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Hearth Star: Broadsiders

By Psion

All Rights Reserved

The Hearth Star, a massive plodding world ship wandering the known cosmos. Ruled by the privateering Wuffs, a populous race of savage space pirates. In addition to serving as a mobile base for their raids upon galactic society, the artificial planet also doubled as a sprawling black market for pirates of all stripes. Drugs, weapons, slaves, whatever dark pleasures or equipment the underworld needed or craved. Slave masters fought both economically and literally to claw out their place as the premier club for vacationing buccaneers to stop and spend their hard-stolen credits.

Lady Warrens smiled as battered construction robots and beaten down slave laborers finished assembling her club in one of the newly renovated sections of the Mead Halls. Her club, the two words together had a wonderful ring to them. A ring that signaled the beginning of her own fortunes and the return to her lavish lifestyle, now she only had to fill her new business venture with thralls that could be broken into serving her clients sexual appetites… Time to visit the slave markets and make a few purchases to remake her staff into something more appealing, the white-furred rabbit mused with an evil grin before waddling off to see about making the last of her necessary purchases. Having lived a purely hedonistic lifestyle as the fourth daughter of one of the Galactic Republic's wealthiest families, to say Warrens was visibly indulgent was an understatement. Dressed in a black rubbery catsuit stretched tight over her pear-shaped figure and cradling a menacing neuro-whip in her hands, the white-furred rabbit cast a sinister appearance despite weighing in at well over three hundred pounds. Already proficient in abusing people to get what she wanted, reinventing herself as a slaver after Daddy Dearest cut her off was not quite as difficult as one would have liked to imagine…

Elsewhere on the Hearth Star, an unusual ship was making port under a flag of truce. This was unique not so much for the fact that a civilian space-faring vessel was forced to approach the Hearth Star, civilian ships occasionally found themselves unlucky enough to jump out of hyperspace within range of the massive world ship, but that the ship was making it willingly and who was operating the vessel, the Courtesan's Guild of the Galactic Republic, was extremely unusual. Known throughout the known galaxy for their skill in rejuvenating arts as well as sensual pleasures, the Courtesans were as frequently sought out for their relaxing spas as they were for their more… obvious attractions. They were also known for hating the Wuffs almost as much as the rest of the Galactic Republic.

So it was somewhat surprising that Mistress DaBotee was cordially finalizing negotiations between her troop of Courtesans and the economic leadership of the Hearth Star while her ship finished docking procedures. Or what passed for leadership, the Padonk madam decided behind a counterfeit smile meant to reassure the Wuff on the other end of the conversation, Wuffs wouldn't know a thing about running a proper business if it came up and bit them on the nose but there was no reason to let them know that. No, just finish negotiations so the Guild and secretly the Republic can get a foothold on the Star and start quietly making life miserable for the malcontents that plagued the rest of the galaxy. The building was selected and the terms of their contract cemented, all that was left was to move in and hopefully not get too depressed by their new surroundings.

Concluding business with another expertly faked smile, the Courtesan guild mistress signed off and departed from her room. DaBotee was fairly typical for a member of her species, the ursine-like Padonks. Her pelt was a snow-white fur contrasted by jet black “socks" on her forearms and lower legs. Blood red hair was tied up into a neat little bun that gently bobbed as she ambled along. Also as was fairly typical of her species, DaBotee was hugely built with a disproportionate amount of her mass located below the waist in a pair of doorway-clogging hips and a massive gravity-defying rump. Pronounced steatopygia was normal for her species regardless of gender, the caloric riches of the Republic merely made this trait that much more prominent.

Body clad in a beautifully cut green gown, hair bun and big bottom both bobbling as she leisurely plodded along, DaBotee looked at the rest of her party as they gathered up their belongings and packed their luggage. Five Padonks including herself, four vulpine Vux, and a single Rubert, making for ten overall evenly split between both genders for maximum appeal. Enough for a start but once word got around that the Courtesans were on the Hearth Star; they would likely need to recruit more attendants and train them. But that was something for later, right now they had to see about getting themselves safely to and set up in their new guildhall…

Stepping out onto the infamous Mead Halls as robotic couriers carried the majority of their things to their guildhall, DaBotee and her fellow Courtesans looked around at their surroundings. The sights and sounds of the crowded recreation deck hit them with all the subtly of a rock-shattering sonic hammer to the face. Gaudy holographic signage crudely advertised food, sex, and alcohol often all in the same establishment, public information booths announced the date and times of the next slave auction or gladiatorial match, and businesses competed to see who could play their music the loudest. Several of the traveling concubines visibly retched in response to the smell of sweat, greasy food, and less pleasant odors while all the Vul flattened their triangular ears against their heads as the clamor echoed through the cavernous Mead Halls. DaBotee hoped their building was soundproofed.

Staying close together, the guilders made their way through the crowd. Rubbing elbows with all manner of pirates, slavers, and smugglers was an experience to say the least. Terrifying but not quite as dangerous as it sounded, it might have been luck but most of the brigands they encountered seemed relaxed now that they were on shore leave. Less settling was what was actually paying attention to them.

“Hi there big boys." A sultry voice called out in broken Universal to the Padonk males in DaBotee's group. “Can't say I've seen your kind here before, either of you want to be the first of your species to mount a human? My rates are cheap." The scantily dressed female offered coyly.

DaBotee turned and took in the distraction in a glance. The human looked like what she expected from the pictures she had been shown, flat face, no fur or hair except for a mane of long blond hair on the top and back of her head… and showing physical signs of being underfed. Bony arms, ribs vaguely visible through the skin, the male Padonks would have crushed this poor woman like a cheaply made chair.

“I'm sorry but we're too busy right now." The propositioned males declined politely, then their eyes lit up as they got an idea. “Though if you talk to our mistress later, perhaps you can get a job with us."

The human looked at the polite males like they were a pair of idiots, an expression that didn't last long before a short electrical shock arced through her body and she hurried along to sell her services elsewhere. Not far behind, a Wuff pimp holding a remote and dressed in the outlandish finery that the entire species seemed to favor glared at them before moving on himself. The message was as clear as it was unspoken, the Courtesans' sole competition were violent individuals that would tolerate no poaching of their assets. Sparing not even a second to mull over the implications, DaBotee motioned her party onward. Moving with a bit more spring in their abundant strides, everyone was suddenly a bit more eager to get settled into the relative safety of their new home…

Warrens smiled as she paraded her purchases back to her club The Broadsider, she didn't expect to do so well at the auction block. But eight bids later, she had six humans and two Vul all chained up being brought back to her establishment, all females. Vul, the same species that produced the likes of Kabang and Boom-Boom the gunrunner, she couldn't believe it. It would have been nice to get some Padonks but… looking at a couple of the humans, she decided that there might be a way to work around that. Though looking at each of her purchases then back at herself, the fat rubber-clad bunny shook her head with a cruel grin on her face. No, first she had to make sure they were all plump enough to be called a Broadsider. Once she had them all fitted for the basic theme of the club, then she could think about other ways to diversify her offerings…

The Courtesan guildhall was a large, unassuming prefabricated building that turned out to be mercifully built to the standard template used by members of the Guild the galaxy over. Having seen some “interesting" structural designs already, the Courtesans were just glad that it was reasonably sound proof and the doors could be locked. Brightly colored holographic signs brandishing the guild's insignia were projected above the front door and the front corners of the building. Other then that, the exterior of the building looked virtually identical to the other bigger structures in the Mead Halls. The interior on the other hand was exactly what they needed. The rest of the day was spent setting up the dormitories, the med lab, and the various pleasure and relaxation rooms that the guild was famous for. As the facilities were set up, DaBotee watched the outside from a balcony overlooking the main thoroughfare and took notes about their surroundings. The hall took up the majority of their particular district; a handful of food stalls, general goods vendors and a club called The Broadsider occupied the rest of the neighborhood. The Padonk watched discreetly, a baleful scowl across her face, as a rubbery-clad rabbit with a large bottom, blue eyes, and platinum blond hair led a group of chained humans and Vux into the club. She and her Companions thought they knew what they were getting themselves into but to actually be here, turning the guildhall into a small oasis of civility surrounded by… just thinking about what was probably going on outside of her hall made the skin beneath her fur crawl uncomfortably. Better for now to just focus on how she could manipulate her environment into making it less repulsive. Watching the alleys surrounding the building, she saw one such opportunity start to present itself if she was quick enough…

The beating was over by the time DaBotee snuck down into the alley with her Vux healer in tow. The Padonk mistress grimaced when she recognized the victim; the human they met earlier that day had apparently performed below her master's expectations for the last time. Her body was bruised, and DaBotee couldn't help but now notice the dry, straw-like quality her blond hair had developed due to lack of nourishment. Specks of blood lay around where her face had impacted with the cold metal floor of the Mead Halls but Lolly nodded his head approvingly and quickly stuck the unconscious female with an auto-hypo, the discarded prostitute still had the spark of life in her. A minute later the human woman was dragged inside and one of the Star's overworked janitorial robots made a brisk pass over the spot where she once lay, erasing any evidence she was there at all.

Lolly was present when the battered hooker started to wake up in the medical bay roughly an hour later. Sniffing the air excitedly, his vulpine nose picked up the scent of Mozzela, the Rubent chef, concocting another culinary masterpiece. As his plush abdomen grumbled in eager anticipation, Lolly shook his head. No, this was important. Pressing firmly on the human's chest, he gently urged her to stay in the bed and tied her down to keep her from hurting herself. Time to call the madam and let her know their guest was awake…

Susan woke up with a start and tried to move but no sooner had she tried to rise did she get pushed back down by a black-furred Vux who promptly tied her wrists to the bed with supple leather restraints. The blond woman hardly had the strength to resist but her mind couldn't help consider the possibilities, there were only three reasons she could think of why she would be restrained to a bed and with this being the Hearth Star, she could probably rule out a concern for her own safety. Which left black market organ-thieves or more of the same of what she had been enduring since the Wuffs sacked Earth. Given that her captor had compensated for her unnaturally thin wrists, she was left to contemplate which was worse.

Left with no alternative but to ponder her fate, Susan took another look at her captor as he busied himself with cleaning up the medical facility. He was a Vul, a species of fox-like people that she knew were famous for having big sexual appetites, exaggerated sexual characteristics, a strange inclination towards the “sexy science genius nerd" archetype, and fur that came in every color of the rainbow it seemed. This one didn't look too different; pale green eyes, short spiky black hair currently tucked away under a snow white cap, and a matching physician's smock and gloves were worn over a bottom-heavy, thick hipped figure, one with a concealed masculine bulge that was… Why hello there, maybe she sold herself short propositioning the two panda men that were traveling with this guy. The injured woman blinked as she finally realized why the Vul looked so familiar; maybe she was safe after all…

DaBotee headed down to the medical lab the moment she heard that the human was awake. Mozzela had finished getting her kitchen set up and started doing one of the things she did best; cook. Leaving the rotund mouse-like chef to her own devices, the Padonk mistress ambled along to see how her guest had faired and see if she could get a better impression of how business was conducted in the Mead Halls.

Face to face, Susan stared at the vaguely familiar panda woman with the enormous ass squeezing her way through the doorway into the clinic. Leave it to the Wuffs to cater to people twice their size and forget to scale the doors and hallways accordingly, the bony human woman thought briefly before speaking to her hostess. “So you really are the Courtesan Guild, is this how you treat all your guests?" She asked, attempting a gesture at her strapped wrists.

“Only if they request it specifically. Otherwise we only bring out the restraints if they're a danger to us or themselves. I assume you've heard of us though." DaBotee smiled mischievously for a moment before her face turned to the serious task of business.

“Who hasn't? You're the only thing the slavers have been talking about for the last tenday."

“Tenday?"

“Tenday, one unit of ten days local time… Wuffs count off their weeks by base five instead of base seven. But yes, you're the only thing they have been talking about so we all know about you. Unfortunately they all forget we occasionally talk to each other when we're between clients so they didn't keep their lies consistent. At the end I suppose it doesn't matter whether they're telling us the truth or not, you have them scared."

DaBotee nodded, glancing at Lolly to undo the woman's restraints. “We were about to have dinner, would you like to join us and share what you know with the rest of my companions?" She offered as the Vul doctor made quick work of releasing their guest.

Susan rubbed her bony shoulders and hesitated, clearly worrying about her pimp. At least she was until her fingers traced the fresh surgical scar along her left shoulder blade. On reflex, Lolly reached and pulled her hand away from the stitched up wound. “Nah-uh-uh, give the cut time to heal." The Vul healer chastised with a playful wag of his finger.

“What did you stick in me?" The human asked, doing her best to cast a baleful glare upon the medic and feebly reach to try and grab him by the smock collar. Unfortunately the weeks of mistreatment and malnourishment made it an ultimately comical gesture in the end.

“Why nothing of course!" He reassured playfully before picking something up off of his instrument tray. “Though the same can't be said for what I took out of you!" Lolly smiled affectionately as he held up a small blood-soaked electronic device in his gloved hand. “I took the liberty of taking this out while you were unconscious. I thought you'd appreciate not having an unpleasant buzzer in your back all the time." He beamed proudly before promptly and “accidentally" dropping it down a garbage receptacle reserved for medical waste. “Ooops…" He chuckled softly.

Left without much else to say and no real reason to say no, Susan slowly got back to her feet and started following them out into the dining room. Seated on the floor around a low table, the rest of the group looked up as their leader arrived and took her seat at the head of the table and Susan took a seat down at the end. With everyone at the table, the meal began in earnest. Any concerns Mozzela and DaBotee may have had about their human friend being unable to stomach what the chef had put on the table were apparently unfounded. The woman could not eat much but what she put in her stomach stayed there. And as she ate, she talked, answering questions about the Mead Halls, who the various power players were, the major customers and their tics and vices, the apparent drama between those who supported and those who argued with the ruling Wuff council to try and keep the Courtesans out. When DaBotee asked about the rabbit opening a club across the street, Susan visibly shuddered. “Bad times that one, she arrived right around the time we started hearing about you. Nasty piece of work, goes by the name of Lady Warrens. I… entertained her once about a week ago; let's just say I'm glad I haven't had to again."

“You actually handled someone of her size?" DaBotee asked incredulously then immediately composed herself. “I'm sorry, it's just that-"

“That I look like I'd break if one of you so much as sat your fat ass down on my lap?" Susan smirked then immediately winced in pain from her bruises. “Yeah, I get that a lot from my larger clients. I guess I really do look like a starved twig thanks to the Wuffs. But no, I wouldn't have any trouble handling anyone at this table provided you don't play too rough. Actually, if given a choice I would take the Vul pirate Kabang over Captain Alyssa and her muscle-head amazons." She sighed and shook her head. “You want to take about breaking my bones? Those girls play rough, very rough. If I had any misgivings about entertaining one of you, getting one of my legs broken would definitely change my mind… especially when you consider that the Wuffs don't believe in sick time."

“I see, I guess the next question is what happens to you now? Stay with us or are there any places where other humans are hiding on the ship?"

“We built a couple of towns down on the bottom decks, if you can call them that. But they're always running out of space and trying to settle new parts of the ship. That's how the Wuffs caught me last time; I escaped once only to draw the short straw for resettlement and end up in a new town that was attacked by the Wuffs. There were ten of us without much in the way of weapons and twenty Wuffs, next thing I know I'm back up here. I'd rather not go through that again so is that offer to work for you still available?"

DaBotee chuckled. “Yes, we would certainly be happy to have you with us. We can certainly train you in the other arts of being a Courtesan if that is what you wish. If not, I could certainly use an assistant for running the chapter house. Either way I think our first order of business should be to take care of that bony figure of yours."

Susan paused for a moment to consider what the Padonk was saying then ultimately nodded. DaBotee smiled; now that consent was taken care of, the next order of business would be to suspend her in a hot bath for the next few weeks and subject her to a steady increase in calories. Comfortably left adrift with less friction on her body, getting stuffed with hopefully increasingly larger quantities of food, in a few weeks Susan would hopefully start to develop a healthy body weight. In a few months, who knew what the human woman would decide. Hardly much of a change considering how many others were probably in the same sorry state as Susan was, but it was a start and right now that was enough for DaBotee….