Later, In Richard's Room

The Pentecost was far too wealthy to have something as simple as quarters or cabins. Those were for the working class; people who couldn’t afford to travel in the absolute luxury that the ship represented.

Instead, it had what its crew termed ‘’chambers’’ or sometimes, if you wanted to be less grandiose, ‘’rooms’’.

Each was big enough to hold a master bed, a living area, a dining area and a bathroom. The floor was lushly carpeted with crimson fibres. The walls were adorned with pictures, tiny pipes crisscrossed the corners of the room, and gauges turned here and there to measure the pressure on the various machines.

There was a heater, a gramophone, and even a radio adorned the far table. The Pentecost being wealthy enough to afford its own collection of travelling bands who were paid extremely well for their performances.

As far as Richard was concerned, they were terrible and he had rarely had the misfortune to be subjected to worse crimes against sound than the screeching, discordant melodies that belched from the radio.

But right now, he had other things on his mind. He was looking at the crate which had been delivered to his room during the night. The hulking Conqueror had come just as he had ordered it to. Though it still gave him the creeps. No matter how docile it seemed, Richard always had that most unpleasant sensation that it was plotting the most efficient ways to kill him.

He’d worked with them before, and Conquerors were never good news. Not once had he ever been happy to see them. Even when they were supposed to be on his side. Even when…

He tore his mind from the past. Half remembered spectres of a time long gone rising up in his recollection before he could put them down. Instead, he focused on something much more pleasant and much more immediate.

Kara was sitting in the chair opposite him. A sly grin was on her face, one of her hands playing with her ginger hair. She looked like someone who had won the lottery.

Not to mention…

“Why in the hell are you still naked?”

“Your clothes are boring,” she said. “I want better clothes.”

“Really?” He raised an eyebrow. “You don’t seem to be in much of a place to demand, lady.”

He gestured to her body. Still extremely naked. Only fifteen minutes before she’d been on the machine, moaning and gasping as it fucked her. The sounds had been almost unbearable and Richard had found himself pacing back and forth.

“Well, maybe not.” She said, “This might surprise you to hear, but it’s not that simple.”

“Sister, I’ve heard that so many times in my life that it never surprises me anymore. Let me guess. You need permission from your owner to get dressed?”

“Yep. Run into naked girls in crates often, do you?”

“No, but I deal with rich bastards all the time. It wasn’t exactly hard. You’re still wearing the diamond, though.”

“This?” Kara’s hands rose to the choker around her neck. It was once more pulsing with inner light. “This isn’t actually a diamond. I think it’s an emerald, actually.”

“That relevant at all?”

“Being correct is always relevant…”

Kara gave a little huff, pouting as she crossed her arms in mock annoyance.

“What does a diamond-”

“Emerald.”

“Fine, emerald. What does an emerald have to do with you being sprawled out on the floor when I got back? And don’t tell me it doesn’t. I’m not an idiot. The light on that thing was nearly out back there. As soon as you were in the machine, it started to glow again. And now you’re chatting happily.”

“I’m not sure,” Kara said carefully. “Not of a lot…. And of what I do know, I can say even less. I think it’s an indicator. The brighter it is, the more time I’m allowed out of the box.”

“Allowed?”

“Allowed. It’s a **** machine, after all. It only has one purpose.”

“To break a girl into the perfect little toy?” Richard’s voice was tinged with scorn.

“You could put it like that. But I’d call that a mild description.”

Kara looked towards the machine, a strange look coming over her face.

“I don’t know how I can describe it, Richard. The pleasure. The pain. Knowing that you’re putting on a show for anyone around. You can feel the thing inside of you, pumping. Grinding. It shocks you, the pain and the pleasure flooding you at the same time. Twisting around each other so that they’re the same thing. And then the goggles…”

“They do more than just keep you blind?”

“Oooh, a lot more. They get inside of you. Mess with your head. Give you orders and plant directives. The rest of the machine is just really to put you into a state where they can. When you’re full of pleasure, you’re cumming, your head is spinning and you can barely breathe. That’s when they reach into you and tell you who you should be. What you should be.”

“That shouldn’t be possible,” Richard said. He glanced at the discarded goggles. They were thick and heavy. Reinforced metal with rivets. Not the sort of thing you’d wear in casual, everyday life.

But still…

“That technology isn't possible. Not in something that size.”

“I know,” Kara shrugged. “But here it is anyway. Wanna try them on and see for yourself?”

“I think not,” was his reply.

“Smart choice. You don’t know what they can do to you. But I do. Do you wanna know how much part of me wants to spread my legs and finger myself right here and now?”

Richard blinked.

“What?”

“**** girls aren’t allowed dignity,” Kara’s face flushed red. “The goggles… the machine… they got inside of my head. They’re programmable and my master has rules. So now they’re part of me and I can’t disobey them for too long. I think whatever you did interrupted my training or I wouldn’t be able to disobey them at all.”

“And that’s why you have to return to the machine?”

“I think so… I’m not…not totally sure on the specifics…”

She looked as if that was a personal affront. That she should somehow not know something.

“To be honest, I don’t know if the choker is a storage device for energy that keeps me going or some sort of timer. But as it gets dimmer, I get more tired. When it goes out totally…”

“You hit the ground.”

“Yeah..”

“Nothing you can do about that?”

“Not exactly…”

She looked down for a moment, her face was red. Richard noticed but didn’t think too much of it. It would be an odd dame who wasn’t embarrassed in this situation.

Casting around for a distraction, Kara’s eyes fell on the pistol that he’d placed on the table. Still waiting to be reloaded. They lit up instantly.

“That’s a hand-cannon!”

“You know what that is?”

“Of course I do! Can I see it?”

She didn’t even let him answer before she reached out, scooping it up like it was some precious object.

“Oh wow. This isn’t just a hand-cannon, is it? I’ve not seen one like this before! It’s been made really well! Is it commemorative? The ivory handle makes me think that it is. But hey, you’ve modified it!”

She was looking directly down the barrel now. Part of Richard wanted to snatch it away from her before she did something stupid, but he reminded himself that it was still empty.

“You’ve got an accelerator down there! Oh wow, these things fire fast and hard anyway! This what doubles, triples that? No wonder you brought down that automaton! This thing would tear through any armour. Probably break your arm if you’re not careful, though.”

“Yeah,” Richard commented, his hand moving to his arm. It was still aching from before. “Thanks for the reminder. I’d almost forgotten about that.”

Kara ignored him, turning the gun slowly in her hand. Her eyes were wide, her voice pitched with excitement.

“The craftsmanship on this thing is insane! Richard, where did you get this? The level of skill needed to make it…it must have cost a fortune or more!”

“Standard issue,” Richard said before he could stop himself. He followed it up with a curse.

“Standard issue?” Kara caught it instantly, looking from the gun to him. “I don’t know who would have a standard gun like this. Military? But they’re onto steam rifles now, and it’s too small for them. Plus the punch is too strong. No way the army needs or wants something like this.”

“Kara, enough.”

She either didn’t hear him or didn’t care, too wrapped up in her excitement.

“I’ve heard that hand-cannon are used sometimes, but only for specific units. It’s more a steam navy thing, right? Sky-marines? They can’t always carry heavy weapons, so they need to make what they can carry count. This thing fires six shots, but it can punch through nearly anything.”

“Kara…”

“But this thing is way too ornate and expensive for a normal marine. It looks like it came from some elite unit. The best of the best. That would mean that you…”

Finally, her eyes turned to his face and she stopped cold. Richard’s expression was a mixture of silent fury. A storm raged behind his eyes. She quailed, pushing the gun back to the table.

“Um, would make you absolutely nothing?”

Richard took a few deep breaths, lifting the offending gun from the table and holstering it. Reminding himself to reload later.

“Let’s just move on to something else. How long can you go outside of the machine?”

“Not long…” She admitted. “Maybe fifteen minutes. Twenty if I push it.”

“Twenty minutes,” Richard growled, sitting back in his chair. A strange grin came on his face and he felt the urge to laugh. “Well, at least we know your master doesn’t have any stamina.”

Kara stifled a giggle, shaking her head.

“That’s improper! No gentleman should joke about that!”

“Laughed, didn’t you? Besides, I never claimed to be a gentleman. Just a guy trying to survive. Still, no way to get you out for longer? Twenty minutes is a killer.”

“Well, there is one way…” Kara flushed again. “When I was working on the machine earlier, I realised it has hidden compartments. Down there, to the left.”

She gestured, and Richard saw that the machine did indeed have a subtle compartment. It was sealed, and if Kara hadn’t pointed it to him, he never would have spotted it.

He bent down, putting pressure right in the centre. The thing pressed forward, and then as he pulled his hand back, it opened out. Several things came spilling from the darkness. Most of them were lewd. Toys. Dildos, clamps, you name it and it was probably there.

Imagining them being used on Kara was hot as hell and he wouldn’t lie to himself. But he also knew they’d been intended to be used on a helpless **** and that made him angry.

Two things caught his eye in the pile which now lay on the ground. Decorations, each one was a tiny jewelled hook, like an earring. The gem matched the one on her choker.

“These?”

“Yeah,” Kara nodded. “Um, if I wear those, I’ll be able to go longer. I’m not pierced, though. I think that was intended for the future.”

“Ear piercings are easy,” Richard said. “We can do that right now.”

“Um, they’re not really intended for my ears…”

Her words trailed off, her obvious embarrassment was a major clue. Richard’s eyes moved from the piercings to her chest. Her nipples specifically.

“Oh.”

“Yeah…”

“Well, I suppose we can get it taken care of another time.”

Richard swallowed, his shaft pressing against his pants. His eyes fell to Kara’s chest, her conditioning kept her from covering herself, but was it his imagination or did she push her breasts out a little bit, showing them off for him?

Surely it couldn’t, surely she wouldn’t.

Kara leaned forward, her eyes glinted. Richard’s gaze followed the curve of her body. God, she was sexy. He’d had one-night stands before, some even with absolutely gorgeous girls. But Kara was in a league of her own. Her ginger hair was curled, framing her face. Her eyes were alight with an inner fire. Her body was slender and toned, with long legs and a compact but rounded chest that you couldn’t help wanting to touch.

Her pussy was shaved clean, her labia were delicate. There was a trace of wetness there. Or was it just his imagination?

He realised he was staring and tore his gaze away. Kara had a little smirk on her face. Had she known the whole time what he was doing?

He leaned against the machine, his hand pressing another panel he hadn’t even noticed. It reacted, and Richard pulled back as it slid open.

“More toys?”

But it wasn’t toys that spilled forth this time. Kara’s eyes widened in delight.

“Clothes!”

“Not exactly clothes.” Richard crossed his arms.

Indeed, it was not clothes that spilled forth from the hidden alcove. Clothes after all, were meant to conceal. And that was the farthest thing from the goal of whoever had picked these.

There were black nylon tights, there was a leather corset, there were high heels and handcuffs. There were straps and ropes and toys and even a whip.

“Oh wow,” Kara’s eyes were wide, like a kid at a candy shop. “All of these were for me?”

“You shouldn’t sound so happy about it,” Richard scowled.

“I suppose not,” she said. “But like, they look fun! Do you wanna see me in them?”

“I thought you weren’t allowed to get dressed?”

“I don’t think these qualify as ‘’dressed’’.”

“Well, you have a point there.”

Even as he spoke, Kara was already reaching for the leggings. The nylon stockings were tight, black and semi-transparent. She drew them up her legs, smiling to herself at the feeling. Richard knew he should look away, but he couldn’t. The sight was intoxicating. The stockings reached up to her inner thighs, stopping just before her pussy. They drew the eye, you followed the curve of her body up and up and up until you reached her womanhood.

And yeah, she was definitely wet now.

Why did he feel like such a pervert noticing that? It wasn’t like she was trying to hide it!

“Oh wow, a corset! I’ve always wanted to try one!”

“You mean you haven’t already?”

She paused.

“I don’t know. I don’t remember. But I know I want one now! Richard, help me put this on!”

“Seriously?”

“Hey, a naked lady is asking you to fondle her chest. Are you really gonna turn me down?”

“Okay, for the record, that is not what you actually asked me to do.”

Grumbling, he nevertheless moved closer to her. Kara was struggling into the corset. It was dark leather, laced at the came. It came up to just under her breasts, pushing them out in what was, combined with the nylon tights, a sexual punch to the face.

His hands fumbled a little bit as he started to pull the straps. The corset tightened and Kara gave a lewd moan. Her back arched, pressing herself into him, he felt the warmth of her naked skin. His arm brushed her left breast, glancing across her hardened nipple.

Kara shivered.

Had she intended to do that? Had he? It wasn’t like she was exactly unwilling here…

He drew the corset tight, his mind aflame. As each of the laces was pulled taut, Kara shuddered. Moans of pleasure spilled from her throat. Shivers raced down his spine. His cock was so hard now. His hand brushed against her chest for a second time and she didn't seem to mind.

He decided to go for it. A third touch, less accidental now. Slower and more lingering, it fired his body, and Kara didn’t object at all.

The corset was laced. Kara was grinning. She spun, her arms out wide. Her eyes glittering with a light to match her choker.

“What do you think, Richard? Sexy, right?”

“Very,” he managed dryly.

Fuck, she looked good! The corset and the tights together painted a pretty picture. Outlined against the paleness of her skin. She made no move to cover herself or avoid his gaze. Her conditioning didn’t allow it.

But somehow, he suspected even if it did, she wouldn’t have.