Tranquilizing the Tribute

As the hearthship of Fresh-Snow-Zero-Tracks;clan-23g and her escort of scout frigates approached the rendezvous coordinates for their surrender they received instructions to prepare for the arrival of technicians and repair crews to assess the damage to their ships. Clan chief Chtk'th'Prah greeted the envoys from the Federation ship in his hanger bay and was surprised to find that the humans had sent a Knavar representative.

“Honor to your ancestors and glory to your clan. I am Clan chief Chtk'th'Prah torpedo dodger, spear shaker, knife flipper…”

“Buddy, I do not need your whole resume. I am sorry to disappoint you, but I was bred on a farm on AriSec. What I know about my great great grandpa’s customs is next to nothing. I am just here to look at your life support systems and drive core.” The Knavar wearing the technician’s jumpsuit said. “If you want to do all fancy diplomacy talk, you want the tin can.” The canine xeno gestured to the Mekani.

“I am protocol unit D4Q1. On behalf of The Federation of Mankind, I want to welcome you into our Great Pack. I know that it was not an easy choice to make. But in time, you will know that you made a wise decision. Perhaps the wisest you have ever made. Come let us discuss the future while we get your ships back in fighting shape.” The androgyne machine said as it emitted low levels of a slow acting NOXET carrier enzyme that would speed up the crew’s domestication process.

***

“What are you doing to the life support systems?” Pack-Brother Brrkgrr demanded as the machines began taking canisters out of their chassis and connecting them to the air replication units.

“Assuring your compliance in accordance with the terms of your surrender.” said a Mekani technical drone.

“You are putting a virus in our air!” The Knavar cried out before bearing his teeth and reaching for his field spanner.

“This is what you agreed to. Stand down or suffer consequences.” said another of the federation machines.

Pack-Brother Brrkgrr’s growl turned to a challenge bark before the brash young male threw himself at the Mekani. The stun bolt came from another of the machines who had looked busy at another task, but had reduced Pack-Brother Brrkgrr to a spasming heap without looking up from its diagnostics of the fusion core’s molecular fracture array.

“That was a warning shot. Any more disruptions and we are authorized to use necessary **** to subdue uppity behavior.” said one of the machines.

Knavar began to gather around the stunned but breathing Brrkgrr, the mob was unsure of what actions to take.

“Everybody caaaaaaaallllmm doooooooowwwwnnn” One of the Mekani said, its words meant to obscure the sound of NOXET gas spraying the mob. The machine men and women registered a decline in aggression from the supplicants as the viral organelles began insinuating themselves into the xeno’s cellular structure.

“Good dogs.” said one of the machines as the Knavar began to grow feverish with hallucinations.

***

The next morning when Lt.-Pack-Sister Szthrahc had read the report that their life support systems had been modified to comply with Federation standards, the Knavar did not think much of it. She had slept well and woke up feeling refreshed, energized, and ready to take on the day. The Knavar was surprised at how optimistic she was feeling. She had gone to bed dreading the coming of the next crew cycle. Last night, All Szthrahc could think about as she lay in bed after finishing her watch on the bridge was how once she woke up, it would be the beginning of her life in bondage.

That brought up all the thoughts of the Phaaz’n blood priests and how there are still kin packs on the motherworld who have their flesh burned and scoured in order to slake the thirst of their savage gods. She had seen the videos, both the copies of the old canon the ancestors took with them when they liberated the first hearthships from The Alliance as well as the propaganda videos that the Phaaz’n wanted the rogue tribes to see.

“We make one promise, come back and beg the gods for forgiveness with all your blood, and we won’t do this to you when we find you.” The Phaaz’n daemonists would say from behind their black robes before they would perform the rituals that twisted the scorched and scarified people into Majeeyo super beasts. The first time Szthrahc watched the twisted process and saw the look of absolute despair and agony in people’s eyes before those eyes melted away had Szthrahc unable to sleep for four full crew rotations. “We will find you. You belong to the gods. The Alliance High Courts are clear, you will be hunted down. Come back to us and beg forgiveness or you will be remade to please your betters.”

Szthrahc did not know how she fell asleep, but she was torn from a spicy dream by a priority communications request. “Szthrahc, it's Daddy. I need you to come to my official room as soon as you are clean and caffeinated.”

“Is everything alright?” Szthrahc asked the clan chief.

“Everything is wonderful, your mother is alive.” said Chtk'th'Prah. “She was on board the Kroxaa wargator. The captain of. I mean, our lord, said that she and over seven hundred other members of our clan will meet us at the tribute ceremony. Not only that, but Szthrahc, there were eight thousand Knavar in the saurian’s larders who shall be joining our clan.”

“Daddy, that nearly doubles our numbers, we are having enough trouble feeding the packmates we have, how are we supposed to take on eight thousand clan thralls?” the Lt. Pack-sister asked incredulously.

“Our lord has that all worked out. I will tell you all about it when you get here. Be quick, that is an order from your chief." With that, Chtk'th'Prah ended the call.

When Szthrahc arrived in her father’s office she found that all of her sisters were there as well. “Girls. I don’t know how to explain this part, so I am going to let the talk drone do the work.” said Chtk'th'Prah.

D4Q1 turned to the assembly of Knavar females and had to initiate a triple check on what the correct term of address ought to be and determined that calling the Knavar clan chief’s daughters ‘bitches’ was inappropriate at this juncture. “Honored ladies. I am D4Q1 facilitation and protocol unit. On behalf of my Master and your lord. I wish to extend onto you the most warm of welcomes into the Fujiwara family.

“As I have been explaining to your father, Federation law gives chartered privateers like your lord a lot of latitude in dealing with xenos contacted in the frontier such as yourselves. My Master has decided to extend the chief’s family the status of supplicants second class and make you all hereditary retinue of House Fujiwara.

“Upon completion of the ritual, Lord James shall order his newly appointed Overseer of Packs.” D4Q1 gestured to the girls’ father and chief “to dispatch couriers and envoys to call for a packmoot.” with infiltration and conversion teams armed with NOXET weapons to ensure compliance, but the Mekani did not need to slow down the narrative with excessive details. “My Master intends to call upon the full might of the Fresh-Snow-Zero-Tracks pack and their kin for an attack on an Alliance stronghold. With the ferocity of the clans and the Federations power, we shall make our enemies grovel and enjoy the sounds of their lamentations.

“As part of the joining ritual, your father is expected to present a wife and daughter for the lord’s pleasure. James Fujiwara…” D4Q1 projected an image of the dashing mech pilot. “...the man to whom you all belong, will offer the women of his family as a gesture of his submission and by taking these women in a public forum, Lord James is symbolically taking your entire family and making it a part of his own. So, are there any volunteers?”

All of the females raised their paws. “If you are already bonded and have cubs, lower your paws.” Most of the women present dropped their arms. “Step forward if you are a virgin.” Szthrahc and her sister Trgarg were the only ones who stepped forward. “Stand still.” said the machine before it began to probe them. Szthrahc could not help but feel creeped out as the Mekani ran its hands over her face before sticking its fingers in her mouth. Some instinct inside of the girl told her to suck the Mekani’s thumb and twirl her tongue around the machine’s digits.

“This one.” said D4Q1 pointing at Szthrahc after Trgarg had been inspected with equal thoroughness. “Come little one. I am sure that your mother is excited to see you again and I know for a fact that your lord is looking forward to getting intimate with you.”