FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

It shouldn't have meant anything more than any other job that they did. Matt knew that it wasn't supposed to be anything unusual, it was part of their work and nothing more. That was what he was trying to focus on.

For all the good it did, he might as well not have bothered.

He surveyed the teams on the ship. Three of them, small but well-armed. His own two subordinates, the leonix Vex and Farrow, were with him on the Team Ein. Vex looked pretty excited, itching to get some action, while Farrow looked more reserved and nervous…both quite expected given their personalities. The second, Team Zwei, was another trio, a male and female human (Jeff and Linsey) and a male equuan (Porter), the horse-like anthro looking to be larger than the two humans combined. They were pretty serious sorts, no-nonsense, tough to get along with personally but highly reliable professionally. The third team, Team Drei, was a rare all anthropiform team, consisting of a male serpico (Kristof), a male ocellosi (Alexei), a female lupinian (Helena), and a male ravinic (Decker). A tighter-knit group Matt had rarely seen, maybe because they had faced some pretty serious challenges both on the job and within the job. Hopefully that meant they'd be ready for anything.

Matt was used to being a commander of his small team…being in command of a larger one was not an area of great experience for him. But Central Command had deemed it, so he was going to do his best…maybe it would help him be more compelling when he asked things of them in the future. So he cleared his throat, gathering everyone's attention and trying to play his best commanding role. “We're currently ETA 20 minutes to Lefrina XI. I know you've all been briefed, but I want to review with everything we know, so we're sure we're all on the same page."

“Seems like an awful lot of production for a substance production raid," remarked Jeff.

“Perhaps more than usual, but we don't really know what we're going to find in there, and the element of surprise could make our small strike teams as effective as a larger platoon would be against a prepared foe. We're hoping to get the ambush here, and it could have more impact than you think." At least, Matt was certainly hoping for that to be the case, if things were as he thought they were…

“As you're all aware, Lefrina is one of six moons around the planet Yldrancia, a primarily anthropiform-led society and major agrarian exporter and chemical production partner of the Alliance. If it has something to do with biology and chemistry, it's probably being worked on on Yldrancia. This aspect, however, has made it also a hotbed for Illicit Consumable Substances, on any schedule you can imagine or even new enough to not have been classified. While the more modest products are of little concern to us, some of them can be very hazardous, inordinately addictive, or even life-altering. Many drug kingpins on other worlds got their start on Yldrancia, and some maintain multi-world presences."

“A few days ago, an Alliance Patrol team intercepted a runner and confiscated a crate of ICS, many of which were schedule 3 or higher. Lucky for us, this particular runner was not especially bold, and quickly volunteered information in exchange for leniency. Whether he'll be offered it will depend on what we find, but it gave us a good starting point. Lefrina has a significant number of lunar bases, developed by a terrestrial administration as part of a number of different experiments - successful ones, from what I hear. It was believed, however, that these experiments, while successful, were merely a cover for an intended upper-class exodus to escape strained environmental conditions on Yldrancia."

“The rich abandoning the poor to suffer in the mess they made," hissed Kristof, with a good degree of acid in his voice.

“More likely than not, yes. A grand plan that fell through after the Yldrancian Revolution and the Purgatio Terrae. With the conditions and intended populace no longer a factor, the moon bases of Lefrina have been idle. It's believed that the newer governments would like to do something with them, but it's unclear what they could use them for that would be more convenient than stationing the same services on Yldrancia. As a result, there's not been a lot done with them, and the oversight of them has been…lax, to say the least."

“Sounds like a perfect target for space squatters," remarked Linsey.

“To a degree. The bases are operational, and in habitable environmental domes. However, not all the bases have means of significant production at the ready. Only a small operation that has a steady source of supplies would be able to maintain itself. Of the 57 moon bases that were constructed, it's believed that six are inhabited by groups of squatters…not counting the one we're about to go to, Lefrina XI. Our runner said that this one had only been brought into action recently, and he didn't know how big the operation was. It's likely that they're not small, though, if they're stationing themselves in a moon base - they have to have a fair few resources."

“And a hell of a lot of temerity," remarked Decker. “The hell would you want to set up your drug operation on a moon base? It has to be so much less convenient getting what you need, I'd have to think it's more trouble than it's worth."

“I'd think so too…which means we're not dealing with any ordinary kingpin. And I have a feeling I know who it is…how many of you know the name Mevris Aqotl?" Vex and Farrow's hands were up immediately, as were all of the second team's; the third only had Alexei. “Right, for those who don't know, Mevris is a draxine, and one of the top kingpins in the sector, if not the entire galaxy. He's an established figure on Yldrancia, practically untouchable planetside, and he's got an established and active presence on no fewer than seven other planets, with possible upstarts on more. One of the reasons it's so tough to get to him is that roughly 70% of his productions are licit, and quite a bit of the ICS productions aren't high on the schedule, but his operation is so vast that even that small fraction of his empire that has high-schedule ICS production dwarfs some entire operations devoted entirely to them. It's rumored that he even has some products that no one else knows how to replicate, and he's got quite a few that probably haven't even been officially placed on lists yet."

“It sounds as if you're quite familiar with him," remarked Porter.

“We've had a fair few run-ins, yes." Boy, was THAT the understatement of the century…and this was why this couldn't be seen as 'just another job' to Matt. Over his time with the Alliance Patrol, Matt had time and time again crossed paths with Mevris's operations - in fact he'd probably place the count at no fewer than sixty run-ins. That was just how big the draxine's reach was. None of these were on Yldrancia, he was annoyingly well-liked on that planet even in spite of his transgressions, but sometimes it was in areas where Mevris was well-established, or places where he was trying to extend his reach. Matt always made as much effort as he could to foil whatever Mevris was doing, wielding whatever power was available to him…sometimes he managed to succeed, but there was only so much he could do, and if he was even with Mevris in their score, he would have been pleasantly surprised.

This hadn't gone unnoticed by the draxine either, and in the past year or two he'd started to get messages from Mevris. Letters left at the sites of their clashes, recorded missives either on hard media or triggered transmission from beacons, even a couple times live feed communication on his personal devices, which Matt still didn't know how he managed that. Any time he had to endure that slick-talking reptile tongue, even just imagined as he read it on paper, irritated him to no end, especially because the damn draxine was absolutely unflappable. Even Matt's biggest successes against him never seemed to faze him, he would even congratulate Matt and by all that was good and holy he actually almost seemed sincere about it; on the flip side, he was more than eager to gloat any time he got the better of Matt, audacious enough to even sometimes hint at what he was going to do next. It all left Matt feeling like Mevris was just getting started, he was a threat bigger than he even looked (and he looked a big one) and he had been lobbying Central for more resources to strike at the draxine where they had the opportunities…and each and every time, he'd been rebuffed. Central didn't share his viewpoint - ICS offenses were a Class 7 priority to them, well below other things they routinely had to deal with, even the higher-schedule substances weren't deemed as serious a problem as things like piracy. They also seemed to feel that Matt was overstating the issue due to personal grudges…something which Matt couldn't really effectively argue against, the impression of it certainly made it seem that way. So he often had to fend for himself, using what little clout he had and the support of only Vex and Farrow to deal with few blows he could, hoping that at some point he'd get a chance to strike directly at Mevris.

And this…this might have been his opportunity.

“I don't know for certain that this is one of Mevris's works, but some of the seized substances bear familiar signatures. Either way, though, we have a chance to nip this one in the bud…if it's one of his, all the better, but whoever's in charge will hopefully find themselves foiled. But since we don't know what kind of armaments we're dealing with, Central felt it was wiser to have multiple teams on the ambush." All true, and the truth was a great cover for his eagerness to bring some actual firepower against Mevris - and whatever anyone else thought, Matt was dead certain it was Mevris behind this. Close to Yldrancia, but exposed enough to be able to be targeted, and with enough plausible deniability to get Central to support him…this might have been the best chance Matt had to really get at him.

“The operation will go as follows. Team Ein and Team Zwei will enter the base and scout out the source of operations. The bases are fairly large, but it's unlikely to be highly spread out…likely the activity will be concentrated in one or two areas. Once the key location has been identified, the team finding them will signal to the other active team to reconnoiter with them. Team Drei will remain on the ship, and the other two will provide periodic reports every fifteen minutes. They will deploy on one of three triggers: a report from the combined teams of the need for further armed support, a distress call from either team at any time, or a failure to receive a regular report from either team."

“Great…I was signing on for action, not lounging around," grumbled Kristof.

Matt shook his head. “Believe me, Kristof, the odds of you getting action are very high here. But I want to have one backup team just in case we get hit with something we aren't ready for. We make for fairly small strike forces even in an ambush, and there's a chance we could be overwhelmed if they have something we're not prepared for."

“It's a solid plan, we'll make sure to do our part," Helena declared, clearly putting the kibosh on her captain's discontent. Kristof didn't look mollified, but didn't voice any further objection.

“Thank you. We'll be sure to do ours as well. Let's be ready for touchdown." It wasn't going to be long now, and Matt was feeling a mix of nervous, excited, and wary. This may have been their best chance to get to Mevris, but he knew that the draxine wasn't about to make it easy for them…they had to try to be ready for anything. But maybe for once Matt would have the element of surprise on his side.

——

The landing was uneventful, as expected; the touchdown point they used was one that looked like it hadn't been touched in ages. A deliberate choice, to limit how easily they could be detected; they'd also cruised in at fairly low altitude from a ways away, to avoid being seen from above. So far, so good, but this wasn't the part that was expected to be tricky.

The two trios disembarked, ready for action with their light-armor strike uniforms and their stun blasters. Thankfully, the base's operational nature meant they didn't need the armored envsuits - those were a pain and carried a lot more risk, it wouldn't seem like heavy armor was so vulnerable but any significant breach could theoretically spell doom. The strike uniforms weren't as heavyweight, but they were easier to move in and damage wouldn't be catastrophic. The energy weapons were a necessity as well - 'shoot to kill' was very selectively authorized, and an incursion onto what was technically terrestrial territory had next to no shot of getting that green light, but a solid blast from one of their stun blasters would put most people down for a couple hours at least. The protective fields built into their strike uniforms would protect them from that for a few impacts, but it was unlikely their foes were so prepared. Even so, this was not a peril-free mission, and each one of them also had a standard physical-ammo pistol in a locked holster - if things got too serious, lethal force in self-defense was always a fallback. So long as there was evidence enough that it wasn't used superfluously, there would be no trouble from above.

After exiting the spaceport, it was time to break away. Matt looked over at the trio of Jeff, Linsey, and Porter, giving them a curt nod. “Watch your backs out there. It's an ambush, let's make sure we're not the ones on the receiving end."

“We'll watch our backs, you watch yours," replied Jeff. Team Zwei headed along the road north, while Matt led his Team Ein to the west. Lefrina XI wasn't the largest of the moon bases, about thirty square kilometers total, with the buildings area laid out in a 50x50 roads grid. This allowed easy location identification - each intersection was on a point on the grid, labeled with two directions and two numbers identifying how many units they were away from the center. From their port at the very southeast edge, then, they were starting at South 25 East 25. Matt was to take his crew along South 25 all the way to the west end, then head north up to the far corner; Team Zwei was going north along East 25 and would check the north road. They planned to meet up at the corner, in an estimated two hours, if they encountered nothing of note, then sweep diagonally back to the southeast corner through the center. However, if there were signs of activity that warranted investigation, either team could break off to examine more closely. Matt figured he'd check in if he didn't see them at the corner, and let them know if he chose to break off, but he didn't know if Jeff would be as responsive.

And so Matt led Vex and Farrow down the south road, trying to remain vigilant for any signs of activity. The focus on the mission probably helped detract a little bit from the creep factor, but not much…Matt was getting painfully aware of just how spooky this whole thing was. The sky overhead was pitch black except for where the sun shone; in full operation, there would be a sky simulacrum projected on the overhead dome, but that was not running during this period of dormancy. There was also quite an eerie silence, with no ambient sound to speak of - it was a basically empty city, there weren't any atmospheric effects as wind generators were offline, and their footsteps echoing off the walls of buildings were far too prominent to be comfortable. The sense of isolation was oppressive, leaving Matt wondering how squatters could handle it.

“This is freaky as shit," muttered Farrow, keeping his voice down to keep it from carrying too far. “Feels like the aftermath of an apocalypse here…one of those fucked-up ones where it's just the people who got erased. If any ghosts pop up I'm outta here."

“Tch, ghosts aren't anything to be afraid of," grumbled Vex. “At least it'll be something to shoot at."

“I don't think that'll work very well."

“Feh, energy weapons oughta work against them just as well. Probably even better. They're just energy projections themselves."

“There's more to ghosts than just some energy! They carry the souls of the departed in them, all the wrath that they carried, seeking to possess living mortals on order to continue on the unfinished affairs of their past lives!"

Vex scoffed. “You really believe that nonsense? Seriously, it's just residual bio-energy that some people leave behind. There's no soul or anything to it. Ya blast em with enough energy and it falls apart. Relax."

Farrow shook his head, his eyes as serious as ever. “It's a real thing, I swear it. Why would there even be energy if there wasn't a force behind it? That force will hold it together even if you shoot at it!"

“Guys? Can we not?" Matt cut in before Vex could respond further. “Focus needs to be on the living things here, not theoretical ghosts."

“Sorry, Captain. It's too quiet around here."

“Agreed, but our voices will carry, so quiet is better for us." That put the end to any communication for the time being, outside of their regular check-ins with Team Drei and a message or two to Team Zwei. Nothing more for them to do except keep walking straight, for almost an hour, before reaching their turn point, and then walk straight up that way. Matt was getting antsy, not because of the nature of the silence but for the lack of any sign of activity so far - had Mevris already flown the coop? So far there didn't seem to be any operations going on, much less drug production. He knew he'd be the only one disappointed if they ended up with nothing, but still…

“Captain?" Farrow's voice cut through his thoughts, and he was immediately at the alert. “The air's got a scent here…it's not very fresh, but it's distinct from everything else from the past seven clicks."

“Can verify, it's definitely not standard, and I think it's biological," agreed Vex.

“So we know someone's been here," affirmed Matt. “Question is, are they still here?"

“Not sure, but we have to be getting closer. There's another docking point to the west, and the UMV photos showed it was being used, or at least had been as of recently."

“That was likely our runner at least. Eyes right, guys, and keep those noses at the ready. If anything seems fresher, we'll have to dig in further."

Silence reigned again, but there was a definite uptick in their energy - suddenly their goal felt a lot closer, they knew someone had been around and they were now in the vicinity. Despite this, they were taking it a little bit slower, trying to be a bit more stealthy even than before, knowing that anyone they could discover could also discover them. They stayed close to the buildings to avoid potential overhead detectors and make their presences less obvious, especially important for the much larger Vex and Farrow.

“Scent's a bit stronger here," murmured Farrow about another click onward; they were a little ways past the axis point now, into the northeast sector. “We might be on a path they use frequently. I imagine it will probably turn up one of these streets here." An assessment Matt agreed with, and one that presented a dilemma: did they proceed to their original meeting point with team Zwei and then double back to the possible source, or did they break course and try to find the operation now? The latter option reduced the chances that they'd be detected early, but they'd have considerably less firepower if they encountered a larger force or armed resistance. A difficult call, but he was the one being relied on to call it, so he had to make a decision, and make it fast.

As tended to sometimes be the case, a decision was made for him, and not one ho'd been contemplating. His comm suddenly came live with Linsey's voice. “Mayday! Mayday! We're taking fire! We need support right away!"

“Dammit!" Matt clicked on his transmitter as Vex and Farrow straightened up, getting ready to move. “Zwei, this is Ein, state your position!"

“North 21 West 2! We were tracking a bogey, then several of them popped up!"

“Captain, they're not registering on the main channel!" Vex reported urgently. “Drei's not hearing any of this right now!"

“Shit! We need to get over there as fast as possible. Drei, hang in there, Ein's on the way!" Matt started leading them down the nearest road; he didn't pay much attention to what it was, all that mattered at the moment was getting to West 2. Vex and Farrow followed, prepping their weapons for combat, while Matt tried to signal the urgent situation to the team back at the ship. Something was definitely off, though, he wasn't getting any response, either…they'd had no problems during their check-ins, so something was definitely wrong, there had to be a jam of some sort, but he didn't know what kind of jam would only block off that channel and not the rest. There was no time to assess it, though, Drei was farther away anyway and they would get there first no matter what, so providing support was what mattered.

They wouldn't get there, though. About five blocks in, thunks from above had all three suddenly looking up, then diving for cover as several objects dropped onto the road below. Matt's heart plunged as his mind anticipated an explosion, but there was none - instead, he heard several loud hissing noises, and regretted his error in judgment immediately as he looked around him. A yellowish gas was spouting from the various canisters, rapidly clouding the area. “Gas! Get up, get up, we need to move!" It didn't matter, though, the gas had clouded further around them than he'd thought…even in a hurry, it was going to be hard to escape. He couldn't see Vex and Farrow clearly, but he could hear them hacking a bit...he had to try to get out, if he did then he could try to wait out the gas and see if they had escaped as well! But as he tried to rush for safety, an energy blast splashed the ground right in his path, and he threw himself back on instinct, falling backwards and costing him too much time. His efforts to block his breath failed, and soon he too was coughing on the gas, finding himself getting dizzy and weary…his last thought before blacking out was cursing that they'd fallen victim to the very thing they'd tried to guard against.

——

To call it an unpleasant awakening was understating it. Matt's head was aching as he came back to consciousness, and that was turning out to be the least of his problems. Higher up on the list was the fact that his arms were firmly confined, his wrists locked behind his back in cuffs that arrested the movement of his fingers, and there were bars on his legs that kept them from straightening up, allowing him to move slightly but not enough to get around. Even higher up was the fact that he was apparently naked - not just figuratively, but literally, stripped as bare as his birthday. As his head tilted, he could see Vex and Farrow, also appearing to be coming to, and also in similar states. The last time they'd been like this was a tryst between the three of them on their patrol ship…this was not nearly so fun.

“Nice of you to join us, Captain Poryph." The voice from behind Matt sent a spoke through him. “So good to see you…in the flesh, as they say."

Mevris. The human grit his teeth, squirming around to face the bane of his existence head-on…but that fire was snuffed out quickly as he saw the figure sitting on a chair in front of him, dressed in an armored leather vest and slacks, with rudy-red scales showing over most of the exposed flesh, only a little bit of his golden ventral side visible. He'd seen pictures of Mevris, video of him, heard plenty about him…nothing had prepared him for just how HUGE he was. Hearing 'around eight feet tall' was one thing, but numbers didn't do bodies like his justice, he was quite a bit taller, broader, and more imposing than even Vex and Farrow were, and the two leonix already had a good foot and a half on Matt…Mevris didn't look like he was armed or armored, his light clothing seemed almost casual, but he didn't need to be, not when all he had to deal with were three bound and stripped captives whom he easily outclassed. And by the look on the draxine's face, he KNEW it.

“You look surprised, Matt. Surely you were expecting me, were you not?" Mevris leaned forward a bit, with a wide and very toothy grin directed at Matt in particular. “Or is my presence just that impressive to you? My, my, if I'd known, I'd've come to meet you in person much earlier."

“What…what did you do to the other team?" asked Matt through clenched teeth. Mevris was intimidating as hell, but he couldn't let that throw him completely off his game…that would just encourage the fucking reptile to play his games more and more.

“Ah, ever the dutiful captain, even like this…you should relax a bit, you're clearly not in a formal setting, after all." Mevris let out a little snicker. “Your other friends are being properly entertained…I wouldn't worry about them if I were you. You'll have plenty of your own matters to focus on."

“I swear, if you harm any of them…" growled Vex. “I can tear out your throat just fine without any hands."

Mevris just laughed. “Come on, now! I haven't kept a low profile under the radar of Alliance Peacekeeping by casually leaving a wake of bodies behind me. So long as I stay Class 7 they won't waste time with me…well, most of them won't, anyway, there's a certain someone who seems to think I'm worth pursuing. They'll be fine…they may even enjoy what happens to them. Just as you may enjoy what happens here."

“I d-don't think I'm gonna enjoy anything you try to do to us," Farrow gulped nervously.

“Tsk tsk…so quick to assume. Though I suppose I should expect no less, considering who I'm dealing with. Straight-laced law-and-order types, always there to try to uphold the rules of society, make sure everyone stays in line, and to knock you back if you step out. Keeping the peace and the order…no matter whether it leads to prosperity or ruin."

“Better than peddling toxins to the entire galaxy," spat Matt.

“My dear captain, I don't peddle toxins, I peddle EXPERIENCES. I bring to people the gift of variety, of a momentary escape from their stresses, or a change in their lives that they've been seeking. You know most of us learned long ago that killing our customers wasn't good business, right? Or creating useless addicts that couldn't function in society well enough to continue buying our product? Ah, I suppose there are still some out there who take the shortcuts, that would be their failing. I like repeat business, myself. Sure, there are always unintended effects, but nothing in this world is TRULY non-toxic, after all…everything is a poison in the right doses. A small price to pay to get altered, no?"

“Mutagenic substances are schedule 1, that's a pretty serious admission you're making."

The charge didn't faze the draxine one bit. “They're also some of my most popular. I wonder why that is? Maybe certain people desire something else in their lives. Maybe they don't want to be forced under judgment for wanting something different."

“Maybe they don't want it at all, and someone forces it on them," snarled Vex.

“Ah, I suppose that's a possibility too, but I can't be responsible for making everyone else responsible. At least it keeps you order-keepers nice and occupied, no?"

“Or we could cut it off at the source and be able to spend our time on anything else."

“Heh, your types are so endearingly short-sighted. Remove the substance and you create happiness and peace all over! Except you've really done nothing. Nasty people don't need any help being nasty. Take away one weapon, they'll find another. You could drag every weapon off the surface of a planet and they'd beat each other with fists. You teach compliance, not goodness."

“And I suppose you consider yourself some kind of hero by flaunting that 'compliance,'" remarked Matt sarcastically. “Some kind of noble rebel who answers to no one and thinks he's special by creating chaos wherever he goes."

“Oh, I don't need to call myself a hero. Others do the job perfectly fine. But you're right, I've rather embraced the chaos, the resistance to authority that many condemn. It was that resistance, after all, that saved Yldrancia from ruin…" Mevris's expression turned darker. “That pulled our planet from the brink of complete collapse, in the face of an 'order' that sought to reap us bare and leave us to die. A law that served only the greediest and most self-serving, which the order-keepers turned a blind eye to because as far as they were concerned, everything was working as intended. The lesson of Yldrancia is that unfettered order is no better than unfettered chaos, perhaps even worse. Chaos was our salvation, not any of those who purport to protect us in the name of order. I was merely one of many players, not even the most important, but if they should hold me in esteem for it, why would I refuse?"

“That doesn't excuse anything you've done since." It was about as much as Matt could muster as a counter, as he himself had been fairly outspoken in support of the rebellion, which hadn't exactly earned him a lot of commendation from an organization that claimed neutrality with planetside affairs except in extreme circumstances. Still, he wasn't about to let Mevris off the hook for matters of circumstance - he was still an unrepentant drug magnate and a serious problem that kept getting worse.

“Of course not. Why would I seek excuses? I enjoy what I do. As do many others, even if it's not 'right.' I've come to feel that caring too much about 'right' serves me no good. If I commit a few crimes, so be it. After all, I know the order-keepers will rein ME in. I'm much better off flaunting the law than writing it to my benefit…that's how it should be for those with their own brand of power, should it not? And I've got one particularly persistent order-keeper who's made it his mission to try to take me down…one who I think could use a dose of chaos of his own to see what he's missing out on."

“Don't you dare hurt him!" Farrow growled, surprisingly aggressive for him. He was starting to squirm, trying to move and get to Matt, but the bonds were quite effective at keeping him from doing more than inching along.

“Ah, poor kitty, so stressed out. I've no intention of HURTING any of you…you two, however, I'm not terribly interested in at the moment. So, I'm going to give you your bit of fun now, and let you sleep it off while I'm enjoying myself with your captain…hmm, but maybe I'll let you prime him for me a bit, that seems like it'll be a fun show." Mevris stood up, stepped over to the table at the side of the room, and picked up a pair of devices that Matt recognized as medical injectors - quick, relatively painless, and quite effective at drug delivery of any kind. Mevris may not have known he was coming, but Matt was getting the sense that he had been ready for him…and he didn't like what that implied. Nor what was hinted in the draxine's words.

He tried to pull away from Mevris as the reptile approached, but there was no chance of that happening…he winced as he felt the poke of the injector in his arm, not from the pain but from the knowledge that something had been put in him against his will. Mevris had more different compounds in production than Matt could possibly have counted, anything could have been done to him…a different injector was being used on Vex and Farrow, their arms being adultered too, despite their best efforts to avoid it. Mevris had made clear he was doing something different to them, Matt only hoped it wasn't going to be too bad; he felt worse about them, even though they were larger than he was he felt like it was a failing of his duty that he couldn't protect them. He wasn't as expressive as Farrow, but internally he was swearing he'd make Mevris pay for any injury they suffered.

But his thoughts were rapidly derailed as he felt a heat begin to flood his body. It wasn't even a slow rise, it sort of hit all at once through him and then built rapidly, making him start to sweat and his head start to fuzz up a bit. He thought for a moment that it was going to make him pass out, but at a certain point it leveled off, keeping him aware but disoriented. And, he realized, horny…his cock swelled, filling up and rising up, refusing to obey his fading pleas. There was a deep want, a desire that was borne of something that wasn't him melding with something that was, and it was quickly becoming clear that he couldn't stop it…that must have been the drug's effect on him. It was going from bad to worse, not just Mevris's captive, but an outlet for the draxine's apparent perversion.

And, as he looked back, Vex and Farrow were suffering something similar, though not precisely the same. Both leonix were experiencing obvious arousal, their cocks swelling as they were pushed out of their sheaths, but their expressions had a gloss over them, and Matt could see them start to drool a bit, their eyes locking onto Matt with a hunger he'd never seen in them before, and which felt creepily unlike them. He suddenly felt like he didn't want to be the center of their attention, but there was no escaping it…and as the scent of their musk started to pervade the air, his own lust kicked up a few notches.

“Hmhm…looks like they're rather interested in you, Matt…something tells me this won't be the first time you've had their attention." Mevris was returning the injectors to the table, and picking up something else that the human couldn't make out. “I like this one, personally…your friends here have just been given a nice little hit of what I like to call a 'lust driver.' It's more than just an aphrodisiac, it tweaks the brain to basically turn off anything that isn't the drive to fuck and turns that up to the maximum. And this fun little recipe amplifies the highs and the lows, too, so they'll get a nice rush before conking right out."

There was a click from whatever was in the draxine's hand, and Matt felt a sudden loosening of his legs as the rig holding them released its lock. The bars retracted into the bands around his thighs and ankles, giving Matt the freedom to move around, if not the wherewithal. His arms were also freed from the cuffs, though still a bit numb and tingly, and a glance back at Vex and Farrow showed that they too were totally free…physically, at least. But as they stepped towards Matt, escape didn't seem to be even close to occurring to them…

And Matt was torn between being bothered by that and being too thoroughly aroused to care.

Vex grabbed Matt's legs and pulled him close, not giving him a chance to get up properly and even make a feeble escape effort. Those big hands kept his thighs in a tight grip, and Vex's muzzle pushed close to his ass, the leonix's nose wet and cool against the flesh of his rear. Matt squirmed a bit, almost like he was trying to escape, but that was completely removed from mind once he saw Farrow's furry rear plop in front of his face, pushing back into Matt's eagerly. The choice was not his as he was pressed in between those cheeks, and one whiff of that thick musk and Matt sank into complacency, languidly stretching his tongue out to start slurping at Farrow's pucker.

His reward was a thick tongue teasing his own ass, Vex's eager licks giving him that stimulating scratch and warmth that made his cock throb harder. He moaned and pushed into Farrow, trying to push his tongue deeper into the leonix, tasting raw Farrow and loving it. He was forgetting the situation he was in, the drug putting a haze into his mind that made him more relaxed and desirous, that tantalizing musk more important than anything else. His hands reached for Farrow's thighs and he took a firm hold of them, helping keep himself in place as he pushed deeper, tongue trying to probe as deep into Farrow as it could.

The more he pushed, the more Vex did, keeping him firmly sandwiched between a muzzle and an ass. Matt squirmed and mewled out as he got more of Vex's tongue in his rear, probing around for his prostate and leaving that scratchy sensation all over his rear, a thrilling stimulation that Matt simply couldn't get enough of. He clenched and pushed back against Vex, letting the aggressive leonix get deeper within; as Vex worked him, he did his best to try to imitate on Farrow, though he didn't have the size or texture of tongue to truly be a match. Still, it seemed to be working for Farrow, who was almost purring pleasantly as he squeezed around the human's organ, trying to get as much of him as possible.

So invested was Matt that he could only moan in disappointment when he felt Vex and Farrow pull away from him, depriving him of tongue and ass. But he didn't have long to contemplate this loss, as Farrow's cock was suddenly pushed in front of his face, and his blank, slack-jawed look was a perfect opportunity for the leonix to fill it. He heard a deep growl from Farrow - an unusually deep and heavy sound from the normally more complacent leonix - and them felt heavy hands grip his head and that cock was suddenly shoved in deep, the fuzzy sheath and groin fur pressing against Matt's face as he was suddenly crammed full. And before he could process that, he felt the same thing at his other end, even more force applied as Vex hammered his cock into Matt's rear, causing him to flail a bit in the sudden rush. He almost came right there, his cock barely holding back its orgasm, and the constant twitching made it clear it wasn't going to hold for long.

Vex and Farrow couldn't have cared less. The two big felines began to pummel Matt with their cocks, treating him more as their plaything than they ever had in their previous fun, their barbed cocks clawing at his passages, working him into a lather without a care in the world. They didn't even pause as Matt was forced into a powerful climax, his head fogging up further as the pleasure of orgasm rushed through his, his cock spurting with lewd splats onto the hard metallic floor surface. He couldn't help but squeeze and clench and spasm around the two of them, but their strength overcame everything his body did…he got a vague feeling of helplessness, vulnerability at their hands, something he'd never truly felt in something like this before. And it was almost disturbingly enjoyable…then again, just about everything seemed to arouse him at this point, he couldn't disengage from the thought of sex even a little bit.

Vex and Farrow kept at it, and he felt their cocks throbbing inside his holes as they sped up, slamming in and out of the human with increasing ferocity. They almost seemed like animals going at it, rather than the normally controlled professionals that they'd been not long ago…certainly rougher than they'd ever treated him in anything that had been more consensual between them. Truly, a powerful drug that could pull them into such base carnality…there was nothing for Matt to do but continue to take it until they were done with him, so he tried to speed that along, nursing and suckling at Farrow's cock as it intruded into his throat and clenching and squeezing around Vex's as much as he could, wincing a bit as the barbs felt sharper than they ever had whenever he tightened down. It wasn't long before he felt like he was getting close again, despite how recently he'd shot off…it almost felt like he hadn't even cum the first time, with how needy he was getting, starting to squirm again around those fat staffs invading his holes…

But Vex and Farrow were far quicker to go off, driving in hard and beginning to shoot their loads into the human as they roared out in almost feral ecstasy. Matt's eyes widened, even registering through the haze the intense loads he was suddenly getting forced into him - the leonix were normally pretty virile, but they felt like they were almost hosing him out this time around! Thick gushes of semen were filling him up from each end, pulsing too hard and fast to keep from backing up on him - he felt Farrow's spunk rush back into his mouth from his throat as he desperately tried and failed to swallow, some of it dribbling from his mouth to make a mess around the leonix's crotch. Vex's jizz was spurting from his ass as well, bypassing even the fairly effective plug that Vex's cock normally was to splash onto his ass and Vex's fur and to dribble down his taint and balls. Their orgasms felt like they were lasting for an eternity, too…maybe it was just Matt's desperation for more stimulation to his needy cock, but he definitely felt like they were cumming a lot longer than they normally did.

When it finally did end, though, they crashed down rather spectacularly - literally. Farrow hadn't even pulled all the way out of Matt's mouth before the leonix's focus seemed to break, and the rest of that cock was jerked out rather forcefully by gravity as Farrow slumped off to the side, thudding to the floor. Behind Matt, Vex did just about the same thing, though he fell backwards, his barbed shaft clawing at Matt's pucker as it was yanked out of him unceremoniously, making him wince as a bit of pain spiked through him from that, though it ebbed quickly. Concern for his men managed to push briefly through the haze of lust that still pervaded his brain, but his fears were quickly salved when he saw them still breathing, and looking to be almost in a restful state of slumber.

“Heh, most effective knockout drug ever, if you've got something for 'em to fuck." Matt started at the lustful, deep voice - he'd entirely forgotten about Mevris in the haze of being nailed. Shivering, he took a look up at the draxine, and his breath caught in his throat; Mevris had disrobed, his clothes in a pile next to his chair, baring the full sight of his muscled body, the golden scales of his chest and stomach now on full display along with his imposing cock. The visible spikes along the deep red shaft, and the shorter and denser ones on the pointed head, and the raw size of it - distinctly larger than even what Vex and Farrow were packing, and they had been the largest Matt had seen up to that point - made it look almost more like a weapon than a pleasure tool…and yet Matt was still feeling arousal rather than fear. He tried to make himself look away, but that wasn't happening, not while his head was still so fogged up and his cock was still aching with need. He was helpless as Mevris approached him, picking him up bodily and bringing him over his his chair…just getting close was enough for Mevris to have Matt fully captivated, the draxine's musk was in the air and it was almost as much a drug as the aphrodisiac that currently held Matt firmly in its grip.

“That was quite the enticing display, Matt…I'll have to thank you for turning me on so effectively. But now it's my turn, and I'm going to show you a taste of what I'm capable of." Mevris placed Matt face-up on the chair, and the human barely had a chance to right his head before the draxine's rear came down on his face. “Since you seemed to enjoy this so much, I figured I'd give you a chance to taste your better before I claimed you. Don't be shy, now."

Shyness was as far from Matt's mind as could be - if Vex and Farrow's musk had been compelling, Mevris's was basically a command to worship in odor form. Any thought of resistance was fully drained from the human's mind as he began to lavish attention on that thick, powerful tailhole that flexed under his touch. A purring growl from above told him he was meeting with approval, spurring him on to lick and lap more vigorously, his hands clinging to the scaled flesh above him. Mevris tasted bizarrely fantastic, it wasn't a taste he would have liked in food but to his lust-laden mind it was a delicacy, fueling his arousal harder than ever before…was that part of the drug? Part of Mevris? Or was that his own want and need coming through? He couldn't think enough to answer that, just kept licking and trying to push deeper in.

“You know, human…I've dealt with quite a few pesky troublemakers in my time." Mevris's voice was a satisfied purr, dripping with arousal. “People who don't like what I do and want to put an end to it. Some of them arrogant enough to think it would be easy, some with no such illusions…all of them, though, did the smart thing and gave up when they saw how outmatched they were. Not you, though…you've been the most persistent foe of mine that I can ever remember, always trying to outmaneuver me and get the edge, trying to stop whatever I try to plan." Mevris pushed down a little more, making it easier for Matt to push his tongue inside the draxine's rear and get more of that musky reptilian flavor into his head. “And I have to admit…annoying as it is to be thwarted…I'm rather glad you are so tireless. It's fun, sometimes, having an adversary, having to out-think and out-play someone, really being put to the test. But, I have things to do, and someone so persistent could prove an actual threat to my work…fun as it is, I can't put personal thrill over the well-being of my chemical empire."

“But someone with such drive and determination, they deserve more than to just be dismissed or removed. No, I would be remiss if I were to give no respect to such a tenacious adversary. And if I simply left you be, then I would certainly never hear the end of you. So I think there's only one proper way to deal with you…I'm going to make you mine."

That probably should have registered as more of a threat in Matt's mind, but under the influence as he was, barely anything mattered but the draxine's ass, which he was eating out with as much energy as he could muster trapped so firmly as he was. It was an odd state of being, like everything was going in and bouncing around in his head but he wasn't really totally understanding any of it; if it wasn't the taste of Mevris on his tongue, it barely had any relevance to his current state at all. But he only had a bit more time to relish it, as Mevris finally lifted himself off of Matt, leaving the human panting and sweaty, flushed from his incessant arousal and the rush of that draconic musk that had his head spinning like nothing else. He was dragged off the chair through the draxine's legs and pulled upright, to face that sinister face, eyes boring into him with a hunger that made him shudder. “A look I love to see in mine…mrr, all you needed was a touch of loosening up, and now look at you…as hungry for me as anyone could be. Only one thing could be better…seeing you lose yourself as I claim your ass as my property."

“Unnh…" It was all the more response that Matt could muster. His body's movements were pretty sluggish, the heat of need was still coursing through him, and he didn't have the strength to fight off Mevris anyway. As the draxine sat back down, he turned Matt around to face away from him, and the human's head lolled down to see what was coming: that thick cock was poised upwards from his crotch, and Matt was being held just over it, only a few inches of space between his rear and that spiky head. His breath quickened, his heart pounded, and he couldn't tell if it was fear, excitement, or both driving the response…as foggy as his head was, it could have been just about anything, and it wouldn't have made a lick of difference. He was still drunk on Mevris's musk, not as thick but certainly still weighing on the air around the reptile.

Down he went, his ass resting on the tip of Mevris's cock, Matt clenching reflexively as he felt it touch. A purring growl rang in his ears. “Relax, Matt…you know you want this, you know you need this…I'll give you exactly what you need." Almost on automatic, he felt himself relax, loosen up, and no sooner did this happen then he was pulled down, the head of Mevris's dick popping into him and making him cry out languidly. So thick, and the texture of it was so surreal, not quite as sharp as Vex or Farrow's barbs and thus scratching at him less, but they left quite a distinct impression on him, he could swear he could feel every one as his ass hugged the intruding flesh. It was just what the fire in him wanted, needed, and he couldn't stop shivering here and there as light pulses of pleasure raced through him.

And it certainly didn't stop there…Mevris lifted him slightly, then pulled him further down, letting that spiky head pierce deeper and the thick girth of the draxine's cock stretch him wider. And he kept doing that, again and again, getting deeper and deeper each time, until the last surge pulled him down so that his ass smacked into Mevris's crotch. Matt groaned, fingers clenching and unclenching, almost trying to claw at Mevris's body as he took that cock fully. It stretched so wide, so deep, so GOOD…he could feel it throbbing inside, and all he could want was more.

“Hmhmhm, that's a good bitch…" And Mevris's voice in his ear was sending shivers through his body, along with those clawed fingers that were dancing around his body as he sat there with that thick pole stretching him out, his body adjusting to the presence slowly. “Doesn't this feel wonderful? Imagine getting to feel goodness like this all the time…to feel me take you, claim you…" Those claws were scratching along the underside of Matt's cock, making him almost feel like he could be sent off at any time. “To send you into rapture as I show you an alpha male's raw power and virility…seeding you, marking you…maybe even breeding you…" Matt yelped as the claws poked against the root of his dick, sharp and very slightly painful but even more stimulating than anything he'd done so far. “Hmhm, don't think I couldn't make it happen if I wanted to…if YOU wanted to…very easily, if you were mine. Coming back to me after your little order-keeping missions, letting yourself fall back into the pleasure of your master…losing yourself to my scene, my taste, my touch…" Those hands moved away from his groin, taking a tight grip on his sides. “Let me give you a proper example…so you'll always remember what you could have!"

Suddenly Matt was pulled up, and another cry escaped him as he was pulled back down, that thick tool spearing into briefly-empty space and scouring his walls with those spikes, making him clench down reflexively once more and causing the tightness to feel even harsher. A squirt of pre jetted from his cock onto the floor with an audible splat, but Matt hardly noticed, panting hard from the sudden pressure shifts…and then they started again, Mevris lifted and dropping him again, just as fast but with less time for him to get used to it…and the next was had barely any time for him to adjust, and after that there were no pauses at all, the draxine using him as though he was an especially large toy, lifting and dropping him almost effortlessly. That thick spiky cock barging through his innards was relentlessly stimulating, ravaging his walls and mauling his prostate, each point its own little line of pleasure that jabbed into the pleasure centers of his brain.

The room was filled with the echoes of the smacks of the human's flesh against the scaly hide, the breathless lilting cries Matt was releasing, and the deep growls rumbling from Mevris's maw. The touch of the draxine stuck out starkly on Matt's body, inside and out, the points of his claws against the human's skin and the brush of his fangs against Matt's shoulder and neck here and there almost as defined as the spikes on that invading cock. And his lust-inflamed body loved every bit of it, wanting more and more of everything that could possibly be made pleasurable, everything that sent him closer to that limit, that could soothe that insatiable need that coursed through him…

A louder set of cries escaped Matt as he came, suddenly and very forcefully, his dick squirting his loud quite a distance over the cold metal floor, leaving streaks of white several feet out over the gray int front of them. It felt like just as robust an orgasm as the first one he'd had, like his body had been waiting a week rather than mere minutes between releases. And Mevris simply kept fucking him right through that climax, an unstoppable force that continued his attempted conquest no matter how lost Matt was, proving himself equally tenacious in the most visceral way possible…and it didn't matter, because that craving didn't abate in the slightest, the potent drug continuing to course through Matt and keep him as keyed up as he'd ever been. The only thing that could stop Mevris was his own orgasm…

And it wasn't much longer before he had it. Suddenly the draxine's grip tightened, and he started slamming Matt up and down with much more force, getting more cries out of the human as he was rut harder than ever before. It was only about ten or fifteen seconds more, but to Matt it might have been an age of this before he was slammed down for the last time and suddenly felt a vigorous throbbing and then a viscous liquid heat positively POUR into his well-used ass. The fluid came in great gushes, packing deep inside him and squeezing around that thick cock to soak into his passage, leaving Mevris's musky scent all throughout his insides. It felt like too much, like he couldn't possibly take on any more, but it just kept coming until his ring couldn't contain it even stretched to the brim as it was, and drools of the slightly orange-tinged spunk dribbled out onto the golden scales flanking Mevris's slit.

“Yessss…as fantastic as I imagined it would be." Mevris gave a rub to the human's stomach, and Matt winced as he felt those fingers rub against the tight spot inside him where that massive rod was applying its pressure. “And it seems you had a nice, solid reaction as well…as I knew you would. So many of your kind have a lust and desire that you hold back, but when you get to indulge, oh, you are some of the most eager…"

“Ngh…you…" Matt's head was still spinning, but the heat had dipped a little bit, and his thoughts had cleared a touch without the presence of the total musk saturation that had been addling him so deeply. “I'm not…yours…to just play with…" It felt a little bit hollow to say that after what had just happened, having just been thoroughly worked over and overwhelmed so completely, more than he ever had been in his life, but he clung to what little he could. “Just because…you drugged me…"

“Not there yet, are you? Good, good…I wouldn't expect you to succumb that easily, and it'll be so much more fun if I have to work more to best you." Mevris brought a finger under Matt's chin and turned his head to look back at the dragon's as much as he could. “But don't think you can excuse everything to just my little bit of loosening up…the drug makes you nice and horny, it doesn't force you to desire me specifically…and you seem to VERY much love my musk…" Matt didn't respond to that, clenching his jaw a bit. So the draxine said, but he could say just about anything and there'd be no way for Matt to verify. “Ah, but I'm sure you'll come to realize this yourself…I'll give you plenty of it to get high on, we'll see how long you can cling to your illusion of not wanting me…I have no problem spending a good while here convincing you of what you should do."

Outward defiance was tempered by inner anxiety. Mevris wasn't done with him…how long could he hold out against such a potent assault? Surely there would be more adulterations to weaken him further until he crumbled…would Vex and Farrow be able to intervene if they woke back up? Would it even take that long? It looked very grim…until something loud started bashing at the door. “Alliance Peacekeeping! Open up or we'll do it for you!"

“What the…" Mevris stared at the door, and Matt wished he could enjoy the flummoxed expression on the draxine's face a little bit more. “They couldn't have…they were entirely…unless…those voices…they don't match the…hrm. So you had another in reserve…" A wry chuckle finally escaped Mevris as he pulled Matt off his cock, turning the human to look him in the eye. “I should have guessed you wouldn't make this easy for me, Captain…well, then, I suppose I'll have to fall back to the long game. Don't think I'll be at any disadvantage for playing that way, though…I'm very good at making things happen, and I'll have plenty of opportunity to plan. But I suppose it might be more fun this way…and more satisfying when I finally earn my victory. But until then…" A much louder thud hit the door, and Mevris let Matt down, the human rapidly slumping to the floor. “I suppose I'd better make my exit before it becomes a lot more uncomfortable."

“Ungh…n-no…" Matt wanted to push himself up, but he couldn't, his limbs felt rather like jelly. He could only sort-of watch as Mevris swiped up his clothes and the cases with the chemicals he'd used on them, and then made his exit through a door off through the far wall. By the time the others had broken down the original and found the weary human and the two snoring leonix, there was no chance they were catching up…

——

Part of being a captain was shunting aside a foul mood when the cause of it wasn't one of your crew members. Matt was doing his best with that now, even though he really wanted to just curse and bitch. At least everyone was alive and more or less well, though he could tell there was some awkwardness between Jeff and Linsey and Porter; their 'entertainment' apparently had a similar flavor to Matt and his crew, except without the knockout effect and with an audience. Most likely it hadn't been something between them before, and it would take some time for them to process it all…at least Matt wasn't inexperienced with his two leonix colleagues, they wouldn't have to dwell on that. And the operation on Lefrina XI was effectively terminated, with seventeen individuals under arrest and in the lockdown bay of the ship to bring to processing. As far as Central Command was concerned, it would be deemed a successful mission.

Not so for Matt. Mevris had gotten away…he'd basically taken what he wanted from the human and gotten off scot-free for it. And the worst part was, he knew there would be no authorization for a follow-up pursuit…with the base out of commission, Central would be satisfied with that. His best chance had slipped away, and now he would just have to be lucky again. And that was something he didn't like relying on.

“I was annoyed at first…but you made exactly the right call, Captain Poryph," remarked Kristof as they flew away from Lefrina, heading to the nearest criminal processing facility. “They weren't remotely prepared for a backup squadron. If not for that, it might have turned out far worse."

“I'd say it turned out bad enough," grumbled Vex. “I didn't even get to shoot anything."

“Hey, I'm just glad we actually got a chance to wake up," countered Farrow. “I don't trust that guy not to have done something worse to us, no matter what he said. He clearly has some kind of psycho grudge against guys like us. We're gonna get him next time we run into him, I'm gonna make sure of it."

“It would have been nice to tear out the roots, but at least we put a stop to something without taking any casualties," agreed Decker.

“Agreed," Matt said, trying to keep the weariness and disappointment out of his tone. “Wouldn't say totally unscathed, though…definitely not gonna be resting easy after what happened."

“Are you all right, captain?" asked Helena.

“I'm…I'll be fine. I'll get past it. Just need a bit of time to clear my head."

“Don't ignore it if it continues to bother you," Alexei warned. “Letting things like this go can be the worst thing for your focus and mental health. They say we lose more officers to themselves than to anyone we fight against."

Matt nodded. “I'll keep that in mind…think I just need to lay down for a while. Vex, Farrow, watch the hold, make sure nothing happens in there."

“Rest easy, Captain." Vex gave him a pat on the shoulder as he passed, a slight comfort as he retreated into his quarters. He didn't know how much he was going to sleep, though, not with what was on his mind…as he laid down on the bed, a twinge in his rear end reminded him of what had happened only hours earlier. And of what was really bothering him.

It DID feel good. All of it.

And it wasn't something he wanted to admit, because he knew that was exactly what Mevris wanted. But he could only lie to himself so far…it wasn't a good idea to try to fake himself out too much, that was what made it easier for someone else's lie to take over.

It felt good. That didn't mean I was wanting it. That didn't mean I WILL want it. He's good at manipulation. He drugged me up. He's simply trying to get at me…he even said as much. He wants to break me, to make me his…I can't let him do that. I have to be ready…he's all but said he'll try to do something like this again. And odds are I'm not going to have a lot of help, only Vex and Farrow. I can't let myself get sucked into his orbit, no matter how much he tries to manipulate me, no matter how sexy he looks, no matter how addictive his musk is…

Matt blinked, then closed his eyes hard and shook those thoughts away. He still felt flushed, he was still hard, he was sure the drug wasn't entirely cleared out of his system despite the counteragents they'd taken, that had to be what was messing with him still. If he was going to get the better of Mevris, he'd have to make sure his head stayed clear enough no matter what happened, and ignore the seed of doubt that the draxine tried to plant in him. But it wasn't going to be easy, as he found out when he could no longer ignore the arousal and found himself jerking off, trying and failing to keep the earlier events from fueling his climax…