Cat was trying very hard to be interested in the discussion about new ember engines with the man who kept trailing off to stare at her body in the black swimsuit. She had to admit, it was hard for her not to look at the other women herself. Of course, the whole conversation ended when Hannah and Ving entered the area, leading the other racers into the pool. Some of the deckhands had already set up privacy curtains, though Cat didn't think they were made for direct sun because she could see Liddy’s silhouette riding a man behind one of them. Mari didn't seem to have bothered with one at all, pinned to the edge of the pool by a man thrusting inside her, almost unnoticed.

Hannah pulled Ving in for a kiss, their breasts crushing together and straining the limits of the fabric. She pulled Ving on top of her as she laid down on a deck chair, keeping their intense kiss intact. Ving started to grind herself against the thigh that rose between her legs.

Everyone watched, some in stunned silence, others while they went about indulging themselves in a similar fashion. Cat hadn't even noticed that she had been pulled onto the lap of the man she had been talking with until she felt him trying to push inside her dry. She grunted in frustration with him, but took control of the penetration rather than stop it. Aroused enough herself, she was able to guide him in with the swimsuit pushed to the side. After a few slow movements, lubrication was not an issue as Cat watched hands touching Ving and Hannah as they kissed. She then noticed that her breasts had been pulled free and were in the grip of the man she was moving her hips over.

Liddy saw someone move the privacy screen away to see what was going on and opened her mouth wide to let her tongue hang out. The man, unlike some who did when she tried to be obvious, didn't miss the hint and gave her something to satisfy her oral fixation. The other man, holding her hips as she straddled him, didn't seem to like it, but wasn't going to stop anything in case it also stopped his fun.

Mari smiled at Vile who was in the water with her. While she was pinned against the wall, Vile stood in the deepest part of the pool where her size was less intimidating. Vile didn't need to know how to swim at her height but enjoyed the water a great deal. As the pool filled up, many looked to see her massive breasts floating on the surface, the water just barely covering up her nipples. Though she soon went to shallower water, as a man wanted to lift her legs and let her float on her back while he pushed inside her. He thrust into her body with ease as he held her thighs in the water. Vile wasn't sure he even knew she had hooves. She saw Emma, sitting on the edge with her feet in the water, waving at her, as if looking for approval. Vile nodded and soon felt a spectral hand sliding over her body, making ripples in the water as it gripped her breasts hard. It was a far bigger grip than the little elf could have done on her own, and Vile gasped as it yanked on her nipples in turn, harder than she expected.

Ving worked her hips over Hannah's mouth, feeling her lover's tongue working over the folds of flesh and pushing into her before repeating the pattern. Her own tongue licked at the manhood thrusting between her breasts; it’s seed emptied onto her chest before she could put her lips around it. The man who had put some towels under Hannah’s hips fared better, thrusting into her lover hard, not losing his load until after the second man started between Ving's breasts. Again, Ving climaxed as the thrusting inside Hannah gave the attentions from her tongue extra feeling. After the second man had unloaded on her breasts, Ving looked down to watch some of it drip onto Hannah’s face. Although her mouth was busy, Ving could see the smile in Hannah’s eyes.

Easy beat her wings as hard as she could, her legs on the shoulders of a man, trying to lift herself up then stop to drop herself down on the man inside her. It was exhausting, but the small group of men around her cheered whenever she did it. His arms wrapped around her when she dropped so she wouldn't fall to the ground. Each effort required some time to rest her wings, when the man would take over to hold her by the bum and slam himself into her.

Almost unseen was Leira, under the water, with her legs around one man thrusting deep enough into her to feel like you could see him pushing her belly from the inside. She took another down her throat. She wished someone else had gills so they could pay attention to her breasts as they grew with her arousal. Instead, she had to take care of them herself while the two men thrust into her. She had to remind herself to occasionally let the man slide enough out of her throat to let her gills breathe.

****

Between the Harlots and the other women who had gotten in the mood, the people on deck had played until they were sexually exhausted. Liddy looked up to see Inky between the legs of one of the female racers who wasn't Ving. Vile was holding onto the railings of the ship, while Easy kneeled behind her to ‘massage the soreness away’. A few snaps with her fingers got everyone dressed in swimwear, and they congregated around her.

“Alright, that was fun, but we should be getting work done. I have a lead on some… work, so we should focus on that, now that people know about us. Unless someone else has a lead, we should rally at the ship.”

The trip back to the ship gathered a lot of interested looks as the women walked in their swimwear, despite the towels that some wore around their hips. Once they were back in the lounge, Foxy confirmed it was safe to talk.

“Alright,” Liddy started. “Long story short, the Ember shortage is crap, total misunderstanding. Yet it doesn't seem like anyone will stop fighting. Rumor has it alliances are forming and this whole mess might get bigger real soon. Aside from that, I managed to piss off a farm owner. Cat?”

“I followed him to a bar, but he had already made arrangements to leave. From what he said, I think the farm is in a mountain somewhere. When I tried to get him to say more by letting my captain drop me off, he didn't bite. Though he did mention that his garrison commander was staying a bit longer. Maybe we can find an in to the farm with him.”

“That's a plan. Anything else?”

“Some man at the pool was talking about new ember engines. I think the imagined shortage and the war spurred some ingenuity.”

“Alright, only one of us needs to find this garrison commander. Who wants him? The rest of us will charm our way into conversations about the meetings and see if we can learn everything without having to sit through any more meetings. That first one was tedious in the extreme -- and that was just the introductory meeting. Find out what might be worth knowing and try and get a post-coital lecture.”

“I’ll do him.” Emma offered.

“Really? It’s probably his job to enslave and punish Emberborn. Why?”

“Because I can steal things with the spectral hand while we fuck. Plus, I can pass as human if he doesn't want an Emberborn, but can also show off my ears if that's what he wants most.”

“If you are sure, then it’s your call. Where can we find him Cat?”

“I have his room number and the bar he likes.”

“Good, then this is the plan. Emma, get anything you can out of him, find out how we can use him to find this new farm and take it by force. If it’s in the mountains, then we need to avoid the direct approach. Ving? Take Hope directly to the capital, let the church know what we are doing, and get back here as soon as you can. Use your racer and fly fast.” Ving perked up from between Hannah’s legs to smile and nod at Hope before going back down. “Inky, think up scenarios for an assault or covert insertion. We can change the plan based on what Emma tells us.” Inky nodded, her face serious despite the tails inside her.

****

Davis was frustrated. He had missed the excitement on deck because he had skipped the race in order to take a nap. The idea that a whole gaggle of women, who you would normally have to pay through the nose to be with, had been giving it away for free in some kind of celebration over the race. He hadn't even gotten to see them in the hall, just heard about it after the fact. As a result, he decided he needed a drink, and hoped that if anything else happened, he would be there to hear about it sooner.

As he approached the only bar on the ship that sold liquor from his home city, he noticed a young girl in a dress sitting on the bench outside the bar. She seemed lonely, clutching a handbag, and as he approached, noticed how well her dress showed off her tiny body. He wasn't sure how a child got on the ship, but wanted an excuse to look down at her cleavage.

“Excuse me, little girl, are you alright?” he asked.

“Oh yes, I'm fine. I just can't get served anywhere.” Emma smiled up at him like most women do when they want to hide how upset they feel.

“Well, maybe you should go talk to whomever is looking after you.”

“If I know her, she's probably on her back, with me as the furthest thing from her mind.”

****

Liddy laid on her back as the luckiest butler in the world thrust into her. He didn't know why she had been so fascinated with being laid down in a servants quarters when his master was in the next room. He knew his master would have rather been with her than talk about business, but he wasn't going to ask. They just had to be quiet and he was alright with that. As they silently listened to his master talk finances, he felt his fur get slick with sweat as he thrust into the noblewoman under him. She, on the other hand, struggled to focus on the conversation as thoughts of Emma being in the same position, under a man far less enjoyable than an Emberborn hung like a moose -- with the fur and antlers to match entered her mind.

****

“Oh, I see.” His response told Emma he was struggling to contain his excitement. “Well, how about I get something for us to share, and we can forget about other things.”

“Oh, I don't want to be a bother.” Emma was inwardly disgusted She had dressed as young as possible with her wardrobe, and the man she already had reason to hate, tried to take ‘advantage’ of her.

“Nonsense, you are lonely and I can't leave a young girl like yourself unprotected.”

“Oh thank you!” Emma sounded excited, wondering if it was his first time trying to lull a young girl into his confidence.

He went into the bar and came out soon with a bottle, then took her hand. As they walked, she noticed he had gotten lost a few times due to missing turns. She didn't need to look up to know he had been staring at her chest. When they did get to his room, he sat her down on a chair and poured them both a glass. She took a sniff, playing the role of an inexperienced girl, and then took a sip. He grinned widely like a predator when she took another sip. Emma silently swore, he had gotten something sweet, just for her. She watched as he took a sip himself, then laughed before taking a bigger sip herself. He didn't respond well to his own drink, so it was a slight relief to Emma that perhaps he hadn't done this before and learned to enjoy the sweet drink. By the time she was done with her glass, she started to sway like she was having trouble with her balance. Of course, she could have downed at least two more before feeling anything, but he didn't need to know that.

“So, what does she do on her back?” he asked. “I mean, do you know? Why would that be more fun than spending time with you?”

It was really hard for Emma to avoid accidentally using the spectral hand to crush him by the balls. “She gets naked and lets men on top of her. Says it's how a woman gets work done. She won't tell me about it though.”

“You want to learn how it’s done?”

“You work naked as well?” Emma tried to sound confused.

He laughed, genuinely. “Ah, no, I spend my time telling soldiers what to do. But none of them are women.”

“Men and women work differently then?”

“Well it depends on who they are, but yes. A girl like you would do things differently than I would.” He brushed her hair off her shoulders, but not enough to push the braids off her ears.

“What about me? I can't do the job you do?”

“Well no, it’s complicated.” He waved his hands at some papers on the desk across the room.

Emma got up to go look at the desk, all excited, only to fall over after a few steps -- like she had lost her balance. The man picked her up, and Emma felt him gripping her breast with one hand while the other held her hip. Back on her feet, she looked intently at the desk, to see what was important and saw what looked like some maps. He guided her to sit on the bed.

“Sorry, I don't normally fall over like that. I feel weird. Like, excited, but funny.”

“It’s alright. It just means you are better doing things like your mommy. Lay on your back like her and let me show you.”

Emma laid back, then watched him strip out of his clothing, seeing his manhood so hard and erect sickened her as much as it would have aroused her under normal circumstances. She also wondered how many men who had paid to be with her, pretended she was so young. He climbed onto the bed and rested on top of her. It was hard for her to breathe, and she could see him drooling on her breasts as they pushed out with her struggles. She felt a hand sliding up her dress to rub her, pressing far more roughly than he should have for a girl's first time.

“What are you doing?” Emma asked, gently lifting papers off the desk, watching over his back.

“Hush, just showing you how to be like your mommy. I bet she liked doing this naked.”

Emma cursed as he ripped apart her fine dress, instead of letting her unfasten from the back. He didn't care, not bothering to wait until he was finished before licking her breasts. Unaware that they belonged to a fully developed woman. She wondered if he could tell the difference. The first paper she held in the air didn't look important. Since she couldn't take everything, she set it down. By the time he finally had her dress off, torn to pieces, she had been looking at the next paper. One by one, they floated in the air. When she found one she liked, she silently put it in her handbag.

“You tore off my dress,” Emma complained weakly.

****

Foxy was outright disgusted already, but growled when she heard Emma. “She's going to need a replacement for her dress.”

“Oh, shame,” Cat replied. “I liked that one. Why the hell don't men know how to take those things off right?”

****

“Hush, it’s okay,” was his only response as he pulled off the expensive lace from her hips.

She was thankful he didn't ruin them as well, but it wasn't exactly redemption for the dress, let alone everything else wrong with him. If he was worried about what he was doing, it went away as he heard her giggle. Taking it as a sign, he slowly rubbed himself on her cleanly-shaven womanhood. Of course, Emma had been imagining what would happen to him by the time they were done with him when she giggled. Either he didn't care or didn't think about it, but when he finally pushed himself inside Emma, she just took it in stride. A virgin her size would have been screaming in pain at the intrusion, but that could have ended his distraction.

Emma leaned off to the side, the man on top of her was using the headboard for leverage and she was too small for him to face her anyway. Tears streaked her cheeks as she accepted him inside her. Emma found it tedious to keep up the tears while focusing on what papers she was floating off the desk and what to keep. She had yelped as he rammed her a lot harder than she had gotten used to, and soon figured it was because he had started to pump his seed into her. Hoping she had gotten enough, she closed her handbag and returned the other papers to the desk.

“That really hurt, but it always seemed like mommy was getting hurt. Then she said it was the best part.”

“It is, when you get used to it. We can do this again in a few minutes. I need to rest. You can do another mommy thing and use your mouth to clean me up. Let me show you.”

“Oh, she might be looking for me soon. I don't know how long she is going to…” Emma got cut off.

“Emma!” Cat called from the hall, sounding like she was storming through. “Emma, where are you?!”

“Mom!” Emma yelled before suddenly clasping her hands over her mouth.

“What are you doing in a room?!”

“Sorry,” Emma whispered to the man who was now in full panic. “Wait, Mom, just a minute!”

“Open this door right now!” Cat yelled, hammering on the door.

“Hide your things,” Emma whispered. “I’ll say my dress got ripped and someone told me to stay here while they fetched a tailor. Just don't make it look like a man stays in here.”

While he dashed to collect his clothing, Emma slipped her panties back on, then ran to the desk and shoved everything in a case. She handed it to him as he tossed things into the closet and pushed him in with it. Then, she put her dress back on as best as she could and opened the door.

“What is the matter with you, girl!” Cat yelled in her haughtiest tone possible, slapping Emma across the face.

While the slap was pulled, Emma fell to the floor as if the strike was far more severe. “I’m sorry, Mother. My dress, it got torn, then a nice lady told me to wait here while she fetched…”

“I don't want to hear it!” Cat mouthed an apology, thinking she had hit her too hard. “Get your things and get out. I’m far too busy to chase after you!”

Emma waved off the apology and nodded towards the closet, where the man stood in the dark, unable to see. “Yes, mother.” She picked up her handbag and left with Cat.

Between the two of them and Foxy, they were able to get Emma to a nearby dress shop to buy a replacement in a matter of moments.

****

Liddy walked in on Hannah with Inky, drawing on some papers. “I thought I asked Inky to work the combat scenarios? Why aren't you out seducing someone?”

Hannah looked up, “Because Trixy, you told the cavalry officer to think up scenarios involving mountains, so she tapped the soldier with experience with said terrain. You know, the one who once lived in a city on a mountain that was, in turn, surrounded by mountains.”

“Oh, I suppose that does make sense. Anything good?”

“That depends. If the defending commander is anything like me, it will be a death trap. But, that being said, people generally only defend against things after they have been attacked. So they might actually not be set up to repel an attack. The first farm was much more exposed, but was geared towards stopping escapes. If this place is so isolated, it might actually be easier.”

“This might help.” Foxy waved a bunch of papers as she walked in. “Layouts, deployments, shift schedule. Not sure if this is current or something he’s planned to employ, but that doesn't change the maps.”

“Excellent! How's Emma?” Liddy asked, full of concern.

****

While Cat wasn't interested in the man it belonged to, she didn't waste a drop as it slid out of Emma and into her mouth. She wanted her clean of that man and didn't want to leave a trace in the dressing room. Emma watched Cat work on her with the surrounding mirrors. It was a thrill to see a woman between her legs from so many different angles.

When the tailor came in with a new dress, he stopped in his tracks as he saw Cat finish cleaning Emma.

“My friend here just had some rather unpleasant sex and needs to vent some frustrations. If you want, you can help her with that before getting her back into her dress. Just let her do all the work.”

He paused, looking concerned.

“Don't worry,” Emma spoke. “I’m older than she is.” She showed off her ears.

Cat helped him unfasten his trousers and lay down on the platform. Emma straddled him and started to work her hips, happy to feel a man that didn't disgust her within her body. He watched her perky breasts bounce with youthful exuberance as she picked up the pace. The man grunted, losing his load inside her, but Emma kept going. She helped keep him stiff and worked him in and out of her body. Watching herself work in the mirror's finally sent her over the edge. A climax ripped through her tiny frame, and even forced him to have one with her. She slowed, relaxing.

“I needed that,” Emma sighed. “Thanks, I also have a dress that needs mending.”

****

"Everyone, listen up!” Hannah started her briefing. “For some reason, Trixy left me in command. She and Cat have convinced the garrison commander to bring them to the farm. He had been told about Cat, but she explained to him that Liddy was the one who pissed off his boss and is being taken as a prisoner after being drugged. Thankfully, he didn't recognize Cat from whence she pulled Emma away from him.”

Everyone was paying close attention, without distraction.

“Inky and I have formulated our battle plan. Ving and Hope are, pardon the pun, hopefully on the way with backup. If everything goes according to plan, we should have the jump on them and be able to roll this whole thing up quickly. Now, for the specifics…”

****

Vile heated the water a bit. It was a lot smaller than the deck pool, but that made it easier to heat. Of course, had she known Leira was under the surface, she would have skipped it.

“Oh, fuckity fuck!” Leira yelled, leaping out of the water.

“Oh no! I'm so sorry!” Vile responded.

“It’s alright. You should have assumed I am always in there. I should stop trying to surprise people by hiding under the surface.”

Vile watched Leira’s hair shift to a more comfortable colour. Leira noticed how intently Vile was eying her up. Her breasts started to inflate, gathering more attention from Vile, who stood up to face the mermaid. The powerful frame towered over Leira who moved to stand on the edge so their eyes met. Their breasts touched and Leira let hers grow bigger, big enough to almost match Vile.

“Alright, I’m impressed,” Vile commented, taking them in her hands and rubbing the nipples against her own.

“I bet you fucking are. They hurt like fuck to make them this big but they are so much more sensitive. How sensitive are yours?” Leira took Vile by the nipples and pinched hard while she twisted and yanked.

Vile let out a hoarse scream as if she had lost her voice. She retaliated by driving her tails into Leira. “VeryI Inky is too focused on what’s to come to de-stress me. My job is simply to show up wherever something goes wrong. Think a little slut like you can do anything about it?”

Leira felt Vile grip her puffer tits in her giant demoness hands, “I think I am an expert at letting myself be used. This slut is ready to see what you can do to her.”

Vile flicked her forked tongue over the massive breasts in her hands and bit down all over, watching the dents in the sparkly scales disappear as she moved over them. The tails worked inside the mermaid, filling all the available space they could before ripping out of the body to make Leira scream.

****

Hope could tell Ving was tense. She kissed her on the neck, sliding her hands over her breasts and squeezing gently.

At first, Ving didn't respond, too focused on holding onto the controls even though they were locked in place. She felt her pants being unfastened so that Hope could slide her hand down the front. It didn't feel like the right time to be doing anything like that, but she never told Hope to stop.

“You need to have faith that everything that can be done is being done,” Hope soothed softly into Ving’s ear.

“I know. If I wasn't doing this right now, then things would be worse. But it still feels like doing nothing.”

“Waiting can often be a greater torture than pain. The uncertainty of life can be ignored when you have other things to do. So, let me occupy your body and mind until you are at peace.”

Ving let go of the controls, hands stiff from her tight grip on them. Hope turned her around to hold her hands and softly squeeze them to return the blood flow. They kissed, Ving letting her hands be placed on the breasts under the robes. She held them, teasing the nipples on them as she felt hands sliding under her blouse to do the same. Hope mirrored her actions as she moved one hand between her legs. Ving explored under the robes until she found where her fingers could slide into the flesh of the woman before her. She felt Hope enter her, fingers between her legs, tongue in her mouth, and Hope's faith enter into her heart.

****

Liddy was still bored. She couldn't really enjoy the attentions of her captors. She had seduced one of the guards, knowing full well he couldn't make good on his promise to let her go if she spread her legs for him. The problem was that the trip was taking a long time and he had finished too quickly. Even with his friend taking turns on her, she was still left wanting. However, pleasure was never the goal. She simply wanted them to let their guard down. They didn't even chain her back up after having their fun anymore. When they redressed, she even handed them their belts with their sidearms. Of course, it wouldn't have done her any good to make a fuss while in transit. It just annoyed her that the two most sexually useless men were guarding her. At least if a fight came up, she knew they lacked the stamina to stick with it. Regardless, she wiggled her bum in the air as she was bent over a table this time. They might have lasted longer if she didn't moan or play along, but that would kill the perception that she was enjoying it.

****

Cat was taken by the hand as she was lead down the ramp by the garrison commander. Their ship had landed on a platform clearly built to accommodate a much larger vessel. The air was a lot colder than she expected, and she shivered as it blew across her exposed skin. She turned to look at the ship she had arrived in. It was smaller than the Lucky Harlot. She saw Liddy being escorted out of the hold by one of the guards. Her dress was a mess and she looked the part of the unwilling prisoner, but she had been listening to Liddy having sex the whole trip so she knew she was fine.

“Here he is now,” the man at her side commented, drawing her attention forward.

She saw the man she met at the bar storm across the platform, passing the main gun emplacement. The men manning it saluted as he walked by, but were totally ignored. Liddy was pushed forward and Cat could see the hands behind her back were not bound, meaning her hard work had paid off. When the farm owner reached Liddy, he didn't say anything before winding up for a hard strike.

As his fist came around at Liddy, she dodged backwards, using her free hand to pull a needle from her hair to put in its way. He screamed once he realised where the sudden pain in his fist was coming from. Everyone was startled, including the guard next to Liddy, who felt a needle in his neck at the same moment he felt a tug on his belt. Liddy drew the sidearm and pulled back the hammer as she aimed it at the man clutching his wrist.

Almost forgotten, Cat relieved the garrison commander of his weapon and fired it into his knee. She took a step back and, without breaking eye contact, reached into her purse.

“So, we decided against the subtle approach?” Cat asked.

“Yes, I told you. Open hand strikes we just roll with. But a closed fist means we fight.” Liddy responded.

“Right. Still, seemed kind of soon.” Cat pulled the flare gun out of her purse and fired it in an arc over the deck of the ship.

“Oh, I agree, but we have the two most important prisoners here already. Assuming those morons who are still standing near their gun saluting don't do anything, we are fine. I was worried they would hate them both enough not to care if we took them prisoner but they are still just standing there.”

“Oh, they look like they might be talking now, trying to decide if they should do anything.”

A sudden gust of air blew across the platform, lifting their dresses, as the Lucky Harlot suddenly rose up from below the platform. After hovering for a moment, quickly landed right next to the smaller ship. Liddy cringed as she heard the hulls scraping against each other. They were suddenly ignored as the gun crew finally snapped to action. Liddy and Cat could hear shouting from their ship.

****

“Flare!” Conna called, looking up through the skylight.

Her call was repeated by everyone else who saw it soon after. Easy was fretting at the controls, the very brief instruction from Liddy on how to fly didn't seem like it had been enough. Following the airship, keeping low and behind them, had been difficult enough, but now came the ‘hard part’. Leira threw the lever to give them lift and Easy had to keep them from slamming into the platform as they rose while still moving towards it so that they would be over it when they dropped back down.

“Oh fuckity fuck!” Easy swore, for which Leira approved. “We are too high!”

“No!” Leira countered. “We are perfect. Get us over, I am bringing us down.”

Leira pushed the lever the opposite direction and the ship rapidly descended. Easy tried to push the ship sideways enough to get it next to the ship already on the platform that had been jutting out from the side of the cliff. They felt the ship shudder and thud as it used the other ship as an ancillary breaking mechanism.

“We down?” Easy asked.

“We’re down! Clear the ship, sweep tight and fast. Deploy the MG!” Inky shouted.

“We are down,” Leira stated.

****

Liddy was worried. The defence gun that the defenders were making ready to fire was big enough to put a hole in her ship -- and the ship they were using for cover wasn't big enough to block it. There was a pop from behind her, the echo from the shot, and Liddy saw one of the men at the gun drop.

****

Laurel grinned happily. Her new scope was perfectly sighted. She worked the action and chambered another round. The men at the gun worked hard to pull the body from the gun so they could finish loading it. She spotted the one hauling the shell. ‘Idiots’ she thought to herself. ‘They should have kept it loaded.’ The man carrying the shell was the next to die. From the exposed forward deck of the Harlot, Laurel owned the platform.

****

Hannah was the first through the door, her trench gun being the ideal weapon for close quarters clearing of a ship. The bridge crew had been unarmed and surrendered. Below decks, a guard had been sleeping in a room reeking of sex. She clobbered the guard with the butt of her weapon, not sure what Liddy would want to be done with him. Aside from him, the ship was clear of threats. The girls backing her up, while ready for anything, sighed with relief that the boarding had gone so smoothly.

****

Inky joined Liddy on the deck, noticing the two men at the main gun, standing with their hands in the air.

“That went well,” Liddy stated.

“All things considered, yes. I expected them to get at least one shot off with that gun. Did they not even keep it loaded?” Inky asked.

Neither of the mewling men on the deck answered.

“Answer me!” Inky demanded, kicking the commander in the knee.

He howled in pain, “I’m not telling you anything, you bitch!”

“Oh yes, you will!” came the response from the ship.

His eyes widened when he saw Emma, angry and armed, stomping towards him. “You!” he exclaimed. Emma gestured, and an invisible hand slammed his face into the deck.

“Yes me! Now, unless you want to know what it feels like to have your heart stopped, tell us what we want to know!”

“Also,” Liddy added, looking at the man clutching his fist. “If you can use the public address system to tell the rest of your men to surrender, that would save us some time.”

“We don't have a public address system!” He was almost crying when he replied. “Nobody does anything unless instructed to do so in person!”

“Oh,” Inky sighed. “You are one of ‘those’ kinds of leaders. For fuck's sake.”

“Right, so do we lead in with the prisoners?” Hannah asked, joining the group.

Foxy and Kilty took the gun crew survivors prisoner.

“They won't listen to you or us! The animals used to take guards hostage when they escaped, so we told them to shoot anyways,” the garrison commander explained.

Liddy nodded towards him, and Inky drove her bayonet into his skill. “So, are you sure you aren't useful to us?” Liddy asked the farm owner.

His reply was a pool of urine he created before passing out in it.

“Right then.” Liddy reached down to yank her blade out of his fist. “Inky, this is your show now.”

“Again! Cavalry officer!” Hannah blurted out.

“Something to share?” Inky asked.

“Go in quiet and kill quietly. Since the main gun didn't go off, they probably don't know what's happened.”

“Alright, I admit, my first thought was to get inside with Vile to burn them out.”

“You can get inside Vile later with the rest of us.” Hannah paused to collect smiles. “Let’s keep things quiet as long as we can.”

Even though she was the opposite of stealthy, Vile joined the combat team while the rest of the girls stayed to hold the prisoners.

There were two doors into the mountain, a large loading bay, and a smaller conventional metal door to the side. They gathered near the smaller door when Foxy waved them to the sides, indicating she heard something. Moments later the door opened and six armed men, casually chatting, walked out. They didn't notice anything amiss until they saw the bodies of the men they were supposed to relieve. Turning around to sound an alarm, they finally noticed the armed women lining the wall, all aiming weapons at them. Putting their hands up in a fine display good judgement, they were disarmed and gathered with the other prisoners. Foxy looked through the door and listened before waving everyone else inside.

Like the last farm, there was a giant loading bay meant to store Emberborn prior to shipping. The layout, shown to them by the map Emma had given them, identified two main sections after the dock. The first was the breeding pens, looking like cages lined up on the map, made it obvious they didn't use the magic collars the other farm had. The second section was the staff quarter. Inky sent Foxy with Conna, Juno, and Astra to clear the pens. She wanted both Vile and Hannah with her since any problems that manifested would be near the bulk of the staff.

****

Foxy led her team into the breeding pens -- and was immediately sickened. Row upon row of women were locked into alcoves, pregnant, and force-fed with tubes while their breasts were milked. The glazed over eyes didn't notice them enter, each of them seemed resigned to their fate. After a few moments, a confused pair flickered to life. Foxy moved over to it and placed her hand on the woman's face.

“You will be free very soon,” Foxy whispered.

Unable to speak, the woman seemed to panic while trying to look away. Foxy looked to where she indicated and waved her girls forward. She nodded to the woman and left. It was hard to hear anything with so much going on around her, but getting to the small gap between cages let her hear the patrol coming. Foxy backed up, pressed against one of the women in the cages, and waited for the men to pass. She lunged up with her rifle, stabbing her bayonet through his chin while Juno did the same to the man following him. Neither were aware of what happened when they died. They started to get noticed by the women in the cages. After dragging the bodies out of the way, they started stalking the other patrols.

****

Inky had been wrong about Vile: she was excellent at stealthily taking out guards. While they stood stunned at the sudden entry of the giant demoness, the rest of them could move in and force a surrender. You can't always sneak up in someone's blind spot, but certain things make people blind to everything. Her lover was a perfect example of it.

****

In the next set of cages, Foxy could see the women strapped to a table, still with the feeding tubes and milking machines attached, but they weren't pregnant. The males came in from behind to breed them. Some were escorted by guards; most likely the new arrivals were still trying to resist their actions. A feline, trapped on a table as a male worked inside her, was the first to notice Foxy. Like the other woman, she tried to tell her something with her eyes. Foxy looked and saw a ladder against the wall next to the door she entered through. Sending Juno and Astra up it to the catwalks above, Foxy moved into the pens with Conna. The guards, distracted by their jobs and the louder complaints from the slaves, didn't hear a thing or notice the women above them pointing them out as, one by one, their comrades died. The males, surprised, didn't need much direction to stop what they were doing. Foxy didn't have the keys to unchain them, but for the moment she preferred to keep it that way; she couldn't control the engagement if they started doing things. They were just told to sit down and keep quiet.

****

Ving was surprised to find the ship crushed up against another. Though considering the manoeuvre, Easy had done a good job and told her so. Her only complaint was Leira teaching her to swear. After some time spent re-parking the ships as close to the side as she could, she went to find Hannah.

****

Bullets whizzed past Hannah as she kept behind cover. As the shooter paused to reload, she fired a few shells down the hall and through the door to the armoury. Her lack of success became apparent as he resumed fire. She sighed.

“I thought the farm was secured?” Ving asked, keeping her distance.

Hannah turned around and flashed a warm smile. “Almost. Got a straggler holed up in the armoury. Loser doesn't know he's beaten yet!”

“So it’s a standoff?”

“Yeah, well, we can wait it out. So I just fire a few shells whenever he needs to reload, but I’m not going to charge him. Tara found out the hard way that her combat corset can stop bullets when she tried it.”

“Is she alright?”

“Going to be a hell of a bruise, but yeah. Seems like.”

“Can't we use, like, toss in a grenade or something?”

“No, we don't want the whole armoury cooking off. Thankfully, this guy is either an idiot or non-suicidal and won't do that himself.”

“What if he throws grenades at you?”

Almost as she said it, a grenade landed at Hannah’s feet after bouncing off the wall before suddenly being flung farther down the hallway to explode.

“Thanks, Emma.” Hannah nodded at the elf who was in the hall on the other side of the intersection.

“Oh, I didn't see you there.” Ving smiled at Emma who was focused watching for another toss. “I’m glad you got that ring. It’s really come in handy.”

“I’m glad this moron doesn't let them cook before throwing them.”

“He might…” Ving started before they were interrupted with screaming from the armoury.

It died off with a gurgle.

“Clear!” Foxy shouted from inside the armoury.

“Nope, pretty sure he won't.” Hannah laughed before entering the armoury, ready to fire.

Hannah didn't let her guard down until she saw Foxy standing over the corpse in the room. She saw the open vent cover on the floor. She lowered her weapon and turned to kiss Ving on the lips.

****

The ordeal of releasing the Emberborn from captivity was made easier by all the male breeders being more than willing to help. Unshackling them was far less tedious than their previous experience with the control collars. Only one set of keys was needed for all of them.

“How are things going?” Liddy asked Inky as they looked around the main office.

“Foxy was talking with them. Apparently, they colour code the tags on everyone's ears for ‘maximum genetic diversity’, so she has the males finding women they wouldn't have been breeding with to help. Between them and the females still able to move, we are taking care of the females who haven't moved in a long time. Some had been bound for years. The only time they move them is to switch their cages, depending on if they are pregnant.”

“Hope said they delivered their request to the church in the capital. They should be here soon, with help.”

“I had the prisoners stripped naked and kept on the platform. Between their clothing, what was already here, and every sheet I could find, we have enough to cover everyone. Though you may need to give up some dresses if we run out.”

“That's fine. Whatever they need. What about food? Something other than what comes through those tubes would be better.”

“Already raided the kitchen. They had just been restocked.”

“As much as I would like them to get out of this place, don't let them on the platform. I don't want anyone jumping.”

“Agreed. I will keep the girls ready to stop them if they try it. That being said, most can't even walk right. Some can't at all. I thought that first farm was bad, but this is something else.”

“How’s Vile?”

“She was fine until she got to the cages.”

****

Vile didn't wait for keys before tearing off the restraints. As the freed males came in to lift up the women who couldn't walk, one stopped to look at her.

“Please, help them out of here,” Vile asked, trying to stifle her fury.

“Ashen?” he asked.

The fire inside Vile froze. Nobody, not even her old owner, knew her given name. She didn't recognize the man but the voice sounded familiar.

“It is you!” he shouted, seeing the look on her face.

He leapt forward, tears streaking down the fur on his face, to hold Vile tightly in embrace.

“I know you?” she asked.

“Yes, don't you remember?”

“No, I was made to wear a collar that made me think things. I was told to forget so much and it only comes back in pieces. I’m sorry. Who are you?”

“Boorman, I lived in the village with your parents. You were the only child born to that generation and you were covered in ash. I helped deliver you. Your horns were smaller but caused a bit of trouble on your way out.”

“How are you still alive?! I didn't think anyone I knew could have lasted this long?”

“I was only fourteen when you were born. I was kept as a servant since I wasn't really old enough to breed, and I did such a good job that I was just kept as such. I was making beds in the barracks when those women came in. Rather terrifying, until they told me what was going on. I wasn't sure it was real until that fox spoke with me.”

“We have so much to catch up on! The farm I was taken to is now a free city. The church is on the way to take everyone there, where they can be safe. Help me get these women free and we can talk more when we are done.”

They broke their embrace to get back to work, talking more as they went.

****

Liddy looked at the papers again, then looked at the tag hanging from the woman's ear. The man sitting with her was holding her, trying to get her to drink some water.

“What is it, Liddy?” Easy asked as she walked in.

Liddy handed her the paper and watched as she read it.

Easy knelt down in front of the woman. “Excuse me, can you hear me?”

The woman stared blankly into space, only dimly aware of the fairy in front of her. Easy held her hands until she finally focused on her eyes. “Who?” she muttered from her raw throat.

“I’m your daughter. I’m here to save you.” Easy tried not to cry but failed as the stumps on the woman's back began to move as if the wings were still attached.