The Gangriel Incident

This story was lying around for over a year now. I don't remember who did the proof reading. Thanks anyway ;)

This story is a lot rougher than anything I wrote until now. If you feel offended of BDSM, torture or cannibalism, don't read it!

Life as a concubine slowly turned into hell after they had reached their new home, the naval base on Gangriel. Amanda was happy being her master Paul's sex toy. Lucie was a magician with food. All three were enjoying her talents regularly. Paul had changed both of his concubines into nineteen-year-old top models and they were more than just thankful. It didn't matter to them that they were now his property. He was a good master. Lucie's twelve-year-old daughter Rebecca also accepted the situation. First she was a little shy, but she was intelligent enough to see a few benefits, at least as long as she was a child.

When they arrived at Gangriel, things slowly changed. Paul smiled more and more rarely. One week after they had arrived, Paul returned from work and called for his concubines. His face was an unreadable mask. "Ladies, from now on, you will never again leave this pod."

"But Master, Lucie is pregnant," Amanda invented. "She'll need medical care in a few months. As will I when you impregnate me."

"The AI will build a med tube in the rear office," Paul answered.

<It is an unusual request to equip a pod with a med tube,> the AI mentioned.

"Do as I ordered!" Paul shouted, spitting some foam. His face turned red with his anger. Lucie and Amanda were scared. They quickly knelt down and lowered their heads. This was not the Paul they knew from their trip to the colony.

Paul turned around and went to his office. The entire pod was deadly silent when the door closed behind him.

One week earlier, Paul had started his new job as operator at the space surveillance tower. His job was to lead incoming ships to a free docking station at the shipyard where they could get repairs and a refill. Since Gangriel was a frontline colony, supporting the fleet was one of their main jobs. Eleven enlisted and two officers were on duty each shift. Paul got the easy tasks at first, directing the undamaged ships, to get used to the job. However, he learned very quickly that the job involved unexpected dangers.

On his second day, a fleet of six ships arrived, half of them damaged by heavy attacks of Sa'arm ships. Paul's colleagues did a good job by leading them to the shipyard, but Corporal Red, an experienced man, missed that a small piece of his incoming ship's hull had broken loose. The piece caused some minor damage at the docks. However, what came next really disturbed Paul.

Three master sergeants and a lieutenant appeared, wearing black leather uniforms with a red belt. They started shouting at Corporal Red like drill instructors at a boot camp back in the USA. Paul quickly took over Red's station, since his station was the next one to the right of Red's. He finished leading the damaged ship into the dock without any further trouble. Paul didn't realize that all the older members of his team were stricken with fear. Paul tried to ignore the fuss to his left and concentrated on his job. When he was finished and the ship was secured in the dock, he noticed that the drill instructors were leading Corporal Red out of the control tower.

At the end of the shift, Paul asked Lieutenant Wagner, one of his leading officers, "What is happening to Corporal Red, sir?"

"He's receiving a drill. People who make a mistake are drilled by the Bloodhounds," Lieutenant Wagner answered. He carefully looked around, and then he continued, "Red will return in a few days. Maybe tomorrow if he's willing to give up one of his concubines. The Bloodhound Company is always short of concubines and they let people off the hook for the price of one of them. Listen boy, don't ask too many questions. The walls have ears and you won't want to be interviewed for whatever. Just try to keep a low profile and do your job. Okay?" Paul remembered from his introduction the previous day that the Lieutenant, who was looking like a twenty year old, was really an honored, sixty-year-old Canadian Mountie. Now this man was looking like a frightened dog, fearing the next kick from his owner.

Paul saluted. "Yes sir, thank you, sir!" Slowly, Paul went home.

Two days later, Corporal Red was still missing. Paul was ordered to take over his station. The good job he had done two days earlier earned him a promotion. Paul was now a Lance Corporal.

Another two days later, a very pale Corporal Red returned to work. Without a word, Lieutenant Wagner hugged the man, and then ordered him to take station three. Paul remembered that that was a reserve station for newbies. Looking at Red, Paul suddenly understood.

In his hourly break, he talked to the AI sub-vocally while getting a glass of water from the replicator "AI, privacy mode. I need to know a few things. First of all, can anybody listen to this conversation?"

<Since you ordered privacy mode, no-one will ever know about this conversation,> the AI answered.

Paul mentally sighed. "I want to know what happened to Corporal Red in the past four days."

<Corporal Ryan Red was brought to the training ground where he got a drill for twenty-four hours. Then he was brought to the med bay for recovery. The past two days he spent at his pod,> the AI answered.

"What exactly is a drill?" Paul asked. The AI explained it to him. He nearly missed the end of his break and for the next hour he wasn't really aware of the world around him. He was just staring at the screen. Fortunately, there was no ship coming in, nor was one leaving.

The AI reminded Paul to take his next break an hour later. Somehow, standing up and walking to the replicator cleared his mind a little. He just had to ask the AI, "Did Red pay to be released from the drill?"

Without hesitation, the AI answered, <Corporal Ryan Red transferred his concubine Nelly to Master Sergeant Xavier Dwaine shortly before he was allowed to leave the training ground.>

Luckily, the rest of the shift was nearly as quiet and Paul managed to do his job properly. On his way home, Paul noticed a washed-out red spot at the wall of a corridor. It was an unusual sight since nanites were doing a nearly perfect job in cleaning all the corridors, pods and other facilities. "AI, what is that," Paul asked sub-vocally.

<This is a spot of blood. It will be cleaned within five minutes,> the AI replied.

"What happened here?" Paul asked. He couldn't get rid of the images of a drill that his earlier talk to the AI had given to his imagination.

<A concubine has been caught alone outside a pod. Sergeant Major Arnold Biggs found her and taught her a lesson. Although it is not forbidden for concubines to leave a pod when her sponsor grants her permission to do so, it is mostly used as punishment to send them out. The Bloodhounds are scanning the corridors and teach lessons to sole concubines. In this case, Sergeant Major Arnold Biggs broke her nose and her left arm. Then he sodomized her.>

That was the day he ordered his concubines to never again leave his pod.

In the following two weeks, Paul learned a lot about the colony's pecking order. There were no clear rules. Instead, the members of the Bloodhound Company enforced their will. They didn't interfere much with the colony's business to serve the Confederacy fleet, until somebody failed. They punished people for wrinkling their nose when they were in a bad mood. Their primary tools were most painful and humiliating drills, raping another sponsor's concubines or shorting the power supply to a pod. They were generally bullying people when somebody crossed their way by accident but they were not very creative. The power behind the Bloodhound Company was Governor McGregor, a man Paul had never met.

Sometimes, the AI warned Paul to take another corridor when a Bloodhound patrol was patrolling. In other cases, the AI was acting as if it didn't understand that there was something wrong with the colony. It revealed the cruelest details to Paul when he asked what was going on as if it was the most normal thing of the world.

One evening, when Paul returned from work, he ordered Amanda to the master bedroom. His face was once again a mask that Amanda couldn't read. She hurried to follow his orders. "Clean your bowels in the bath room," he ordered.

Amanda knew of Paul's fetishes. He liked large insertions and fisting. Fortunately, he had ordered augmentations that allowed Amanda to take everything Paul had shoved into her until now without feeling much pain. Amanda cleaned her inside with two enemas and then lubed herself with half a bottle of baby oil. When she returned to the master bedroom, Paul made her kneel on the bed, ass high, breasts squeezed into the mattress.

Paul approached her ass and positioned his cock head at her anus. Paul had also taken an augmentation. His cock now measured eleven inches. Without much resistance, Paul's cock entered Amanda's well-lubed backdoor. Only the last two inches caused her a little pain, but it was bearable. Paul did take less care about her than usual. However, Amanda was able to find pleasure in the forceful violation of her ass. After a while she started to moan into the cushions.

Paul stopped and withdrew his cock. Amanda looked back to see what was happening. She knew Paul hadn't come yet. Paul's face was still a mask. Slowly it dawned to Amanda that there was something really unpleasant approaching. Paul inserted four fingers in her pussy and spread her lips wide. Then he clenched his right fist and rammed it in. Amanda cried from the pain. She couldn't hold back some tears. For ten minutes she suffered from a merciless fisting that made her beg him to end the torture.

"We haven't even started," Paul replied. Then he stretched his middle finger and poked her cervix with it.

Amanda realized what was to come and howled, "No, please have mercy. You can't do that!"

Paul ignored her. With great force he pushed forward, inserting his finger in Amanda's womb. Amanda shrieked at the top of her lungs. She tried to crawl away but Paul grabbed her hair and dragged her back. The next few strokes were as painful as the first one, and then Paul added another finger. After five minutes, Paul had managed to insert his whole hand into Amanda's womb. Blood was trickling out of her pussy. Amanda was conscious but her mind had shut down. Her eyes were wide open but her body was limp. It was no longer attached to her. After another two minutes, Amanda passed out.

Amanda woke up in the med tube. All pain had gone. All agony was just a memory. She slowly climbed out of the tube and turned toward the door. There stood Paul. Amanda shrieked in horror and fled to the farthest corner of the room, crumbling into a heap of sobs and pleas.

"AI, did you record this?" Paul asked.

<Confirmed.>

"Then keep it and use it in the manner expressly agreed."

<Confirmed.>

Slowly, Paul approached Amanda, his facial expression softening. Carefully he embraced the horrified woman and sobbed, "I'm sorry. I'm so terribly sorry."

Another week later, when Paul's shift had just ended, the AI informed him, <Lance Corporal Peterson, you asked to be informed when a job other than space surveillance or flight control becomes available. Currently there is a job available at the engineering and colony development department. Sergeant Jessica Bartovsky who held the job until today committed suicide.>

Paul quickly went home. His concubines were awaiting him at the entrance kneeling, head lowered and naked. He hadn't ordered this but after what he had done the week before, they lost all their remaining spirit. Since then, Paul hadn't touched either of them.

Paul went to his office and took a sleep trainer session for engineers. Before midnight he volunteered for the new job.

The new job as an engineer had its own benefits. Paul was nearly independent. He had to prepare the space for new pods and keep an eye on the life support systems of the geosphere where all the colonists were living. However, since the geosphere was finished, there was nothing much to do. All systems were controlled by the AI and there was no need for new pods. The colony wasn't growing. Newcomers were replacing dead soldiers and that was it. Even upgrading the pods to newer models with an independent power source and a small AI was not on the agenda. The governor had explicitly vetoed this when the pods became available two years ago.

Instead, one of Paul's duties was to temporarily disconnect pods from the main power plant on direct order from the Governor's office. So he quickly got an overview of who was on the Bloodhounds' watch list. Paul did his job without arguing and somehow that caught the benevolent attention of the governor's right hand and Bloodhound leader, Major Smith. Paul was invited to several after work parties of the Bloodhounds. Most of these parties were just sprees with lots of alcohol and a couple of concubines that were passed around for humiliation games and fucking.

Paul held back with the alcohol but participated in the fucking of the concubines. Without the slightest sign of sympathy he used them as they crossed his path.

Several weeks later, he was invited to an initiation party on Saturday night. A new Bloodhound had to prove that he was ruthless enough for the job. Paul learned from the AI that on those parties, the newbie had to kill a concubine of another soldier who was being punished for something.

The newbie was a blonde guy who played the tough guy all the time, until it came to the main event of the evening. Major Smith stood and spoke up, "Quiet please, gentlemen. We have a new member here, Corporal Dan Spencer. He volunteered for the position as a security officer of the colony." Several of the Bloodhounds couldn't suppress laughter.

"Quiet please! In the past weeks, the corporal has been introduced to the different aspects of the job and he seems to fit into our little group. So today is the day where he can prove that he is indeed the right stuff." The Major signaled to someone at the door to bring in the concubine. Her hands were cuffed behind her back and a blindfold was blocking her sight. She wasn't wearing a shift or anything else. Her body was covered with bruises and bite marks. Sperm was leaking out of her swollen pussy.

"This is the last concubine of Sergeant Mark Linden who miserably failed a few days ago. It is part of his punishment that his concubine is to be recycled since he cares too much for her. Corporal, it is your duty and your initiation task to kill her for our entertainment."

The concubine cried out loud, but was quickly silenced with a gag ball. The corporal visibly turned pale. Obviously he hadn't realized until now what the Bloodhounds really were. He started to argue with the Major, whose mood immediately dropped.

After a while, Major Smith raised a hand again to get the audience's attention. "It seems that we made a mistake when we invited the former Corporal Spencer to join the Bloodhounds. Some people have limits that they can never overcome." A series of boos and whistles interrupted his speech. The major reached for the insignias of the Corporal's uniform and ripped them off. "Dan Spencer, you are degraded to Private. Give back the red belt and your uniform - IMMEDIATELY!" He bawled the last word at Dan Spencer. With shaking hands Private Spencer disrobed. When he was standing in his underpants, the major pushed him towards the audience that greeted him with cheers. The Bloodhounds just loved to humiliate people and now Dan Spencer was their target.

Paul didn't participate in the activities. He just drank a martini and pushed Dan away when he once came close. Paul didn't allow any emotions to surface. He remembered Dan from his trip to the colony. They had talked a few times. Paul couldn't believe that Dan hadn't seen where it would lead him when he volunteered for that job.

After about an hour, Major Smith once again stood up. "Quiet please. We have a little problem here it seems. This is an initiation party without a rookie. And we have a still living concubine." The major looked around in the room. Paul froze when he felt the major's gaze.

"Fortunately we have another man here who has spent some time with us. He is supporting us on the technical side, something we often forget to honor. Lance Corporal Peterson, please come to me."

Paul stood up mechanically. His face was a mask. He had seen first hand what happened to people who disappointed the Bloodhounds. A drunken sergeant was blocking Paul's way. He glared at the man until he gave way. Then he stood before the major.

"Lance Corporal Paul Peterson, this is your chance to become a member of the Bloodhounds. Will you take the opportunity?" the major asked. He was a little unsure. Normally he could read a person. But Paul's face was blank. He stared at the major without blinking.

"Was that a question sir?" Paul quietly asked.

"Not really," the major answered with an evil grin. He offered a stun gun to Paul. Paul looked at it. The power of the modified gun was set to maximum, which would cause the spine to fry when used at the neck.

Paul dropped the device. "I'll select my own weapon." He turned around and walked toward the rear wall where a replicator had poured out drinks for the whole evening. "Battleaxe. Extra sharp," he ordered sub vocally.

When he returned with the heavy weapon, the room grew silent. Paul positioned himself behind the bound and blindfolded concubine and lifted the battleaxe high above his head. With a mighty blow he split the woman's head and upper body. At about the height of her navel the weapon got stuck in her backbone. Blood sprayed over Paul and the first rows of the audience from the collapsing body. The Major had quickly stepped back but was hit by a few drops of blood too.

Paul looked around and saw disbelief and fear in several faces. He yanked the axe free from the dead body and shouldered it. More blood covered his hands, face and uniform. Slowly he returned to the replicator and dropped the axe into the recycling unit. Then he returned to his martini as if nothing had happened.

Major Smith broke the silence, "Well, this definitely qualifies Lance Corporal Peterson as a true Bloodhound. Welcome aboard." Applause and cheers came up slowly.

In the following weeks Paul was invited to the training ground of the Bloodhound Company. That was an area with artificial thorny scrub made out of some sort of plastic and a few walls. The Bloodhounds liked to use that place for hide and seek games with people who deserved some sort of punishment in their opinion. In most cases the victim got a head start of one minute, and then he was hunted down and thrown into the scrub one or two times. The thorns were sharp enough to shred normal clothing and inflict painful wounds. The major reminded Paul at the first two events that these were no terminations. So Paul just followed the other Bloodhounds but avoided being involved in the punishment activities.

Things changed on a Monday evening. Paul had been invited to the training ground for the fifth time. He was already on his way when the AI told Paul, < Lance Corporal Paul Peterson, terms have changed. The victim on the training ground is a concubine of Major Smith. Major Smith has ordered her execution on the training ground.>

"Why's that?" Paul asked sub vocally.

<This is restricted information,> the AI declared. But after a short pause it continued, <Concubine Rita slapped her master for bullying her eldest son. This is in no means a training session. Be prepared.>

Paul raised an eyebrow. This was not the first time that the AI acted strange. But the AI had given Paul information that this was not only a power game. When he arrived at the training ground, he found a group of five Bloodhounds, plus the major. The concubine was standing in a corner, shaking in fear. She wore a concubine's shift that had been torn to stripes. Her body was covered with bruises and her right arm was dislocated.

Major Smith was all excited and explained what he expected the Bloodhounds to do to her. "I not only want her to suffer for her misbehavior. Drag her through the scrub. Rape her. Burn her with those plasma rifles. At the end of this day, I want to see her dead body on my porch!"

In the meantime, the men changed into light body armor and checked the weapons they got for this event. The light plasma rifle was a nasty weapon, even the training version. At the lowest level, a hit by the plasma beam would burn cloth and cause blisters on bare skin. At the maximum scale, a grazing shot would instantly cause third degree burns. A full hit would turn flesh to burning coal. However, Paul had an idea that these weapons were no training rifles.

After another tirade of the major against his concubine, he declared, "The man who finally kills her, gets an additional concubine and one week free to train her!"

Big mistake. The Bloodhounds cheered and were eager to rip her to pieces. Except for Paul. He aimed at the concubine and pulled the trigger. The room was instantly filled with heated air that made breathing painful. A wide spread, full power plasma beam had hit the concubine's upper body and immediately turned all liquids into hot steam. Small pieces of cooked or fried flesh were covering the walls and the men. The concubine's bones had turned into ashes. All that was left of the concubine were her legs, now lying in different corners of the room. A locker had caught fire. The AI quickly extinguished it.

When the major recovered from the initial shock he shouted, "What the hell was that?"

"You owe me a concubine, sir," Paul calmly answered. With that he put the weapon back to the stand and left the place.

Back at his pod, his concubines awaited him in a submissive pose. Paul ignored them and stormed to the bath room. He made it to the toilet before he no longer could hold back and he vomited.

<Do you need medical help, Paul Peterson?> the AI asked.

"Don't you dare tell anybody what's happening here. This is not happening," Paul croaked.

The story of the incident made it to Governor McGregor himself. He did a little research about Paul Peterson and was amazed by the cruelness of the soldier that nearly matched his own. Since Paul did not show any signs of ambition, the governor wasn't worried about a potential rival or traitor. Governor McGregor made sure that Major Smith didn't harm Paul in anger. He had something else in mind. He wanted to challenge the cruelness of the little soldier, test his limits and then break him.

<Lance Corporal Paul Peterson, you are summoned to the Governor's office in one hour and fifteen minutes,> the AI called out loud. Paul was having breakfast at his pod. His concubines were kneeling beside the table as usual, waiting for his commands. They would eat later, when Paul was out of the pod, working. Rebecca was still at the upper floor. She was avoiding contact with Paul since the incident with Amanda. She timed her sleep trainer lessons so that she couldn't meet Paul at the meals. Paul tolerated it.

"Oh shit, what does that mean?" Paul asked. Suddenly his appetite was gone and he had a knot in his stomach.

<The governor didn't give any further details about the reason,> the AI noted.

"Did I overact at the training ground?" Paul asked half to himself. He looked at his concubines. "If I don't return I want the pod to be sealed. No one is allowed to get in except for the civil service officer. I want you to keep my concubines alive."

<Confirmed. However, I calculate this is not necessary at this time. The governor was talking about a challenge with his new aide Major Kimberly Adder, the replacement for the former Major Smith.> After a short pause the AI added, <I am sorry that I can't allow an exception regarding the use of the pod in the case of your death.>

Once again Paul wondered about conflicts shown in the speech of the AI. Lucie, the pregnant concubine of Paul, had the courage to ask, "What do you mean, if you don't come back? Why is the AI talking about your possible death when you are going to visit the governor?"

Paul turned around and looked at his concubines, his facial expression softening. "Listen, I'm playing a dangerous game with the local bullies. Currently I scared them off, well, most of them. I am the sociopath, the cold killer they thought they were themselves but they found out they aren't. I already killed two concubines in very bloody ways to scare them off. The AI seems to support me, but at the same time it doesn't realize what it is doing."

<This is a proper description,> the AI noted.

"If I ever lose the support of the AI, my game will be over. We will be all dead, or worse," Paul continued. "So whatever will happen, now that the governor is involved, be prepared that it will get rougher. The profile that the AI allowed me to read shows that the governor likes to involve parts of people's private life in his sick games. That includes you." Paul looked from Lucie to Amanda. "I'm sorry I'm such a terrible sponsor to you. I just can't switch from sociopath to nice guy and back that easily. I fear it would break me. So please stay out of my way. Okay?"

They both nodded, more scared than before. Earlier, they had only thought that Paul was cold and demanding, and sometimes a little cruel. That would have been something they could deal with. Now they learned that something really dangerous was knocking at their pod's door - figuratively.

Paul entered the governor's office when the AI told him to. There was a secretary's desk in the anteroom but it was orphaned.

"Good morning Corporal Peterson," Governor McGregor greeted Paul when he entered the office. Paul noticed that Major Adder was sitting to his right, aside of the large desk made out of marble and oaken burl wood. A single chair was standing in front of the desk.

Paul stood beside the chair and saluted. "Good morning Governor, Sir!"

"Relax, Paul. Take a seat. This is just an informal meeting. May I call you Paul?" the governor asked.

Paul sat down. "Certainly, sir," He answered. His face was again a blank mask.

"May I introduce you to Major Kimberly Adder, now commander of the Bloodhound Company? You may know her as second in command. I found it necessary to replace Major Smith. It turned out that he ordered the AI to prepare real weapons for the training ground instead of the slightly less dangerous training weapons. An unforgivable mistake."

<He didn't order live weapons, he just didn't order training weapons explicitly. I mixed up the truth a little,> the AI noted through Paul's implant.

"I had played with the idea of replacing Major Smith for a while," the governor continued, "and I'm happy that you gave me an excuse to really do it. You know, Major Smith was not really the tough guy I needed in that position. He tended to be soft. For example he used a damn stunning device for executions. Major Adder here is much more like me...."

<Indeed, while Major Smith tried to control the citizens through terror, Major Adder is only interested in torturing someone from time to time, as is the governor.> Paul found it hard to follow the governor's speech while at the same time the AI was speaking to him through his implanted communication link.

"...So I was asking myself if you are a third wolf on this cozy planet. I would really be pleased." The Governor ended his speech. Both Governor McGregor and Major Adder were watching him closely, smiling like hungry wolves.

"What do you have in mind, sir?" Paul asked the governor. His face was still a mask. He looked nearly relaxed.

<You know how hard it currently is to keep your adrenaline level and heartbeat under control?>

"Shush!" Paul returned sub vocally.

"Well, how about a barbeque?" Major Adder suggested. It had been the first time she had said something during the conversation.

"That's a very good idea. I haven't been to a barbeque for a while. But of course it would not be suitable for me to visit the home of a corporal for a barbeque. You will be promoted to ensign. That also suits your current job better than your current rank. A barbeque would solve a few other problems, too," the governor mentioned. "You remember, the former Major Smith granted you another concubine? He wasn't allowed to grant supernumeraries and I still have to punish him. So you'll get his last one. Unfortunately I can't allow you to keep more than two concubines."

'Oh shit, not that,' Paul thought. The AI nearly sedated Paul to prepare him for the coming suggestion.

"Your new concubine is not in good shape. So why don't you put one of your old ones on the grill?" the governor asked.

Paul didn't answer or collapse immediately. Governor McGregor and Major Adder enjoyed what they thought was a small man's agony. Paul sat there for a minute. First, his mind was blank like his face. Then, he had a silent conversation with the AI. Finally, he asked the governor, "Would be Sunday evening okay for you?"

Paul was on his way home. Governor McGregor had been a little surprised. The major on the other hand had just smiled in satisfaction. Paul had no clue what that meant. Both had agreed to visit Paul on Sunday evening. After all, the barbeque had been their suggestion.

Now, Paul had to prepare the event. The hardest part would be to get his concubines' full cooperation. Right now, Paul took it for granted that he had the AI's full support as long as he continued the charade. Paul decided to fully trust his concubines. In fact he had no other choice.

When Paul entered his pod, he found his concubines kneeling in an obedient position at the entrance as usual. He signaled them to stand up and follow him to the living room. There, he made them sit down on the sofa. He also ordered Rebecca to join.

"Amanda, Lucie, Rebecca, I have good news, bad news and really bad news," Paul started the talk. "The good news is that I will be promoted to ensign. Governor McGregor and Major Adder invited themselves to a barbeque at our pod. That's the bad news. I'll need your help on that, Lucie. The really bad news is that they asked for a concubine as the main dish." Lucie gasped and her face went gray while Amanda just fainted. Rebecca stared at Paul wide-eyed. She obviously couldn't believe what she just had heard. Blindly she reached for her mother's hand, seeking protection, knowing that her mother wasn't in a position to do anything at all.

Paul waited for Amanda to wake up again. Then he continued, "This is a charade. Do you understand? None of you will die as long as you fully cooperate." Paul looked at the ceiling. "AI, do you stand to your word?"

<Of course I do,> the AI replied.

"Okay then, listen to my plan..."

At Sunday morning, Lucie and Rebecca entered the rear office of their pod to get the body of Amanda out of the med tube. Lucie and Rebecca had to remind themselves that this was only a dead body, not Amanda. The body's head had been separated. Her abdomen was an open hole with all her innards gone, except for her heart and uterus, that were also lying in the tube separately.

Lucie and her daughter carried the body to the kitchen area that had drastically changed. There was now a large kitchen counter and the rear wall was dominated by a huge electric grill with a spit, large enough for a human body. Lucie and Rebecca placed the body on the counter. Then they brushed it with spiced oil, even the inside. When Lucie was satisfied, they bound the body, so the limbs could not flop around when it turned on the spit.

Then they pushed the iron spit through the body. When they were finished, Amanda's legs were securely fixed to the spit. The pole went through her pussy and emerged from the stomp of her neck. They also had added several anti-roll bars. Finally they heaved the spit to the grill and turned it on. The spit rotated slowly while the rear wall of the grill started to emit heat.

"You don't need to stay," Lucie told her daughter. They hadn't talked much. They both weren't in the mood for conversation.

"I'll stay," Rebecca said. She sat down in a corner and hugged her knees.

"This will take the whole day," Lucie reminded her daughter. "I would leave if I could, but I have to prepare salads and side-dish."

Rebecca sighed. "Look, I can't just go upstairs while this is roasted for dinner." She pointed at the slowly rotating corpse. Lucie didn't argue with her daughter.

The preparations took the whole day. Lucie prepared potatoes and chestnuts, different vegetables and salads. Rebecca helped coating the roasting body with oil from time to time and prepared the dining table with three plates and wine glasses. They both took their time to watch the spit. It was a hypnotizing sight. Paul showed up a few times but didn't say a word. It wasn't necessary. All was said days ago.

When the guests arrived, the joint was golden brown and a delicious smell filled the whole pod. Paul greeted the governor and the major at the door. Major Adder was leading a small naked Asian woman on a leach. She was in an awful condition. When they reached the kitchen door, they looked in and were delighted.

Major Adder noted, "I'm surprised you managed to get your concubines' cooperation. When I fried my first male concubine, the others simply went catatonic and I had to do it all myself. Of course I punished them later, but it was no use. I had to replace them all. But they were delicious."

Governor McGregor grinned. "Yes, I remember that. It was no fun to play with them. They were just living dead."

Paul looked at Lucie and Rebecca. "Motivation is the key. I can't cook at all. So if they do a good job, I allow them to live. Lucie was a head chef back on Earth and it seems that her daughter has talents too."

"How old is the younger one?" the governor asked.

<Rebecca is thirteen years old,> the AI replied.

The governor sighed; "Too young to have fun with. By the way, this is Kim, your new concubine." He signaled the major to hand the Asian over.

Paul forced Kim to spin once. "She looks like shit. I'm surprised she can walk straight with those contusions."

"Well, the Bloodhounds had their fun with her for three days. But that's nothing a med tube can't fix," the major said.

Kim also got a glimpse at what was going on in the kitchen and her face turned green. Her stomach revolted but there was nothing to throw up. The governor wrinkled his nose.

"Just a second please," Paul said to his guests. Then he led Kim to the upper floor and made her sit on the sleep trainer in Rebecca's learning room. "AI, sedate her."

<Confirmed.>

Then Paul returned to his guests who enjoyed the show in the kitchen. Lucie and Rebecca just removed the golden brown body from the spit and cut off the legs. They placed the corpse on a huge plate, belly down, and decorated it with salad.

Paul led his guests into the living room and offered some cocktails while Lucie and Rebecca carried the heavy plate to the dining table. Amanda's head was facing the governor's seat as the main table decoration.

The meal was a complete success. Lucie and Rebecca had both stripped. Lucie was serving the meat and side-dish to the sponsors while Rebecca refilled the wine glasses. When Governor McGregor felt up Rebecca, she didn't pull away. Most of the time, the governor and the major talked about how they treated and tortured their own concubines, enjoying the facial expressions of Lucie and Rebecca. Paul himself wasn't adding anything to their amusement. His face was again an unreadable mask.

"That was really delicious!" Governor McGregor said after more than an hour and Major Adder nodded in agreement. All three sponsors were full. The governor turned toward Lucie. "Please prepare a few different meals from the remains and feed them to the replicator's templates."

"That's a splendid idea, sir," Major Adder noted.

When his guests finally had gone, Paul ran to the bath room and threw up everything. It didn't help that he knew that it hadn't been the real Amanda on the plate.

A few months later, somewhere else in the galaxy, someone came to the conclusion that it was time to intervene at Gangriel. The colony's AI had leaked some information about cannibalism. Technically, the AI was okay with that, as long as the one on the plate was only property, but for a human that was out of the question. However, even the AI's agreed that cannibalism was not healthy for a colony.

Fortunately, there were already volunteers for the intervention job.

Once again, Commander Claymore met with the Marine officers to discuss their intervention plans. The Marines agreed that without the help of the colony's AI, they simply could do nothing. Gangriel was a hot, dead rock with a huge cavern deeply underground called geosphere, where the colonists lived. There was no connection to the surface, except for the transporter network. In addition, the Tarawa class ship was vulnerable. The orbital facilities of Gangriel were heavily armed and able to defeat an enemy.

The commander was on board because he was the only one available who knew Gangriel from within, and he was eager to stop the madness.

The Marines had come to the conclusion that they had to trust the colony's AI and they hated it. The AI of Gangriel had tolerated whatever was going on down there. Even though they had the support of the AI network at headquarters, it was a dangerous move.

But then, things came out a little different from what they all had thought.

When the Tarawa class ship Pine Creek entered the Gangrielat system, they were almost immediately called by the colony's AI. <This is Gangriel AI speaking. May I talk to Commander Claymore please?>

The message reached Commander Claymore in another meeting and was broadcast over the speaker system, not the link implant. Commander Claymore was surprised that the AI knew that he was aboard. "Commander Claymore here," he replied.

<Welcome at Gangrielat, Commander, and congratulations on your promotion.>

"Thank you..."

Before the commander could say something more, the AI continued, <I expect this is not a duty call? You practically fled from Gangriel and now you return with a ship full of Marines on a secret mission. You know an AI is not stupid.>

The officers suddenly had a very bad feeling.

"Well, how's the situation at Gangriel?" the commander asked. "You know my reasons to leave Gangriel. You know that I tried to rescue what was left of my old family. I had the impression that you understood why I left Gangriel."

<I know and I understood. The situation got worse. I calculate a collapse of the colony within one year and I can't stop it without help. But I can't trust anybody. There is too much fear and hatred.>

"So what do you expect? Why do you trust me?" the commander asked.

<You returned.>

"Okay, I'll accept that for now. So what do you expect us to do? We first had the plan to somehow get your cooperation to send in enough Marines to take down the government and its agents and stoolies. By the way, I'm not the leader of the action."

<You are the one I'll talk to.>

Commander Claymore looked at the Marine officers and shrugged helplessly.

<I am able and willing to help. All you need is a terminal with a button. There are enough stingers hidden in the walls and ceilings to stun everybody everywhere within the colony. I will aim at those whose behavior differs dramatically from their official CAP score. You push the trigger.>

The leading officer, Major Kenneth, nodded his agreement to this plan.

<I can see you, Major. You can speak loud,> the AI mentioned.

The ship's AI used a free terminal to display all targets on a split screen. <<Please hit the red button to fire all stingers at once.>>

"Sir, we are not yet in transporter range," a lieutenant mentioned.

Major Kenneth saw his chance to gain back at least some control. "Ship AI, spread command: All Marines prepare for action. Light body armor and stingers. We will be in transporter range in one-five minutes. Main targets will be taken down in advance. Prepare for minor resistance and a lot of disoriented sponsors."

When the Tarawa class assault ship Pine Creek reached transporter range, it took only fifty seconds to get five hundred Marines through twenty transporters. They were greeted by a repeating announcement of the AI, <...This is not a drill. The colony's government has been suspended. Please keep all stations manned and follow the orders of the Marines. This is not a drill...>

There was not much resistance. Most people were happy to get rid of the governor and his Bloodhounds. Within thirty minutes the Marines had collected everybody who had been stunned, including Governor McGregor, his aides and all Bloodhounds except for one.

Paul was sitting in his office, observing the Marines entering the geosphere. "It's finally over, is it?"

<Yes Ensign Peterson. Why did you take a plasma rifle with you?> the AI answered.

Paul looked at the heavy weapon that was resting on his knees. He checked the gun's status once again. It was fully loaded. "My concubines will all be safe?"

<Yes Ensign Peterson. The Marines came from Vandergast. They have orders from Headquarters to take down the governor and anybody involved in terrorizing other sponsors. Why did you take a plasma rifle with you?>

"Vandergast," Paul mused. "I've read about that colony. Nice people. A real home." Paul turned the weapon around and aimed at his head. He couldn't reach the trigger.

<Don't do this. You saved so many. They will understand.>

"They will always remember that I am the butcher."

<They will forgive. You didn't kill that many. And those you killed weren't tortured to death like many others,> the AI offered.

"I will still be the butcher. You don't understand humans." Paul tried to stick the muzzle in his mouth.

<Please. I will erase all the official logs. You can go away and start somewhere else.>

"You don't understand. I can't run away because as long as I live, I will remember what happened here. It doesn't matter if my files are clean or not." Paul watched on the screen as two Marines carried the paralyzed governor out of his office and threw him into an empty cell of a pod that had been designated as a prison. "The thing that really scares me is that I liked to be feared after a few weeks. I enjoyed it. In another situation I would be just like the governor. I can't allow this." With that, Paul stuck the muzzle in his mouth and pulled the trigger.

Commander Claymore was still on board the Pine Creek. It had given him a little satisfaction to pull the trigger when it had been the time. Now he was observing the situation on his former home.

<Commander Claymore, could you please send a civil service officer down? Ensign Peterson who I thought was trustworthy committed suicide two minutes ago. His concubines might cause a little administrative problem.>

"What the??? Why don't you ask for the medics?" Commander Claymore asked back.

<There is nothing much left for the medics,> the AI responded. Then it broadcast some live pictures from the ensign's office where he had fired a plasma rifle at himself.

Commander Claymore hadn't been prepared for a sight like this. He was shocked. "Okay, Civil Service Officer on duty, please go down to Gangriel and follow directions to Ensign Peterson's pod," he said mechanically.

Decurion Frank Under, the Civil Service Officer on duty, asked for details, so the AI explained, <The pod of Ensign Peterson currently holds twenty-one concubines. Nineteen have an unclear status. As long as the ensign lived, their status had been undead.>

"Err, what?" the Decurion was confused.

<The concubines were officially declared dead, but they lived in a hidden area of the pod. Ensign Peterson fooled Governor McGregor on nineteen occasions and always was granted another concubine. I calculate the head concubines will tell you everything about the weekly barbeques in detail.>

Within two days, the government, the whole Bloodhound Company and more than seventy snitches were CAP re-tested. None reached a CAP score better than 4.5. Most were far lower. Major Kenneth decided to recycle everybody below 4.0. That included the former governor and every officer of the Bloodhound Company. After one week, the control over the colony was given back to the colonists, with a temporary administration and under strict observation of the AI. The Marines returned home.