raked the carpet where he had just been lying.

He sprang to his feet again, Korbaz giving her throat one last rub.

"You're getting tired," he jibed, "I can see it."

"You humans have a lot of stamina," she replied, "I'll put that to good use."

She advanced on him, Cooper dodging out of her long reach as her claws sliced through the air. He put another of the round tables between the two of them, its polished surface sporting more of the glass vials that the Rask favored over cups. There was a large, golden candelabra sitting in the center, its ornate arms draped with melted wax. Korbaz lunged, reaching over it to get at him, swiping the heavy ornament aside. It crashed to the carpet, the table soon following after it as she upended it, tossing it out of her path. The crystal vials shattered on the carpet, Korbaz paying them no mind as she advanced on him.

Another of her powerful blows was deflected, Cooper delivering a jab to her side that made her grunt. Her bones were like steel, such a punch would have fractured the ribs of a human. The rampaging alien answered him with another backhanded swipe, lifting him off his feet and tossing him into the wall. The impact was somewhat cushioned by one of the many tapestries that were hanging up all over the crawler, the heavy material coming loose and draping itself over him as he crumpled to the floor. It was like a gigantic carpet, weighing him down, Cooper hearing the sound of Korbaz's footsteps as she advanced on him. He managed to roll out from under it just in time, her claws piercing the finely-woven threads.

Her hooked talons became tangled in the material, Cooper rising to his feet as he watched her struggle to withdraw her hand. Seeing an opening, he darted in for another flurry of punches, his adversary hissing as he harried her. With a tremendous tearing sound, she freed herself, her claws missing his nose by a hair's breadth as he leaned out of their path.

"I haven't had a fight this good in a long time," she purred, a giddy smile brightening her features. Cooper was taken aback for a moment, feeling his heart throb. He wasn't accustomed to seeing her happy, her cheeks flushed a rosy shade of pink, her yellow eyes gleaming.

"You should smile more often," he said, squaring up again as he tried to shake off the unwelcome feeling. "It almost makes me forget what a massive cunt you are."

"Ever the charmer," she replied with a drunken chuckle. "Nobody has ever dared to insult me as you do."

"What can I say? I'm a flatterer."

She closed the distance between them in a split second, her claws digging furrows into the polymer of his prosthetic forearm as he frantically blocked the swipe, the force of it sending him stumbling backwards.

"If only I could leave such marks on your hide without wounding you," she purred, admiring the damage that she had inflicted. "It beckons to me like an empty canvas waiting for the stroke of a painter's brush. Oh, how I would paint..."

Cooper found himself standing beside an upturned table, reaching down to grip one of its carved legs. He took the wood in his hand, placing his skid on the table for leverage, and yanked it loose. Brandishing it like a baseball bat, he went on the offensive, loosing a yell as he slammed it into his opponent's upper arm. The leg splintered, breaking over her steely bicep as though it was no more dense than a tube of cardboard, Korbaz barely flinching.

"It is dishonorable to use weapons in a bout," she said, Cooper tossing aside the broken implement. "But since you are so...disadvantaged, I will overlook it."

"Oh yeah, kidnapping is fine, but poor sportsmanship? That would be crossing the line!"
They scuffled for a few moments, exchanging swipes and punches, Cooper getting in close to deliver another punishing blow to her kidney. She snarled, lowering her stance to protect her midsection, Cooper giving her another swift jab to the face. Unlike his prosthetic fist, his organic counterpart lacked the strength to do much more than irritate her.

Korbaz managed to get one of her arms around him, catching him in a headlock, Cooper feeling her bulging bicep press up against his cheek as she spun him around. Her tanned skin was so warm, slick with her exertion, contrasting with the silky fur that coated her forearm. The fine hairs tickled his nose as he struggled, his hands reaching up to claw at her limb, but to no avail. He felt the meat of her bosom squash against the back of his head through her tank top as she drew him closer, stopping just short of choking him.