Scerior

by Jilly Bowling

  The Terrans lived off fish, shellfish and a type of seaweed that grew in their seas. Small areas of land were used for their industry and the Terrans lived on large floating islands. Like the Wracki some of them travelled to other planets to barter their fish for fruit and vegetables. They were a passive race like the Escorii and had welcomed the Sceriae to their planet. Scerior now had a large outpost on Terra permanently, and the Terrans were grateful for their protection.

  When Acorus’s spies had approached them for help they had been happy to assist. A group of Wracki were camping on a deserted floating island and rumour had it that they had human females with them. In the days it took to reach Terra, Acorus was busy making plans, listening to the reports from Sceriae spies and the Terrans.

  There was also groups of Chomanay on Terra and they had indicated that they would do all they could to help the Sceriae. All Chomanay knew what Acorus had done for Haaka’s clan and were grateful. The difficulty was not to let the Wracki find out that the Sceriae were after them, or they would be off into space. The news of three Sceriae star ships being above Terra would be cause for curiosity. It was usual for one ship to visit the Sceriae outpost regularly, so a large raiding party would gather on Acorus’s ship and the other two would remain in space out of sight. Unfortunately Terra had no moon so they couldn’t hide behind it.

  Although not having a moon made their seas a lot calmer, an unusual wind blew round the planet occasionally, causing the seas to become unpredictable. The Terrans were lending them a fleet of their fast, air driven boats, and these had been delivered in ones and twos to the Sceriae base. Acorus’s ship would land just before dusk and once it had grown dark his troops would disembark and head in small groups to the boats. Then they would all head to the floating island that the Wracki were camping on. Hopefully, because Terra was such a peaceful place, thanks to the Sceriae’s protection, there would be no guards on duty round the Wracki’s camp.

  The raiding party would be into the camp and have it secure before the Wracki woke up.

  Acorus had decided that he would return the human females to Earth, unless they were too damaged. The day before they reached Terra, Acorus gathered all his troops in the large chamber that was used communally when the ship had human females on board. He stressed that there would be no killing of the Wracki, as he didn’t want any bad feelings between the Wracki and the Terrans. All weapons must be put on stun, the Wracki females and children must be handled gently. They were very easy to break. A special group were to gather the humans and keep them secure.

  Acorus would speak to the Wracki chieftain to find whether some humans had been sold to the Xenorii. Then the soldiers were told to check their weapons, eat and sleep, it would be busy the following night.

  ***

  The raid the following night went exactly as planned. The raiding party was in among the Wracki, the males, females and children were separated and the human females were secure. Pleased that things had gone so well Acorus had the Wracki chieftain brought before him. The Wracki chief was furious, frightened and unsure why the Sceriae had attacked them. Offering him a seat, food and drink, Acorus treated him as an important person, Not an equal but important.

  The Wracki chief was called Urma, a dealer in all kinds of commodities and was well known throughout the galaxy. Acorus was surprised that it was Urma who had taken the humans as he had a reasonable reputation for honesty. When Acorus put this to Urma he reacted angrily. Of course he was honest, if he wasn’t no specie would deal with him.

  “Why then do you have human females as your slaves?” Acorus asked.

  “I was told the Sceriae wanted to sell them, and as I had wondered why you took them, when they were for sale I thought I’d see what was so special about them. I broke no inter galactic laws, as far as I know” Urma told him angrily.

  “Bezra had no authority to sell the human females” Acorus said smoothly.

  “I didn’t know that. She’s a highly placed Sceriae, and I thought she was authorised by your council”.

  “So you met her agent in secret, Why did you think that was legitimate?” Acorus asked.

  Urma started to bluster but Acorus cut him off “You are lucky that we Sceriae are a peaceful benign power, or your whole clan could have been wiped out”.

  “The females are unharmed; they’ve been fed and not worked too hard. They’ve been fucked a few times, but they were no fun. Our females are more fun!” Urma grumbled.

  “Well then, you won’t mind me taking them from you”.

  “If you want them so badly, they must be worth something to you” Urma couldn’t resist the desire to make a profit.

  “These females were rejects, they are worth nothing” Acorus told him nonchalantly biting into a juicy piece of fruit.

  “Well then, Bezra cheated me” Urma complained.

  “Yes she did, and she’s being punished for that” Acorus raised his hand and pointed it at Urma “Think yourself lucky that you are not being punished too. We Sceriae do not like our possessions being taken from us!”

  Urma started to bluster but Acorus cut him off “Quiet fool, you are in enough trouble. Do not insult my intelligence. If you wish to survive you will tell me why there is a rumour that you sold some of these females to the Xenorii”.

  “To the Xenorii, no, no, I didn’t. They do not buy, they take, we sold four females to another Wracki clan. They fell into the hands of the Xenorii. Fools they should have stayed on safe planets. Now they are gone. A whole clan and your females”.

  Acorus sat back in his chair. What Urma told him rang true. The Xenorii took, they didn’t trade. “Where were they attacked?”

  “As far as I know they were on their way to Pinaar, to swop fruit and meat for hard gem stones. The Xenorii waylaid and disabled their ship, took them all prisoner. The fools should have killed themselves. Now they will be wishing they had” Urma nodded his head sorrowfully.

  “Is it known where the Xenorii took them?”

  “What? You think to rescue them?” Urma was startled.

  “No, put them out of their misery” Acorus answered.

  “You would risk your soldiers’ lives to end the misery of those wretches” Urma asked shocked.

  “That is not your problem. Your problem is whether I believe you innocent or not!” Acorus growled.

  “I am, I am” Urma wailed.

  “I will visit the females before I make my decision” Acorus stood up and turning to two of his guards told them to keep Urma company until he returned.

  Then putting on his helmet he went to find the female captives. They were huddled together in a Wracki shelter. The smell was abhorrent to Acorus, as the Wracki ate meat, poaching the animals on any planet they were on. Their shelters were made from animal skins. Speaking English he asked the girls to come out into the open air. Terrified of these new monsters the girls still did as they were told. They had learned not to disobey. Dawn was just breaking as they came out into the open.

  They were so traumatised that they were beyond comprehension, just standing waiting for the next bad thing to happen to them. Speaking gently Acorus told them that his force had come to rescue them and take them back to Earth. At first they looked at him without any reaction, then slowly tears ran down some faces and others slid to the ground holding their heads. He told his men to take them back to the ship and have them looked after. Treat them very gently he told them.

  Then he went back to question Urma some more.

  “Tell me “Acorus asked “What are the rumours saying, about where your clan and the humans have been taken?”

  “There are always lots of rumours, what to believe is the problem”.

  “Tell me what are the rumours and I’ll decide what to believe”.

  So Urma passed on all the gossip that his people had picked up throughout the galax
y. Sifting through all the useless information, one thing stood out. Most of the rumours came back to one. The Xenorii who had captured the Wracki and the humans, were based on a dying planet but they had been heading to Xenorii to deliver a cargo of captured creatures from all over the galaxy. They had added the Wracki group to that cargo. Acorus grimaced at the thought. How human females could survive the horror of being thrown in a Xenorii hold, with strange specie from all over the galaxy, he could not imagine. They would probably have lost their minds long before they reached Xenorii.

  He would have to think carefully on this problem. One thing for certain, if the girls were on Xenorii they were unrescuable. Even Acorus didn’t want to think about what might be happening to them. However the Xenorii needed to be warned not to mess with the Sceriae or any of the races and planets under their protection.

  He would need a much larger force.

  Therefore Acorus decided to return to Scerior to mobilize his forces. First he needed to thank the Terran council for their help. Embarking on the air boats he gave Urma one last warning. If he did anything else to annoy the Sceriae, his clan would be banned from any planet protected by them. That basically meant that all safe planets would be barred to them.

  When he reached the large floating island that was the Terran council’s headquarters, Acorus took gifts of beautiful cloth, gems and luxurious dried and fresh fruit for all the council. After a pleasant meeting, with the Terrans once again pledging friendship to the Sceriae, Acorus rejoined his ship and took off to join the two that had waited out in space.

  Once they were enroute to Scerior he decided to visit the human females himself, so made his way to their quarters. When he had rescued them they were grubby, smelly and dressed in animal pelts. Now he hoped they should smell and look better.

  Entering through the main door with two guards behind him he was pleased to see the girls looking clean and dressed in kaftans, eating and drinking hungrily. When they saw him they all put their food on the floor and knelt on the floor with their heads bowed. Moving further into the room he spoke in English “Please get up, sit on the chairs and continue with your meal”.

  Immediately they jumped up and did as he had asked. Beckoning the Escorii in charge of them he asked how they were getting on. He was told that the girls obeyed any order instantaneously. Any sudden movement or noise caused them to kneel in a submissive way. They never talked to each other and never looked into anyone’s eyes. Because they were so traumatised the Escorii had decided to monitor their minds and memories, so they had discovered why they behaved as they did.

  Firstly when they were rejected Bezra had locked them in boxes in a room on the prison deck. They were kept drugged until they were handed over to the Wracki. Woken up from a deep drug induced coma they had found themselves on a Wracki space ship. Stripped naked they had been dragged before Urma and his sons. As if they were cattle at market the Wracki had inspected their bodies. Poked and prodded by strange creatures, the girls had reacted by trying to stop them. Because they had dared to fight back they had been beaten with whips. Then when they were covered in bloody stripes they had been raped, one at a time, so the Wracki could have a floor show. When their sex was bruised and in some cases bleeding they had been turned over and anally penetrated. The Wracki seemed to be able to keep up the abuse for hours.

  When the Wracki had been entertained enough the girls were thrown into a filthy black hole, with no water or food. Once they reached Terra the girls were forced to work during the day and were abused at night. If they looked at their captors or didn’t do their bidding quickly enough, they were beaten, or if they were deemed particularly insolent would be spread out in the open for any young male to molest.

  The Escorii reported that they doubted whether they would ever be able to live normal lives. As Acorus left the girls’ quarters he told the Escorii to do anything they could to mend the girl’s minds and bodies.

  Furious with Urma and his clan he sent a message to the Sceriae outpost to arrest Urma and his oldest sons and quietly execute them. The rest of the clan were to be told why, but left unmolested. Feeling the weight of the blame on his shoulders Acorus dreaded having to tell Jo what had happened to the girls. However he was not going to lie to her, she deserved the truth. Bezra’s punishment must reflect the horror of her crime. The whole Sceriae council would have to try her.

  On the way back to Scerior Acorus and his officers worked out a plan of attack on the Xenorii. The most important thing was to make sure that their living blood banks were put out of their misery. Discussing the planned attack on Xenor, it was decided that they should take a dozen star ships with a full implement of troops and fighter ships. Further journeys to Earth would have to wait until their galaxy was secure. If that meant that the girls they had rescued wouldn’t be taken to Earth then they would be looked after on Scerior.

  The Escorii were reporting that because the girls were so passive it made it easier for them, to administer drugs that would help in their recuperation. One had started to say a few words and the Escorii were hopeful that they could be helped to live a reasonable life.

  Once back on Scerior Acorus had a house made ready for the girls. Every luxury was laid on for them, along with human books and films and music. They were well guarded but allowed in the large walled garden behind the house.

  Once the plans to send a fleet of twelve star ships to Xenor had been put in action Acorus travelled home to see Jo and Jacki.

  Chapter 50

  Jo had heard that Acorus was back with the rescued girls and had taken care with her appearance. In the two weeks he had been away she had worked hard to get over her pregnancy. With diet, massage and exercise she was quickly regaining her flat stomach.

  The only weight she had put on was mostly her daughter. Apart from her swollen, milk filled breasts her body was back to normal. Her skin glowed with health and her hair shone, reaching in a wave down almost to the small of her back.

  When Acorus arrived she was sitting feeding Jacki who was growing bigger everyday. As he walked into the room she looked up and her face lit up with pleasure. The scent of her halted him in his tracks and his shaft swelled painfully in his armour. Jumping up Jo laid Jacki on the sofa and flung herself at him, not caring about his armour pressing into her.

  “Oh I’m so pleased to see you” she said driving him mad with lust.

  “Jo, my love be careful” he groaned “Take care, you are ovulating, and I have only so much control!”

  Gasping Jo stood back, as she realised she wanted him too. One wrong move and she would be pregnant again. Retreating back to the sofa she picked Jacki up and placing her over her shoulder, rubbed her back until she burped.

  Acorus was standing transfixed, breathing quickly. Luckily at that moment, after a quick knock on the door, Tchu and Tjai entered the room “Welcome home Lord”, Tchu said “See how well your daughter is growing”.

  Removing his helmet Acorus replied “Yes she had grown and is looking even more beautiful. Not as beautiful as her mother though”.

  “Have you eaten? Are you hungry? Shall I send for food?”Jo babbled.

  “No, yes and please” Acorus laughed.

  Tjai hurried off to find food and Acorus went to Jo and said quietly “Jo-Anna, I’m glad to see you happy. You have never looked more beautiful to me. I will eat with you as long as Tchu stays with us; I dare not trust myself alone with you!”

  “Yes, she must stay. I feel the same as you, but I do not want to be pregnant again so soon, I’m sorry my love, but I feel I have so much more to give Scerior than more daughters”.

  “I know, and I love you for it” Acorus said sitting down gingerly at the table.

  Jacki was falling asleep so Jo handed her to Tchu and sat down opposite Acorus, asking about the raid on the Wracki. He told her everything, even about the condition of the girls. When he told he
r about having Urma and his sons executed, she nodded in satisfaction, but pointed out that to appear fair to all species the Sceriae should execute Bezra too.

  He knew she was right but no Sceriae had been killed by other Sceriae since the dark ages. There would have to be a trial in front of the whole council.

  Jo understood, so asked about the girls. What would happen to them, and was it possible to rehabilitate them so that they could have a normal life. He admitted honestly that he did not know, but he thought that they would have more chance with the Escorii looking after them, than if they were just returned to Earth. To his surprise Jo agreed, then asked if she could go and visit them while he went after the Xenorii. Knowing she was happier with plenty to occupy her, Acorus agreed that in another week, she could do whatever she wanted as long as she had a good sized guard with her.

  They talked for a long time but Acorus was finding it harder and harder to restrain himself. Finally he became so uncomfortable that he forced himself to leave. They stood awkwardly apart as they said their goodbyes Then Acorus turned on his heel and left.

  When he was gone Jo sank down onto a chair and cried.

  Chapter 51

  Acorus and his guards got into the vehicle, that was waiting for them, in silence. Each of the males knew how he was feeling so when he told the driver to take them to the nearest brothel, they just grinned at each other. The general needed to get relief so they would strike lucky too.

  Acorus now knew that he loved Jo, if he didn’t he would have grabbed her and fucked her until she was pregnant. His Sceriae breeding habits were deeply engrained in his whole being. When a female was ovulating you mated. No question, both male and female were programmed for that. If he didn’t mate he would be so angry that he would need to fight until he couldn’t stand. But he needed to have a controlled mind to fight the Xenorii.

  So he would take a whore, then when Jo was safe he would never take another. Warning his companions not to call him general or Lord, he called himself Gunta. When they reached the brothel, the Escorii there would of course recognise him, but he knew that they would not talk about him. He was pleased with the house, as they were shown into a large reception room and were offered food and drink. When the females entered through another door he was impressed with the way they looked also. All extremely good looking, dressed nicely and happy looking, the soldiers were told to take their pick. Obviously, Acorus was deferred to and given first choice of the girls.