Hekate's Call, Chapter 7

Despite the constant requests from Morian – Dr. Kyrnn as the notices called her, though Morian's names weren't on any of the certificates in the office of Dr. Kyrnn back at Carrion – Ilina had avoided the pilot's medbay for weeks like her life depended on it. The moment she went in she would be faced with Velia, and have to face what she'd been putting off for years. Everyone hated her. She was getting pushed around again. And Velia would rest well knowing that all is right in the universe.

The commander herself showed up at her door to deliver the final notice: Report to the medbay for her routine check-up or face unspecified consequences.

Well, fuck.

There was nothing to do about it then. After all, the contract said the only person she was responsible to, and therefore had to take orders from, was Crater herself. So, without a word of complaint or backtalk, she put down the task she'd been occupied with and reported to the medbay.

Inside she found exactly what she expected: Morian and Velia having a chat. Velia — tall, brunette and pretty beyond reason — sat at an exam bench snarling at Morian. Apparently she’d interrupted something, but Crater ordered her to report so she was duty bound to do so.

”Perfect timing,” Velia’s face softened the moment she caught sight of Ilina, “I don’t want the Corpse Eater putting any more needles in me if I can help it. Come.”

A short motion was all she needed to be beckoned to Velia’s side. The needle in question was Velia’s hormones, according to the bottle and equipment laid out. In a deeply mechanical fashion Ilina set to work getting gloves from the wall and preparing the injection. She didn't remember when she started doing it for Velia or why. Just one of those small tasks she used to lord power over Ilina.

Morian idled about while she worked, occasionally letting out a smoke ring towards the nearest air scrubber that wasn’t currently working itself to death. At least she was staying away from Velia. As if Ilina had a right to be protective now.

The surreal experience of hearing Velia's voice once more was washing over her slowly. She'd heard it all the time in her mind, remembering all the little guidances and corrections she'd given her, but hearing it true in her ears was something else. The soft coos and good girls made everything feel so sweet. And her gentle touches too, brushing Ilina's arm or tousling her hair as she worked.

The needle slipped into her skin almost unimpeded. Not even a wince.

"Hmm," Velia hummed, "You haven't done this for anyone else, have you? My precious little hunter."

Her hand wanted to shake at the accusation, but she emptied the syringe and pulled it out straight. Not a single drop of blood or wasted solution. Another perfect injection. Just like before. Just as she was told to.

"Of course not," Ilina protested quietly.

Velia scratched gently at the back of Ilina's neck, pulling her close.

How could Ilina even think of another woman when Velia had always been so close at hand? The only time that her mind didn't drift to her keeper was when she was working. Well, that wasn't true either. It drifted to Velia when the work was dull and repetitive and she could just shut her brain off.

"That's wonderful," Morian announced abruptly. "I know what you think of me, Hunter, but this was not in fact a roundabout way for me to torture you."

Ilina and Velia turned to glare at Morian, but the woman just shrugged in her typical cartoonish way before continuing on.

"I am contractually obligated to submit reports on all pilot's health every week," she stepped forwards towards the two. "You think I would have called Elisabet to come fetch you for me personally just to bother you?"

"Yes," Ilina replied flatly.

"Take off your shirt." An order.

She hesitated. Morian already knew the myriad bruises there. The ones that hadn't blossomed, some that had, and some of the older ones faded. Such pretty colors, Morian had said herself the first time she looked at them. It was Velia tugging at her shirt, with that calculated smile and tilt that forced her to start unbuttoning herself.

Coincidentally, surely, the smile faded with each button, replaced with a dark expression that Ilina had never seen before. Velia was always so composed she seemed distinctly unreal at times. This was what Ilina had been striving to avoid since they started this stupid mission.

"Ah," Morian hummed, "this one is new. A baton it looks like?" A slightly more prominent dull sensation spread from the bruise as Morian jabbed it with her fingers, probing for damage. "Nothing broken. Nothing to report."

"Take off your pants." Another order, this time from Velia. Her expression was mixed, but best approximated to frustration and not anger. Ilina had failed already and they hadn't even had a conversation yet.

"No need for that, I think," Morian cut in while filing her report on her tablet. "Oh, I'd discharge you, but I don't know where you'd stay. I'll bring it up to Elisabet later."

Ilina buttoned up her shirt. She could leave, right? Her exam was done, and it was just a roundabout way of harassing her. Showing her to Velia like this. Showing that she was still small and broken. Showing Velia the rotten fruits of Ilina's betrayal and how she'd always be little more than underfoot and in the way.

Her emotions swirled and crashed as Velia wrapped arms around her and pulled her close, burying her face in Ilina's chest. Several deep, ragged breaths later she pulled back slightly. Ilina couldn’t make out her expression, but her fingers gripped Ilina’s clothes tight.

Morian put a hand on Ilina’s still bare shoulder, prompting her to finish dressing quickly. “I suppose she should be staying with you now, yeah? If Elisabet wasn’t planning on letting you two stay together I think she would have bunked you with Symeon.”

Symeon Vigil. Hound.

There were six berths in the hanger and four pilot rooms. Two spare pilots, she supposed. With only four pilots why didn’t Manya and Krystyn get their own rooms? There were words, mostly unkind, for what Ilina suspected of Vigil but a bit slow was the best she could do without using them. Not unintelligent or incapable like Ilina often felt, but the gears in that one’s head took a bit to get up to speed. Guess you didn't need to think that much you were more or less a mobile catastrophe when you put on your steel.

Ilina was desperately trying to distract herself. She needed to take Velia back. Crater had already approved it. Actually them bunking together was already written into her contract, and had been from the beginning. She wanted to offer it to a stressed and broken Velia the same way Velia offered protection to her when she joined the scouts. But that had been ruined too.

"Are you going to make me sleep alone in the infirmary again?" Velia's voice was quiet, almost meek. "I'm not mad at you," she lied through her teeth, "I miss you."

Ah. The ground felt like the thick morning soft back home. Every step sunk deep, like wading through solid mud, and like any step might be the one that had no bottom. She just didn't want to be alone with Velia. She wasn't ready to be alone with Velia. There was nothing to brace herself with. Morian. Morian.

Ilina turned sharply towards Morian. She wanted to ask for help, but the idea was lodged in her throat. Morian told her that she had to fix this problem. She also said that she could ask for help. She could ask for Morian's help.

When had anyone helped her?

When had anyone come to her aid without carving out a piece of her for themselves?

Morian was doing more smoke tricks, waiting for them to clear out. This was her intention, right? That was the whole point of this. To 'let' Ilina take Velia and go off to make up and whatever she thought Ilina wanted from Velia.

Ilina was, despite all her bluster and denial, the kind of girl who could be won over with little more than a pat on the head and some praise. She did everything Morian had ever asked with very few questions. She'd eaten Morian's fucking cigarettes for little more than a few bonus credits and a smile.

Help me.

Morian.

Morian looked back at the two people staring at her. "I've fucked on plenty of exam benches and I do not recommend it. Took me years to find a new spine. Shoo."

The door to Ilina's room sounded the same as the door to Krystyn's room. The other pilots had posters and decorations and mood lighting. The only evidence that anyone lived in Ilina's room was a gun tucked between the mattress and the wall and a sweat discoloration on the sheets from where Ilina balled herself up in the corner at night. It was an unfortunate coincidence that they sounded so similar.

"Strip."

Velia's voice sounded like how drowning felt. The undercurrent ripped out whatever courage she could muster. She could have struggled all she wanted but there wasn't anything she could do now that she'd been pulled under.

She stripped in complete silence and folded her clothes and placing them beside the bed neatly. Where had she learned to do that? Nobody had ever told her to do that, but she felt like she was supposed to.

Velia urged Ilina to the bed with her hands. There wasn't any force needed behind each little touch since Ilina moved into place with no resistance. Like a puppet or a doll being posed just right. Sit. Lean back. Spread your legs. Ilina didn't want to do that last one, but she did anyways.

The bruises on the inside of Ilina's thighs brough a mix of expressions to Velia's face. So many expressions she'd never seen Velia show before. The bruises were fading. They looked bad, if only for what they implied. It was just Krystyn kicking her and stomping on them, threatening to break her legs. With only four pilots, Hekate couldn't risk it. It was an empty threat. She was fine. The bruises would fade.

She hooked her arms under Ilina's legs and dragged her into a better position on the bed as she shuffled into place between them, and propped Ilina up on her thighs. Huh? They were both avoiding eye contact as Velia began to unbuckle her pants.

Wait.

Waitwaitwait.

What was going on?

Their eyes finally met in that silence. Velia trembled for a moment and couldn't seem to pull away from Ilina's stare. What was that face she was making? Ilina had lost any concept on how to read Velia. Every expression was full of twitching muscles desperately trying to pull it into a different shape. Like it was her first time with a face at all.

"Sssstopp that," Velia lunged forward and shoved a hand into Ilina's face, pushing it away. "Fuckkk, I can't. I can't do this while looking at that stupid grin and those fucking doe eyes."

Velia pulled back and flipped Ilina over onto her stomach with surprising force before leaning forward to shove her face deep into the pillow.

"Don't turn around. Don't fffucking look at me." Her voice was strained and she managed to slur and stutter through the whole thing. Stressed and desperate through and through. It was... cute?

Velia shook her way out of her trousers and jammed a few fingers in Ilina before muttering good enough and shoving her cock all the way in. Ilina blushed at the first full stroke, just as desperate as Velia's voice and with enough force behind it there was little she could do but moan and attempt to brace herself.

"Shut up!" Velia barked before smothering her in the bed, "I can't... I need to concentrate."

Never, in Ilina surprising experience, had this been a task that required concentration. She chewed on her tongue and tried to keep herself quiet anyways. The sensation itself wasn't pleasant, but there was something both calming and perverse about playing the part of Velia's sleeve and getting to hear things Velia would never let slip in front of another person.

I'm close. I'm close. Please. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. C'mon. I need it. I need it so bad. It's right there. Fuck.

It sure was dragging on. Fruitless and increasingly desperate humping at varying speeds and strength. Ilina might have wondered if it was somehow her fault if Velia hadn't cursed Morian's name out loud every time she had to slow down or adjust Ilina's rear for whatever new approach she was about to try. It started as a curse, but it was clear that Velia was sprinting through that whole cycle of emotions that started with denial and ended with suicide.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Morian, please. Fuck. I'm so close. Please. Please.

Morian wasn't even in the room. Ilina couldn't exactly feign ignorance about what was happening. The woman used the same tricks on several of her corpses. Specially blended drug cocktails to ensure constant, agonizing arousal but deny climax. Velia could go on for as long as she wanted but she'd never reach the goal.

Ilina would go and advocate for Velia at some point, or at the very least have the Corpse Eater explain this silly plan that subjected her to possibly the most pathetic and dreary sex she'd ever had. It wasn't a great first showing for Velia's otherwise incredible dick. It was a decent display of stamina though.

Finally, after crying and drooling across Ilina's back, Velia collapsed on her and wrapped her arms around Ilina. The way they slept in the barracks. Nostalgic. It smelled a lot more of Velia's sweat than the barracks did, but that was hardly a negative.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Ilina was about to turn when she was pushed back.

"Don't look at me right now. I didn't hurt you, right?"

"I'm okay. I'll be a bit sore tomorrow, but that's not your fault."

In the silence of the next minute, Ilina slipped into the most restful sleep she'd gotten in years.