The Rask Rebellion

"As if I'd allow it," she muttered, the prospect making her shiver with glee all the same.

"Come on, I bet blue is your color. You'd look great in one of those gowns that shows off your belly."

He tried to roll her over onto her back and was surprised when she complied. She was far too large and heavy for him to stand any chance of overpowering her, but she went along with it anyway, gripping him with her steely thighs to keep him inside her. She spread out on the sheets, her sculpted body shining, her golden eyes watching eagerly as she awaited more of his sordid words.

Now, Cooper could set the pace, one hand resting on the mattress and the other gripping her hip as he began to push into her.

"When we win the war, maybe I'll take you back to Earth as my prize," he continued, her breasts rocking with his every thrust. She was so large, it was a struggle to mount her as he would a normal woman, but he didn't have to worry about putting too much weight on her. "Maybe I'll keep you in one-G until you get all soft and plump. A Rask who can't fight would only be good for one thing, right?"

"You're vile," she whispered, biting her lip as he upped the pace. "As if I'd ever surrender to a human, as if I'd ever submit to you..."

"I'd order you to your knees whenever the mood took me, and you'd say yes, my Alpha."

"I would sooner die than call you my Alpha, wretched ape," she panted. There was no malice in her voice, no disgust, only the seething arousal of someone who has been bottling up their fantasies for years. She moaned with desire as he brought his thumb to her clitoris again, wetting it with her oozing nectar as he began to rub.

"Korbaz, former Admiral, now only a lowly attendant to her human master," he added. They were both playing the part now, and even if it was little more than talk, the idea of it had her hotter than ever. The sheets were soaked with the juices that were leaking around his shaft, her soft insides welcoming his thrusts with eager spasms.

"Would...would you tie me up?" she whispered, her voice so quiet that he could barely hear her. It was almost as if her mouth had taken the initiative before her brain had decided that she wanted to share her sordid secrets.

"I'd have to," he replied, reaching up to run his hand across her flexing midriff. "I doubt you'd come quietly."

A warm smile brightened her face, taking him off-guard, the sight of her rosy cheeks and the way that her damp fringe clung to her forehead making his heart skip a beat. Could this have happened any other way? Without alcohol to lower her inhibitions, without Cooper to decode her strange behavior, would she ever have been able to explore these desires?

"I...I would fight you," she added, trying to goad him into saying more. "I would never give in."

"You couldn't do a bloody thing," he gasped, her thighs tightening their hold on him. "I'd chain you up and eat you out until your legs were too shaky to stand on."

It was a struggle to keep his grip, his organic hand sliding on her wet skin, his prosthetic faring slightly better with its rubberized grips. Her thighs were wrapped around him so tightly, her muscles tensing with each thrust.

"On your belly," he said, Korbaz cocking her head at him. "I said I want you on your belly," he repeated, Korbaz biting her lip when she realized that it was part of their game. She released her hold on him, Cooper breathing a sigh of relief, the Admiral sliding off his member as she flipped over. Her ample breasts spread out beneath her as she settled onto the sheets, her legs splayed wide to bring her butt level with his groin as he knelt behind her.

Cooper played his eyes across her round cheeks. They were perfectly smooth, her fat settling there to make them full and soft despite the muscle that was packed into them, so large that they brought to mind images of exercise balls being squashed together. How he had admired her ass through those ridiculous leather pants. There was nothing staying his hand now.

He reached out and slid his hand across one of her slippery cheeks, Korbaz arching her back obediently as he took a generous handful of her flesh, peering back over her shoulder eagerly. Her tail was waving, and it caught his eye, Cooper catching it in his prosthetic hand. He gave it a cruel yank, the beautifully sculpted muscles in her back rising from beneath her wet skin to catch the light, Korbaz throwing her head back as she loosed a comely whine.

"Yeah," he snarled, the sight reinvigorating him. "This is how I want you, arse up."

He kept a tight hold on her tail, using it to guide her as though it were a leash, his shivering partner backing up into his erection. Her soft cheeks spilled around his waist much as her breasts had, his member sliding between them like a hotdog in a giant bun. Her muscles were firm and springy, but her flesh was like putty, bulging between his fingers when he squeezed it. He found himself blessing this hellhole of a planet for turning every girl that walked its surface into a living goddess. At least they had that going for them on top of the dust storms and the crippling heat.

With his free hand, he gripped his shaft, angling it lower. She was so wet and ready for him that he slipped inside her with almost no effort, even in spite of the tight wringing of her muscles. She groaned as he bottomed out, this new position letting him reach even deeper, a ripple passing through her cheeks as they cushioned him.

He began to move, clawing at the meat of her rump, keeping her on edge as he tugged at her twisting tail. It coiled up his prosthetic forearm like a furry snake, encouraging him, her ears turning to face backwards.

"Harder," she growled, letting her claws tear stuffing from the mattress as she flexed them. Cooper tried to do as she asked, holding nothing back, the slap of his hips against her butt echoing through her quarters. She slid a hand between her thighs, starting to rub herself with the fleshy pad on the end of her finger, careful to keep her sharp talon clear of her drooling loins. He could feel her building towards a climax, pushing back to meet his long strokes, their bodies hammering together as their pleasure began to mount.

He gave her tail another yank, feeling her clench around him, Korbaz pushing her face into the sheets to muffle a moan of lust. He wanted to grip her hair, but he couldn't reach it, her head was too far away.

"Stop, and I'll feed you to the dogs," she grunted. With another harsh tail pull, she was mewling into the sheets again, her nethers sucking on him greedily.

"Like I'm doing this for your sake," he panted, reaching down to grip her flared hip for leverage. "Fuck you for parading all those girls around, and for wearing those stupid, tight trousers all the time. It's a wonder anybody can concentrate on their bloody jobs around here."

"Do you find them distracting?" she purred, shaking her hips. "You should find out how it feels to grope me through them."

"I swear to God, this better net me some hazard pay," he complained as he paused to wipe some sweat from his eyes.

"Is having your fill of me not payment enough?" she cooed, glancing back over her shoulder again. He felt butterflies swarm in his belly as he glanced at her burning cheeks, her wet hair covering one of her eyes. "I could pay your wages in other ways, tin man, if only you'd let me."

He yanked her tail in reply, Korbaz sagging to the mattress, her sordid chuckling reaching his ears. It tapered into sultry moans as their pace increased, Cooper's muscles burning with the effort. He hadn't sweat this much since boot camp.

"Finish me, you dumb ape," she snarled as a particularly potent throb of pleasure made her squirm. "Fill me, I want to feel your heat pouring into me."

"So much for fucking kittens out of me," he grumbled, struggling against his own looming climax. "How about I return the favor?"

"Human young?' she mused, a shiver making her loins undulate around his shaft. "What a deliciously depraved idea, for my enemy to sire my offspring..."

Cooper didn't really understand the difference, but the thought had her toes curling once again. He gripped her tail, going in for the kill, struggling to stave off the welling pressure that was building inside him for a few thrusts longer. There was such a weird blend of anger and lust swirling in his mind, along with a growing appreciation for the Admiral that he was almost afraid to admit to himself. It was intoxicating, dulling his inhibitions, lighting a fire in his belly just as a strong spirit would have.

"Here it comes, you fucking basket case," he growled.

He dug his fingers deep into the supple meat of her haunches, her ass wobbling as he delivered a punishing thrust, her warm depths seizing around him. It was too much, a blinding flash of pleasure stopping him dead, his member flexing like a muscle as it erupted inside her. Korbaz groaned like she had been punched in the gut, the sound of tearing fabric filling the room as her claws raked the mattress, beads of sweat rolling across her tanned skin as she joined him in his climax.

A gelatinous rope of his seed left him with a wracking throb, painting her most intimate reaches, Korbaz mewling with every fresh surge of his member. A blend of exhaustion and euphoria made him lightheaded, and he found himself leaning his weight on her lower back to steady himself, wincing as he felt every wad of his emission leave his body. The Admiral's own shuddering orgasm made her legs shake, her breath coming in pained gasps as her exquisitely soft, pillowy walls drank from him with a fierce need. He couldn't have pulled away from her if he had wanted to, they were locked together, stuck in a kind of wonderful feedback loop as her muscles milked him relentlessly.

Their burning bodies seemed to meld into one, their boundaries becoming blurred such that it was impossible to tell whose sweat belonged to who, whose moans and curses were filling the room. There was only sensation, as sharp and as raw as the crack of a whip, unfiltered by a clinical mind. They clawed at one another, hands sliding on damp skin, taking purchase wherever they could. The salty sting of exertion on their tongues, the musky scent borne of ardent lovemaking, the sound of panting breath and desperate gasps. It was a madness that they gave themselves over to willingly, eagerly, letting their passion roll over them like an inexorable tide.

When Cooper finally came to his senses, there was a permeating satisfaction that seemed to reach into the core of his being, like a maddening itch that has been scratched until it bled. His muscles ached, sweat stung his eyes, but he couldn't remember ever feeling so utterly spent. They were somehow lying on the mattress side by side now, entangled in the sheets, breathing like they had just run a marathon.

"So...is that a point for me...or a point for you?" he panted. "I'm losing track...of who's winning here."

"Shut up," she replied, leaning over to cup his face in her hand. She drew in for another exploratory kiss, her pace slower this time, placating. He reached up to grip her forearm with his prosthetic hand, feeling her soft fur beneath his fingers. She broke off for a moment, her amber eyes gazing down at him from beneath heavy lids.

"You shut up," he breathed, unable to keep a straight face.

"Idiot," she purred, pressing her lips against his again. Her agile tongue swirled inside his mouth, her doting strokes making his brain fizz and pop like it was being fried in a pan.

"What now?" he asked when she deigned to pull away, Korbaz wetting her soft lips as she ran her claws across his chest. The sensation made him flinch, a stab of pleasure cutting through the haze of his afterglow like a hot knife.

"It seems that no matter how hard I try, I cannot break your will," she replied as she brushed her fringe out of her face. "Nor do you stand any chance of overpowering me."

"So...what?" he wondered. "Nobody can win?"

"For one of us to overcome the other would mean an end to this feeling," she sighed, "and that is the last thing I want right now." She batted her long lashes, gazing at him longingly as she made slow circles on his belly with one of her wicked talons. "Let us not douse this fire too readily."

"Then...round two?' he asked, Korbaz exposing her sharp teeth in a grin.

"Let me recover some strength first, and fetch some more wine," she added as she flopped onto her back. "Your vigor has left me parched, little ape."

CHAPTER 21: OATHBREAKER

They lay together on the sullied sheets, sweet exhaustion overtaking them, their bodies drenched with stale sweat and sticky fluids. Cooper lifted his head, peering around the room. It looked like a bomb had gone off. The shower cubicle had been reduced to a pile of broken glass, seemingly every table and chair upturned, silk drapes, and elaborate tapestries torn from the walls. There were furrows in the carpet left by claws, shattered vials and decanters, the torn mattress stained with wine in places.

"What time is it?" he wondered, sighing as he lay back on the bed. "There's no bloody windows in this place." He rubbed a bruise on his hip, realizing that Korbaz had made good on her threats.

"The hour grows late," she replied, lounging on the sheets beside him. It seemed that her passion had finally been quenched, her breathing now slow and regular. It was the first time that he had ever seen her truly relax. "We should rest soon. It would not do to go into battle tomorrow tired."

"Or with a banging hangover," he added, giving her a nudge with his elbow. "You sobered up a bit now?"

"A bit," she chuckled, covering her eyes with her furry forearm as she exhaled a satisfied sigh.

"So, you going to listen to what I have to say now? That was the deal, right?"

She moved her arm, opening one yellow eye to peer at him.

"I suppose I should keep my word," she grumbled.

"Sorry to drag you kicking and screaming back to reality, but it needs to be said," he began. He rolled over onto his side so that he was facing her, the round ears atop her head swiveling to track him. "You told me that you already tried to end this, right? You wanted to surrender? What was your plan, exactly?"

"I went before the Matriarch and advised her to sue for peace," she replied, turning her gaze back to the ceiling. "I wanted to surrender the remaining crawlers in the hopes that their crews might be spared, and that the wounded might be treated. Those who were irradiated in the attack against the Tornado suffer greatly. We have no means to heal their wounds."

"And she shot you down?" he asked.

"She accused me of cowardice, she said that my only chance to redeem my honor would be to die in battle."

"And you just accepted that? Korbaz, you made a wise decision. The Matriarch can't win this war, it's impossible. The best thing she can do now is minimize her losses and try to negotiate a favorable surrender. The alternative is getting fucked by the long dick of the Navy, which is going to happen sooner or later."

"I know that," she sighed. "Her plan is to fortify the territory, endure a siege, command every pack to fight the invaders to the last."

"She's scared," Cooper mused, "she's not thinking tactically anymore. Korbaz, you keep telling me how Rask leaders are supposed to care for their charges, right? You're a good Admiral, you care about your men, you wouldn't sacrifice them for intangible concepts like honor if you had the choice. The Matriarch is a despot," he added, his brow furrowing. "She's willing to burn the entire territory and everyone in it just to protect herself. She's using you, and everyone else under her command, as living shields."

"She is Matriarch," Korbaz replied, "what would you have me do? If I do not obey her orders, then the Crewmasters will simply go over my head."

"What if you were king of the idiots?" he asked, Korbaz turning her head to blink at him.

"What?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you turn this janky piece of shit around, drive it home, and tear the Matriarch a new arsehole, wouldn't that make you the new Matriarch?"

"It doesn't work that way," she explained. "One can challenge an Alpha and assume their position, this is the basis of our society, but official titles are different. Such positions can only be gained through appointment, either by the Matriarch or Patriarch themselves, or by a council of high-ranking Rask."

"How does that work?" he asked, confused.

"I am Admiral because I was appointed that role by the Matriarch. If someone able to best me in a bout assumed that role but was unqualified for the position, it would result in disaster. To attempt such a thing would go against the will of the Matriarch, and would thus be a slight against her."

"Like Vitza," Cooper continued, nodding his head. "He's no fighter, but the Matriarch values his expertise, so she appointed him as Chief Engineer."

"Precisely," Korbaz replied. "Just because someone could overpower him does not mean that they could do his job. The same would be true of the Minister of Armories, or the Treasurer."

"So, how did the Matriarch get appointed?"

"Becoming the Alpha of Alphas is as much a question of popularity as strength," she replied. "By the time a Rask is vying for the position, they will already have bested many Alphas and earned much renown. If they are cruel or incompetent, then there is little chance of them remaining unchallenged in their own social circles."

"So...it's kind of merit-based?" Cooper asked. "If you're a cunt, your pack will always be trying to depose you, so only the best blokes rise to the top?"

"You could put it that way," Korbaz replied. "A good Alpha is loved, they provide for their pack, keep them safe and prosperous. The Alpha of Alphas is much the same. They will rise to the top organically, earn the support of the people, then prove themselves by besting their opponents in a bout."

"The leader does fight for the position then, but the people choose who gets that opportunity? I guess that makes sense. If anyone could challenge the leader on a whim, there would be a new one every other week, and the government would be in chaos."

"Yes," she said with a nod. "We do not vote as humans do, at least, not with ballots. Other Rask of high status also hold much sway. Crewmasters, Admirals, Ministers, Rask of great renown. They can rally those under their influence to support certain candidates over others."

"I see," Cooper replied. "So, if some celebrity or general tells all of his lackeys to support someone, they'd listen to him."

"I was a mere Crewmaster on a tiny sandship when my Matriarch succeeded the Patriarch before her," Korbaz said wistfully, drudging up old memories. "I threw my support behind her because of her great accomplishments, because of her promise to return our territory to its former glory. She was not always as...callous as she is today."

"But you're an Admiral now," Cooper continued, "how high a rank is that?"

"I am second only to the Matriarch," she replied, a hint of pride creeping back into her voice. "Not that it matters now," she added bitterly. "Status will not shield me from death."

"Maybe it can," Cooper mused, sitting upright. "If you're second to the Matriarch, then does that mean you have the status to challenge her for the position?"

"Yes," she conceded, "but I do not have the support. Besides, me? Matriarch? I wouldn't even know where to begin."

"You'd make a better one than her, I can tell you that," Cooper replied. "And isn't it better than everyone that you care about dying tomorrow? I'm not too thrilled about the idea either, you know."

"I thought you were immortal?" she teased, returning his nudge.