To Clan and Conquer (Clan Beginnings) (23 page)

It wasn’t unheard of for military discipline to include the miscreant servicing those involved in carrying out his punishment.  Degorsk had expected to be fucked following the beating.

He lay on his right side, his legs bent up.  Tranis knelt just behind his aching ass and lifted the top leg, settling it in the crook of his arm.  He braced his other hand next to Degorsk’s head and leaned over him.  The Dramok brushed a gentle kiss on his cheek.

“You are a gorgeous man, Imdiko.  The sight of this amazing ass under the strap is one I will never forget.”

Degorsk blinked up at him and smiled.  As far as punishments went, he thought things hadn’t been so bad after all.

Tranis rooted his primary dick in Degorsk’s ass and sighed, his lips curving into a smile.  His hand closed around the Imdiko’s front cock and held tight, stroking from base to tip.  Heat immediately made Degorsk’s cocks hard again.  He gasped and gave Tranis startled eyes.

The Dramok chuckled.  “I thought you might not be quite done.  Spilling when no one is even touching your prick?  That’s a lot of need, you know.”

“Fuck,” Degorsk groaned.  “I don’t know if I can stand anymore.”

“You might have to take another nap,” Tranis agreed.  “Or you could have a stim tab.  I’ve got a few with me.”

“You rely on those too much.”  Degorsk was having trouble keeping up with the conversation.  Tranis’ grip was firm on him, making it hard to think as his hand moved up and down the medic’s cock.

“Nag.”

“Stubborn, crack-skull.”  The insult came out breathily without the slightest bit of venom.

“Ready for me to fuck you?”

“Always.”  The word fell out before Degorsk could censor it.

Tranis chuckled and kissed him again.  He drew his hips back, making his dick slide deliciously through Degorsk’s channel.  Then he rammed back in, simultaneously hitting the hot spot inside and the Imdiko’s sore ass cheeks.  Degorsk wailed.

“That’s it.  Feel it all.”  Tranis grunted as his groin slapped hard against bruised flesh.

Degorsk could only lie there and take it, ache and bliss churning down low in his loins, roiling in that spot beneath his cocks once more.  Tranis leaned all his weight on him, pinning the Imdiko and making him helpless.  The Dramok’s hand whipped up and down his cock, stimulating Degorsk until he could barely draw breath.  Desperate need closed over him again, stealing all rational thought as Tranis fucked him hard and fast, making that hard ball of fire grow until it seared a new path up his cock.  Degorsk screamed piercingly.

Hot cum splattered his stomach and chest as he released.  Tranis kept pumping the medic’s cock in his fist until the last drop had been milked.  Then he stiffened and groaned between gritted teeth as he shot into Degorsk’s ass, filling it with liquid heat.

The Imdiko closed his eyes, enjoying the pulsing sensation of the cock inside him.  Tranis was twice the Dramok of many he’d known, men decades older than him.  Maybe age wasn’t supposed to be part of the equation.  It sure hadn’t stopped Degorsk from falling in love with him.

Still, Tranis had said he wasn’t looking to settle down yet, a completely understandable decision for someone building his career.  Degorsk wondered how many years it would be before the gorgeous Dramok would declare his readiness to clan.  He wondered if he dared to hope he and Lidon would still be around when that happened.

Chapter 10

Degorsk took one of Tranis’ stim tabs, getting him back up under his own power again.  The hours passed as they waited for some sign of the destroyer or an attack force.  The three men were glad to find food rations on the shuttle and that they were still edible.  Tranis and Lidon lounged on the bench seat, its back raised once more.  Degorsk ate standing up.  It hurt too damned bad to sit.

Yet the ongoing heat of his ass had him half-aroused again.  The Imdiko thought he might continue misbehaving … in a couple of weeks or so.  For now, he’d try to stay out of trouble with his companions.  They had really worn him out, or at least it felt that way.  Degorsk had seen the effects of truly severe disciplinary beatings, and he couldn’t imagine dealing with that kind of pain.  The light touch of his tunic and trousers was something of a trial, even though he suspected Tranis and Lidon might have gone easy on him.

They ate to the sound of the occasional hiss from the frequencies they monitored, hoping to hear something from Piras.  After a few minutes of quietly eating cryo-preserved meats and vegetables, Tranis glanced up at Degorsk, who was doing a lot of shifting, trying to find a stance that put as little strain on his aching flesh as possible.

Though the portable medical scanner had confirmed Degorsk had suffered no more than superficial bruising, Tranis’ tone was concerned.  “How’s the ass, Degorsk?”

“Perfect, judging from how hard it made you come.”

Lidon snorted laughter at that jab then sobered.  “You can take a pain inhibitor, Imdiko.  As head of disciplinary action, I find you’ve suffered enough.”

Degorsk raised an eyebrow.  “That’s not regulation.  The penalty for insubordination excludes pain relief.”

“It also includes a much worse beating than you received.  If we’d done it for real, you would be bleeding profusely and incapable of standing.  What you got was just enough to satisfy Piras you were punished if your disobedience ever comes up.”

Tranis sighed and tossed aside his meal container.  “Which it will, since you have no good reason to be here.  I can’t allow you to heal the evidence of discipline, but the captain doesn’t have to know you took something to remove the pain.  Take the inhibitor, Degorsk.  It’s not pleasant to watch you endure the misery.”

Degorsk was touched that they’d gone easy on him, just as he’d suspected.  Not that he was going to complain about it.  He still bristled a little to know they offered him an out they’d never give themselves.

He stuck his chin out.  “Thanks for the consideration, but if you’re not ordering me to, I’d rather not.”

Lidon arched an eyebrow at him. Tranis frowned.

Degorsk shrugged.  “I must have a streak of Nobek in me or something.  The pain isn’t all bad, as far as I’m concerned.”  He lifted the hem of his tunic a little.

They looked at his crotch.  Both men grinned.

Lidon said, “So I see.  I can’t wait to tell Piras what an idiot he is.”

Tranis’ gaze was thoughtful.  “I hope I’m never so stupid to give up someone of such worth.”

He glanced at Lidon then looked again at Degorsk.  The Imdiko’s heart sped up.  Was Tranis interested in them?  Before Degorsk could come up with some goofball remark that would ruin the moment, Captain Piras’ voice spoke, bringing the other two to their feet.

“Piras to Commander Tranis.”

Tranis and Lidon were in the piloting chairs in an instant.  “Tranis here, Captain.”

“We are under attack.  I repeat, we are under attack and heading in.  Five enemy craft have been engaged, one destroyed.  Is the colony evacuated?”

“Yes, Captain.”  Tranis exchanged a look with Lidon.  They appeared excited, while Degorsk felt a sick roll in his stomach.  Despite his hatred of too many casualties, he should be on that destroyer, treating the wounded.  Damn Piras for putting him off the ship.  The man was an unmitigated asshole.

Tranis was continuing to talk while he and Lidon scanned space.  “Return as fast as you can.  We have a defense set up.  Sending coordinates now.”

After a moment, Piras replied.  “Copy that, on our way.  I’m not sure we’ll make it or that your defense will be of any use.”

Lidon asked, “Who is the enemy?”

“Tragooms.  Weaponry is of Bi’isil, Adraf, Dantovonian, and Yeknas origin.  They also have a fully intact and functioning Earther battlecruiser.”

Lidon’s eyes brightened.  “Transmit stats on that Earther ship, Weapons Sub-commander.”

Another voice spoke up.  “Acknowledged, sir.  Transmitting now.”

A new free-floating vid sprang up among the others.  It looked like so much babble to Degorsk, but Lidon and Tranis leaned forward excitedly, pouring over the information.

Tranis unleashed a string of expletives that would have made a more stressed Degorsk proud.  He had apparently forgotten the shuttle’s com link to the destroyer was still open.

Piras managed to sound amused.  “My thoughts exactly, Commander Tranis.  It’s huge and heavily armed.  Definitely more than enough to put us down.”

Tranis flushed a little at his oversight.  “Time of arrival, Captain?”

“Fifty clicks, if we can keep ahead of that Earther ship.  I think we can outrun it if we don’t lose anymore engines, and we’re keeping the other three enemy craft busy with our single-man fighters.  I’ll keep the channel open so you can monitor the situation.  If we don’t make it, get those colonists headed towards the fleet.”

“Understood.  Good luck, Captain.”  Tranis cut transmission to the destroyer while leaving monitoring open.  He looked again at the alien battlecruiser’s information.  “Will this shielding work against that Earther ship?”

Lidon pursed his lips.  “The weaponry isn’t exactly cutting-edge.  The technology is a few decades behind ours.  There’s just so much of it.  If they unleashed everything at once, it would probably short the shielding out.”

Degorsk knew he didn’t have nearly the expertise as the other two and he certainly didn’t understand the diagnostics that were giving them pause.  He couldn’t help but say, “Um, can I make a point that’s probably already occurred to you both?”

Tranis glanced at him with interest.  “Go right ahead.  All input is encouraged.”

Degorsk said, “Piras came upon five ships, including that Earther one.  Tragooms don’t get along well enough to work together like that.”

Lidon nodded.  “Usually, no.  Once in a great while it does happen though.”

“As you’ve mentioned before, and I’ll buy that.  But from what I’m picking up from your conversation, this Earther battlecruiser is big.  Can I assume it will take a large crew to run it?  A really, really large crew?”

Lidon looked over the information again.  “To fly such a ship and use all its weaponry, yes.  It would take a great number of people.”

“Maybe too many for a Tragoom leader to bribe enough of a crew to run it effectively?”

“Perhaps, but I don’t believe in luck.”  Lidon seemed to be considering Degorsk’s suggestion carefully.  He opened the com link.  “Weapons Subcommander, send me the data of the Earther battlecruiser’s attack on our destroyer.”

“Data transmitting now, Commander.”

A new readout appeared, and again Lidon and Tranis looked over the information carefully.

“Laser cannons, plasma guns, and percussion explosives.  No fighters, though it should have a complement of hundreds,” Tranis mused.

Lidon jerked a nod.  “The weapons that were used were fired at a quarter of the ship’s abilities.  Degorsk may be right that the cruiser is undermanned.”

“With the other three ships, it’s still more than enough firepower to take out our stations one at a time.  Along with a colony’s defensive shielding, such as what we have here.  Then a single battle drone takes out the entire colony itself.”

“But the Tragooms don’t know we’ve set this surprise up.  They won’t be expecting it.  We still have a decent chance with this tactic, Commander.”

Tranis snorted.  “I’ll take even a not-so-decent chance.  Waiting for Piras is going to be taxing in the meantime.”

Degorsk sighed.  “So we’re essentially screwed?  Well, at least I got decently laid before I die.”

The other two men rolled their eyes and shook their heads, but neither of them could keep from smiling.

* * * *

Lidon forced himself to put Degorsk to the back of his mind and concentrate on the transmissions coming from the destroyer.  Piras’ open channel fed him every moment of the running battle.  After a few minutes of helpless listening, the Nobek had to stand and pace to bleed out the tension.  Every report and order fed his growing need to do something.

“Earther battlecruiser continues to fall behind, Captain.”

“Not far enough.  It will still be on our heels when we get to Wetor.”

“Incoming fire from the Yeknas vessel!”

“Brace for impact.”

“Damage to port cargo holds.  No essential systems affected.”

“Fighters, concentrate main fire on the Yeknas ship.”

“Yeknas continuing to gain.”

“Dantovonian ship trying to flank.”

“Evasive.”

“Incoming fire.”

“One engine hit.  Loss of fifty percent of its power.  Re-routing system.”

“Fighters converging on Yeknas.  It is dropping back.”

Tranis had also gotten up from his piloting chair.  He leaned against the back of it, his head down, arms folded over his chest as he listened.  “I’m surprised the Tragooms don’t send out fighters after ours.  That’s all that’s keeping them from taking out the destroyer.”

Lidon nodded.  “I think Degorsk had it absolutely right.  They don’t have the crew to spare.  They weren’t ready for destroyer-class fighter squads.”