Dominion Over Her (BennyQ x Sketchyequine)

[Sketchyequine]

“Mayday mayday mayday!” Solstice screamed into her radio. “This jet is going down. I repeat: I am going down.”

The dainty hands of the woman pushed downward on the steering column desperately, hoping to get any sort of lift, but her ship just kept going down. The vehicle’s failing engines left a trail of smoke in the air stream behind her- indicative that she was definitely going down. The little black clouds had started sporadically at first, puffing like the lungs of a smoker, but now the trail was all too consistent. Her engines were failing, and the best that Solstice could do was hope not to explode midair. Her corpse falling down from the sky in bloody bits was a less than ideal way for her to go.

“If anyone is receiving this transmission, please respond.” The woman spoke with an irritated tone into her radio. “This is Princess Nabeshin. I am commanding you to respond.” She spoke again after a period of silence. If there was someone out there who just didn’t feel like responding, she would take it upon herself personally to drop their naked, defenseless body into the vacuum of space.

“Fuck. This thing is fucking broken. Just my luck.” She cursed and yanked back on the steering to flatten her ship slightly as the descent continued.

He had shot her down. That bastard. No one was supposed to be able to shoot her down. Solstice had been undefeated until now. Young as she was, she had a reputation to hold. Her people would not respect her if she became an easy target. Women in this day and age were definitely not allowed to be weak and submissive. Now, strength and courage were held on a high pedestal. Females, at least on the planet Frandia, no longer cowered behind men. If the men were fighting: so were their women. Solstice Nabeshin, King Nabeshin’s only daughter, was no exception.

There was, however, light at the end of this tunnel. Solstice was going down, and it might even kill her, but her opponent was going down too. The pilot from Frandia’s enemy, Dominion, had taken several hits from Solstice, and her experience told her that it would not be able to leave this planet either. The last think the fiery redhead had seen before realizing her own ship was compromised was a steady stream of smoke coming from her opponent’s engines. No ship came back from damage like that.

Loud beeps rang through the cockpit of Nabeshin’s ship as warnings flashed on her control panels.

Engine failure.

Air System failure.

Fan failure.

Losing Altitude.

All of the alarms were making Sol’s ears ring. It was incredibly difficult to focus like this. Focus, Solstice, focus. If you want to survive this landing you have got to focus. She reasoned with herself as her eyes focused on where she was headed. Her ship was getting closer now, and she could see that this entire fucking section of the planet was forested. She was going to hit trees, it was unavoidable, and these were not small trees. As she neared the treeline, the ringing in her ears became louder, almost unbearable. It was then that her vision blurred and her head seemed to float above her shoulders. Solstice was losing consciousness, and quickly. Her blurry vision then fell on one of the warning signals before: Loss of Cabin pressure. It was then that everything went black for the woman.

Her ship continued to crash, of course. Unfortunately, it's impossible to steer while unconscious. So on it’s way down the ship collided with countless branches taking irreversible damage. The wings were ripped to shreds, the undercarriage completely destroyed, and the windshield cracked in half a dozen places. If Solstice ever had any chance of fixing her ship on her own and getting out, it was gone now. If the Dominion pilot had not completely destroyed it, the trees had. In all reality, it was a wonder Solstice didn’t collide directly with one of the trunks and been killed in the crash. Things fell silent as Solstice and her ship lay stagnant on the forest floor.

****

Water dripped from the damaged ceiling to the exposed nose of the princess. The sudden cold stimulus caused Solstice to gasp for air and sit straight up in her seat. In doing so, the woman so gracefully ran the back of her skull into the collapsed, leaking ceiling of the cockpit. With a wince she cupped the back of her head in her palm for a moment before pulling it away and checking for blood. All clear. Her hair was red, yes, but only because it was always red. The deep auburn hair rain deep in her family’s genetics.

“Damnit.” She mumbled, her entire body sore from tensing up during the crash. Otherwise, she seemed relatively unharmed: a quick once over of her body revealed that. Looking down she realized a faint bruise forming over her breasts and collar bones as a result of the harness during the crash. Her knuckles were scabbed over, probably from hitting the steering column once she passed out. Her head seemed fine. Her legs were fine. Nothing felt broken. These were all signals that she could walk, and, if she could walk, she was getting the hell out of this ship.

Solstice pressed her weight into the door, needing to put more force into it than normal to wrench it past the fallen branches that surrounded her ship. She managed to open the door just enough to slide her body out of the vehicle. Thank god she was in good shape, or there was no way she would have fit through that opening. Once out of the ship, the princess eyed her flyer with a sigh. “You're a lost cause, baby.” She kicked at the metal with the toe of her boot and huffed. This was all just fucking fabulous.

Her surroundings were exactly as she expected. It was green, and it was wet- hence her rude awakening. A look at the sky told her it was afternoon. Considering she had crashed this morning, Solstice realized that she had already been unconscious for hours and no one had retrieved her and taken her home. What did that mean? They hadn't gotten her plea for help. If they had gotten it, they would have been here within an hour.

This planet was under Frandia’s jurisdiction. They owned it and it was used for harvesting raw materials. The whole reason she was here was to defend it from Dominion overthrow, and that was exactly who she found here. This planet was valuable and it's loss would be a major monetary hit for her kingdom. It wasn't an option. Solstice, her father, and all of their pilots would fight to the death to keep it, but the princess was glad she hadn't had to give her life today.

“I hope that son of a bitch crashed and burned. Have fun in hell.” She cursed, crossing her arms over her chest.

 

[BennyQ]

“Shut up!” Kordavo Chenoweth roared at his own ship, blaring a half dozen alarums and ringing tones at him in warning.

Multiple systems failure. Power levels, low. Fuel source, low. Everything was going to shit. And from what? A few lucky shots from that bastard’s craft? At first it had been nothing, just some scorching on his wing. They had been locked in a vicious dogfight for the better part of an hour and he thought he had the prick’s number down. A slippery opponent but not unbeatable and Kordavo had only managed to slip into the sweet spot directly behind their craft, about to unleash the killing blow, before his starboard engine blew to crap, reaching a vital threshold it could no longer maintain. The roar of triumph died on his lips but he had enough time and power to unleash one final barrage of railgun projectiles and missiles. The last he saw was the Frandian craft taking a direct hit. Die slow.

The same might soon apply to Kordavo though.

Over the atmosphere of the frontier world known as Skarvis, the Dominion forces and the Frandian Kingdom had engaged in a heated battle. War had only started off just that week when the Frandian King refused an ultimatum to subject itself to Dominion rule and subjugation. They were not the first independent system or faction to oppose such authority and they would certainly not be the last. But the Dominion armed might was eager for combat, having been nearly an entire generation since the last blood letting. The fleet, powerful as it was, consisted now of mostly new and untried recruits and officers. Kordavo was no different and the actual combat was severely different from the numerous combat simulations he had done. But he performed pretty well in the opening stages.

Of good birth and with an exceptional family name, he had proven the Dominion belief that racial superiority of mind and body was a genetic trait that could be passed on with the right breeding. In just a week’s time, he had soared to becoming one of the Dominion’s best pilots, a true ace, with the markers of nearly two dozen downed enemies marked on the fuselage of his ship. But now he himself was shot down, dragged by the insurmountable gravitational force of the frontier world, deserted and wild that it still was. First the heat and temperature had skyrocketed and sweat pinpricked his entire body as he fought to regain control of his craft. But it was unresponsive, uselessly telling him that this system or that was down, blaring far too many noises for his liking. He pounded the console, only increasing the shrill sounds of alarums.

“Shut up! Just work, damn you.” Kordavo snapped, even as his ship finally breached the atmosphere, now falling with minimum thrusting power. Before him was an expanse of forests and deep mountain valleys. Goddess, was he going to strike a tree trunk and burst into flames or smack right into the mountain side in a fiery crash? Kordavo wouldn’t deny that he was terrified of such an end but the fear made him sharper and more alert, not paralyzed or dumbstruck. Gloved hands clutched the throttle until his knuckles were white, trying to bring up the nose of his craft. A direct crash would burst him into a ball of flame. At least maybe he could skid across the landscape to a halt. Maybe.

Now vapour began to cloud the interior of his cockpit, obscuring his vision. He was scarcely over the top of trees now, bleeding fumes and smoke behind him. It didn’t seem likely he would crash safely, until a sudden clearly opened up between the trees. Kordavo took his chance, knowing it was do or die at this point. He dipped his craft down and tried to stay level, feeling the bump and the shudder as the bottom of his craft struck the ground. A deep trench was ground into the earth behind him and he cut the engines, though the craft was carried on by its own momentum. He growled, teeth shaking and head jerked violently side to side as his harness kept his torso secure and he could only hope he didn’t strike anything solid. Barely. When everything came to a halt and his spinning head and vision composed himself, he saw himself gazing at the treeline just a few feet away. His ship sizzled like meat fresh off a grill.

His whole body ached but there was no time to rest. His ship could still explode. He released the manual emergency lock on his cockpit and pushed up the canopy. He clambered out, in a black flightsuit, belted and with a harness. He had his sidearm and the ship came equipped with a distress beacon and survival kit, which he quickly detached with hurried hands. The ship could still explode, bellowing smoke high into the air. He needed to get away from it as quick as he could, not only because it might blow up but because it might become a signal for any Frandian craft still in the air. He wondered what his opponent was up to but he didn’t need to check. Not far off was an equally plume of smoke rising to the air. So they had made it as well.

Slumping the survival kit, with its water purifier, protein cubes, and some biofoam for quick healing, over a shoulder and clicking the safety off his weapon, his helmet on tight with the visor down, he gave himself a purpose. His ship was damaged but could possibly be salvaged, if he could find parts. And he knew where the perfect junkyard was now.

---

It took several hours, he didn’t know how many, to move through the forest towards the opposing plume of smoke. It had already gone out before he reached there but he had some semblance of what direction it lay in. He expected to find a dead, charred corpse and the ruins of a craft. His surprise was silent and sheer when he saw there was a figure standing next to the ship. His shock was even more complete when he saw that it was a woman. I was shot down by a woman? His hand tightened around the butt of his sidearm, though he wondered what she was doing. They had landed hours ago. Was she just staring at her ship the entire time? It looked as if her crash was fresh based on how she acted. Maybe it was a different pilot from a different crash. The one inside this ship, he must be dead. There was no way this woman was the cause of his downing.

She was speaking, in a very musical and lovely voice, though grim and fierce. Kordavo was surprised he understood it. It was the common language, though she spoke it with what would be a strange, exotic accent to his ears. Hidden behind a tree, she had not seen him yet but he was even more amused when she was in fact referring to him. Have fun in hell she wished him. He couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, revealing himself behind her.

He stepped out behind the tree and raised his weapon. “You first. Save a spot for me.” Kordavo remarked in reply. His gun was swept up quickly, aimed right at the center of mass, her chest. “Hands up, right where I can see them, or I’ll put a hole in you like I did this ship.” He growled in warning, both hands holding his weapon steadily so he couldn’t miss. Not at this close range. He slowly advanced, drinking in more of her features. Was that red hair she had? “Interlock your fingers behind your neck. Do it, girl, or I’ll leave you here for the maggots and worms.” As if he wasn’t going to already. She was an enemy. He was duty bound to kill her. Yet his finger remained still on his trigger.

“Where’s the rest of you?” Kordavo then demanded, keeping his distance slightly with the gun still aimed at her. “Your friend, in there…is he dead? Shame. I had a bone to pick with him. Shot down my nice pretty ship but I guess that’s fair, after I killed over twenty of your idiot comrades over the last week. Guess I’ll settle for number twenty-six being you.” He mocked her in a flat tone, helmet and visor covering his face so his voice seemed muffled and distant. He had no idea this woman was the pilot of that ship behind her. He couldn’t see the cockpit yet to see it was empty.

Strangely though he hadn’t gunned her down yet. She was a woman. Women didn’t belong on the battlefield. Duty said he should pull the trigger and leave her dead and lifeless. Something else told him to wait. Why though, he did not know. It felt irrational to his mind. He kept his gun on her, waiting for her to do as he said and answer his questions.

 

[Sketchyequine]

Solstice had just placed her hands on her hips when she heard the approach from behind. The familiar snapping of twigs and the crushing of the litter underfoot should have set off an alarm. She knew better than to let anyone sneak up on her. Her father had shot her with rubber bullets time and time again to teach her to be watchful. “Every bruise and every welt is a lesson, girl. Learn from them. Otherwise someone will be shooting you with bullets that are steel or iron instead of rubber.” He would say to her. As a younger woman, Solstice would cry and curse him for hurting her, his only child. As she grew she took the pain without a wince. Her pain was silent. Through her refusal to react to pain, she was able to become one of the few warriors Fraundia had to stake their claims on.

As a kingdom, Frandia was not considered wealthy. Unlike what her adversaries, Solstice did not grow up in a city where sleek buildings were constantly built to be taller and more attractive than the last. In Frandia, her father’s home was surrounded by acres and acres of green. Many of their subjects were farmers or craftsman- living out life like people had done hundreds of years ago. The homes were much simpler, the people were more laid back, and the focus was happiness. People got to do whatever they wanted to do. That's why Solstice had gotten to be a pilot while, on most other planets, the majority of pilots were male because of the training they had to endure first. Few individuals finished the training required to be titled space pilots on Frandia. Solstice had been at the top of her class.

Obediently, Solstice turned to the man and rose both of her hands slowly into the air in submission. In a silent act of rebellion, she placed her hands on the back of her skull rather than her neck. She tangled her long fingers in the locks of auburn hair, and stared him down. Those blue eyes of hers would burn holes through them if they could. Oh how she wished he had died in that crash. She wanted nothing more than for him to burn for all eternity as he stood there threatening her life for the second time that day. For some reason, however, it was almost more infuriating to have him threatening her now. Airship battles were inadvertently violent- that was the entire point of them. Cornering her now when she, obviously, had no means of escape was cowardice. You weren't supposed to bring a knife to a fist fight.

“Unfortunately, you only get me, sweetheart. I'm a one man show, and I shot you down.” She grinned crookedly. It was obvious to her that the man was a little taken aback by her entire existence. “If there was anyone else from Frandia here, they'd be taking your head off right now. Since I'm alone, that task is up to me. Don't worry, I'll put it at the top of my to do list.” She give him a wink, taunting him. If he was going to shoot her, he was going to do it no matter what she said. The way she saw it, she might as well crawl under his skin a little bit first. That way he might remember her after she died as the woman who shot him down and still gave him a tongue lashing when he cornered her with a gun.

“Those 26 you killed? Farm boys. Unfortunately, Frandia doesn't have a whole lot of ace pilots to call its own. In order to fight this war, we've had to recruit many who have no training. So… good job. You shot down people who had probably only flown twice before you shot him down. Might as well be killing babies, asshole.” She practically hissed at the man. She was not impressed by his cockiness, but he had the upper hand here undeniably. “Listen to me. This planet is not friendly to those of us who are small, soft, and mushy. You might want to save that thing’s charge.”

Her advice was true. This planet was known for being home to hostile native species. Solstice had her own arms making themselves at home over each of her wide hips, and given her attire of green army-style pants and a matching jacket over a grey wife beater they were likely very visible to her adversary. She had had a fleeting idea to grab for them initially, but by the time she grabbed them he would likely already shot her with one of his lasers. Not to mention if she somehow survived this, she would need those bullets. It was going to be awhile before anyone would pick her up. It was amazing, really, that they had not found and eaten either of them yet. Especially Solstice, who had been passed out in her ship for hours now. “If you were smart…. you'd take me out with your hands rather than your gun. Save that thing for something you can't kill without it. How much trouble could a sweet little girl like me be anyway?” She placed an over exaggerated pout on her face, something that mocked the crying baby dolls that had once been adored by little girls on earth.

She waited then. All she needed was a half a second of hesitation by him and that gun, and she would strike. A sneeze, moment of fear, blink, anything. Unfortunately it didn't look like she was going to get any of those treats this time. However… she had a hunch. He hadn't shot her yet, so what if there was something stopping him? Whether is was an intent to torture and question her or let her run, she was going to take a chance on it rather than die like a muzzled dog. She bolted at him, and she was fast.

Solstice made sure to navigate in an irregular line so that his shot at her wouldn't be as easy. Not only had she learned it was hard to hit a moving target, it was even harder to hit an unpredictable one. Managing to get close without getting shot, she body slammed the man. Within this proximity, Solstice finally realized how much bigger he was than her. Solstice stood at a compact five foot two inches of sheer muscle tone hidden between feminine curves. While she didn't have the largest bust, the woman had a derriere indicative of her workout. An athlete, yes, but still obviously a woman even as she knocked the unexpecting pilot off of his feet using all of the force she could muster. She grinned in the moment she heard his back hitting the dirt, landing on top of him a split second later. In a calculated movement, she placed her knees hard into the insides of each of his elbows, her boots on each of his hands, kicking his gun from his hand.

Solstice definitely did not have a mass advantage here, but all she could do was hope that the discomfort of her weight equally distributed onto each of his forearms in addition to her actual 120 lbs was enough to keep him down. Without hesitation, she grabbed onto his helmet and ripped it from his face. Her dad had always taught her to hit where it hurt first. Her enemy’s face was handsome, undoubtedly, but she couldn't let that stop her. She punched him hard, her knuckles making contact with the surface of his jaw. She punched him again in the collar bone, hoping to break the surprisingly brittle bone on the front of his chest.

Solstice wailed on him a few more times before one of her hands shot back to the back of her belt. From there, she produced a very simple throwing blade, one of three she had, and pressed it firmly to the man's throat. “You better start singing for me, pal. Why does the dominion want our land?” She dug the sharp point into his flesh carefully, causing a small bean of blood to slowly form and eventually drop down the side of his neck. She would kill him as soon as she had the answers she was looking for.

 

[BennyQ]

Kordavo didn’t flinch when the girl openly declared herself as the sole pilot. He controlled his expression as best he could as furious shame swelled up within him. Shot down by a woman. It was lucky he had his helmet on or else she might see she scored a point on him, by the slight narrowing of his emerald green eyes, the tightening of his jaw with its rough stubble, the hard gulp in his strong neck. What she might see is the tightening of his hands around the butt of his sidearm, pointed towards the center of her mass, her chest. It wasn’t much to begin with, the girl having much more size to her further down. And why exactly is that detail so important? He asked himself.

She denied others were about. He didn’t believe her. Dozens of craft had been shot down. Most exploded due to some systems failure or the pilot ejected into the cold vacuum of space, where they could be rescued, or captured. A flew might have streaked down to the surface of the planet, though he did not see any other crash sites when he landed. She was bluffing him, trying to get inside his head. She winked and grinned, mocking him. She was trying to provoke him, he could see that much. Kordavo deemed himself better than to fall for such feminine wiles. A real man fought outright or keeled over, knowing they were beaten. Perhaps this girl needed an acute lesson in that regard.

She tried to warn him of other dangers. He snorted, barely audible behind his helmet. Like he would fall for that one. Use his hands? As if he would give up his advantage, to throw his entire fate to chance. Not that he wasn’t capable with just his hands, having learned wrestling and martial arts throughout his extensive education. Being highborn had that privilege, both a gift and a curse. Though, the thought did cross his mind. Quite vividly as well. What would it be like to wrestle with such a small, soft, mushy girl? It might be quite fun.

No, that was foolish. This wasn’t a game. This was war. She was an enemy combatant. He ought to just gun her down, right here and now. He raised the weapon slightly higher, as if prepared to shoot her and just end her annoying ranting. Yet at the same heartbeat, something sounded off behind him. Perhaps it was the wind rustling the trees, an unfamiliar sound to Kordavo, having grown up in a concrete jungle where any green or vegetation was entirely artificial. Perhaps there was something approaching behind him. In either case, his head darted to the side and his eyes scanned the bush about him intently. Perhaps she wasn’t alone after all. All the more reason to shoot…

His distraction proved his downfall. By the time he glanced back, she was already on the move. “Bitch.” He simply swore and aimed his gun to fire…and missed. Right over her shoulder, puncturing a tree and blasting out bits of bark and leafy powder into the air. She was upon him and despite her small size, she was still a significant cannon ball when she tackled into him. He was several inches taller however and nearly double her weight in muscle and mass, yet he staggered back regardless, his foot catching on something further to break his balance. He fell back, like an austere and tall tree tipping over to collapse after many hews of the axe. He hit the ground with a crash, his wrist striking hard and causing the sidearm to fly from his grasp.

It all happened so fast, like the mere seconds in which a bolt of lightning might be visible. She was on him, her petite form pinning him down. His helmet went flying, revealing rugged features. Green eyes glared back at her. Brown cropped hair gleamed with pinpricks of sweat. His jaw, strong and hard, outlined with a faint stubble of beard. Something hard struck his jaw and his head jerked back. Another struck his collarbone, pain reverberating through his bones. He shut his eyes, bringing his hands up to grab her sides, struck many times as he did. His head shook and his vision spun. Who knew such a little thing could pack such a punch!

Something hard and cold pressed to his neck. She demanded answers. Kordavo didn’t answer. He used the reprieve to compose himself, breathing hard, blood and spittle leaking from his mouth. He licked it up, opening his eyes and peering at her. Her knife pinched his throat. Think, fool. She’s small. She’s quick. She has a knife. But she’s stupid. My hands are free. My legs are free. Is this how she thinks interrogation works? His hands were still by her sides, not grabbing her. Instead, began to smirk, showing bloody teeth and sheer malice in his eyes. This girl has guts. Not soft or mushy, but still small. Fiery. So unlike the women he knew at home. It provoked something in him.

“I came for the one man show. You ready to see it?” Kordavo taunted her. His own hands moved, one grabbing her wrist that had the blade, clamping around it like iron cuffs and dragging it away. The other slammed right into her face, fingers prodding both her eyes but not terribly so. He shifted his entire weight to the right, gritting his teeth and growling as he exerted himself. He managed to roll her, using her face and arm as leverage, until he practically threw her off.

He was still gripping her wrist though and he rose up onto one knee. He raised it up and slammed it hard into her gut as he came atop of her now, his hand that was on her face now grabbing her other arm and slamming it down into the grass beside her, like he did with her knife hand. “You’re right. You’re all untrained and too stupid for war. This is why the Dominion takes your land. Because we can.” He snarled down at her with a grin. He then released her hand that held no knife, grabbed her by her hair, and promptly headbutted her to further disorientate her. Pain rushed through his own skull but not as badly as she might endure. He thought her finished after that. He clearly didn’t think highly of her skills. Mistake.

One might think he would learn after she managed to get the drop on him but Kordavo was disdainful of it. He rose up, releasing her and standing onto his feet. He strode to grab his sidearm, glancing back to keep his eye on her. He didn’t think her a threat. He spat some blood onto the grass and wiped his lips with the back of his arm. “It’s good you can put up a fight though. We’ve been unbloodied for far too long.” He remarked tauntingly, putting distance between himself and her again. He touched his neck and brought his hand back, his smile vanishing as he saw blood. She was the first woman who made him bleed. The bitch ought to suffer for that. How, though…?

Kordavo walked over to her ship, holstering his sidearm. “I need a silicon power supply, two power couplers, and a replacement connecter. I hope your machinery is up to par.” He simply said, running his hand along the fuselage of the ship, until he found a circuit lid and peeled it open. He immediately tore some of the cables out. They would be useful, sparks flying about. He managed to find one power coupler and tore it right out, examining it and turning back to her. “You still have more fight in you? Come on, then.” He taunted her, tossing the coupler up and down in his palm. “A woman like you, they throw into the fighting pits. You don’t want to learn your place, at least you’ll be good for entertainment.”

Why didn't he just shoot her already? Quit playing games! Looking at her, he felt a shudder run down his spine for some odd reason. Was that...excitement? Or nervousness? Perhaps both. She was quite attractive in a striking sort of way. Certainly a face he would not forget for some time. The shudder went down his spine and coalesced into his core. Or did it go lower? "Drop the knife girl before you hit yourself." He commanded her. Perhaps he could use the torn cables to truss her up. Great idea. Dropping the power coupler, he picked up one particularly long reach of cable and began to approach her, ready to bout with her once more.

 

[Sketchyequine]

Confusion plagued her as he mentioned something about a one man show. How cocky was this guy? He was hot and in good shape, sure, but he had an ego bigger than his ship. However, the comment did offer a bit of reassurance: He was alone. The thoughts buzzed through her head until suddenly she could feel the pain in her eyes as his fingers began to dig at them. Her reaction was to press down harder on the knife and end this, but he grabbed her wrist too quickly for her to slice into his jugular. “Son of a bitch!” She cried out, more in frustration than anything else. This guy was not going to let her kill him so easily, and that was a serious annoyance to the princess. She'd like nothing more than to bleed him out as he threatened to blind her at such a young age. However, there was never enough force behind his fingertips to do any permanent damage to the woman’s corneas.

She wasn't able to celebrate not being blinded for very long. Soon she felt herself flying only briefly before she hit the ground, her own arm practically being used as a tether to keep her from flying off. It resulted in her petite body landing with an audible thud in the litter right next to the stranger. Her vision, momentarily blurred by his assault of the delicate organs, became clear just in time to watch him bring his knee down into her stomach with a force. An involuntary grunt ripped through her body as a temporary urge to vomit rushed through her. The little redhead managed, however, to keep her lunch in her gullet even as it stung with pain. “Come on now.” She mocked him through a few gasps. “This is hardly a fair fight. You might as all be twice my size.” She let out a twisted laugh at her own comment. “Not a fair fight for you, I mean.”

The headbutt made her dizzy. It was definitely not the to her best advantage seeing as she had been unconscious in her ship just minutes earlier. The force that seemed to ricochet through her head left her feeling dizzy and weak. Much to her disdain, this gave him every opportunity to mock her and move about as he pleased without repercussion. “Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll spill plenty of your blood today, and all your friends will laugh seeing as you were killed by a female pilot from a farming planet.” She mumbled, but with how dizzy she felt, she wasn't even sure if the words had been remotely intelligible. The thought did bring a smile to her face though. He had an upper hand, but she wasn't ready to give up. She'd be his own, personal demon to deal with and she'd be a pain his ass up until the moment one of them killed the other.

The idea of him robbing her ship of its parts turned Solstice’s vision red with rage. The fury stomped out the dizziness he had caused, and suddenly she felt fine. However, her experience with this man so far told her that he believed she had been decommissioned. While untrue, she had an advantage over him if he still thought she was too injured to fight back. Stupid. she thought, trying hard to suppress the cocky smile of her own trying to creep over her luscious lips. “Those parts are yours over my dead body.” She finally spoke once he had finally stopped blabbing. “And as much as I'm sure you'd love to watch me wrestle naked with your childhood crush, I'm going to have to turn down your gracious offer. I try not give give boners to old, stupid, ace pilots. Please accept this as my humble apology.” She forced that fake pout onto her slender face once more. “My mommy told me never to get naked for ugly men anyway. Not unless they were very rich.” Solstice cocked an eyebrow. “By the looks of you, you're not. Or you'd have better manners.” She shook her head at him making a rhythmic tsk with her tongue against her teeth.

Her taunting served as a distraction more than anything else. That in addition to her faked disorientation would, hopefully, be enough to get him right where she wanted him. And she was right. With him facing her like that he might as well have a massive target painted over the entirety of his body. Instead of letting go of her knife as he had mocked her to do, Solstice grabbed it tighter. “I think it's you who should be worried about getting hit.” She spoke quickly before shifting the blade inbetween her fingers and threw it as precisely as she could manage while laying on the ground where he had left her. The knife, specifically engineered for throwing, rotated in the air effortlessly as it flew. Solstice grinned as the blade hit home, the man’s meaty thigh. All three inches of sharpened, black metal buried themselves into him. The handle of the blade protruded from him in an erect stance, problem announcing that he had fucked up by underestimating her yet again.

Knowing her window to move was likely small, Solstice quickly scrambled to her feet, spastic feet leaving ruts in the soft soil where her heels had been. Once she regained her balance she furrowed her brows and ran at him again. Solstice could hope that her blade had severed his femoral artery and he would be dying soon anyway, but that was a very small, invisible target on the man’s rather large thigh, and, based on the amount of blood seeping out, the artery had gotten out unharmed. Fuck. I'll have to kill him another way. She thought to herself as she collided with him again, this time pushing him up against the ship with all the force her little body could manage. Without hesitation, Sol grabbed onto the man’s head and slammed it backwards into the heavy metal of the ship. The pushed him back again, hoping to cause serious damage to his skull, but the guy was hard headed in more than just the way he thought.

Solstice then grabbed the handle of the blade that still jutted out of his thigh and she pushed it in even deeper. She wanted to hear the man scream before he died. “Is that enough bloodshed for you yet? No? I don't think it's enough for me either.” Although she knew he must already be in excruciating pain, Solstice wanted him to suffer even further. Pressing her bruised breasts into him to keep him pinned, the princess reached into the back of her utility belt once more, pulling out the second of her three throwing blades. She gripped the handle tightly as she grinned up at her enemy. “So you like to watch girls fight, huh? I bet you never knew how hard a real woman could fight.” She pressed her body even closer to his. Heat radiated from her as beads of sweat formed on what seemed like every part of her. Her sheer anger seemed to make her need to cool the inferno burning inside with pathetic evaporation.

“This time you're fighting a real woman, and I don't mean to toot my own horn or anything, but I'm kind of kicking your ass.” She leaned in, her breath kissing at his collar bone. “Toot toot.” She whispered before letting out a small giggle. The woman probably sounded psychotic, but he had made her a little crazy by pissing her off so badly. “If you like watching so much, this must really turn you on.” She practically purred to him as her arm wiggled between them while still wielding the weapon. She then pressed the tip of her blade right into his package- threatening his manhood for all it was worth. At the same time, Solstice rose to her tiptoes, her face how even with his neck. Her breath tickled over the surface of his Adam’s apple not far from where she had cut him. “Tell me… how much is a dog worth without his balls? A mutt like you can train to be a champion, but you'll never be worth breeding.” She increased the pressure of the blade on the front of his trousers, but she hadn't cut him. Not yet at least.

In a move that surprised even Solstice she leaned into the man and inhaled the scent of his neck deeply. It was musky and undeniably masculine. It was almost as if pheromones were leaking out of this guy. Not that they would be worth much when she took away his ability to ever mate with anyone again. And then… she trailed her tongue along the stranger’s neck. The soft, warm muscle licking away the small trail of blood that had dripped down from where she had cut him only minutes earlier. It was like a lioness savoring every last drop of her prey. She should not have hesitated in killing him.

 

[BennyQ]

The girl babbled something but Kordavo barely listened. Probably saying her last prayers. He was more concerned with her ship, examining the technology and hoping it would be compatible with his ship. How difficult could it be? She was getting furious that he was salvaging her ship. Not like she would have any use for it. Over her dead body? “That won’t be difficult to arrange, girl.” He remarked without concern for her threat. He rolled his eyes as she meandered on. He should have just gaged her or killed her as he initially thought he would. Another reason why the Dominion ought to extend their sway over her pathetic world. They had no morals, no decorum or respectability. They were simply barbaric, talking about getting naked or any sort of man. He snorted.

He watched her struggle to her feet, Kordavo finding it curious at her stubbornness to resist. She said it herself he was twice her size. Not fair at all. Yet she wanted to fight on? Beaten dogs ought to know when they were beaten. He saw her with her knife again, while he advanced on her with a length of cable. He was certain he could still disarm and truss her up, waiting for her to charge forward and try to stab him. He would use her momentum against her. What Kordavo didn’t expect is that she would fling her only weapon, as far as he saw, right at him. His eyes went wide and he barely had time to shift. Perhaps that saved his life as the knife sank right into his thigh, missing the vital artery but still piercing and sending spikes of pain throughout his limb and body. He let out a cry and staggered, dropping to one knee. The leg just gave out and trying to budge it was tremendously agonizing.

She rushed him. Again. Damn, she was fast. He tried to defend himself but was thrust back hard into the fuselage of the ship again. She grabbed his head and slammed it back, sending his vision spinning with dizziness for a moment. Black spots dotted his gaze as well but it was a momentary disorientation. He brought both his hands to grasp her shoulders, though he found it hard to focus and get his strength to retaliate right away. She shoved the knife into his thigh and he gasped through clenched teeth, glaring at her and blinking hard. She was so near, pressing herself to him. That excited him in ways that was quite inappropriate for the situation at hand. Now she was taunting him. Idiot girl. He was beginning to see the mistake in talking. He ought to just finish her off, the way she should be finishing him off. He did not react. He let her press to him, he let her talk, getting in his face. Kordavo just watched, trying to nurse his strength. His hands wouldn’t react though. Not yet. He needed just a moment more…

And she seemed happy to oblige him. It was a mistake he would not be repeating now.

Then she brought a second weapon down, to his manhood. She put it right to his groin, causing him to inhale sharply through his nose and twitch uncontrollably at the unfamiliar sensation. He wasn’t afraid of death or battle but castration certainly had its terrors. His eyes narrowed dangerously and he knew he had to act before she made a fool out of him. She pressed it on intently. Kordavo wasn’t having any of that anymore. His eyes widened and he glared at her, down below. She was so small! How was she getting the drop on him.

“You talk way too much.” He simply growled and acted. He raised a knee, right between her legs, not with the intent to hit her in the ovaries but to actually heft her up. If she tried to stab with her knife, it would strike against his pelvis or lower abdomen, not his more vulnerable package. At the same time, his hands that had been clutching her shoulders weakly gripped with sudden fierceness and helped to heft her up more, taking her boots right off the grass. He roared and with abrupt strength, threw her right back onto the grass. The bitch was as light as a ragdoll, pitiful and empty. Just like her threats. But his weren’t going to be threats no more. He reached down to his thigh, gripped the knife handle, and with a roar tore it right out. It glistened crimson with his blood and he twirled it in his hand, having the blade face downwards.

He leapt upon her in the next heartbeat. There wasn’t much else he could do with his wounded leg. He fell heavily, one arm grabbing at her wrist that held her blade. He ignored her other unarmed hand. He forced that arm down into the grass, twisting her wrist painfully, threatening to almost break it, until she dropped her second knife. And then without warning, plunged her own blade hard into her palm. The knife would pierce through glove and flesh right into the soft earth. Not a serious injury. A little biofoam could see that healed, if he deigned to give her some later. “That should hold you.” He remarked and to make sure she stayed down, brought a knee up to pin that arm down by her elbow. Now he was seated upon her chest, his full weight trapping her. He reached over and took her other arm, forcing it above her head. He still had a free one and he took a moment to simply pant and compose himself.

His thigh ached terrible, throbbing with misery. Never taking his green eyes off of the girl, Kordavo reached around to sling his survival kit forward, dropping it onto the grass near her. He didn’t care if she watched or talked, as long as she couldn’t resist. He took out the biofoam canister, unscrewed the lid, and stuck the small hose right into the knife wound in his leg. Kordavo hissed at the painful sensation as it entered into his body but the moment he pressed down on the lid, a sudden cool and numbing sensation flooded the wound. All the burning heat of pain and misery vanished and he craned his neck back a moment, sighing with relief. That took care of one problem.

Kordavo glanced at her a moment. The knife was still plunged right through her hand. A sudden sadistic grin came over his lips. She wanted to make him feel misery? Two can play at that and he took hold of that blade, wiggling it about. “It really does turn me on. Sorry, I’m having trouble pulling this out.” He taunted her back, though after a moment of torturing her, he yanked the knife out and flung it away. With no explanation, he stuck the hose of the biofoam canister into her palm and gave her the same shot, flooding her hand with a cool, numbing sensation. That flesh wound, like his own, would be as good as new in a day or two.

He then slammed his hand under her jaw and squeezed it painfully, to shut her up at least. “You and I, we’ll talk later about breeding. You have a spirit in you. I like that. Men would pay handsomely for a fighter like you, for more than just being a champion in the arena.” He remarked to her and released her jaw, only to give her a stinging slap for good measure. He rose slightly off of her and forced her onto her stomach next. Reaching to snatch the length of cables he had dropped, he brought it near and began to twist each of her arms painfully back behind her, wrist over wrist, and looping the cable about it. He tied it tightly and the material, used to the violence and excessiveness of war, would not break or come undone so easily. With her own material, he had bound her. And he left her there, strung up like a hog on the grass. Kordavo now could work peacefully.

Staggering up, Kordavo could now look to himself. His neck was bleeding but not bad. A bit of foam handled that. He wiped his jaw and shook his head, feeling the several points of pain and bruising she had inflicted on him. That was alright, pain reminded him he was alive and what mistakes he had made to earn it. They would not happen again. Turning back to her ship, he resumed his work of salvaging it, finding the pieces he needed. Not one but two power supplies, power couplers, and the connector. Hopefully they worked on his ship. He stuck them into his survival kit and slung that over his shoulder, before finding the bloody knife she had stabbed him with, and he her, and adding that to his belt. Her second knife he took as well. He did not expect her to have a third and he did not search her. Yet.

Now he was ready. Returning to the girl, he reached down and picked her up quite easily, setting her onto her own two feet. He grabbed her again by her jaw, forcing her gaze to him as he glared down at her with hard green eyes. “You are now my prisoner, girl. It is only pragmatism that keeps you alive, not mercy or pity. I have no problem tossing you to the wolves or whatever other fucking creatures inhabit this shit world of yours. If I were you, I’d keep your mouth shut and not give me any reason to do so, you understand me?” He demanded, though he didn’t release her jaw to let her speak. He just glared into her eyes, taking either acceptance or defiance from them as he saw fit. Then he shoved her off.

“You, walk ahead of me. Go north and then east. Try to run and I’ll shot you kneecap out.” Kordavo said, pushing her ahead of him and walking about three or four feet behind her, hand on his sidearm.

 

[Sketchyequine]

“Fuck you.” She mumbled as he lifted her off of her feat, wrenching him away from his target. Solstice tried to get another slash in on him, but failed as she was airbound once again. He must have really gotten off of throwing her around like a rag doll. All jokes aside, she had felt the slight swelling in his trousers as she threatened this manhood. The man had actually been aroused, even if only briefly, by what she had done to him. Perhaps that was why he hadn't killed her yet. It was a realization that the princess wasn't particularly fond of, and she made it just before she hit the ground with a thud. The woman winced, her body ached from the beating she had already taken. Little did she know, however, it was about to just get much worse.

When he planted himself on her chest Solstice felt the air rush out of her lungs- the weight instantly making it difficult for her to breathe. However, as soon as he threatened to break her arm she bit down hard on her lip. Don’t drop it. Don't drop it. Don't drop it. Dropping her knife would leave her defenseless against him. With him being this much bigger than her, she was toast without her blades. Well… she would be if he actually wanted to kill her. It didn't take long for him to force her into dropping it, but the amount of time she managed to hold onto it was quite impressive for a small woman. She had no time to recover before he plunged her original blade through the entirety of her hand, sliding between her bones until it stuck into the forest floor. She screamed then, for the first time since he had found her. It was impossible to sustain an injury like that and not make a peep.

He was right. That would hold her. She couldn't bring herself to move that hand even slightly. In reality, he wouldn't have even needed to pin her with his knee. Once he had her other wrist, she knew she was trapped. This was shameful. A princess and an ace pilot should not be trapped like this. She stared up at him with her blue eyes being cold as ice, yet tears still streamed from them. Was she crying because of the pain? Maybe, but there was also a strong possibility that she was crying because she hated him and he had her trapped between a rock and a hard place. Oh how she wished she could add poison to his biofoam. A sadistic bastard like him deserved to die a slow death after being poisoned. Maybe that's how she would try to kill him next time. The twisting of the knife made her cry out again in pain. “You son of a bitch.” She whispered, but she knew he could hear her. It was a relief when he finally pulled the blade out, and a pleasant surprise when he offered her the relief caused by the biofoam. In reaction, Solstice let out a deep breath. Her brow furrowed afterward. Why would he offer her painkillers?

When he grabbed her jaw, she glared at him silently. With that much force, he might just leave bruises on her face. The strength in his fingers was undeniably impressive. What the hell did he do to wind up with a grip strength like that? She wondered, but his words get not go unnoticed. He saw her as an object. Spoils for war and good for no more than make entertainment? She honestly thought she had put up a better fight than that. A battle ax had no passion or zest. Solstice was very passionate and she fought was a stamina that was uncommon- especially in women. Yet, he stated that she was worth nothing more than a few paid nights? That was genuinely offensive.

Upon the release of her jaw, she went so say something, but her breath caught in her throats when he slapped her. “Romance is dead.” She spoke harshly to him, a red handprint already forming on the surface of her cheek as blood rushed to the area. She grunted as he flipped her over, gritting her teeth as he tied her up. Maybe it would have been better for him to just kill her. At least then her humiliation would end. The bonds were already digging into her, soon they would leave bruises and potentially even draw blood. This material was not made for breaking and his knots gave her no wiggle room. She was his captive. She didn't waste time trying to talk to him while he salvaged parts from her ship. Instead, she tried to recall everything she had learned about him thus far. What were his weaknesses?

Once on her feet and facing the man, she stabbed him with daggers using her eyes. She listened carefully to what he said, yes, but she knew it was bullshit. The dominion didn't take prisoners. He had another reason for keeping her alive. The second he released her jaw she spit at him. Solstice grinned seeing that she had hit her target, the spit rolling down his cheek. “A little gift from me to you, buddy.” She tainted him then turned proudly on her heel with a smile and walking in the direction he had instructed. He couldn't think he was getting to her for a moment. She would fight him until the end.

The 23 year old woman strode gracefully over the rough forest floor as if it were her domain. She had grown up walking on soil rather than pampered sidewalks. She had the upper hand in that refused, at least. Her hips swayed carefully to compensate for her lack of centered balance with her hands tied behind her back like that. And she walked like that, silently, for two hours. However, the silence was starting to bore her. “What's your name, mister? Might as well know the name of the man who's royally fucking me in the ass.” She looked over his shoulder and gave him a cheeky grin before looking forward again. “I must admit I didn't expect to be kidnapped by a hot douche bag today. You caught me off a guard there, but you’ll have a nice scar there on your thigh to remember me by.” She teased. No matter what he had done to her, he had not killed her spirit.

It was then that the woman stopped in her tracks, causing him to almost run into her as a result of his longer string. She had heard something. The woman’s breath stopped as she waited to hear something again. The sound had not come from the right direction to be caused by her captor. Then it happened again. There was something out there, and, based on what Solstice knew about this plant, it was not something they wanted to meet. “You need to untie me, or we’re both dead. It's time to pull you that gun you like showing off.” Her tone was hushed. Whatever was out there had already heard them and was probably already on it's way there.

It was hardly a couple of seconds before they knew exactly what it was that had made the sound. A pack of large, green, canine like creatures rounded a cluster of shrubs. They were growling at a low volume as they began to approach the man and woman. “Now, lover boy.” She demanded, pushing her bound hands back towards him, urging him to release her. He'd be a fool to believe he could take these things on on his own. And, as if triggered by Solstice’s urgency, one of the hounds laughed itself off of it’s rear legs and flew at them, air bound. Solstice threw herself forward and onto the ground in order to avoid the set of teeth and claws that were coming at them. Her only hope was that he had a plan. If he died, she would be dead too. Unless, of course, he untied her fucking hands. Bastard.

 

[BennyQ]

She spat at him. Barbaric. Another reason why her people needed to be conquered. They were backwards and lacking in mannerisms. They would soon learn though and he wiped his face with the back of his sleeve, merely glaring at her. He would not be childish and respond in kind though. She would get her just desserts soon enough. She’ll have plenty of souvenirs from me when this show is done, if she lives long enough to profit from her mistakes. Fortunately she kept her mouth shut for the first duration of their trek, allowing Kordavo to ponder his options. He needed to get airborne and back to the fleet. Admiral Cleram would be waiting for him. He needed to get back into the fight. Hopefully these parts worked on his craft.

He was interrupted from his musing when the girl spoke up after a few hours. Kordavo didn’t realize he had been hypnotized in a way, so deep in his thoughts. He was looking…at the girl’s rear. Why did they seem so enticing, lulling his mind? He snapped his eyes up to the back of her head when she asked his name, luckily not being caught staring down when she glanced over her shoulder. “When I’m royally fucking you in the ass, you’ll know my name.” He simply replied. She taunted him again on his thigh. He snorted. “You talk too much.” He said again. “Just shut up and walk, girl.”

But he heard it too and did indeed run into the girl as his senses focused elsewhere. In a fluid gesture, he wrapped his arm around her neck and put her in a headlock, twirling her to his side like a shield, while his right hand went to his sidearm, holstered on his hip. “Be quiet.” He hissed in a low voice to her first request of being untied. Like hell he would. It could be her allies or it could be some wild beast, he wasn’t sure yet. And then he saw them, several canine creatures, as green as the forest, blending in well. No doubt it gave them an advantage on the hunt, being able to sneak up on their prey, like they just did to two hapless pilots downed in a strange world. Kordavo growled himself in his throat. He hated beasts.

He did a quick count. Seven of them. Anyone who knew the planet though would know they traveled in much larger groups and this was just a scouting party for the main pack. He didn’t respond to the girl. He had her in a headlock on his side. His notion was to throw her as bait if worse came to worse. He could leave her behind and run as fast as he could on his wounded leg. That’s if he couldn’t fight them off. The hounds began to spread out, four or five of them facing off in front of the pair of them while the rest circled around to flank. At least the girl could warn him of any trying to leap behind. Perhaps they would leap at her instead.

But the girl broke free and threw herself to the ground. Fucking idiot.

Kordavo raised his weapon and fired twice, the discharge echoing in the trees. One bolt caught the beast in the mouth, the other higher up the face. It fell dead in front of the girl. The rest snarled and began to move, several trying to circle and more rushing straight forward. Two more leapt and Kordavo shot another, dropping it but not killing it, leaving it to squirm with a wounded leg. Another caught him and clamped on his arm but he pulled out one of the girl’s knives and stabbed it in the eye. It howled, releasing his arm and staggering back, flailing about with the handle of the blade protruding from its face. Three down, four to go.

One jumped on his back but Kordavo threw himself forward, sending it flying over his back and head onto the grass. He shot it in the soft underbelly. Four down. He still didn’t move to untie the girl. He could do this, without her!

Another jumped on the girl and snarled, ready to take a bite out of her shoulder. Kordavo tackled it off on pure impulse but didn’t shoot it, for another dove on top of him. He dropped the pistol, very near to the girl’s tied hands. She might feel the butt of the gun against her fingers. She could grab it, shoot the hound atop of Kordavo without looking, if she was decisive like that. The hound tried to bite Kordavo but his hands came up and caught its snout, holding its jaws apart as it growled, with very foul breath, down at him.

As he struggled, a sixth clambered again onto the girl, snarling as it prepared to take a bite. A few were left, one with the knife in its eye, jerking about into trees. Another staggered on a limp leg, wounded. Two lay dead. One was upon Kordavo. And last, the smallest, watched, there to leech off the kill. “Not today!” He roared, drawing the second knife he had taken from the girl and proceeding to jab it rapidly into the creature’s underside, while it snapped on his arm. It didn’t seem to feel the bite of the knife. He needed something stronger or they’ll both be food within a few seconds here!

 

[Sketchyequine]

Solstice laid on her side, successfully dodging the leap, but her captor managed to shoot it down quite easily. As much as she hated to admit it, he was a pretty good fighter. He had taken her down and successfully taken down that thing on his first try. However, she wasn't about to forget about him making her his human shield. That was a real dick move. So was not untying her. “You idiot!” She screamed at him as she pulled at her bonds. She tugged until her wrists bled, trying desperately to help, but it was all to no avail. These cords were filled with metal for the circuitry of her ship. There was no way that her unimpressive human strength would do any damage. She might as well have been offered to the hounds on a silver platter by the man. She'd be bitching about it when and if they got out this mess.

Solstice watched the mad as he took down and wounded a few more of the creatures. She was beginning to wonder if he would be able to take them all down on his own. He definitely appeared to be holding his own against these things. His bravery surpassed her own. While it may not be obvious on her face, the little woman was nervous they wouldn't survive. Her fears were only heightened when she saw his gun go flying and one of those monsters tear into his flesh. Just seeing it made her wince. He was lucky they didn't just tear the damn thing off. She was wholeheartedly expecting to watch those things tear him to bits before they did the same thing to her. It was then that she felt the but of the gun. “Were lucky as shit.” She muttered before she scooted backwards in the dirt until she could better grip it. Once she had it securely in her hands, she was going to have to find a way to aim at something that was behind her.

Solstice thrust her body to the side and flexed her abdomen until she was sitting up with her back to the other pilot with the pair of dogs attempting to make a meal of him. The woman pushed her chin as far over her shoulder as she could manage to try and aim, but it was essentially pointless. She was far from being able to look down the sight of his gun, and to make things worse she had never really shot a laser gun like this before. All of her firearms shot traditional bullets, but thinks to all the bondage, so was unable to get to any of the tools on her belt. She would have to make due with what was available to her. Solstice tensed up and pulled the trigger three times in rapid succession. Although Solstice had her eyes clothes, she killed the beast atop the man with two shots hitting him on the neck and the last piercing the back of it’s skull.

With a grin, she shifted and took aim on the other dog presently threatening the life of her unwanted escort. Once again, her shots were on target. The woman threw herself on the ground and barrel rolled until she could take aim on the last fully functional animal of the back. She fired two shits, both of which hit the beast is the thoracic area. The canine stumbled a bit, threatening to charge before it inevitably fell and died. They were all now dead or mortally injured. The pair had won even though he had left her essentially defenseless.

Solstice panted to catch her breath. The adrenaline pumping through her veins was enough to make anyone feel a bit winded, but the smile on her face said it all. Solstice dropped the gun back into the soil before she laid on her back, looking up at the sky. It was then that a laugh echoed through her entire body. “We made it.” She whispered before she turned to the wounded man. “We survived. There's no way we should have, but we did. And just so you know, you owe me your life now.” She gave him a wink. However, she hardly anticipated that he would be very grateful. He'd probably complain that she “talked too much.” That seemed more his style. Solstice looked over her shoulder, examining the man. He was hurt. Very hurt. The blood rolling down his arm was definitely a rise for concern.

“Let me help you with that. Untie me before you bleed out.” She spoke to him sternly.

 

[BennyQ]

The hound seemed endless in its fury, no matter how many times Kordavo stabbed it in the gut. Teeth clamped like sharp needles through the muscular sinew of his arm but adrenaline kept him fighting to the very end, keeping the pain at bay. It only seemed a matter of time before either he gave out. He might kill this beast but others might leap upon him, as a second was already prowling for scarps off its mates kill. For a moment Kordavo was about to lose all hope, until sudden shots rang out and the hound fell limp and dead upon him. More shots fired out and the second hound died, just as Kordavo pushed the first off of him. The last didn’t survive much longer.

Kordavo just lay there a moment, panting. His midsection was covered in the hound’s blood and his arm was cut and torn. The girl had saved him and she was remarking on their circumstances, before offering to help him. He ignored her, rising to his feet with a wince and looking about. They were surrounded by the dead and dying carcasses of seven vicious and deadly hounds. Natives to the forest? Their green flesh leaked and oozed a strange blood but Kordavo didn’t stick around to admire their nature. With the knife, he plunged it into the eye socket of the beast with a wounded leg and plunged his knife into the other, drawing out the one he had embedded within its eyes. These were really good knives and he took a moment to wipe them on the grass.

Then he strode to the girl and swept up his sidearm, checking the charge and sticking it in his belt alongside her knives. “Be quiet.” Was all he hissed to her, once more kneeling down to unsling his survival kit and bring out the biofoam. Fuck, he was down to half already. He couldn’t keep sustaining wounds like this and the foam was only a temporary measure and painkiller, not meant to patch up and heal serious injuries like he had on his arm. But for now, there wasn’t much else he could do. He closed his eyes and sprayed an insufficient amount onto his arm, not enough to fully numb the pain but enough to ensure it didn’t become infected and grant him some use of the limb. He stowed the canister away, reduced to a quarter now. He would soon be out and there’ll be nothing left to deal with wounds. Like hell he would take the girl’s help though.

It was at that moment, as he stuck the canister back into the survival kit that the howling of many, many more hounds were heard. They were alerted to the absence of their party and what was worse was that it came from the direction of where his ship was. More were coming and it sounded like dozens of them. Without a word, he strode over to the girl and grabbed her under her shoulders, hefting her up onto her feet. “Move it.” He said to her, shoving her forward and glancing over his own shoulder. Was that movement he espied in the foliage yonder? He couldn’t tell, the rustle of bush and branch made the whole forest seem alive. They needed to get away though, perhaps find higher ground or some sort of cover. Could they climb a tree? He didn’t stop to find out. He followed after the girl, continually pushing her to keep her ahead. At least he had her as bait.

The howling was drawing nearer and a flurry of mournful cries showed they had found their slain comrades. Kordavo kept pushing forward, gritting his teeth as every jerk and shifting of his limbs through running brought a lance of pain into his arm, faint but significant. It would be even worse when the biofoam wore off. Most would heal but not all of it and he had to ration it. “You’re too fucking slow. Do you want to be mutt food, stupid girl?” He growled. She wasn’t, but he was just frustrated and he stopped her, turning her towards him. He crouched quickly, threw his arms about her knees, and stood, raising her up in the same gesture and putting her over the hard ball of his shoulder. “Tell me when they’re close.” He said to her.

They were close. Their eyes could be seen, stalking after them. The trees ahead seemed endless but Kordavo recalled valleys and mountains nearby and around. He ran and the hounds closed in. There were dozens. Even at full charge with his sidearm, he could not shoot them all, even if he had a vantage point. They were gaining.

It seemed like the end, the hounds already racing towards them until the ground suddenly crumbled and broke under them. A slender and barely visible gorge ran through the forest floor and they had fallen right through it. But thankfully it had once been a river, where over the course of countless millennia unknown to Kordavo or the girl, the waters had flowed and smoothed the walls of this hidden valley before it had drained itself out. Kordavo hit the side and they slid down at immense speed, the girl coming down in front of him so her face didn’t get smeared on the smooth rock walls, though near the bottom, the water had also carved bowls and spherical shapes. After sliding down for some thirty feet, they curved and came to a halt in the center of one. Kordavo panted, his heart still catching up with him after the fall. Above, a dozen hounds lined the cliff edge and peered down. They did not follow.

No vegetation grew here except for some sickly looking scrubs. It was dry and empty, the waters having drained everything with it, leaving only a faint bed of sediment at the bottom. Above, through the slender crack in the earth, it seemed a whole different world, with the tops of trees and the blue sky above it. Heat did not extend down here. It was several degrees colder. Kordavo groaned and got to his feet, having landed in a tangle with the girl. He put his hand, unintentionally, upon her breast and pushed her aside off of him. He grasped his arm and looked about him.

Well, at least they were safe from the hounds but who knew what lurked down here?

He slumped down beside her again, simply breathing. He didn’t seem to notice that the two knives he took from her were facing towards her on his hip. “Where…where are we, girl? This is your planet.” He demanded, laying his head back and just composing himself. He was a fighter pilot, not a surveyor or a footslogger.

 

[Sketchyequine]

She was too short to run as fast as he was pushing her without her arms to help maintain her balance. It seemed as though his stride was twice as long as hers, and every piece for forest debris in her path threatened to trip her up. If she fell in front of him like this, they were both lunch. That's why it was a relief when she found herself being hoisted up onto his shoulder. They had a better chance of survival if they were able to go foreword at his max speed. She shifted herself slightly so that her cheek could rest on his back and she could watch behind them. The woman used her muscle strength to hold her body in tight against the man for she knew carrying a limp noodle would only slow him down more that it already had to pick up her weight. “They're definitely close.” She called out to him, flinching as one hurled itself toward them, jaws snapping shut just inches away from her pretty face.

When she felt him start to descend, she thought that surely they were about to be goners. It was only when he switched her position so as to not sand her face off that she realized what was happening. A quick glance up showed that the beasts were not following them. Solstice then pressed her face into his neck until the descent ended. The bowl offered almost a nest for the pair. At least it would be if they were brooding with one another. The sheer hatred Solstice felt made it seem like more of a prison cell. Yet, she was only there a few moments before her capture grabbed onto her bruised breast and pushed her off. Inappropriate. She thought, huffing aloud. Once he plopped back down next to her she kicked at him hard. Her heel dug into his meaty thigh with a fury. “That's for manhandling me, you asshole.” She grumbled at him before flexing her abdomen and sitting up on her haunches to look around.

Solstice ignored his question for a time, doing her best to get her bearings. This could really only be one place based on where it was and what it looked like, but to spite him, she refused to give him any information. Instead, she lied. “Do I look like a fucking gatherer to you? In case you didn't know, I'm a fighter pilot just like you. I don't know where the fuck we are.” She tugged at her binds further and winced. She had been pulling at these cords so much that a few trails of blood began to drop down into her palms. If he kept her tied like this for too long, she could easily cut herself down to bone and potentially use the function of her hands if she did not receive medical attention soon enough. She just couldn't bring herself to stop fighting. She had always been a hell of a fighter.

That's when she saw the blades within her reach. Its not stealing if you take back something that already belonged to you. She thought to herself. She couldn't reach the third blade that still resided on her belt, but she could reach the two he had stolen from her, and she had every intention to do just that. With a huff, she laid back down next to him as if faking frustration. Only this one, she laid so close to him that she nudged up against him as she went down. By touching him, she was able to distract him while she quickly grabbed the knife away, holding it in both hands. “Stay the hell away from me.” She scoffed at him, almost as if it was his fault they had touched again. She then scooted away from him while still flat on her back with the knife in hand.

Solstice knew these blades well. The metal that make them up was then times stronger than that that made up the cords that secured their wrists together. If she sawed at the cord for just a few minutes, she knew she would be able to cut free. She laid quietly on her back down, breathing hard and letting her eyes fall closed. An act like this could easily make him believe that she was just catching up after being exhausted by the fight and sprint. In reality, her breath shook and wavered because she knew him finding out what she was doing could mean her death. He could stab her of push it off, and she would likely not survive. A broken leg or arm would render her helpless, and would ultimately kill her. Even if there was a rescue party out looking for her, they wouldn't find her down here so far from her ship. Her only chance was to get out of this hole and light off her flare. Her men would see it and know based on the distinguished color that it was someone from the fraundian party.

That's when she heard the snap and a smile broke out on her face. She had gotten through the cord and it instantly loosened around her sore wrists. She slowly wriggled out of the binds as inconspicuously as possible, then in a swift movement she flung the cords over the edge of the bowl in which they were nestled in. She was not going to give him an opportunity to tie her back up with those. She then grinned the blade tightly and scrambled on top of her enemy, pinning his arms down with her knees and pressing the blade to his neck again. “You should keep a better eye on your hostages. If I weren't so nice, I'd have killed you. Now. Tell me your name or I'll leave you another scar to remember be by right next to the first.”

Solstice needed to know if this was a man well known to the Fraundian government or he was just a dominion commoner who would be of no use to her once she was rescued from the planet. “I know you're low on biofoam. Don't give me a reason to make you use more.” She threatened, raising her chiseled eyebrows in a challenge to the man. She would definitely cut him again. She would even hurt him badly if she needed to, but she would not kill him. He was just as much her body guard now as he was her enemy. Which reminded her: “Also, using me as a shield against dogs is a major cunt move. You realize that, right?”

 

[BennyQ]

First his ship gets downed over this backwater of a planet. Then he gets stuck with an enemy pilot whom for some reason he had can’t seem to put out of her misery. And finally, Kordavo got chased through a fucking forest by giant green hog-hounds, wanting to rip him apart. His thigh was wounded. His arm ached. He fell through a hole and nearly splattered on the floor down below. Could this day get any worse? Well it did, as the girl whom he thought had been disarmed and subjugated suddenly rolled over with her hands freed, knees pinning his arms and pressing the blade to his neck. Again!

Kordavo was too exhausted and fed up to be afraid or worried. His patience had run out. No more acting like a Lord of the Dominion, son of a Margrave. He glared, nostrils flaring, staring with piercing green eyes up to the little redhead above him who had the gall to remind him of his mistake. She mocked him in not killing him outright. That was a weakness they both obviously shared. She wanted to know his name but he just looked at her, drinking in her facial features, from the shape of her mouth to her cheekbones to the blueness of her eyes so much like the sky peeking down through the valley crack above. She wasn’t a bad face to look at, different and exotic from the women he knew. She was not docile. She was not chaperoned like she was a baby. She could act, to some degree. Kordavo felt himself smiling and not in a cruel fashion either.

God forbid, he was starting to like this girl. Not her personality. She was as annoying as a dozen wasps buzzing about while one tried to sleep. No, she had a beauty to her that he desired to have, to possess. She threatened him more. Were all Frandian women like this? The Dominion was going to have a fun occupation of her world. Shame he might not be there to see it.

“I thought you were a fighter pilot, a soldier. You should be used to being expendable.” Kordavo said back to her in a sly tone, not moving in the slightest, except to raise up a knee behind her as if he was getting comfy. It was like a meeting of minds that his father held with his political allies, relaxed with drinks in their hands, discussing industry takeovers and economics to further increase their already substantial wealth. “I know what is expected of me. You better add more scars because you aren’t going to make me talk with idle threats, little girl. Why is my name important? I figure information on the war effort would be better intel to learn, no? Did you not go through interrogation school, you dumb slut?” Kordavo mocked in return, flashing white teeth. He hoped it provoked her, got her angry, did something at least that would make her break her focus and give him an opening.

“Go on, slit my throat. Careful of the blood spray. With the predators we’ve seen, they’ll sure to be attracted to it. You’ll go up like a beacon in the dark to their senses. I may have used you as a shield but I also kept you alive. If I weren’t so nice,” he said, mimicking her tone, “I would have just dropped you and let them shred you to bits and made my way happily along to my ship. Speaking of which, if you kill me, do you even have any idea of how to fly mine or do the repairs?” Kordavo asked, flipping to a casual, logically tone, questioning her like how a school teacher might question a student, flicking an eyebrow up to match her own chiseled ones in their expression.

“My name to you, girl, is Sir and that’s the only way you are going to address me from now on.” Kordavo finished, haughty despite being under a knife. Use it. Kill me. I had enough. Otherwise, shut up and stand aside and let a man figure out this predicament. Like how the hell are we going to get out of here and back up there.

 

[Sketchyequine]

Solstice glared down at the man. She was definitely unimpressed with the amount of fight he was giving her. Yet he wanted her to call him sir? Despicable. “The only man I have ever or will ever call sir is my father, bud. You are nothing more than scum on this planet. You deserve no respect from me or anyone. Being tall and strong doesn't make you my superior. Far from it.” She practically hissed at the man. Her face was hard and her grip was firm. The small woman was not playing games anymore. “You're right. If I wanted you dead I'd just push you off the edge. It's simple. I don't want you dead. I want you to hurt, do you understand me?” She whispered, her face getting threateningly close to his. Her hot breath stroked his chiseled features now. She was so close that she could almost taste him.

The closeness actually made the young woman want to taste him. Not to mention she knew it would probably agonize him more to know she could do anything she wanted in this situation. He was her toy, and Solstice was a very powerful young woman. So, she did what impulse told her to do. His all of her weight still pinning down his tired arms and her knife still pressed to his neck, she leaned down and kissed him. Her lips were soft and supple, making it easy for her to manipulate his mouth beneath her own. Kissing her worst enemy offered a satisfaction to Solstice that was damn near unexplainable to anyone who had not been in her shoes. The passion she felt for him was hatred, but was it tempting her with another kind of passion? That question remained. For now, she was enjoying every part of kissing the man. He tasted like rebellion, and that was a sweet sweet taste to the redhead. However, all good things had to come to an end. After a flick of her tongue over his lower lip, Solstice pulled back.

Then… she acted as if none of it happened, going back to threatening him within an inch of his life. “I want to know your name so I know who’s head to claim when I'm rescued by my people from this shithole. Someone of high stature would be much more exciting to claim, don't you think?” She rode an eyebrow, pressing her body down harder onto him. Her pelvis pressed down into him as she hovered above him. “But…” she started again, hesitating only to look down into his eyes. They were as green as the forest above. What she couldn't figure out was why she would be attracted to the man who had literally kidnapped her. Perhaps she was actually going crazy, but she just wanted to keep looking at him. He was quite possibly the best looking man she had ever kissed, yet he was also the most evil. She had to make him less tempting.

Solstice reached up with her armed hand and carved a line into the man’s already sharp jawline. The woman watched as the beads of blood welled up and she bit down on her lip. This wasn't working. He was always going to be attractive to her. “But…” she finally continued, “you don't have to tell me your name.” She gave a shrug as she put the knife back to his throats in threat. “But I'm going to tell you mine, and you’ll never forget it.” Solstice shifted her body and placed her knee on his chest to pin his tired body down while the sole of her boot of the same leg dug into his shredded arm. His other arm she pinned down with the opposite leg, putting as much weight as possible on the man's hand and wrist, the soft inside of his forearm exposed to her. With a devious, sadistic smile Solstice removed the blade from his neck and made her next move.

The man was pinned with all she had as she began carving into his arm just deep enough that she knew it would leave a permanent scar. S...O...L...S...T...I...C...E…

Her name. His permanent forget me not.

 

[BennyQ]

No, being taller and stronger is exactly what makes me superior. That was the law of life for the Dominion. The strong survived and strove through life as warriors. The weak were made to serve, to labour in the factories or till the fields or service the needs of their social betters. And that last function is how Kordavo was beginning to think this girl ought to be used. No, labouring away in some distant world was too good for her. She needed to suffer, to learn her place, to know that place was beneath a man better than she was. Kordavo didn’t care that she had a knife to his neck. If he got out of this, he was going to put her in her place. The promise was made. Now all that remained was to see how foolish she was.

Her words meant nothing to him, whether she spared him or not. He’d never talk, not even to give his name. Kordavo Chenoweth, son of Margrave Hiesta Chenoweth. The name carried weight within the Dominion. His father sat on the High Council, a rare democratic body to which only the highest ranking nobles were eligible for election. They ruled the Dominion and dictated the fates of billions of people. Kordavo had a legacy to uphold. He’d never talk.

What happened next he was never prepared for. The girl who had every advantage over him…leaned down and kissed him. Kordavo didn’t move his lips, though they were slightly ajar. Their lips seemed to blend together and he nearly, nearly, melted into it. His eyelids fluttered but he willed them to stay open. The kiss caused his heart to flutter and a shiver to run down his spine, coalescing in his groin. What was this? Seduction? Mockery? He desired to take her in this style, to put her in her place as a woman, yet she seemed to one up him. She licked his lower lip and drew back, his own tongue coming to slowly trace across where she had just lapped, as if relishing the sensation. But it was over and he was left empty. And the rage flooded in twice as strong, eyes narrowing. He would show her. I promise you, girl. You will know me as your better before this is over.

Still she made her demands. Still Kordavo did not answer, even when she gave him a cut across his jaw. He managed not to cry out, though it ached and throbbed miserable, blood leaking down his neck. She looked at him and he stared back, his green eyes unrelenting, unconcerned, but full of hate and fury. Kill me. I will not talk. She was stuck on her words a moment and seemed to guess his defiance. He wouldn’t tell his. She was going to tell hers, in a way she’d never forget. She shifted and moved atop of him and he tried to make his move but she had him down tight. She grabbed his forearm of his uninjured arm and put the knife to it. Kordavo steeled himself for what was to come. And when it happened, he hissed and growled. Pain shot through his limb and he clenched his hand so tightly his nails drew blood from his palm. He could feel each letter carved into his flesh. Solstice.

That was her name Solstice. She put it into his flesh.

He did his pride some justice by not screaming but his jerking and twitching was proof enough of his agony. But when it was done, he gave an agonizing chuckle. Was that it so far? His upbringing had worse episodes. “A pretty name…for a pretty face.” Kordavo said through clenched teeth. He made his move.

Her boot was pinning down his shredded arm. With tremendous effort, he bent his wrist and grabbed the sole of her shoe. He pulled, stretching her leg and breaking the pressure her leg was putting on his arm. It broke free. And at once, he reeled back and struck her hard across the face, quick as a pouncing snake. With enough effort, it managed to dislodge him more. This time he roared, a scream that echoed in that valley, as he heaved all his might in one last ditch effort to dislodge her. And he did, throw her aside and scrambling atop of her. “You miserable bitch!” He roared down at her and locked his hands together, slammed them both down upon her head, which in turn slammed it back against the rock beneath. He grabbed her knife hand and disarmed her next, flinging the blade far off into the valley. That instrument would never mar his flesh again.

He panted and stood up, both his arms leaking blood, his jaw leaking blood, his thigh aching and overall feeling sore and battered. In sheer, raw angry, he roared again, making his fury and agony known to any who would hear it. It echoed for some seconds after as he panted and stood above her.

Then he drew his sidearm and pointed it down at her. Without hesitation, he fired.

He missed. The rock next to her face smoked with a charred mark. Some strands of her wavy hair would be burned however. Now it was his turn to smile sadistically. He used his thumb to drop the charge on his blaster to low. It would barely affect the battery life. He aimed the weapon and shot her right in the gut. It would be similar to being struck by a stun baton. It would hurt but not fatally. In rapid succession, he unleashed a flurry of shots into her, into her thigh, her foot, her arm, her gut twice more, into her hip. If she tried to roll over or curl up to protect herself, it didn’t help. He shot her in the butt and many times all over, until he put maybe twenty shots into her. Her flightsuit would smoke with the burn marks and her skin beneath would bruise but she’d be okay.

Still panting, Kordavo stalked several paces away backwards, never taking his eyes off of her. He sat down and rolled up the sleeve of his own flight suit, examining the bloody marks on his arm. Disgraceful. “Solstice.” He said quietly, glancing up towards her. He drew out his survival kit and pulled out the canister. Disgraceful. He used it all. More than what was needed. He drenched his arm and rubbed it in, sighing as the painful throbbing vanished. The markings would be gone in a day or two, except perhaps the worst cuts. He left his jaw alone. That might never heal. When he was done, he flung the canister at her and struck her hard in the side with it. It was useless.

He stood up again and strode to her, angrily, hands clenched at his side, one grasping the blaster. He stood over her, slamming his foot down into her gut and pinning her there. He pointed the gun at her again, putting the charge to full. Now it would be death if he fired. “My name,” he said slowly, “is Kordavo of House Chenoweth. And I now claim you as my property.” He told her flatly.

 

[Sketchyequine]

It felt good to hurt him. A bastard like this deserved to hurt over and over again, and Solstice was happy to provide that to him. The grand finale, after all, would be the moment that she killed him. She had been thinking a lot on how she would do it: a gunshot, opening up his throat, feeding him the vile of poison she had on her belt, disembowelment. Her personal favorite as of late was stringing him up by chords from his own shop like he had bound her with and watching him dance in search of footing while the life slowly drained from his eyes. Hanging was an ancient way of execution, but Solstice was beginning to think it was the best way for her enemy to die: slowly and full of terror. He deserved no mercy for what he was and what he had done. She would be sure none would be shown to him.

Her thoughts were a distraction long enough for her to grab the sole of her boot and shift her off balance. Before she had time to pin him again, his mangled limb was coming at her, and the impact it made reverberated through her jaw. Her teeth clenched in an attempt to manage the pain, but she was dizzy. The man might as well of scrambled her brains because she could hardly remember the difference between up and down, all because of a single hit. God. She hated how much stronger he was. Why couldn't she have shot down a twiggy man who would break in half when she push on him with her muscular, petite, feminine frame. That would have made the torture and captive thing a heck of a lot easier. No. She had to shoot down a fucking tank of a man who was near a foot taller than her. What luck.

Before she knew it, Solstice was laying flat underneath the man, too disoriented to much fight him, but she managed to land a few good blows in his lower back with her knees. Then she felt her head hit again. Her teeth clenched and her eyes fluttered closed. In that moment, any source of light or sound seemed like agony. She was easy to disarm for she was dizzy and weakened. If he kept going for her head like this she could easily loose all sense of sensibility and reason to a concussion. If it were bad enough, it could even kill her. The brain was the most important organ in the body. Without it, nothing else would ever be able to function. He was attacking her head with such a force, he risked her brain never working again. That was a foolish interrogation tactic. Although, he didn't seem to know who she really was. If he did, she assumed he would be much more careful with her. Her ransoms could make him a very wealthy man capeabke if buying a miserable planet like the one they were on to vacation on in the winter months.

His roar made the ringing in her ears sharpen and the woman to wince in her own form of agony. This was not something she could run away from, it was in her own head. She was trapped in this pain that not even biofoam could relieve, not that she thought he would gift any more to her and her own supply pack lay in her ship hours away.

It took only s few seconds for Solstice to begin to come around. The ringing subsided slightly and she managed to open her eyes just to look directly doe the barrel of his side arm. Do it. You don't deserve the money my living body would reward you. You deserve nothing. Do it. she though to herself, her expression emotionless as she looked up at her captor. And he did it. He fired. Solstice assumed that by the time the sound had registered she would already be dead, but that wasn't the case. No further damage was done as she felt the heat radiate off of the stone near her cheek. He had missed. Whether intentionally or accidental, the man had gifted her life to her yet again. What a fool he was to let her live to hurt him again. It was almost as though he saw her as some sort of pet, far from the reality of the situation.

Solstice had assumed that he would turn away from her now to nurture his arm and pride, but she was wrong. Dead wrong. The woman’s icy eyes watched as he adjusted the charge on the weapon, and before she could even get a word out he shot her. The impact knocked the wind out of her lungs, making her abdomen flex in pain. Then he shot her again. And again. And again. As Solstice lay weighing in pain, the shots just kept coming, threatening to burn holes into her clothes. It felt as if her body were breaking each time he hit her. Solstice screamed in pain. No human could take this many hits quietly. She barely made it through four before her vocal cords became active. And she kept writhing and screaming even after he no longer shot her and moved to treat his wounds.

It was foolish for him to use the entire remainder of the biofoam on the surface wounds she had carved into his arm. This man’s pride was likely his absolute worst weakness. His fury was Solstice’s biggest danger. The beasts would kill her quickly and eat her. He wanted her to suffer, and she could see it in those piercing green eyes when he had opened fire on her. They were two great forces colliding, and the result of that collision could only be devastation. The question was: would an tsunami or a volcano come out on top? Only time would tell. Hearing him mutter her name brought a slight smile to the woman’s face as she laid on her back panting with a tear running down her left cheek. It was a beating unlike any she had ever taken before, but it had meant she had gotten to him. The strike from the canister made her flinch and yelp, smacking against her ribcage with an audible clank, but she stayed still- sprawled out on her back.

His boot slamming down onto her stomach made more tears rush to her eyes, but she blinked them back. The man’s brutality boardered on excessive, but she knew her own was not much better. When he aimed the blaster at her again, Solstice closed her eyes and accepted her fate. She was a dead woman, and she was quite certain of it this time. Yet, he surprised her yet again when he did not shoot. Her blue eyes, now rimmed with red as her sclera filled with blood, stared up at him. Her face was relaxed and soft as she listened to his words, probably beautiful in its own right. Chenoweth. She thought, biting down slightly on the plush surface of her lower lip. She knew that name. Handsome here comes from a family of nobles. Growing up a spoiled brat makes sense. she thought, staring up into his eyes with the most serene expression he would ever have seen on her face. Then she shook her head.

“I am no one’s property, nor will I ever be.” She spoke quietly, daring him to shoot her. “Nor with I ever call a man ‘sir’ besides my father. You are no superior to me and you do not deserve my respect even if you do come from a long line of rich men and women.” She laid her head backs against the stone and let out a deep breath. Her body ached and dark singe marks now inhabited her flight suit where he had shot her. Her mind reeled as she attempted to recover from impact. She was hurting as much as him if not more, and she was exhausted, but she would not cave. The last thing she would ever do for this man was offer him satisfaction. She would always fight. She would always taunt. That was the Nabeshin way. They were fighters.

“Fuck you, you miserable pawn.” She uttered lastly, not even opening her eyes to look at him.

 

[BennyQ]

There was something about the way Solstice looked that invigorated Kordavo. The tears in her eyes, rightly deserved, were enticing in a way, like small pearls of liquid that dripped down her cheeks. They looked beautiful there, staining her once proud expression as she had mocked him. Her face now seemed restrained and passive. Perhaps she did know her place. It felt disappointing. Kordavo had been looking forward to the…educative experience he was about to inflict on her. She needed to know her place. Perhaps he would do so anyways. She was beautiful. She had a spirit of fire he wanted to tame. And she had kissed him. By all means, Kordavo may have already been seduced by this enemy combatant. He just needed to justify his taking of her in his own terms.

There was no needed for him to remain disappointed, as Solstice swept up with renewed defiance, giving him all the reason he needed. She refused to accept her place. She refused to acknowledge him as superior. He kept his boot on her chest, pinning her down. He looked at her without compassion or pity, tilting his head in a is that all you have to say? gesture. No, she had one more remark to make. Fuck you, you miserable pawn.

Kordavo stepped off of her and holstered his gun. He drew out his knife and crouched upon her, legs straddling her hips as he sat right on her abdomen. He grabbed her arms and forced them above her head, pinning them down, wrist over wrist, and locking them there with one strong grip. His other held the knife, which he put to her cheek. “Open your eyes and look at me, girl.” He said in a fierce tone, pressing the knife to her cheek to draw a little blood. “I’m not asking for your respect.” He said with a sneer. “What I want, I’m simply going to take. Do you understand me, girl?” He let his eyes wander down from her face, to her chest, and back again, letting the implication sink in. There was one way to put a girl in her place that he knew of.

“First, let’s start with these trouble making hands of hers.” Kordavo said, tucking his knife away. Her hands, which had used the controls to shoot him down, which had struck him many times, which had stabbed and cut him. They needed a lesson. He separated one of her hands and brought it down, pinning it under his knee. He took her right hand, which he deemed to be her dominant arm, and raised it straight up where she could see it. He forced her fingers apart if she tried to clench her hand into a fist. He wrapped his hand then around her index finger. He looked at her, into her face.

And then he broke the finger, snapping it in one quick motion to dislocate it, right at the second knuckle. “Poor thing, does it hurt?” He mocked her. “Call me Sir and I’ll stop.” He said, before wrapping his hand around her middle finger next. Whether she did or not, he dislocated it as well, breaking it with sheer strength right at the middle knuckle, bending it out of shape. “Call me Sir and I’ll stop.” He repeated, moving to her next finger. He looked at her a moment, letting her recover from the first two. Oh he took his sweet time, squeezing the finger, pretending to be about to break it, before releasing pressure. He kept her on edge, grinning to himself. When was he going to do it?

He did it. With a yank in an unnatural direction, he dislocated her ring finger at the middle knuckle. “You are my property. These hands belong to me. And I’ll do with them as I please.” He said to her, moving on to her pinky. That was the easiest and a fourth crack echoed in that small place as he broke it as well. He released her hand. It was useless, the fingers all bent and broken, except her thumb. He chuckled, reaching to her face and cupping her cheek. He used his thumb to wipe away any tears, while he smirked down at her. He was only getting started. His hand moved to her other cheek, using the back of his palm to stroke her flesh and wipe away the tears there as well. Leave it pristine for the fresh ones to come.

Both his hands then cupped her face and he bent down…and kissed her. As she had kissed him. He pressed his lips, warm and hard, to her own and joined them in a long but chaste kiss. He drew back with a grin. “You thought it was over?” He then asked, grabbing her hand suddenly and yanking it back up, staring at her fingers. Usually a doctor administered a painkiller when relocating fingers. He had none. This was going to be even more painful than the breaking.

Holding her hand between both of his, he reinserted the bone into its proper positioning on each finger, a softer crack emitting as he forcefully did so. He would always delay and hesitate before the next one, letting the sensation of what he was about to do sink in. He always watched her, drinking in her expression whenever he did set the bone correctly, looking for that anticipation of hurt and fear in her face. “Call me Sir and I’ll stop.” He simply said in a much more casual tone. When he finished with her pinky, her fingers all proper but no doubt feeling stiff, he released it and grabbed her other hand. “Say it.” He demanded, yanking her left hand up. Could she endure another?

 

[Sketchyequine]

Solstice’s entire body tensed as he crouched down on her. Yes, there were tears in her eyes, but she hand not given up. She struggled, trying to push him off of her by lifting him with her hips, but it was to no avail. She did not have the momentum behind her pushing to budge his superior mass. He had her trapped, and there was almost nothing she could do to combat it. The redhead tried to raise her knees to jab them into his back like before, but with the way he leaned forward to pin her wrists she could not hit him with enough force to probably even cause discomfort. It was probably more like a massage than anything. “Let go of me!” She kissed as she writhed and squirmed beneath him, but he did not even seem to hear her pleas. He was too focused on his plans. Something told Solstice that he had big ones, and they were going to hurt.

That's when he cut her.

The pain in her cheek was dull in comparison to the massive bruises forming of her body from his strikes and all the times he had shot her with his blaster. She could handle a cut. Is that the best you can do? She challenged her opponent in her mind, but she was not ready to speak to him again. The weight of him on her body made it almost difficult to breath, and she wasn't about to waste her breath on him again: she needed that air for herself. Cut me again. Kill me. Strangle me. You are full of empty threats. She glared at him, thinking very lowly of the man for a noble. Weren't nobles supposed to be mindful of others? Yes. But this idiot shot down her ship and now threatened her within an inch of her life. Not to mention he seemed to have no concept of who she was or what she could do for him. He was caught up I'd just thinking she were some kind of lowly slave girl who he wanted at property. He made threats of taking, and she knew in her heart that in this position he could take anything he wanted. However, as his eyes wandered to her partially exposed bust beneath her neckline she bit down hard on her lip. “I would never let you touch me.” She hissed. Her body was barely used, and it had only been used by the man she thought she may someday wed. He was on the council and his touch was gentle when he made love to the princess. Scum like this had no right to ravage her.

When his blade was put away, she felt a sense of relief. Her initial fear was that he was going to cut off her hand or fingers when he said he would “take care” of the body parts. How badly could he hurt her with just his bare hands? The hand under his knee ached as he put immense pressure on the bones within, but it was tolerable. She would not respond to that. She stared back into his green eyes, hatred boiling inside her. Then she heard the crack. The pain was audible before she felt it, but when she felt it it was like a hot arrow was ripping through her veins and nerves. The pain was so immense that she cried out louder in pain than she thought she ever had before. Once the initial agony was over she laid beneath him whimpering as tears once more flooded her eyes. As much as he taunted her to make her feel weak and told her to call him sir, she did not speak. She would endure this pain because she had to. She could see the gnarled appearance of her hand, and it made her blink hard and look away just to avoid acknowledging the pain.

Then he cracked another. Solstice howled in pain, her back arching as she suffered. She wanted so badly to get away from him, but she was still just as trapped as she had been before. She lay there sweating and whimpering in pain as she made eye contact with the man as he doubted her, giving her an opportunity to address him properly before he hurt him again, but she refused and he broke the third finger. When he spoke to her, all she could manage was to shake her head vigorously in defiance of the man. When he broke her pinky she bowled again, the pain not relenting even on the weakest of her fingers. They all hurt terribly when he broke them, and she feared she would never be able to use her dominant hand- unsure if he gnarled fingers would ever be repaired. She looked at her hand a moment when he released it, disgusted by the state it was in then laid it down on the cool stone as he grabbed her face. The wiping of her tears was surprisingly tender, almost affectionate, but Solstice saw no affection in the man’s cold expression. He was taking great pleasure in her pain.

When he kissed her, Solstice hesitated a moment before she pressed her lips back to his. It was more a message than anything else: he could hurt her, but he could never break her. She bit his lower lip tenderly before he pulled back again and her brow furrowed when he asked her that question. What more could he do? she wondered, just staring up at his facial features. When he grabbed her hand again, her breath caught in her theist in fear. She was scared of him. And as he popped each of her fingers back into place, her fear was justified. Solstice sobbed and squirmed as he did what he did, each pop hurting worse than the last. She was desperate for him to stop, but she knew he would not. He had the upper hand, and she wished she had killed him. Even starving to death in this ravine would be better than this. Her agony was excruciating.

When he moved to her other hand she shook her head, more for herself than got anyone else. She didn't think she could endure it again, but she knew for a fact that she could not stoop down to a level at which she would call this monster Sir. The woman blinked back her tears and swallowed her sobs before looking up at him, putting on a brace mask. “Do it. You will not break me, Kordavo. I am so much stronger than any woman you have ever met where you come from. I will not address you as though you are my superior when in fact you are nothing but my enemy. Hurt me. Hurt me again and again. You will hear me sing in agony, but I will not obey.” She stared at him, her blue eyes failing to hold back the tears. That was all she said as she braced herself for more. Her mangled right hand laid on the ground, hoping the coolness from the stone would offer some relief once more.

The stone was only getting colder as things fell darker and darker in the canyon. Night was falling, and it had probably dropped ten degrees. It was going to be miserable down in this hole once night truly set in. Well below 0 degrees Celsius Solstice imagined, but she was only estimating. Thinking about the cold busied her mind as the man atop her threatened to break her other hand and send her into searing agony all over again. However, she knew deep down that the cold was going to be the worst of her worries if he kept things up like this. She could easily go into shock if he did it again, or perhaps he had more sinister things planned. Solstice would only be cold if she lived long enough to see nightfall.

 

[BennyQ]

Each cry of pain, every howl of agony, Kordavo felt his heart race with greater excitement. Oh, she had a wonderful voice to her. He never knew that the misery of others could be so entertaining and blood rushing for him, especially this little redhead female who thought she can defy and oppose his will. She was nothing to him in that moment, no better than a plaything he might use and discard. The sounds of pain that emitted from her pretty little lips sent a shudder of pleasure running down his spine, gathering in his groin and swelling up a tremendous heat of lust. Tears were in her eyes yet Kordavo could perceive that Solstice was not broken. Not yet. He was not disappointed though that his initial exploits had been ineffective. No, rather, this was good! It gave him all the more room to experiment with.

He held her second, uninjured hand between his, green eyes staring down at her as hard as emerald gemstones. Kordavo did not fear her other hand. With her stiff fingers, there was little she could do. It was deadweight and would be for some time. Still, she defied him, even with the threat of torment before her. Kordavo felt the corner of his lips quirk into a smirk. She dared him to hurt her, almost begged him to try. Oh he was willing. He did not answer her.

He simply broke. One finger after the other, listening to her song of agony. He did not order her to say the word. He simply moved, in methodical fashion, onto the next finger. Snap. Snap. Crack. The valley echoed with it and her cries. Kordavo went through her four fingers and then yanked her hand up, bringing the back of her palm to his lips. He kissed it. “Such a lovely tune.” He complimented her. And then repeated it, snapping each one back into place. When he finished, he heaved her arm to the side like it was trash, uncaring what she did. He then grabbed her crimson locks and as he stood, dragged her up and heaved her as well, now throwing her onto her stomach and face.

Cold wind now whistled through the valley gorge. Up above, the blue sky hard darkened into a twilight and twinkling stars were glimpsed. Some moved. Were those ships up above? Kordavo wondered if they were Dominion or Frandian and who had won dominance over the skies. He hoped the matter was settled soon and a rescue party was sent down. But such contests high above the atmosphere of a world could take hours, even days. Cruisers and other capital ships might slug it out with cannonades that fired shells larger than fighter craft. Weapons systems did not keep up with the strength of shielding technology. Kordavo however did not feel the cold. His blood was rushing and he was healthy and strong. His flight suit had interior thermal coating too. He could manage. He didn’t know nor cared about the girl.

But as she lay before him, he could see the zippers and lining that kept her own flight suit upon her body. It had to be air tight, especially if one jettisoned into the cold vacuum of space. He came down and knelt…upon her, his knee coming into the small of her back, the other beside her hip. He reached for the back of her collar and dragged it, and her, upwards. His hands began to fiddle with that, releasing the maglocks and loosening her flight suit. Kordavo didn’t speak. The flight suit separated right down the middle of her back, exposing her bare flesh to the cool air and his sight. He brought it down to right where his knee was, before his hands traced back up the smooth tendons of flesh and muscle of her back. Oh she was quite defined, his hands coming up and spreading her suit off of her body some more, until her shoulders were bared. His hand then followed along one arm and dragged it out of the sleeve, before he did so with her other arm, now her upper torso freed. He leaned down and planted a kiss upon her upper back. She tasted better than he imagined.

Then he clamped his hand to the back of her neck. “Be silent. Remember, you started this game.” Kordavo mocked, recalling how she first kissed him. He shifted his knee off of her, moving to straddle the back of her thighs instead to anchor her down. His hand continued the removal of her flight suit, exposing now her lower back…and her rear. It was hard not to be enticed by that part of her. Well rounded, firm, and yet feminine. He grinned and raised his hand high, before smacking it down. “On my world, farmers claim their cattle and beasts by a certain method. Shame I don’t have a brand about but we’ll settle for a different sort of marking.” Kordavo said, drawing the knife from his belt and putting the cold steel to her rear. She had carved her entire name on his forearm. Lucky for her, his entire name wouldn’t fit on her rear. His father always lectured him to practice his calligraphy more. But father, he would say why do I need this skill if we use computers and datapads? There was a patience and an art to it. Kordavo felt almost, almost, guilty now that he hadn’t practiced it more.

Sorry, father. I’ll make it up to you. He dug the tip of the blade into the flesh of her rear. One sharp line down, then two lines angled both up and down to the right from the center of the vertical mark. A K. Then he shifted slightly downwards of it, carving a half circle opened to the right as well. A C. Then for further injury, he traced the tip of the knife again up those cuts, adding further pressure to her open wounds, dragging it heavily and slowly. He just wanted to hear her groan and cry in pain some more.

“You are now the property of Kordavo Chenoweth, girl. Congratulations. All will know it now.” He laughed, before fixing his hands under her shoulders, while stepping on her flight suit near her ankles. With just his strength, he yanked her right out of it, exposing her naked torso except for her bra and undergarment, to the air. He again tossed her aside like a doll and stood over her. There was a significant bulge at his groin. He got down, forced her to face away, one thick arm coming around her neck to put her in a head lock. Kordavo looked at her. “Now what can we do with you next?” He wondered, as his other bare hand came up and openly grasped her breast, squeezing it hard.

 

[Sketchyequine]

This experimentation was likely to end in her being nothing more than a mangled corpse. Solstice could already see in Kordavo’s eyes that he was far from finished. In fact, she could see that he was enjoying it. The sick fuck loved seeing her wail and cry as he tortured her, it was written all over his face, particularly in the way his eyes sparkled as he went on to dislocate and relocate each of the fingers on her left hand just as he had done her right, causing it to appear as a gnarled bulb of tree roots more than it looked like a hand. Like her hand. When he kissed her flesh again she drew in a sharp breath of fear, honestly wondering if such a cruel man might go so far as to tear into her with his teeth. When he didn't, she just looked at him through glistening eyes, her agony dulling only briefly before he forced all of her joints back into place. She screamed every time he did it. There was no relief for even when they were back into place they ached. Why was he doing this to her?!

Solstice then remembered what her father used to say to her. “Your enemies will do anything in their power to hurt you, sweet girl. It is your job to ensure they do not. No matter what it is that is done, always smile and tell them exactly what it is that will injure their ego the most.” Solstice lay there in a trance then. It seemed like forever, when in fact it was only a few seconds long. However long it was, it gave Solstice enough time to wonder what it was, exactly, that would make his skin crawl. She needed to push his buttons and torment him as much as possible. Otherwise… this would all be a game that she had chickened out of playing. The princess of Frandia could not be that weak. She needed more strength, so she would have to dig deep to find it.

When Kordavo yanked on her hair to reposition her, she let out a yelp, but her body moved limply. That much agony inflicted onto one woman had made her feel weak and exhausted. She would need time to recover, but knew it would not be given. It was going to take all of her strength just to avoid being complacent. Solstice pressed her pale cheek into the cool stone and just waited for what was in store for her next. God it was getting colder. Her flightsuit was insulated just like they all were, but the 20 shots he had hit her with previously left thin spots of fabric where the wind rushed through and placed ice cold kisses on her torso. She had very little fat on her trunk to insulate her, the cold just bit right through. She only seemed to be warm… where he was touching her. She winced. She knew what that meant. The only way she would be warm tonight would be up against him.

She let out a small cough as he pulled on her color, choking her only slightly. “Stop.” She ordered, but it seemed to land on deaf ears. He did not stop. He pushed forward, pulling the zipped tab open down her bony spine. She took deep breaths as he undressed her, yet she couldn't bring herself to fight after what he hand done to her hands. First he had stabbed straight through her palm, and then he had dislocated each of her dainty fingers individually and painfully reset them. Under the flight suit? A pilot’s undergarments were simple. Her bra was plain black cotton keeping her breasts compressed and out of the way. When he kissed her, Solstice let out a whimper and looked at him over her shoulder. She had always learned that looking into the eyes of an aggressor might stop him from hurting you. She had a feeling, however, none of those rules applied to Kordavo. He had an iron heart. When he exposed her hindquarters she squirmed, obviously uncomfortable. A matching black cotton thong hugged her hips and concealed her unmentionables. “I am never going to do as you say.” She spoke in response to his demands of her silence.

Her face went pale as soon as he spoke of what he was going to do to her. “No. No. No!” She cried out, trying to crawl away, but her body trembled in weakness and she could not grip anything with her stiff, weak hands. He had her pinned. When he made his first slice to yelled, more in anger than in pain. In reality the carving of her butt did not hurt nearly as bad as what he had done hmti her hands, but the humiliation was unbearable. Solstice was a princess. She belonged to no man and she had her pinned down, half naked, and he was branding her with his name. Despicable. she was as angry at herself as she was him. She should have never been in this situation. She should have killed him at her first opportunity. She would be better off now if she had. Each time he brought the knife to her again, Solstice screamed, her voice echoing off of the walls of the gorge. If anyone could hear her, they would know how much sheer agony the nobleman was causing her.

“I will never be yours, Kordavo Chenoweth. You are a vile human being, and I'll take great pleasure in relieving the universe from the likes of you.” She stared forward, swishing she could see his green eyes. She wanted to rip them out of their sockets. Her body was covered in bruises and her blood spilling onto the stone beneath as her bare, bloodied loins laid on the cold stone. That mark on her ass would surely scar if it was not treated soon with biofoam. She would forever bare the mark of this night. How on earth would she ever explain the mark to a future lover? What if no one ever wanted to touch her again as she bared the scar? “You've marked me, but never forget that a marked you first.” She whispered to him, her weak hands coming up to latch onto his arm as he choked her.

She was tolerating him up until the moment he grabbed her breast. That move was unacceptable. “Didn't your mother ever teach you how to treat a fucking woman?!” She screamed at him, fury boiling deep in her veins. Her nails clawed at his forearm with all of the strength her hands could muster, but it hardly left a welt. “Rot in hell, you dirty bastard!” She thrashed her body then, doing everything she could to escape his hold, but she was tired, cold, and small. She could not overpower him. She also know that he was getting off on this. She had seen the bulge of his engorged manhood, and as she wiggles she brushed against it several times with her lean body. “I'll be damned if you ever touch me like that again.” She practically growled the words to him before she made a quick, sharp move, sinking her teeth hard into his arm.

 

[BennyQ]

Night had fallen now. It was dark up above and it shrouded around them, making anything beyond the ridge of the small bowl they were in invisible to the eye. It was just them, alone on this vast world, deep within this valley gorge that was bare of life. It suited Kordavo, for he seemed very uncaring for life or compassion. His strong arm was around the neck of Solstice, his bicep jamming into her neck. She was so slender he could wrap his left arm around her and grasp his right shoulder with his left hand, locking the grip tightly. She could not escape as he had her in his lap, seated upwards and facing away. His face was beside and slightly above, his lips to the side of her scalp above her right ear, able to talk directly to her. He did not let her face turn to see him.

You’ve marked me, but never forget that I marked you first. Kordavo simply laughed contemptuously to it. Oh yeah? Prove it. It would heal and be gone, except for a few marks that could be anything, made by a wild beast or something. Well, she was a wild beast to him, untamed and crude. She needed tempering and discipline. Her fingers grasped at his arm around her neck but it would avail her little, having been broken and now lacking the strength and means to do any real harm. His right hand was grasping her breast now, squeezing the fleshly mound, exploring its weight and texture. She tried to mock him. Did his mother never teach him anything? Only how to fly. She was never around to begin with. She clawed at his arm but his flight suit spared him the worst of that.

He only laughed, loud and proudly, as she struggled against him futilely. Was the despair of defeat finally settling in? The valley echoed with his laughter, louder than her screams. He was hard beneath her, fully erect though it was compressed in the tightness of his flight suit. But she would feel it, significant nub against her backside.

And then she bit him. Kordavo hissed through his teeth and winced. Indeed, what a wild beast! She was biting hard. So in response, he released her breast…only to drop his hand to snake back up, under her bra, and grasp the bare flesh directly with his hand. He found her nipple and pinched it, twisting it hard to get her to give a cry or scream more intense than her biting. He did it until she loosened her grip on his arm, yanking it away from her mouth and slapping his hand over her jaw, squeezing it firmly. He released her nipple, but kept his fingers on the flesh. He turned her face to glare directly into her, squeezing her jaw painfully.

“Don’t…do that again. Or I’ll return the favour on you somewhere where it will hurt more.” Kordavo growled at her and to give her a hint, shifted his hand to her other breast, under the bra, and again pinched her nipple and twisted the stiff bud for several seconds. He released her jaw after, shifting his arm more directly under her jaw to present her from getting anywhere near something that she could bite. His hand though against pinched her nipple for the third time, before finally releasing her breast and drawing his hand out of it. “All you have to do is call me Sir and acknowledge me as your better and it will stop.” Kordavo whispered into her ear next, lips brushing her lobe, before he dropped down and kissed at her neck. In the same gesture, his hand slid down from her breast, over her flat stomach…towards her womanhood, between her thighs.

First his hand rested upon her underwear, finger grazing it through the fabric of the garment. He kissed her neck up and down before drawing back, taking a moment to just touch her and see how she reacted. With defiance? Pleading? Insults and mockery? Her fire burned brightly still and he liked it. It certainly made him warm this night, the cold air kissing all around them. But he waited no more. His hand shifted onto her pelvis, fingers flat, ready to slide under her undergarments. His hand came over the flower of her womanhood, feeling it with his fingers, his palm above it as he reached down and then returned upwards. He smiled and made sure his grip around her neck was tight. There would be no escaping it.

And then slowly, one finger upon her slit, not entering into her but remaining above, he began to gently stroke her in sensual circles with his finger tip. His middle finger worked in alternating circles, going one way, then the other, like a cook stirring a pot of stew with a ladle. He played with her in this fashion, slow and tender, rubbing her gently or stroking his finger up and down her slit, exploring her unique shape and texture. He didn’t speak anymore, his face turned slightly into hers, his lips to the side of her brow but not kiss, eyes watching and ears listening. His grip was like iron, not letting her pull away, as he pleasured her slowly.

 

[Sketchyequine]

The night caused goosebumps to form over the entirety of Solstice’s body. Her flat stomach and strong arms and legs were all prickled with the numbs of raised skin, but she couldn't let that distract her. Solstice dug her teeth into him hard, drawing the smallest amount of blood in her weakened state before he broke her contact. His laughing and erection were enough to make her want to hurt him. She just wanted this to end. Pain and humiliation made the whole circumstance less than ideal for the young woman. Hearing him his in pain was like music to her ears. Her bite was nothing compared to what he had done to her, but it was retaliation none the less. When he pushed his hand under the soft fabric of her bra and grabbed her bare breast she bit him harder. Her nipples, already erect from the cold were easy targets, but his twisting and tweaking shot pain through the gland. Eventually the pain made her ease up, exactly as he had wanted, and he grabbed ahold of her narrow jaw.

She could feel his breath caress her face as he turned her to look at him. In the darkness of night she could hardly see the green of his irises. He was dark and she could only just make out his features. The only color she could see was the light blue reflecting off of the man’s face from the moon and star light. He looked almost angelic in this lighting, but the reality was that Kordavo was Solstice’s demon. Hunter. Devil. He could take on many names and they would be true. Solstice did not know what she could have done to cause her path to lead this way. Perhaps she never should have become a pilot. At least then she would not have been kidnapped while a strange man tortured and groped her. The pinching of her other nipple caused her mouth the fall open and her eyes to close tightly. It was an expression of pain, but she did not reward him with a yelp or whine. “I will always hurt you if given the opportunity, you fool.” She practically spit the words at him before he went back to choking her.

His bicep digging into Solstice’s throat made it difficult for the woman to breath, but not impossible. He would not kill her in this hold, but it did secure her and kept her focused on her breathing as her chin came to rest on top of his muscular arm. She was a trapped deer as her hunter played his games. It all seemed hopeless, but she would never stop trying to free herself. She would never stop trying to kill him. “You are no superior to me. You are below me in every sense, Chenoweth.” Her words were true, but it was obvious that Kordavo did not know it. The man was of a noble bloodline, breed through generations to be good decision makers, fighters, and government servants. His bloodline was truly impressive, but it was still not as impressive as Solstice’s. She was royalty. One of 6 children born of her mother’s loins before her passing 11 years prior when Solstice was only 12. As the fourth child, she was not the shoe in for the throne, but her blood was interlaced with her father’s wisdom and riches. She was better than him.

The woman's thoughts had taken her away for a moment, but they ended the second his lips pressed to her neck and his hand wandered downward. All the way down there. The princess squirmed in an attempt to get away, but he was far too strong. “Don't!” She shouted, trying to shift her hips away from his violation. “I am not your woman to have in this manner, Kordavo! Save this for your whores back home!” She could feel her own body tensing up in discomfort. For the first time, he was not hurting her as he touched her, but he was dishonoring her. A man with his looks and riches must have many muses back at the Dominion. She could only imagine that women worshipped the ground he walked on only to have a chance to have sex with and steal the heart of a wealthy power like him. Yet, he was defiling the woman who probably wanted to be intimate with him less than anyone else.

“You dirty minded freak! Get your hands off of me!” She growled at him in warning once more. However, a muzzled bitch could not bite. Solstice was indeed muzzled. As he entered her underwear, The woman let out a groan of discomfort and irritation. Could nothing stop him? The contact of his fingertips on her most private area wanted to make her scream and scream until he was discouraged and stopped, so she let out a wail. The sound bounced off of every rock surface around them and echoed in the valley. She wailed again, shrieking to let her disdain be known by anyone who could hear. Hopefully he would take his hands off of her sacred labia if he thought she was a psycho. It did not work.

And then he touched her slit, threatening to slip inside her but never actually doing so. Unlike him, Solstice had not been aroused by the encounter thus far. Her womanhood was not slick with arousal, but instead in its usual maintenance state. “W-why are you doing this to me?” She whispered to him now. Her shouting had gotten her nowhere, so she might as well quiet down. Perhaps that would make some sort of difference. “Tell me why you must do this?” She whispered again before her back arched only slightly, her rump shifting upon his lap and moving closer against his erection. It was almost involuntary to respond as such. His insistent stroking of her sweet flower was effecting her, and she could not prevent it.

Heat began to build deep inside Solstice’s body. A rush of arousal beginning to overcome her. His stroking felt…good. The man was in fact pleasuring the woman. “Please...stop…” she whispered, her voice cracking as she tried to resist. Her body responded, however, like an obedient toy. The more he rubbed, the wetter Solstice became. Eventually her sweet juice leaked out of her enough that it coated his finger pads in slick lubricant. Soon, the woman bit down hard on her lip to try and snap herself out of it, but to no avail. With eyes closed tight, the petite redhead arched more, her hips pushing back into his as she sat in his lap. The movement irritated the slashes on her glute and cause them to trickle blood once more onto his flightsuit, but that was not the focus to either of them. The focus was on his fingers and what, exactly, he was going to do with him.

Solstice threw her head back into his shoulder and let out a soft whimper of pleasure before her breathing picked up. Her body was freezing, yet she panted as heat built up in her young womb. She had not had sex in months and all of that built up energy was making her want more, yet at the same time she didn't want anything at all. It took all of her discipline not to push into his hand and quietly ask him for more. Her control was weakening. If he did not stop soon, she would be overwhelmed with the desire to have him. Perhaps she was wet because it had been so long. Perhaps she would gain arousal no matter who touched her in this manner and it was just her young, fertile body reacting to stimuli. Perhaps, much against her better judgement, Solstice was turned on because of an undeniable attraction she felt towards the nobleman. No matter the reason, she was slicked up and ready physically, but emotionally she was battling against her physical wants. “Please stop..” she spoke finally as a last attempt. However, her words came out as almost a moan. He’d have to be a fool not to know.

 

[BennyQ]

A soft chuckle rumbled from his lips at her first refusal to his intruding finger, bubbling against the side of her brow. Did she really think Kordavo took orders from her? She was his captive, his prisoner, and his spoil. Save this for your whores back! He laughed again, more mockingly, turning to whisper into her ear, lips brushing against her as he spoke. “They are too far. I have you, here and now. You are my woman now. Mine.” He sneered into her. In truth he had no whores or concubines back home. Most men of rank had mistresses but Kordavo had not yet indulged such fancies yet. He had been more focused upon other things, like his ambitions for command and his piloting skills. But in taking Solstice now, he was beginning to see the pleasure in it.

There was something undeniably enticing about a woman’s heat and the soft comforts of her thighs. Kordavo couldn’t say he wasn’t attracted to this captive of his. She had a heart like a volcano and a mouth like a banshee but seeing her whimper like a chided puppy was no less lovely. Perhaps that was the source of his attraction. Yes, women practically threw themselves at his feet yet Kordavo was not interested in their doormat demeanors. He wanted someone who pressed him, challenged him, made him think and be aware. Solstice could do all those things to him. He was keeping her for as long as he could manage her. It was quite a test indeed.

His finger grazed with impunity. He felt her sex, its feel and warmth. He felt something more soon enough, even as she issued further insults and commands to leave her be. Kordavo would do no such thing, his smile dropping as he was utterly serious in doing what he did. Why she asked. Why was he doing this? Tell me! she begged. No answer came from him still. He did not care. By the standards of his people, this was entirely acceptable. She, an enemy combatant, beaten and captured, was free to be taken and seized upon in whatever manner by the one who put her in her place. Her lamentations, verbally or simply screeches of despair, were both pleasing to hear. There was a power in it that caused Kordavo’s heart to race. She was helpless and beaten, his for the taking. He didn’t stop no matter what she did or said. His finger grazed and pleasured vigorously.

And he felt her getting wet. Kordavo was no fool. He knew exactly what it meant.

Kordavo did not point it out. He let it continue, silent, as if unnoticed, yet his senses entirely aware. She pushed back against him, as if seeking more comfort in his warmer, bigger presence. Her back arched. Her head lolled to his shoulder. Her hips pushed back and he nudged her ever so gently back forward, building a small rhythm of grinding, forcing her to his fingers regardless. Her defiance fell apart. No more screaming, no more insults or commands. She whispered, as if she did not believe it herself. Kordavo still did not answer, a silent presence, like a statue, lifeless and yet not, emitting warmth in the cold night, his finger the source of the pleasure coursing through her. Still it moved, a second finger along the first, the fingertips rubbing with insatiable energy to keep her alight with the growing carnal passion within her. He could feel her, gushing warmth and slickness back. She was falling prey to him. This is why I’m superior and you are weak, girl. But Kordavo did not talk. He let the silence be her only company, besides his fingers. When she spoke one final plea to stop, her tone and words implied completely opposing desires.

He paused abruptly. His fingers remained on her sex but they no longer moved. It was intentional on his part. An experiment. He waited, letting the seconds build up, all stimuli ceased. A small torture. It was what she wanted, no? But her body seemed to desire it more given her withering in his grip, how she pushed and moaned and fell apart. When ten counts of his heartbeat had passed, with no other sound except the cool breeze and whatever sounds Solstice may have heard, Kordavo moved again. This time, a full finger of his, the middle, began to wiggle into her core. He pressed in, slowly, pushing right to his first knuckle, other fingers bent upon her outer folds. By god, was she wet within! He felt it, heard it even, the slickness of her arousal coating his finger. Very slowly he drew it out and this time slipped his entire finger out. There was little light to see by as the dark silhouette of his hand came up over her body and before their faces.

Then he promptly suckled his middle finger, drenched in her wetness, with his mouth. Her taste was even better. Without hesitation, he popped his finger out and returned his hand down her body and slipped it back under her garment, right above her sex. His finger penetrated into her and as he locked his arm around her neck more tightly, he began to drill her. Hard. There was no build up, no consideration as he went straight to a rigorous pace. He leaned forward to squish her body more and bend her, giving his arm more room and leverage in which to simply drive into her. It was a hard thrust and the slickness was heard with every stab of his longest finger into her. It would jerk her hips back into him with just the force, his body tense and flexed with the exertion. There was no other intent within Kordavo except to push her to the limit, to see what might happen if he threw her over the edge into the abyss of carnal pleasure. That would prove his dominance, his ownership, over her. If her body submitted, she could be made to submit as well. She was his. Mine.

But he was far crueler than to have her body betray her mind. He guessed that she was quite aware of her own predicament, of how she was falling into that trap. Solstice had kissed him first after all where instead she should have killed him. He would not have the idea for this if she hadn’t. It almost seemed to him that she was subconsciously aware of her place, that she belonged under the hand and sway of a better man. He would make her his. But as he drew her nearer and nearer to that glorious finish, guessing and anticipating from her body language…Kordavo again abruptly stopped. He left her hanging, dangling on the edge, but with no release. He drew out his finger and again suckled it with relish, cleaning it completely and enjoying her taste. He did not return his hand.

Instead he released her neck and wrapped his strong, muscular arms, even through his flight suit, around her torso. Both his hands came up and grasped her covered breasts, while he put his lips to her neck and peppered her with quick kisses. It lasted all but three seconds before he ceased that as well. He just held her then, grabbing her hands and holding them by her hands. No doubt they still felt stiff and sore from how he broke them. He squeezed them gently, adding pressure to her agony. “Never forget.” He said into her ear, the smirk audible in his tone again. “Never forget how you submitted to me tonight, how you carved my touch, how you desired me. You know it’s right for you, to be mine. Do you want to finish? Just ask me. Say sir and ask for more. I’ll give it to you, my little pet. We both know how ripe you are for it.” He challenged her and to tease her more, give her some kisses further upon her neck.

 

[Sketchyequine]

Solstice let out a small whimper of defeat. She didn't want to be defeated, but she seemed to be physically unable to win this battle. She was so close to melting into his arms and letting him please her as he wished, but she knew this was wrong. He was doing this to try and gain an advantage over her and she wasn't going to let him. But lord… did it feel nice. “I'm not your woman. I have a man of my own back home. He owns me.” She lied. She did have a fling back home, but she was not claimed by anyone. She was not engaged nor taken. Her and a councilman had simply taken an interest in one another. So why did she tell him that? Well, it was all in hopes that he would fear someone powerful coming after him. Maybe then he would cease this sexual harassment.

It didn't.

Solstice’s eyelashes fluttered as she lolled back into him. Her breathing was shaky and uneven, but she couldn't quiet it. It was beyond her logical control. Even as she tried to shy away from his stimulation he just guided her back into it, forcing her to grind into his hand as he massaged her clit and labia. “Please stop.” She whimpered to him again. And he did. Solstice was able to take a deep breath of relief the moment he stopped stroking her. The young woman's heart was racing and she sat up away from him. She didn't think he would touch her anymore, but the hope was short lived. He shoved into her. the woman squeaked in reaction to the sharp move, and shifted her hips backward to try and evade him. However, there was no where for her to escape to. She was now seated directly on his erection.

Then… he pulled out. A second wave of relief rushed over the woman. Now he would surely stop, right? Wrong. He rose his hand and Solstice flinched in fear that the man would hit her again. Perhaps she had done something wrong and he would beat her again. Instead, however, he tasted her as if she were some kind of sweet treat. This was humiliating, at it only got worse when he shot right back down between her thighs. Without giving her any time to react, he tightened his arm around her neck and violated her even further. This time he went at her much much harder than before. The force behind his palm was easily comparable to the force behind most excited male pelvises while making love to their wives. It was a drilling she had never experienced before, and it was only his fingers. She could only imagine how much worse it would be if he were truly raping her. And based on what she could feel underneath her… he was not an underdeveloped man.

She could only think sensibly for a brief time until his fingering made her head spin. Soon, she was moaning for him. Her voice was low and quiet, but in the close proximity she was to Kordavo she knew she knew he could hear her. The woman, hardly sexually active back home, was not used to being touched, and she was certainly unaccustomed to the roughness he was showing her in this moment. It was as if he were a predator tossing his prey around before he made the kill, and solstice was not proud to admit she was the prey. She could feel her limit being pressed as she listened to the sweet sound of him fucking her with his finger. Would he make her orgasm? the questioned loomed as Solstice squirmed and trembled in pleasure. The warmth of his breath on her neck only made the whole thing worse. She was going to bust!

And then he stopped…

Denied of her orgasm, Solstice sat there panting. He had made her body cave under the pressure, and the only thing she wanted now was payback. She wanted to torture him the way he had done her, but she knew it was impossible in their current situation. She could not overpower him. Especially not now as she sat upon him like a limp noodle, her brow glistening with sweat. She did not fight him this time as he grabbed ahold of her breasts. After all… that was a step back from what he had been doing to her, right? Her chest rose and fell under his grasp as he scattered gentle kisses over her neck. While the violation was still apparent, why was it that he was now so much more gentle? Perhaps the sexual action had awoken a much softer spot within him. Maybe it would even benefit her to let him have her in such a manner, but she was unwilling to make that sacrifice. It would mean he had won.

She winced when he grabbed her hands, initially attempting to pull away in fear that he would dislocate her fingers again. The agony of that experience was seared into her memory. She may never trust anyone near her fingers again thanks to him. When he didn't make a move to hurt her, however, she relaxed- her hands limp and unmoving within his. They were so sore she made no attempt to hold his hands in return, but when he spoke to her again she wanted so badly to claw his hands until they bled if only she had the strength. “Am I yours, or are you mine?” She challenged. “After all, it is you who so desperately wanted to bury your hungry fingers in my cunt. I only reacted. You have proven nothing other than the fact you are uncontrollably attracted to me. You are no sir to me! You never will be!”

She pushed away from him. She never wanted him to lay a hand on her again. There was only pain and humiliation when he touched her, and it wasn't worth it. The weak and tired woman crawled on all fours away from him on the freezing cold stone. The wind caused her skin to turn pale and goosebumps to arise almost instantly, but anything was better in this moment that still being held by her rival. “Never touch me again.” She mumbled before she collapsed on the stone. The cool surface licking at her thighs and stomach like the fingers of death himself. Perhaps she would freeze to death that night, but it was better than ever being violated again.

 

[BennyQ]

Only defiance, only refusal. Kordavo felt both disappointed and yet even more enticed. Indeed, her remark was thought provoking. Am I yours, or are you mine? She was right in a way. It was she, Solstice, who had kissed him first. It was she who awoke these dormant feelings within the noble. It was Solstice who made him want for her. He was attracted to her, that much he could admit to himself, though he wouldn’t say uncontrollably. Only because she was here and now, in that moment, that Kordavo had acted upon these feelings. She made him desire him and he had taken what he could. There was nothing wrong in that to his mind.

She refused his command though. In that he felt disappointed. Had he not gone hard enough, not brutal or cruel enough? Was he not terrifying to break her? Not yet. But therein lay the enticing solution. She wanted to be a challenge and Kordavo was happy to oblige. She pushed away and he let her go, drawing up his knees to rest his arms over, locking his fingers loosely as he watched her, watched her rear, as she crawled away. No, he needed to go harder and more firm on her. He watched her crawl until she slumped and smiled. That was a pretty scene. Perhaps she ought to be made to crawl more.

Without their conjoined warmth, the cool air began to kiss them more. He had a wrist pad on his suit, upon which checking he saw the temperature had dropped to about five degrees below zero. That was remarkable, given how bright and sunny it was during the day. The fluctuations in temperature is what no doubt made this world not very ideal for habitation. Agriculture would fail without certain biosphere protection. It was practically winter weather at night. But Kordavo’s suit was temperature controlled. He had stripped Solstice of hers, down to her ankles. With her wounded hands it would be difficult to pull it back up without help. While she lay still, he rose and walked to where they had come to a halt after their slide down. "Move and it'll be your legs I break next time. Try running away from your native friends then. I might even climb a tree and watch what they do to you." He warned her in her ear, before getting back up. As he rose, he put his hand on the back of her head and simply pressed her firmly to the stone before he got up and moved to the ridge of the bowl towards the center of the valley. There the lip rose up a little, offering a little protection from the blowing wind. He sat down, his back to the rock and his gaze towards where she lay.

Kordavo sighed and stared up to the visible stars through the crack above. Were they still fighting? Did his people need him? And here he was with this stupid pilot, toying with her, sexually. He ought to just shoot her. The gun was on his holster. He had a knife still on him. He didn’t.

It wouldn’t take long before he could hear her. Shivering. It was cold and she only had covering about her ankles and knees. Her thighs, her body, the neck and above, it was all exposed. She wouldn’t survive the night like that. But Kordavo could hear it. “Shut up.” He muttered at first. Shivering. The teeth especially. It was very quiet down here. No birds. No insects. The wind was quiet and soft. But he could hear it all. One of his training regiments involved swimming in icy waters. It built up endurance and stamina. It was not easy. Few could really sustain it and Kordavo didn’t have kind memories of it. It didn’t stop. It wouldn’t stop. He sighed again, half a growl, and stood up, crossing over to her.

He rolled her up and pulled up her flight suit as best he could, though he didn't help her get her arms through the sleeves. Just up about her torso. He didn’t exactly attach it at her collar though. Once that was done, he hooked his hands under her shoulders and simply dragged her towards where he had been, dropping her there on her side. He laid behind her, on his back. He sighed, figured that would be the end of her annoying shivering. It wouldn’t be. It was still cold and getting so even for him. Soon he would be shivering too, his teeth clattering like bullets striking a fuselage. He knew there was only one solution, the same with hypothermia patients. Kordavo rolled his eyes and after another quarter hour, grabbed Solstice and yanked her towards him.

He made her face him. He tucked her head under his jaw, against his neck. He put his arms around her, shielding that part of her upper back he left exposed. Their legs and abdomens, and their hips, pressed together. Now, that felt so much better against the cold. Never touch me again she had claimed.

Kordavo dropped a hand and rested his palm on her rear. He said nothing. He wouldn’t say nothing. He stayed awake though, watchful and alert. If she tried to look up, she might catch a glimpse of his green eyes watching her like a hawk, unblinking and unwavering. He didn’t trust her. But even Kordavo, after a day of battle and cat and mouse with her, not to mention the attack by the canines, he was exhausted. He couldn’t keep up the watchfulness. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep too, yawning a few times. But they were warm together, locked in their unwilling embrace. It was logical and pragmatic. That was the way to regard it. That, and with a few other benefits for Kordavo. But survival was first in this regard.

Morning came and Kordavo awoke with a start, breathing hard for a moment. He could see his breath come out in puffs and he detached from Solstice, rubbing his eyes and then checking his wrist pad. The temperature had risen and the clock, still following ship board time of the carrier he had deployed from, showed that he had slept for six hours and forty-nine minutes. There was a grey, cloudy sky above. Birds could be heard in the distance.

And something else.

A chitin-like noise, of some sort of shell, or multiple shells, being dragged across rock. That was what had awakened Kordavo. He glanced around in alarm. There was nothing immediate in their little rocky bowl or anything on the walls. The sound was coming from behind, on the valley floor of which they were still above. The sound was near. Kordavo very carefully rolled about onto his stomach, intent upon looking over the lip of the bowl.

He didn’t have to.

Something was moving, parallel to the ridge of the bowl. It was black, spherical except for a pincer, like an oversized bee stinger. It was raised up by something scaly, like scales of a fish, stacked upon each other, as black as obsidian. It was moving, slowly, and it passed by the bowl they were in. Kordavo held his breath. The chitin-noise was loud, footsteps he now deigned them to be. It passed them by and he thought he heard a clipping-noise as well. It moved past him, before him, and then ahead of him, going down the valley, northwards he deemed. But when it was only a dozen feet beyond him…it paused.

Kordavo felt a sudden feeling in his gut that this other entity, this presence, knew they were there. He glanced at Solstice. Still asleep? Now might be a good time to leave her as bait. He checked the charge on his blaster, saw it down to seventy-percent. With full charge blasts, could he kill it? Or did he have to sacrifice his pawn?

 

[Sketchyequine]

It was cold. It was so horribly cold. Her half naked body was shuddering and her teeth chattered as she laid on the freezing stone surface. At first she had decided she would rather die than be anywhere near her captor, but her opinion quickly changed. As he had violated her, she could feel the heat radiating from him. As much as she hated what he had done to her, she wanted that heat back. After all, it was nothing but survival, right? Wrong. She had to remember that her pride and reputation came first. She was a princess. She had to keep her head high even as her teeth chattered and her lips turned blue. Princess Nabeshin was strong. But the moment he approached her again, she felt a surge of unwanted relief.

She had ignored his grumbles to shut up and all his silent threats, but the moment he touched her with his large hand and helped her into her suit, she actually sighed with relief. Wiggling her arms into the sleeves of her flight suit, Solstice could help but feel her body relax further into the tattered fabric of her flight suit. It was the best wearing clothes had ever felt. She didn't fight him as he dragged her, although it seemed foolish for him to do so when she could just as easily walk. Maybe he got some sort of satisfaction out of treating her like a rag doll. A rag doll who he had almost made orgasm all over his fingers. Either way, she felt better in his flight suit, and she could feel the heat radiating from him from the close proximity. It was a relief, but only temporarily. The temperature kept dropping, and soon her body began to shiver once more, but she still didn't ask for his help.

Yet… even consumed in her own pride she was glad when he grabbed her again. When she faced him, she buried her face into his neck, but did not kiss him. Even without inherently kissing him, the movement was affectionate in nature nonetheless. His neck was warm and soft, and it felt nice to bury her cold nose into it as much as possible while still allowing herself the ability to breath. For once, it seemed to be advantageous for her to be damn near a foot shorter than him. Please don't let me go. Without him in this moment, she would have frozen to death that night. She tried to ignore the pressure of his hips on hers. She could feel the bulge still of his now flaccid genitalia. It was soft now, yes, but she remembered not long ago when it was not and she had feared he would fuck her like some slave of the pilot's. She had herd rumors of women in the dominion who had been choosing to fulfill a role of doing nothing but pleasuring the soldiers. Was that to be her fate?

She wasn't going to go down like a scared little puppy. She refused to be a sex slave for men and women like Kordavo. She was far better than that. So, in retaliation for him grabbing her rear, she laid one of her sore hands over his and gave it a squeeze. Offering him no pleasantries about the matter. He did not deserve the attention. Solstice was a bold woman. She would not just sit there and take harassment without dishing it right back out.

As she lay there just like that, Solstice felt her eyes get heavy. It had been a very difficult day for the both of them. Kordavo had sustained many an injury and Solstice’s pride had been targeted, but she had still managed not to break. The both of them deserved sleep. In her dreams, Solstice was able to be far away from there. She was back home with her father and siblings. Her biggest dilemma was that she wasn't sure what horse she wanted to exercise that day or what ship she wanted to take out for target practice. In this land made up in her mind, there was no Kordavo and there was no danger. Frandia had already won the war and torched the entire fucking dominion government. She was a free woman, unlike how she currently was in the real world.

Her dream was short lived, however, as she began to wake to the sounds of ominous clicks and chatters. There was nothing that made a sound like that that was good news. Kordavo had already rolled away from her to investigate, but Solstice already knew what that sound was. She used to come here with her eldest brother, the original heir to the throne, and they would use their ship’s weapons to shoot these things out of cavern walls and in the canyons. The sport itself was the reason her eldest sibling was now six feet under. He had gone one by himself once and his ship had crashed as he tried to fly through too-narrow a passageway. His deceased body was then nibbled on by the beasts. What were they? Arachnids. Arachnids so large that her and Kordavo could easily be a meal if they weren't careful.

With hands much stronger than they had been the night before, Solstice rolled Kordavo onto his back and she climbed atop his body, almost as if she were shielding him. Why she was protecting him instead of hurling him over the cliff? Who knew, but her experience with these things told her not to let him take charge this time. He would likely get them both killed. Gently, she pushed his blaster away, shaking her head. It was too noisy and chances were he would just piss it off if he tried to shoot rather than kill the thing. The goal here would be not attracting two or three more of these things to them. As her body hovered above the man she pressed her fingers to her lips to signal him to be quiet. Solstice did not pin the man or make any move to hurt him, she merely stayed atop. Her battle now was not with him.

Solstice then pulled her third, and last, knife from her belt. One of the three knives was still in Kordavo’s possession and the other he had, idiotically, thrown down the canyon the night before in a fit of rage. This meant Solstice only had one weapon, and if she dropped it it would be gone for good. She lifted up, peeking at the creature, and thanked her lucky stars that it wasn't facing her head on or waiting much closer than she had anticipated. The black exoskeleton gleamed in the daylight, but she could see the animal testing the air, attempting to locate the prey he had detected. The beast knew they were here, but had not exactly pinpointed them. She would have to act fast if she wanted to do this before it killed them.

She looked back to Kordavo, ducking out of sight of the beast. Looking down into his green eyes she could see once more just how handsome he was. It would be a shame for someone besides her to make a meal out of him. She wanted him dead, yes, but not like this. So, she leaned down and kissed him before crawling away toward the beast. Why did she kiss him? Well. If this scorpion was going to kill her she at least wanted the last kiss she had to be one that was on her terms rather than Kordavo's. A woman with a fire in her like Solstice had would always be a force to reckon with, and she took great pleasure in that idea as she crawled away from Kordavo and towards the critter. The woman took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts. She could very easily be killed in a few moments, and she had to come to terms with it.

Then, in a burst of energy, she launched herself at the animal and latched onto the back side of its tail. In a rage, the animal whirled around to try and attack, but Solstice just held on tightly. From back here, it could not get her with it’s stinger, and she was relatively safe so long as she could hold on. That, however, would not be an easy task. At 120 pounds, Solstice was much weaker than the animal. She did, however, have enough strength to climb up the tail to the base of the stinger, carefully she gripped somewhere she knew he could not sting her and got to work sawing at the narrow joint between its stinger and tail.

As she worked the animal flailed and whipped its tail around trying to dislodge the woman. It was so frantic to get her off that he didn't even see Kordavo. Lucky man. Solstice kept sawing, the animal’s blood spilling over her hands and arms as she worked. But soon, it detached and fell down the canyon to the valley below. The stub that remained squirting blood as it continued flailing. The liquid gore made it all the harder for Solstice to hold on to the tail, and she slipped. The animal then flung her hard into the bowl she had once come from- her back slamming into the stone. Her knife flew away from her, but thankfully landed in the bowl as well. It was not lost below.

The animal howled and spun, disoriented for a moment before it regained its senses. Solstice had relieved it of it’s poisonous stinger, but it’s pinchers and jaws remained. And now it was looking straight at Kordavo.