Dog of War

Ash waved goodbye to Rubrum, an Affini engineer working aboard the Vervarium . It had spent the last four hours giving them a tour of the ship’s engines. 

 

It was more reclusive than most Affini with its bloom count, and hadn’t properly updated its syntax in the last three. As a result, its analogies referenced things they had never heard of and were impossible to understand, something it apologized for profusely.  Rubrum had been ecstatic to be sharing the information- it clearly loved the Vervarium's engines the way most Affini loved their floret. Often praising its structure, or stroking its surfaces. Its enthusiasm was infectious, and Ash found themselves walking back to their shared Hab with a bounce in their step. 

 

There were still people out, but not the crowds that had been present earlier. The false sky had turned transparent, revealing the stars and- even more stunning- the large habitat rings of the ship. There were a dozen in total, six on each side of the central engines. Each had its own pace, generating a unique gravity. Their current ring was at .875 gravity, the same as Cassius below. There were only three heavier rings, one at .95, one at full gravity, and one at 1.3Gs. If you focused enough, you could even see the slight difference in their spin. 

 

It was a pity they were hidden by the dome much of the time, even if Ash did understand the need for a day/night cycle. They were truly breathtaking feats of engineering. Ash could even see the entirety of this ring's river before and above them! A river, kilometers long! Aboard a ship! The logistics of maintaining that with water, clean water, seemed like a feat even for the Affini. Yet they did it just because the Sophonts in their care enjoyed having a river. The Vervarium was a true marvel of engineering. The greatest shame of all was that the ship had been stationed above Cassius for two years now, and wasn't scheduled to move for decades. What Ash would give to actually see the behemoth in action. 

 

It wasn't a total loss. From what Florence had said, this wasn't even the largest class of ship. There were not just bigger command vessels, but stations that dwarfed the Vervarium to the degree it dwarfed the Valiant . Maybe once their wardship was over next week they would go see some of them. There were purportedly entirely artificial planets in the core worlds as well, although going that deep into Affini space was unappealing. Just seeing what the Affini considered a large vessel would satisfy them. 

 

Daydreams of mechanical wonders flitted through Ash's mind. Their eyes still fixed on the rings above as they turned a corner and nearly bumped into an Affini. "Oh, sorry!" 

 

"No, no, the fault is mine," The Affini apologized. "I was too preoccupied with my floret, she's still learning how to properly walk on a leash. I really should have been paying more attention." The Affini lifted the leash in question, and Ash's eyes followed it.

 

On the other end was a Terran, arms bound behind their back and almost entirely nude. The only things they were wearing was a collar, gag, a blindfold, some sort of plant on their nipples and... what was that on their dick? Was that a chastity cage? It was moving ... The Terran was moaning into the gag constantly, drool trickling down their chin. This wasn't the most egregious exhibitionist display Ash had seen since coming aboard, but this was definitely one of the kinkier florets they had yet encountered.

"Oh, you're from the Valiant aren't you? I'm Lydia Parmenia, 6th bloom, she/they, pleased to meet you." 

 

"Yeah, I worked as an engineer." They turned their gaze back to Lydia, and introduced themselves with a grin. "Ash Harmon, they/them. Nice to meet you, Lydia." 

 

The Terran moaned into the gag again, more energetically this time. The Affini and their florets might be into some pretty weird stuff, but they were pretty harmless if you weren't uppity about it. As a nonbinary person with a lot of trans friends, they'd already seen that sort of thing plenty. It was simply best to just play along. 

 

Lydia smiled. "My, what a charming sophont! The pleasure is all mine!" The floret behind them whined, and the Affini's leaves rustled. "Ah, one second, I believe my darling pet wishes to introduce herself." 

 

She turned around and hummed as she undid the latches on the gag, and pulled it out, and out, and out. What looked like a simple gag was really a writhing vine, about a half meter in length from Ash's guess. It went quite far down the Floret's throat, to the point it almost triggered their own gag reflex. The pet whimpered as soon as it was removed, nearly crying. "M-Misstressss! Mouth emptyyyy!" 

 

Lydia gave her pet a head scratch that made her whimper again, this time with pleasure. "I know, petal, but I want you to introduce yourself like we've been practicing, then you can have your gag back, okay? If you do it right, you can even suck on my fingers before bed." 

 

The floret lit up, their breath hitching at the thought. "Yes Mistress," they chirped, overjoyed at being able to obey their owner. "I'm E-elle Parmenia, 3rd Floret, she/her! I-I'm Mistress' mouth slut! It's nice to meet you, feel free to use my mouth!"" Elle turned to her Affini, panting, letting instinct replace sight. "Did I do it right?" 

 

"Yes you did! What a good girl you are~" Lydia cooed, inserting her first two digits into her pet's waiting mouth to play with her tongue. Elle moaned into the digit, licking eagerly. "Can you believe she's only been in training for three days?” 

 

Lydia removed her fingers and scratched the girl's head with her other hand, turning a whine into a gasp. Vines feed the long gag, still slick, back past the pet’s lips and down her throat. Elle shuddered with pleasure at every centimeter, her cage twitching as she tried to take it in faster. A few moments later, it was once again latched in place. 

 

Ash offered a smile, pushing past the display. Lydia was clearly proud of her work, and Elle seemed to enjoy it. If seeing things like this was the 'price' for never having to work and being able to compile perfectly machined parts, it was one they would gladly pay. "It looks like she's been taking well to it! It's been good to meet you two." 

 

"My what a charming sophont you are! However, I believe that you and Elle-" Lydia gave her a few scritches under the chin, which she melted into. "-have already been acquainted. She's also from the Valiant

."

 

"We have?" Ash looked over the pet again. She was still early in her class G regimen, so they had likely known her as a man... That narrowed the pool, but not nearly enough. Ah, that small jagged scar up her forearm! Nick got that from a piece of scrap he was- "Oh." Holy shit, Elle was Nick ? "Uhh, yeah, guess so." Damn, he- she was kinda annoying, and a bit of a prick, but they never thought h-she was, well. Like that . It was odd to see the self proclaimed free Terranist eagerly throating a vine, even if it was clear that her brain had been fairly thoroughly melted. Well it's not like they were responsible for Elle of all people.

 

Lydia continued to dote on her floret. "Isn't she just precious ? She's been so much happier since she was broken. It's just a pity she attacked that poor girl."

 

That was odd, Ni- Elle was more of the spiteful type, rarely directly aggressive. Then again, if there was anything Ash had learned in the last week, it was that they didn't actually know their shipmates as well as they thought. "Attacked who?" 

 

"Ah, Do you know Princess?" Ash blinked, shell shocked. "You may have known her before her transition, she was some sort of physical training specialist? I've heard she was quite well known with the crew! She's become a bit of a celebrity here as well, especially after that adorable video of her tasting food for the first time went around. I'd prefer not to say her deadname; Princess suits her so much better, she's such a cutie!" 

 

Nick attacked Beckett . Ash rotated the thought in their head. It didn't make any sense, even if she was a traitor. "Yeah, I uh, I know Princess." It felt weird to call her that, it was so cutesy . Was that part of her plan to make the Affini think she was harmless so she could do whatever it is she came here for? "I'm not sure I would call her poor, though," they grumbled. 

 

"Hm?" Lydia looked them over again, her eyes piercing through them. "Ah, I see. I promise you little Ash, she's utterly harmless now. That young bloom has done some fantastic work with her," she said  in the tone of one artist admiring another’s craftsmanship. 

 

Ash had tried to explain what Beck- Princess actually was to Florence, and she had told them the same thing. They wanted to believe it, they really did, but they just couldn't. "She even sends me pictures sometimes, would you like to see? They might put your mind at ease." 

 

"Pictures?" The one Ash had seen on her profile at the time did look a bit softer, but maybe Lydia had a more recent one? "Sure. That would be nice actually." 

 

Lydia retrieved a pad, the moans of Elle growing louder for a moment. "Give me a mo-ment~" she sang as she tapped several times. "Ah, here we are. Feel free to look at the next five to the left." She lowered her pad, offering it to them.

 

Ash accepted it with thanks, and looked at the screen in disbelief. Beck- no. Even they could hardly think of her as anything but Princess here. She was in a green dress, looking flustered as she poorly tried to hide under her hat. They went to the next photo- she was being fed some ice cream by an Affini. The one after that she was at the dinner table, dazed, with that unmistakable floret look on her face as she looked up at the camera. She was on a couch being vine-fed chocolate, she was kissing a floret, she was crying . Ash accidentally flipped one more to the left, and regretted it immediately, turning the pad over and proffering it. That was far more of Elle than they ever wanted to see. 

 

"I did warn you." Lydia took it, tucking it back in. "As you can see, her Affini is doing an excellent job of shaping her into the most precious little pet." She ruffled her floret's shaggy hair, and Elle pressed into it eagerly. "Almost as precious my little Elle~"

 

"Yeah, didn't mean to. Thanks for that though, it was helpful." If Princess was faking all of that, she was even better than Ash thought. There was still a part of them that needed to know for sure though. They couldn't be certain until they looked her in the eyes themself. "Sorry, I need to get back to the hab, it's getting late and I left my pad there. I told Florence I'd be back tonight."

 

"Oh, of course! We should be going as well, Elle still has a bit more practice left. I hope you have a lovely night, little Ash." Lydia gave the leash two gentle tugs and walked off, Elle following behind. 

 

Two short walks and a train ride later, Ash entered the shared Hab. "Florence, I'm back!"

 

The door to the Affini’s room opened. "Ah, how was the tour?" 

 

"It was fantastic ! Rubrum showed me all the main engines, and I even got to meet the ship's AI!" Ash lowered their tone as they delivered the gossip. "Apparently, they've been dating for two blooms now." 

 

"Goodness! I never knew." 

 

"Right? They still wanna keep it quiet though, so-" 

 

"My tongue is sealed." Florence smiled. "I made dinner as you asked; chicken tikka masala, it's being kept fresh in the compiler. Also, I was able to get a hold of Princess' guardian while you were out, and passed along your contact information. I suspect she may have sent you a message about arranging a meeting."

 

That was good. The sooner Ash could meet Princess the sooner they could put this all to rest and truly enjoy themself. "Thanks, I appreciate the help!" 

 

"Of course! Did you need any further assistance?" 

 

Ash thought about it for a moment. "I don't think so, but I'll let you know if I do."

 

"I'm sure you will. I'll be in my room if you need me." With that, Florence left the way she came. 

 

Ash collected their pad before returning to the kitchen and grabbing the bowl from the complier, thanking the Hab AI as they did. They placed both on a Terran-sized table, opening up their messages as the first bite warmed their chest and filled their mouth with flavor. There were, in fact, several messages they had missed while out. Another few friend requests from a handful of their old coworkers were easy enough to accept. Most seemed on the path to florethood; Florence had told them very few sophonts from the Valiant would be independent in the end. More important than that was the message dated to minutes ago from one 'FrequencyFlower'- Princess’ apparent owner. They opened it with a nervous eagerness- 

 

[FrequencyFlower]: Hello, this is Princess' guardian. I wanted to ask a few questions and see when you were available? I think she'll be ready to meet you in two or three days. 

 

Ash hummed. Given her list of conditions last time, they were expecting something a bit more... aggressively Affini? They weren't sure what they were expecting, really. 

 

[EngineGaia]: Can we meet in three days? I was already going to meet up with a few old crewmates in two days, and have an appointment that morning. 

 

[FrequencyFlower]: Three days, then. She has therapy that morning, so anytime after noon should be great. Just remember I'll be right there with you both, and to keep it polite. Princess is very delicate these days and I will not stand for her being upset. 

 

There it was. 

[EngineGaia]: Of course, I've met several people from the Valiant that are already Florets. I knew Princess before and I'm having trouble believing she's no longer a threat. I just want to see it for myself.

 

[FrequencyFlower]: Well in that case, I'll see you then. 

 

Ash sighed, setting the pad down. Well, at least they had the arrangements out of the way. What would they find, though? Would Princess be like Elle? Her mind reduced to a goo that thought only of her owner? Did they even want that? What if there wasn't a trace left of 'Beckett' and it was just 'Princess?' Would that be justice? Would it make it better or worse that she had killed Jen? 

 

They resolved to discuss it with their own therapist. Mister Santalum had been a great help to adjusting to Compact life. Of course, Florence was always willing to listen too. 

 

Ash hummed with pleasure as they took another bite. It would all work out in the end. 

 

-_-_-_-

 

Nothing was working out. Viola had combed over the interview, countless bills of lading, innumerable after action reports and none of it had turned up any solid leads. Fae had, with great effort, been able to at least confirm the existence of the Company that Princess hailed from, and narrowed its location to a cluster of systems. Fae knew Princess would never be faers, but as a Archeoxenobureaucract fae couldn't properly rest until fae uncovered the little one's files. There was just something about the web of conspiracy she was centered in. There were documents referring to her files, yet none of them could be found. More than that, there were no real leads beyond 'Jackal has them.'  The only files fae had found for 'Beckett' aboard the Valiant had been rote daily reports. It seemed unlikely they would ever surface. 

 

It was truly a shame. From the reference material, it would seem Princess had 'dirt' on most every major player in Accord at the time the Compact came through. Secrets recorded nowhere else. Her own wrongdoings. She may even have the only files from the Company. The thought of finally getting faer hands on those made Viola's vines wiggle with excitement. It was a black box. There was no telling what, exactly, was inside. Fae was determined to find out. 

 

Viola had been keeping in touch with Camila and helping her monitor Princess' activity. She had even sent some absolutely adorable pictures, but no leads. Fae wouldn't ask her to prompt Princess over it, that would be overstepping. Camila was certain that such a question would set back her development, and Viola would respect the word of Princess’ future owner. Even someone like 'Jackal' deserved a recovery. It would be nice if she did, though. As it stood, fae was starting to get sick of running into dead ends. The leads were getting rarer and dying quicker. Even her old network had known nothing. It was, as she said, a one-way transfer of information. They didn't even know who else was sending her information, let alone where she kept her files.

 

Viola was stumped, and by a pet no less. No files on the ship, on any server, on any black site. No traces of metadata for them. No implants of any kind, and the vet had removed all the erroneous bits of inert metal anyways. She arrived with nothing on her person, just the clothes on her back, and Camila attested herself that she had no storage devices of any kind. If Princess didn't already have a collar waiting for her, fae wouldn't have been able to help faerself. It was just so tantalizing ; Viola could hardly remember the last time fae was at faer wit’s end like this. Maybe fae should just be patient. After all, Princess could no more avoid her future as a floret than she could push back the tide. Looking at her pictures should help. 

 

Viola opened up the growing gallery of photos Camila had been sending faer. Princess was already a cute sophont, and she was only getting cuter the more she became a pet. Fae felt faer strength trickle back as the sight of such an adorable floret re-energized faer. The dresses Camila had been choosing were rather cute too, and- hmm. That was odd. Viola flipped through the  pictures again and cross-referenced to confirm. Sure enough, every companion dress was edited to have exactly one pocket. 

 

What was she keeping in there?