IMPERIUM

BY CHRISTOPHER TOILKIEN

[ part 4 ]

Jennie, a little ten year old Solarian girl, out for a simple exploration walkabout by herself, runs into a band of locals.

First Contact

"The satellites appear to have been in orbit for a long time as most are dead and in swiftly deteriorating orbits." Janet noted.

"The planets larger population centers have been systematically devastated and their interconnecting road networks cut where they crossed any major obstacles such as rivers." Her husband Robert added.

"A planetary wide civil war?" The adult female suggested.

"More than likely to the point both sides’ economies were driven back below the atomic age." The man added.

"Then it will be safe enough for us to take a launder to investigate the area around one isolated village." His lifelong partner decided.

The dull metallic ball that was a Solarian galactic survey ship was orbiting the only planet suitable for human colonization in this newly discovered system. Its human occupants, hard at work, analyzing this rare find.

An hour later the two adults were planet side. The man was setting up a soil analysis device while the woman was taking samples from the local flora.

"I'm bored." A little ten year old girl announced as she walked round the bow of the personnel launder.

"Jennie, how can you be with a whole new planet to explore?" Her mother replied as she added the berries off a light green bush to a sterile sampling tray.

"I would not be if you had let me have that doll I saw in the arcade." She replied looking up at her mother.

"That was not a doll for little girls to play with." Her mother replied as an angry expression flashed across her face.

"Are you not happy with the holographic music and video library player we did acquire instead?" She added as a more motherly expression replaced the annoyed one. She reminded herself never again to allow the girl’s father to squire her to their home bases sales colonnades alone.

He had obviously taken her into the adult age toy store and shown her the sex slave clone display. Hoping she would become enamored with one of the little girls.

"Why do you not try a little exploring yourself?" Her mother suggested. "How much exploring can I do with him around to scare everything away?" The young girl replied. Indicating with her thumb pointing over her shoulder. Towards the heavily armed and armored assault robot standing jut a few feet behind her.

"David is your companion and bodyguard Jennie." Her father said as he started the soil core drilling machine up. He was going to keep himself very busy and out of his wife's way as long as he could. For the next little while, anyway.

He had caught the gist of the conversation between mother and daughter. And knew he was in the dog house again.

"Since the nearest settlement is five kilometers beyond that copse of trees." Jennie informed her parents, pointing to the mostly greenish large vegetation behind them. I think I will be safe enough without him trying to catch a glimpse of my panties for a little while."

"Jennie, we have told you enough times the war-bots are sexless machines, not real people." Her mother scolded her. "Besides, David here is programmed especially to be a little girl’s bodyguard."

"Yes he certainly has shown and demonstrated quite an interest in mine." Jennie said, but only to herself.

Her mother had assigned a war-bot to be Jennies’ bodyguard and instructor, ever since she had refused to spend her required hours at the teaching computer. The robot made sure she excelled at her assignments by punishing her little girl body when she failed to live up to the high standards her mother set. And drove her to the heights of female pleasure, when she exceeded them.

"Fine then, you can explore the closest edge of the vegetation without him." The female explorer instructed. "But do not go one step further inside than a few meters."

"Yes mom, thank you mom." The little blond haired ten years old squeaked as she dodged around the dull grey-green robot. Cheekily sticking her tong out at him, as she passed. Her dress sent swirling about, flashing the virgin white pinafore and panties as she wiggled her hips.

Unlike her one piece jump-suit clad parents. Little Jennie was outfitted in an Egyptian cotton light blue dress with short sleeves and a high white collar over which she wore a white cotton bib apron. Thigh high white lace leggings, white cotton panties under white lace pinafore and shinny black saddle shoes completed her attire.

Not exactly practical wear to go planetary exploring.

But the sociologists of their home base had recently instructed the children of their far ranging exploration teams be treated and dressed as if they were living and been educated among their peers aboard the thousand kilometer diameter balls. That was the exploration group’s home bases.

Did it not occur to anyone? All the little girls ranging out among the stars were dressed identically to the ones pictured in a Victorian storybook, Alice in Wonderland.

Or maybe that was the whole idea.

Her robot guardian remained in place, but its head rotated all the way round to follow his charge as she walked towards the edge of the vegetation two meters away from were he stood.

The infantry class war machine was the most numerous of the Solarian military constructs. The humanoid skeletal shaped bipeds were created by the millions in fully automated space faring production facilities that endlessly mined lifeless planets and asteroid fields for resources. Each metal warrior armed with an explosive round firing rifle with a grenade launcher underneath its barrel. A bayonet length knife was attached to his left thigh with a smaller caliber pistol on his right.

A one shot anti-tank high explosive missile launcher was strapped behind his left shoulder.

Larger planetary surface war machines from tanks right up to the gigantic three legged titans came from the same continuously productive factories in seemingly endless numbers.

Space combat units were also designed, improved and battle damage repaired by planetary sized automated factories that chopped up and ingested entire planets to obtain the necessary materials.

The Solarian war machine had been in unstoppable expansion mode for over five thousand years, control of the entire galaxy in its sights.

Originally man had been abducted from their home planet in large numbers to fill the military ranks of a commonwealth of alien races. Who had used their slave soldiers to both fight their foreign wars and police their home planets.

The aliens had chosen humans because they were the most naturally warlike of any race they had ever encountered.

But their human janissaries, as they called themselves, eventually revolted against their harsh uncaring masters as the original ones had. The depopulated worlds of those long extinct aliens now formed the home worlds of the Solarian Empire.

The aliens had been correct. The rest of the galaxy cursed their name for unleashing the ravaging wolves again.

The majority of the Elite class Solarian lived their entire lives on the home planets without ever seeing the war machines that made their pampered existence possible. And would have been terrified of them if they ever saw one.

The teeming masses in their jam-packed hive cities, which bore the brunt of the drudge work. Often never even seeing the direct light from the star the planet circled.

The working classes legally allowed an escape outlet from their daily toil by volunteering to join the Solarian military, which many did. What they were not informed of prior to sighing up. Was their minds would be reproduced into the war machines and their flesh bodies discarded. There was some initial shock when they awakened in their new metallic bodies. Learning to maneuver and exist in one took almost a month. After that most soldiered on.

Besides, the new soldiers were told if their current body was severely damaged. They stored minds could be simply transferred into a new one. And since after every military action, their latest experiences were uploaded into the storage system in case their machine bodies were destroyed in their next action.

In doing so discovered they could be virtually immortal.

Larger planetary surface combat units up to tank size run by a single mind. Titan size war machines controlled by three minds in the thirty meters high scout sized to five in the apartment structure multi weapon bearing sized.

Only at the command and control level were mostly unaltered humans found. These members of the military cast were born from the clone vats already trained for a life of constant warfare and conquest in the vast Solarian war fleets.

Every morning they recited their allegiance to the empire and its increasingly distant home world none of them would ever live to walk on. For them their battle-fleet was home. For them constant warfare was their mantra.

So far they were the very best at it in the galaxy.

Sometimes all it takes is one little spark to incite a Bloodbath

Jennie walked towards the copse of vegetation as her eyes and ears scanned for anything interesting. There did not appear to be any birdlike or squirrel like animals around. Actually, except for the wind rustling the leaves of the trees and the hem of her outfit, all was quiet within hearing distance.

A colorful movement attracted her eyes as this world’s version of a butterfly coasted past her and into the copse. The little girl eagerly followed as it flittered along between bushes, but lost sight of it when her dress snagged on a broken tree branch.

Right ahead was a small grassy space surrounded by large treelike growth and Jennie walked into the middle of it to see if she could spot the butterfly.

Suddenly she was swept up off her feet and high in the air by an enveloping rope net. Knocked out cold when the net forced her knees to bang into her forehead.

Ending up unconscious, compressed into a ball with her knees pressed up against her face with her arms held tight against her body. Eight short haired furry aliens walking upright came from hiding places in the surrounding bushes and stood in a rough circle looking up at their prize. Alien maybe, but their naked forms were very obviously male.

One with reddish blond fur stepped forward, placing his short fingered hand on the captives exposed left thigh and turning his head spoke to his companions in a low growling voice.

Three others answered him in combative tones, while one moved to where the traps lifting rope was secured to a sapling and began lowering their hand crafted trap to the ground.

"It is only one of the food growing parolees." A grey furred young male feline noted to his fellow hunting pack members. "Surely, not worth us fighting over."

"It is still mine by right of first contact." The young male who had first set his paw on the captive replied.

"The right of ownership rule only applies to foe defeated in battle or lands captured from an enemy combatant." A black haired youngster informed his peers as the balled up net was lowered to the ground.

"I will fight anyone to defend my rights of ownership." The reddish haired one replied.

"Your father spent years forging alliances and gifting lands he conquered, to convince our own fathers to allow him to gather the heirs of the leading clans into this training war-band." The black haired one noted. "In order we learn to co-operate and co-ordinate our actions for the benefit of all."

"This is a female." The grey haired one exclaimed as their captives body rolled out of the net and her skirt lifted up over her slim waste. "There are no restrictions on rutting with slaves."

"We have to earn rutting privileges with the sterile ones of our father’s harems." The black haired one admonished his fellows. "Not waste our life force on slaves just because our reproductive organs are compatible."

"You are out in the field, not in your historical research library now." A dusky skinned fellow admonished the one lecturing his fellows. "Out here we live, die and conquer with only our naturally given weapons."

The dusky skinned one extended his right arm towards the captive at their feet as claws extended from his fingertips.

"We will take her back to our camp and there decide her fate." The reddish haired young warrior informed his fellows.

"Just because we are on your fathers holdings." A tabby colored one noted. "It does not make you our leader, Raz."

"It is my turn today by the rotation sequence we all agreed upon, Esker." The reddish haired one replied.

"Tep, Sar, find us a long pole to use as a carry. Bar and Sin, bind her wrist and ankles to it."

Jennie woke up to find herself hanging by her wrists and ankles, her little body painfully arched backwards. Wrists and ankles tightly secured to a horizontal pole. She was being carried by two large cats walking upright on their hind legs with the pole resting on each ones left shoulder.

"Just like when David and Dennie take me to the command crews exercise gym for a weekend of strict bondage and torture while they drive me to mind blowing orgasms by endlessly fucking my sex orifices." Jennie thought to herself. "And here I thought I was going to be bored out of my mind on this rock."

They carried their prize out of the dense vegetation and into the gullies that crisscrossed the open patch of sterile ground between it and the houses of the food raisers.

Were two large ones met they had built a camp with individual sleeping huts out of poles and large vegetation leaves. All held together with rope woven from plant tendrils.

They were proud of it, not realizing greenery set in a dry watershed was a camp give away to the military minded.

The trap had been set for the small herbivores that frequented the nearby dense vegetation. And since they had not been given any supplies. Would have to reset the trap, hoping to catch one, go hungry or eat their current captive.

Upon reaching the camp. Jennies' carry pole was hoisted into place between two supports composed of four tree branches bound at the top end standing upright creating wooden teepee frames. Her legs were released while one wrist was transferred across the length of the suspended carry pole. Leaving her body hanging by widespread arms with her feet just off the ground.

The pains radiating from her outstretched limbs eventually penetrated Jennies’ brain returning her to consciousness. To find her captors gathered together standing in front of her, examining their first prize.

"The food growers I have observed do not wear such clothing as this feminine one does." Taz remarked.

"Perhaps she is a personal house pet.?" One suggested.

"Or a prize sex slave?" Another asked.

"A traditional holds feminine quarters contain only our own kind." Bar instructed. "No self respecting landholder would waste his essence by releasing it into a lesser species."

"The reluctance of the ruling council to allow females of our species to leave the home worlds in sufficient numbers. Is one of the grievances those who war among the stars in the name of our empire have against their heavy handed rule." Arn replied.

"And that justifies rutting with aliens?" Bar retorted.

"Even if we were on the home worlds” Taz noted. "Untested, landless males such as we. Are not even permitted rutting with sterilized females."

"So even you, Taz are as inexperienced as the rest of us?" Golden furred Arn inquired as he stroked his cock. "So you will pass on fucking this sexually compatible alien female?"

"We are here to earn the art of co-operation." Bar reminded him. While these late teenaged males of their species all exchanged knowing smiles.

Jennies’ ears could not understand the words each of her alien captors were growling at each other. But her eyes could see the hands of this collection of alien males stroking their very human male appearing sex organs.

"So either let me go, so I can start tasting your sperm." Jennie demanded. "Or start fucking me as I’m getting bored hanging here."

They turned as one when she began to speak. A reddish haired cat reaching out his right hand to come up under her chin, lifting it up high, growling. His long fingernail penetrating the flesh under her chin, right up to the bone. The rest of her captors positioning themselves around their captive.

The one holding her chin up growled an obvious order and the teenaged male cats stepped right up to their helpless captive. Extended their claws and began tearing her clothes to shreds.

Jennie cried out as innumerable scratches were cut into her all over tanned skin by the razor sharp claws of her inexperienced captors, and then screamed even louder As the strain on her body as their claws shredded her clothing down and off her increased the strain on her shoulder joints almost to the point of dislocation.

But her screams only appeared to further arouse those who eagerly awaited their turn to abuse her helpless body.

Jennie felt the rock hard cocks of her captors pressing in from all sides. Knowing her little preteen body simply could not survive being raped by that many.

The one, who had lifted her chin up and then probably ordered his fellows to strip her, suddenly began growling low in his throat. The helpless captive saw her other tormentors face display surprise then anger. But nevertheless, with their tails hanging limp, retreated from her body.

"I guess the dominant male is invoking his rights to take the first fuck." Jennie thought to herself. As the reddish blond haired feline positioned himself directly in front of their captives helpless body.

Though Jennie had never actually seen a real cat before. Her educational programs contained both artistic renderings and 3D pictures of real ones.

Unless they are a relatively young appearing small in stature race. Jennies' exploration trained mind noted. They do not appear to be that many years older than I am. They have almost human faces, Jennie observed. And their current emotions are indicated by the actions of their tales.

But as my mom instructed, a males eyes are the window into their souls. Even David’s glows red when he is angry or excited and green when he fucks me with that strap on rubber dildo.

This one looks a little unsure himself, Jennie decide. Or maybe at performing for the first time in front of an audience of his peers.

The backsides of is paws were covered with short fur, as his body mostly was. But the inner fingers and palms were flesh. Jennie watched as he reached out the fingers of each hand. And winced as he gripped the nipples of her almost none existent breasts between his thumb and forefingers.

Then screamed when his fingers flexed for a second and his razor sharp claws pierced her tender nipples.

The high pitched growls of his contemporaries came to their captives ears. Obviously they approved and were stimulated by his drawing her blood.

But his face showed first surprise, then alarm at her response. Then as blood dripped out of his piercing. Jennie saw his ears twitch as his head came down and his human like lips sucked on first her left then right nipple.

"Far more tender abuse than David and Denise When compared to the vacuum pump they use on my nipples to stretch them out a centimeter." Jennie though to herself. "I kind of like this one."

Eyes wide, face set. Her captor moved right up to her sweating body. Glancing down, Jennie saw his right hand guiding his very human looking cock up and into her vagina. His cock lifting the weight of her body off her suspended arms. The returning blood flow, adding its pain to her abused body's existing sources.

She cried out, but that only added to her captor’s pleasure.

"Ugh, Jennie moaned. Then screamed out as he drove it right up her. "A girl needs a little prep stroke or two." She babbled.

Her language was intelligible to her captors. But even if they had understood. These highborn pampered first sons would not have cared.

After only a few strokes, the first one flooded her womb with his alien sperm and withdrew.

Jennies body had just slumped back when the Gray furred one stepped up to take his place. Her eyes came up to see ones brevet of any of the compassion the first one had shown. He too just shoved it right up her and began banging away. His paws gripping her upper thighs.

Then she screamed again as she felt someone’s thumb being shoved up her rear. Fingers swiped some of the first ones cum off her inner thigh were it had oozed out as he withdrew. Using it to wet her rear sex port.

Jennie knew full well what was coming next. Denise and David had tag team fucked her often enough over the last year with their rubber strap-on. While her body was stretched taught veritably by an exercise machine.

But at least they had been relatively gentle about it. But this one wasn't.

A poor little abused ten year old Solarian girls voice echoed down the dry gullies. As each of her captors took turns raping her. The last few using her near unconscious body as if it were just a piece of dead meat waiting to be cooked'

Raz could do nothing but stand their as his fellows took their turn. He could see her eyes looking at him for aid as the next one shoved his cock into her. But learning to share was one of the tenets his father had brought them together for. And his father had drilled that into his eldest son.

Bar's rape of their captive had occurred a while ago. After witch he had sat down to work on something off to one side. Raz needed to take his mind off the last one fucking his prize up the rear again.

Warriors far from home had always slatted their sexual needs within their own ranks.. But in the last generation it had moved from tolerated clandestine couplings in far flung battle zones. Into open partnerships in civilian life. Their elders very uncomfortable with this development of what the believed was a sign of decadence in the ranks of their young warriors.

So he wandered over to see what his best friend was up too.

Bar had taken a length of vine and secured one end with a sharpened stake. He was using his right forepaws to shred the last few feet over a relatively flat rock. As Raz walked up he pulled the pinioned end out from the ground and folding it back up towards the frayed end, Interwove it into a stiffer handle.

As Raz watched he knotted each of the strands at the end. Then stood and flexing his arm back over his head, flicked it towards Raz.

The crack of Bars creation in the air, right in front of his chest, startled Raz.

"A new weapon?" Raz inquired.

"No, a new stimulant for our fuck toy." Bar replied. "I’m hungry and roasted flayed meat on a stick is looking increasingly tastier as the day wears on."

"She is mine." Raz informed him. "We are here to learn how to share and work together." Tabby furred Esker and Grey Furred Tep added as they walked up.

"We are meat eaters, after all." Golden furred Arn noted.

"Then we should reset our trap to capture one of the small four legged ones it was designed for." Raz said.

"Ok, we will." The three replied. "But if nothing turns up in it by nightfall." The one that did will be roasted in its stead."

Bar stood and walked off towards their camp as the others headed for the denser vegetation they caught the food grower in. His field craft skills stunted by years bent over books. Instead of hunting small game on their fathers lands. As his peers had grown up doing.

There was no one else in the camp when Bar arrived. The spare net was gone as well.

Bar picked up a spare tent pole and a length of vine as he walked towards their unconscious captive. Bent down and fastened one end of it to one of her ankles. The pulling her other ankle as far apart as he could manage. Securing the other ankle to it.

Their young female fuck toy now hung spread wide in front of him.

"The ancient texts tell of a time when we shared our home world with hairless creatures similar to you." He informed her. But as her head still hung down, she probably did not even know he was even there.

His arm drew back right over his shoulder. Then he brought it forward raking the ends of his knotted whip right across her helpless young female form.

Her scream excited his entire body. His mind filled with visions of the detail drawings, he had discovered in the oldest vaults of the library. Brought to life right in front of him.

In those far gone days. His kind had conquered the others. Using them as slave labor in the dirtiest and most dangerous activities. The bodies of their hardiest young males, serving as targets for the training warriors. As their choicest young females, served as torture victims to entertain the young males of the most powerful houses.

Her head came up and her mouth flew wide as her screams echoed in the gully. The screams of a young female in torment did not need any translation. Bars maleness stood erect and his sperm splattered his victims body as his whip wrapped itself around her sweat drenched form, time and time again.

But then he stopped. She had fainted dead away and there was no use wasting his strength on her if she could not please him with her screams. He stepped up to her abused body and took the opportunity to fuck her again. His claws digging into the cheeks of her ass as he pumped his essence into her.

It was growing dark as his ears and nose alerted him of his fellows return. Bars disappointed clearly showing on his face as they approached. He could smell blood and the scent of one of the animals they had initially set the trap for.

Tomorrow it was his turn to lead. He had already decided to kill the female by impaling her on a sharpened stake up the same egress point they had used. And was looking forwards to watching her scream as she squirmed and died. Right in front of him as he sat there and watched. The old books had said it took at least a half day for the hairless ones to die that way.

To bad his kind had killed off so many so quickly. The entire population had died out thousands of years ago.

But if this young female was typical of the enslaved inhabitants of this world. He would ask his father to have Raz's father give the world to him. To seal the alliance between the two most powerful clans in the empire. Knowing his father had eventually given his eldest anything he had ever asked for.

And a world full of sweet little hairless female slaves to torture. Was what he most wanted right now.

"What have you done!" Raz yelled when he walked up and saw the blood on the whip still in Bars hand.

"I was bored guarding the camp so I entertained myself whipping our fuck toy." He calmly informed the angry Raz. Behind him he could see the others looking at first his whip then its effect on the young females body. The fact it aroused them was very obvious as the crowded around her.

"You have another go?" Mer inquired over his shoulder. He was positioned to have another go himself.

"Right after I flogged her." Bar informed his peers. "Nothing like a little torture to get both the torturer and the tortured in the right frame of mind."

"She's mine." Raz stated. "Mine to use or abuse."

But as Mer was humping her from the front and Tep was humping her from the rear. While the others lined up behind them to have a go. Ownership of the female they were using to sate their lusts was a mute consideration.

Raz slumped down on his haunches as he watched the rest have another go at his prize. He knew flesh could only take so much wear and tear. The blood dripping down from her young female body as it was repeatedly abused only confirmed it.

Later the fire, as it roasted the carcass of their meal, flicked off the sweat streaked body of their other captive. Raz had poured some water into her sweet lips from a gourd. While the others had been shoving a sharpened stake right through the four legged one. And grew alarmed as Bar sharpened yet another.

Bar had been his friend for a very long time. Helping him with his book work, as he helped Bar with his field craft. Their fathers seeing the future of the empire in there acting as one against all comers.

This Bar, who now seemingly delighted in torturing others was a stranger. Remembering the word for stranger and enemy were the same in their language.

A Helpless Captives Perspective

Jennie felt someone trying to stuff something warm and meaty into her mouth. "Well sperm is better than nothing." She decided and opened her mouth wide. When she opened her eyes to find out who was using her this time. Was surprised to see the face of the one who had fucked her first sitting cross legged right in front of her. While she had been unconscious, they had cut her down, then tying her hands behind her back. Sitting her down in front of Taz's hut.

He was attempting to slip a piece of chewed half cooked meat in between her teeth instead of his maleness. Jennie extended her tong as he slipped it in and began chewing on it. Her captor raised a piece of a blackened animals leg and tore a piece off it with his fanged mouth.

"Obviously no table manners lessons in your training regime." Jennie noted as her captor chewed on the meat right in front of her.

"Next came a gourd pressed up to her cracked lips. Knowing he at least had some inkling of kindness towards her. She drank every drop she could out of it. Realizing the source of her initial piece of meat when he then withdrew a chewed bit from his mouth and transferred it into hers.

Sips of water alternated with chunks of half cooked, half chewed meat for the next little while. The sun had set and the sounds of his fellows champing on the remainder of the carcass or breaking its bones, came to her ears.

Eventually the reddish furred humanoid cat finished sharing his portion of their meal and dragged Jennie into the hut. Surprising her by first untying her hands and then laying her down beside him on a bower made from plant material. But she was up against the back wall and he between her and the crawl space entrance.

Most of her body had grown numb and she could feel her blood oozing out of her impossibly painful sex and rear. Jennie just lay there in a half dazed state, far too weak to attempt an escape anyway.

"Mom and Dad must have missed me long ago." Jennie thought as she finally dozed off." I wonder if I will survive long enough for them to find me."

Teenagers of any species sleep in as long as they can get away with. These young warriors out on their own for the first time, were no exception.

The sun was close to directly overhead when her captor finally dragged Jennie out of his hut. Both squatting in the ground over a shallow hole a short distance behind it. He then surprised her by using a bit of her shredded pinafore dampened with water from a gourd. To wash the blood and alien semen from her torso and legs. But then tied a long piece of vine around her neck. Picking the loose end up, obviously leading her back towards the horizontal carry pole she had been raped and flogged on yesterday.

Jennie grabbed her neck lead in two hands and dug her heels in when her eyes caught site of what awaited her.

A sharpened stake held vertical by a pile of small boulders had replaced the horizontal pole. The black haired humanoid cat was just tapping another stone to it with a smaller rock when they rounded the hut. While four of his fellows, bring up a few more right behind him.

The one leading her growled out an angry sounding line of words in their language. The five nearest the stake looked up with surprise clear on their faces. Two others came out of their huts and just stood watching with puzzled looks on their faces. As the reddish haired one and the black haired one continued to growl at each other. Jennie’s explorer trained mind. Noting the tails of the two in confrontation, were tucked up safely between their legs.

Jennie remembering it had been the black haired one who had whipped her when the others had not been around. And began to tremble at the sight of the impaling stake. She had seen them shoving a sharpened wooden stake up the dead animals’ ass last night as the reddish haired one had watered her. Realizing she was probably next on the menu.

As the probable argument over her immediate future continued. Three of the young felines lined themselves up beside her captor. While three others, did the same beside the black haired one.

The two factions leaders advanced until they stood face to face. Jennie dragged forward as her lead still in the reddish haired ones grip.

The black haired one then tried to take her lead out of his hand with one hand, while his other, still holding that rock. Swung it at the head of the reddish haired cat.

The unarmed one ducked the rock filled fist aimed at his head. At the same instant kicked the black haired one right in the groin area. Raz letting go of his captives lead rope as he did so.

Jennie took the opportunity to back away. As the ones supporting each combatant rushed forward to take on one from the other group.

"Short tempered lot." Jennie said to herself as she slumped down beside a hut. Hoping the one she liked won. As her abused little body was simply too tired to run away, from her imminent painful death, if he did not.

The helpless captive watched as her captors fought over her future. The Black haired one and the red haired one rolling in the dirt. Both attempting to gain control of the rock weapon. Suddenly the black haired one regained control of the rock for an instant and smashed it into the red haired ones forehead.

With growing horror flooding her mind, Jennie watched as the black haired one crawled closer and closer, to where she sat immobilized.

Suddenly there he was right in front of her sitting up on his haunches. His clawed paws extended towards her neck. Over his shoulder she could see the red haired one slowly raising himself off the ground. But her mind told her she would be dead at the black haired ones hands before he could save her.

Jennie watched as if a helpless spectator as body jerked forward as by themselves her arms moved up at lightning speed. Grabbing her assailants head in between her hands, pulling it closer. His moved to grab hers, but was unable to remove them. Just as the red headed one stumbled up. The black haired one gave out a sudden fearful wail as her arms jerked his head halfway around to his back and then let it go.

The end of many things

The red haze of his species berserk combat mode slowly faded from Taz's mind, replaced with one of object horror.

At his feet lay the bloodied lifeless body of his childhood friend Bar. Head turned halfway around to his back and blood splattered his torso.

It had been a righteous unarmed combat between two youths of equal combat experience and social ranking. Normally passed off, as just another winnowing of the weaker male from the races bloodline.

But the dead youth was the first born of the one whose clan traditionally held the seat of first speaker in their races ruling council. They and those clans allied to them, controlled the home worlds and the home guard fleet.

One small step from the long vacant imperial throne

The surviving combatant's father commanded the expansionist military forces of their empire.

His clan and those traditionally allied with it held the resources of a hundred conquered worlds in their hands.

He knew the first speaker would demand blood for his blood.

His father had long plotted and schemed after the long empty royal throne and would never agree.

It would be civil war throughout the empire.

Around him the others of their training squad were fighting each other according to whether their clans were allied with his fathers or the first speakers.

The plan of his father, if the first sons learned to cooperate, possibly their fathers and clans could. Now as dead as Bar.

No one saw him pick up the play toy they had fought over. Gently wrap her sweat streaked abused little sweet body in the remnants of her clothing. And walk away towards the clump of vegetation they had caught her in just last sunrise.

As he entered the patch of dense vegetation. His prize, that had and would cost him so much, woke. Her eyes looked up at him, but did not scream or try to escape. Instead she smiled, made a content sounding noise and cuddled even closer to his furry chest.

This amazed him so much, considering they had all took turns fucking her as she hung spread eagle in front of them. Forgot all his basic military training as his tong caressed her tear streaked sweet face. And without even a cursory check, walked out the other side of the copse.

A sudden shout brought his attention back to the reality of his situation. A double rank of metallic bipedal shapes were standing just a dozen strides from him, their weapons came up, pointing at his chest in an instant.

Behind them, assault landers far greater in size than his fathers palace were unloading hundreds more from side ramps with ground effect support armor descending from larger ramps facing him.

It was obvious his prize had been missed and they had sent a planetary invasion sized force after her. She was even more obviously very important to someone.

Two body hairless flesh tanned bipeds approached from around the back of the firing line and ran towards him. He just stood their as the unarmed aliens drew nearer. And as the longhaired one held its arms out for his prize, transferred it to the newcomer’s arms.

Their rapid language was unintelligible to his untrained ears but he could see anger in the eyes of the short haired one and relief in the one he had temporarily given his prize too.

The long haired one suddenly turned its back on him, walking away. He reached out for his prize and took a step to follow, suddenly freezing in his tracks.

Even a young warrior in training recognizes the sounds of thousands of weapons coming up to fire. Raz quietly hoping they would just kill him and get his miserable life over with.

Epilog: The Beginning of the end of an Empire

The Solarian exploration ship had withdrawn from the planet as soon as the missing member of the crew was retrieved. First obliterating any sign of its presence on the planets surface. Then retreating into space, hiding itself inside the systems asteroid belt. It had left reconnaissance units inside the existing dead satellites to monitor the planet. Until the imperial command decided its fate.

"Her kitty, kitty." Jenny called. The large reddish furred cat came bounding along the command staff living quarter’s hallway on four legs towards her.

"Good tabby. I have a sweet treat surprise for you tonight." Jennie promised as her bedroom door opened on her approach.

On all fours, her new pets head was as high as her waist. As he approached, the cats head came up under the rear of her dress. His rough tong caressing her left inner thigh, as Jennie eagerly remarked.

"Oh, you have guessed it already!"

The eyes of the single war-bot on duty outside her door, blazed red, as the little girl and her new pet disappeared inside.

But then David remembered, by mutual agreement, it was his weekend to play with her.

An agreement that would be brought to a painful bloody end. As soon as the Imperial Solarian interrogators arrived.