Dark Fate, Book 19 Epilogue

Epilogue – Elsewhere

(Count-place, Foodplace, Greenplace)

Cret was smart. Not bug-god smart, but smart. He could count four hands of fingers without using fingers! That why bug-gods make him in charge of giving food to people. Make sure all well fed, for when the bug-gods come to take some of the people.

He no know why bug-gods take people. People think it big honor, that bug-gods pick people to be new bug-gods. He no know about that. If bug-gods pick people to be new bug-gods, why they no come back and tell people? They too busy being bug-gods?

But Cret smart. He know think hard on that not good. Bug-gods is bug-gods for reason. No can fight them. No think smart as them. Only thing do is be smart, work hard. Maybe be one of ones who live whole life in Greenplace, and not go with bug-gods.

He see Snezu come up, with food-carrier that bug-gods give them. Food-carrier had four round things on metal sticks to support metal basket, with handle on pole to pull it. Food-carrier very good. Let people bring food from fields much easy, much quick, much more than arms can do.

Snezu pulling food-carrier also good. She pretty. He like her. Seeing her make him want do fun-fun dance with her, make babies, like she do with Gog. Maybe now that Gog get taken by bug-gods, he have chance?

Snezu grunted to him, point at food-carrier. Cret grunt back, start counting food. This food grow on plants. Lots and lots made from it. Good food, big important. That why he in charge of this foodplace, where good food grow.

Count food important. Cret important. Cret make sure people eat, because count food. Cret frown as he count food in Snezu food-carrier. Not enough. Cret turn, grunt at Snezu. Snezu have hand behind back! Think she sneak!

Cret pull Snezu arm. Sneak try steal food! Try steal food from Cret count-place! That no good! That bad! Cret growl at Snezu, like huntbeasts in woods. Tribe know rule. Steal food, be food.

Snezu look scared. Good. Scared sneak thief is good. Cret take food, put in food-carrier. Push Snezu down, on ground. She make water from eyes. Begs. Cret like see Snezu beg.

Cret pull sticker out of clothes, like when he need let not-water out. It stiff now, like all times when Snezu here. She make more water from eyes, but no yell. Snezu no want be food, she know mean Snezu belong Cret. Snezu open mouth, take sticker in. Good Snezu.

Roar from sky distract Cret, but he no let Snezu stop. Cret look up, try find skybeast. He see bug-god towers shoot big spines in air, but they no hit skybeast. Skybeast look small. Far away, or just small? Cret no know.

Cret see skybeast not come close to foodplace. No matter. Bug-gods take care of skybeast. He no worry about that. Cret turn back to Snezu, pull sticker out of mouth. Snezu whimper, but know what to do. Snezu turn around, bend over, pretty back in air. He see wet between legs. Snezu ready for him.

As he put sticker in her, claim her, he hear roar of skybeast again. No matter. All he care about now is claim Snezu. Then big white, and nothing.

(Cinder 1, Incux Food Resource World 1)

Heretic sighed as she leaned back in the seat. “Cinder Lead to all Cinders. Confirm good strike. Primary settlement and surrounding farming areas have been wiped out. All Cinders, report in.”

“Cinder 2, reporting in. Good strike. Primary starport eliminated, along with processing centers.”

“Cinder 3 reporting in. Good strike. Seaside settlement destroyed, along with fishing centers.”

The reports came in, one after another, as her Cinders coldly and clinically talked about the hits they’d just made on this planet. The world didn’t even have a name, since it had only been discovered by the Commonwealth after the war with the Incux started. If a local species had ever named this world, that name was long gone, along with that species.

Not that the world was uninhabited, of course. Not counting the Incux, sensors had detected no less than seven different sapient species. Though sapient might be a bit of a stretch, considering that they were all reduced to primitivism, without any written or spoken language, according to Commonwealth Intelligence. Each settlement was made of a single species, with enough of a breeding population that they could be regularly ‘farmed’ without worrying about losing the ‘herd’.

Fortunately, the mission went off without a hitch. All targets neutralized, no losses on their side. The Incux weren’t prepared for an assault like this. “Good work, Cinders. Everyone RTB and rendezvous at Mercurial. Oh, and make sure you keep with your escorts! I don’t want anyone getting killed because they were distracted by something shiny and missed a response from the Incux. So, don’t let those Beasts leave you behind! Cinder Lead, out.”

“Hey, Heretic, check this out! Cameras caught something, just before we blew that settlement,” Puritan called out.

Heretic turned to look at the screen Puritan was pointing to, and chuckled. Two knelfi, a man and a woman, in some sort of warehouse for the corn-like crop they grew in the fields around the primary settlement on the planet. The man had her bent over, ass in the air, and was clearly enjoying himself, just before the pulse torpedo hit ground.

“Well, at least they went out with a bang, right?”

Puritan chuckled at her sad attempt at humor. “Yeah, I can’t think of many ways I’d rather go out, myself. Balls deep in a girl, and then just a flash of light and it is all over. No pain, no suffering. The gamma rays put off by the torpedo kill too quickly, too cleanly, even if the blast doesn’t get them. Seriously, can’t think of a better way to go, except maybe if they waited until I was mid-cum before setting it off.”

Heretic just shook her head. “Personally, I would rather live to a nice old age, and die peacefully in my sleep, with my friends and loved ones around me, having lived a fulfilling life. That sounds like the best way to go, to me. And my Master would be very put out if I died.”

“I heard that you spent our whole leave in the Palace, getting dicked down by His Majesty. When he wasn’t blowing up countries or appearing in the CSL. Is he really as talented as everyone says?”

“Oh, trust me, he’s so much better. There’s a reason why Goddess and I voluntarily enslaved ourselves to him. But I’m not talking about this with you.”

“Fine, fine. So, feeling hungry?” Puritan wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, letting her know just which of her hungers he was hoping to feed.

“Ugh. No, I just fed yesterday, and haven’t been using my racial abilities or magics too much. Plus, with all the horndogs in the squadrons and flight crews, I can extend how long I can go without feeding just by being around while they get their rocks off. Master may have given me permission to feed as needed, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to be slutting it up all through the squadron.”

“Damn. Would have been a great way to take the edge off after a mission like this.”

“Well, if you really want to have some fun, Puritan, I can show you a trick the Crown Princess taught me. I’ll let you learn how it feels taking a foot-long monster up the ass.”

Puritan looked a bit scared at that, probably because he (rightly) figured she wasn’t joking. “Wait, you can do that? And it actually, y’know, works?”

“Shapeshifting sex demon, Puritan. You didn’t think that gay guys were off the menu, did you?”

“Man, I am learning so much about you, miss former Catholic schoolgirl.”