The Rask Rebellion

A female attendant wearing a revealing, gossamer outfit knelt at the water's edge beside him, dumping a jug of colorful flower petals into the water. They floated on its surface, their scent not immediately obvious to his dull, human nose. Perhaps the Rask got more out of them.

"Thanks," he said, the woman cocking her head at him. "Love me some fucking flowers, can't get enough of them."

"Do not mock the servants," Korbaz chided, her eyes closed as she lounged in the water a few feet to his right.

"Most of them don't speak English anyway," he protested.

"You seem to be growing more accustomed to palace life," she said, sinking a little deeper into the hot water. "There was a time when the mere thought of being waited on by an attendant offended you."

"Yeah, well these guys are getting paid, and you're not parading them around just to fuck with me. At least, I hope not."

Another brought him a silver platter with a flute of wine sat upon it, Cooper reaching out to grab it with his prosthetic arm, sipping at the fruity drink.

"How did your meeting with the ministers go?" he asked. "Was it as boring as it sounded?"

"It made me want to claw my own eyes out," she grumbled. "They squabble like kittens vying for a teat over the most trivial of concerns. Vitza has been the most cooperative of the bunch. I appointed him as the minister of agriculture, he'll be responsible for all of the farming that goes on in the territory, along with those damned tractor machines he keeps asking me for. Torzi is reveling in her new role as Admiral," she added with a sneer, "and Gazga just seems happy that peace has been restored."

"Surprised you didn't throw Torzi in the dungeon with the bloody Matriarch," Cooper said with a shake of his head.

"The Coalition is sending a team of Valbaran scientists to oversee the project to greenify the scrublands, too," she continued. "They have some...ecological expertise or something of the sort. We have also reached agreements with several human and Broker corporations concerning mineral rights. Perhaps now, we can start to refill the empty vaults."

"That must mean the Security Council has finally come to a decision, right?"

"It took them weeks of deliberation," she complained, picking up a bar of her favorite lavender soap and beginning to spread the suds along her scarred arms. "But as someone who once had a seat on the council, I anticipated their indecisiveness. The territory was expelled from the Coalition when the former Matriarch went to war, of course, but I was able to negotiate a new membership. Albeit with a few changes here and there."

"What kind of changes?" he asked.

"As is mandated by the Coalition charter, we will be contributing resources and funding for the war effort. We've pledged to commit to inter-species cooperation, and to respect the sovereignty of our neighbors," she added with a smirk. "We're going to become model Galactic citizens, so I told them."

"If you need a character witness, I can personally vouch for your commitment to inter-species cooperation," Cooper replied.

"Don't be crass," she chuckled, her cheeks warming. "The charter usually requires that members provide troops, too, but we came to a different arrangement."

"How so?" he asked, giving her a quizzical look. "Your lads aren't going to be auxiliaries anymore?"

"Not exactly," she began. "Not everything that the Matriarch said was insanity, and there was a time when I agreed with her on many points. My people have not taken well to integration training, and after the war, we are not in any position to provide legions of soldiers for the Coalition's armies. The Rask are a proud people, and a generation of warriors will not take to farming and mining simply because I command it. I worry that our way of life will not endure, that resentment will fester..."

"You can't be pirates and raiders anymore," Cooper replied, alarmed to hear her parroting the Matriarch's talking points. "You said it yourself; the Rask have to change if they're going to survive."

"Do not fret," she chuckled, amused by his reaction. "I have something different in mind, a way that our warriors can still seek riches and glory without preying upon trading caravans. I am founding a private military company with the blessing of the Coalition. We have many experienced warriors who already have UNN training. They can instruct others, build a new branch of our military, one that the Coalition can employ in times of need."

"You want to become mercenaries?" Cooper asked, cocking an eyebrow at her.

"Yes!" she replied excitedly, splashing in the calm water as she turned to face him. "Think of it. We could fulfill our obligations to the Coalition without being subject to their hierarchy, without having to undergo integration training. The Rask would no longer be submitting to the will of their Coalition commanders, but rather honoring their contracts. The distinction is a small one, but their pride will be preserved. They will be able to go out into the Galaxy in search of renown and profit, but in a way that is legal, sanctioned by the Coalition. Those who wish to become auxiliaries will not be prevented from doing so, of course, but we will be able to preserve our way of life this way. Our traditions will live on into a new era."

"I have to admit," Cooper conceded, setting his glass on the side of the pool. "When you put it like that, it makes a hell of a lot of sense."

"I knew that you would agree," she cooed. "And what of your duties? Have you heard word from your Lieutenant Colonel Sarif yet?"

"Since I have the ear of the Matriarch, I've been told to stick around and keep an eye on you," he replied with a wink. "I've had worse assignments."

"Leave us!" she commanded, her attendants scurrying out of the room. Their claws clicked against the marble floor, the heavy, wooden door creaking behind them as they pushed it shut. Cooper felt Korbaz's tail coil around his leg beneath the water, the furry appendage tightening like a noose, tugging him closer to her. When he was in arm's reach, she straddled him, pressing him up against the side of the pool. Her sharp claws scraped against the rock, her damp body sliding against his own in the steaming water as the meat of her bosom spilled over his shoulders.

"Time for some inter-species cooperation?" he asked, his voice muffled by her soapy cleavage.

"It appears that I have a spy in my midst," she purred, Cooper wincing as she mounted him. She began to move slowly, rocking her hips back and forth, the motion creating gentle waves. "I think another round of interrogations is in order."

THE END