FSE

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I was surprised when the repairs to the Sovereign were done well within the timeframe given. I assumed that the engineers had over guesstimated how long it would take, probably so they could appear as miracle makers. With us staying on the station and not visiting the ship except to see Zox’i, neither I nor Master ever got a chance to see the crew work, what had to be overtime, to get the ship ready to fly again.

Master spent the majority of his time searching for a replacement for Joka, a task that didn’t seem to be easy with the lack of, what he deemed, acceptable candidates. He had said on many occasions he would have preferred Captain Markeus, however the dragon knocked it back every time.

“I am flattered by the offer, my Emperor, however I feel I would be ill suited for the position and that being captain of the Sovereign is exactly where I belong.” he had answered when asked to fill the role.

The royal Lion also spent some of his time finding a new command crew for the Serengeti, which was turning out to be an even more tricky endeavour. Controlling such a huge mobile structure was a delicate operation, it usually required months if not years worth of training. Commanding it was also an extremely important role, and not something Master felt he could grant without careful consideration.

There was a long list of candidates for such a position, many commodore’s, rear admirals and vice admirals who could be promoted to fill the gap. Yet the recent events left many of them under intense investigation by the Emperor's personal security forces. Master was being as thorough as he thought he could get away with, wanting to remove the rebellious forces that Admiral Blois had nurtured and permitted to grow within the upper ranks.

Surprisingly, the answer came from his brother, Prince Reon. The Red Pride was to be decommissioned, turned into a museum piece now that the person who had been its designer, and thus had been dedicated to, Joka, had passed away. However the crew were not ready to be retired, many with long careers left ahead of them.

So they were promoted to command the station. Their training was going to be hardcore with many months doing intense training simulations. However the station would remain in orbit of Thar till they were ready, hopefully in time for the decommissioning ceremony for the Red Pride.

The rest of Master’s time was taken up with his normal royal duties, which consisted mostly of handling suck up nobles. They were constantly needy and demanding of his time, and since the failed coup, he had lost trust in many of them. I was not permitted to attend most of the meetings for my safety. Master had made sure to assign Zox’i and Bogra as new guardians for me, so I was rarely alone, yet I found myself longing for his presence and touch.

He was consistently too tired for us to be intimate, most nights getting back to our quarters only to fall asleep shortly after having dinner. His patience with the over the top lavish opulence of the Serengeti also seemed to be wearing thin. He was becoming more and more irritable as the days went by, and more than once had snapped at either myself or the attendants in the royal chambers when they were just doing their jobs.

He would immediately apologise and admit he was at fault, looking much like a kitten who had just chewed up their favourite toy. However it was clear to me that the environment and just fulfilling his job was getting to him.

When it came time for the Sovereign to finally leave the station, we almost couldn’t move fast enough. However there was the little matter of the relaunching ceremony to be performed.

The grand hall of the Sovereign was awe inspiring to say the least. Situated directly below the bridge deck, it took up almost the entire level. With floor to ceiling windows at the front of the room, spanning from one side of the room to the other. It offered an unobstructed view of space outside and the bow of the ship. The room was seldom used, Master never really having a need to use it outside of special events.

It had been decorated tastefully, food offered as a buffet and Hors D'oeuvres being walked about by lioness servers. The rest of the deck was filled with nobles of various species, gender and ages. All were dressed in what was assumedly their best, however Master, his brother and his family all just seemed to stand out from the crowd.

Master seemed stressed but controlled as he mingled with the nobles and dignitaries in attendance. I stayed with Merin and Amadio watching the goings on, having a light, playful discussion with Merin about the dress sense some of the attendees had. Amadio was dressed similarly to myself, although everything he wore was the same blue as the fur on Merins tail. He appeared slightly nervous, probably not used to being in large crowds, but was trying to hide it under a facade of indifferent composure.

My desire for food and cravings for whatever was being walked about were strong and starting to grate on me a little. However I knew the slavery laws well enough, and never reached for one when they passed. Master, or one of my licensed guardians, had to get it for me. I was property, and was not permitted to act on my own without permission, even if that meant going without food or drink while in the presence of others.

“David,” Merin said, interrupting my thoughts and drawing my attention, in time to have a morsel of food shoved in my direction “Eat.”

“I… but…” I started and he chuckled, shaking his head.

“If Amadio and I need to stand here and listen to your stomach rumble any longer, I will force a tray of it down your throat. I know you can’t get it for yourself, and I am not exactly one of your registered guardians, but I refuse to stand here and watch you go hungry.”

I grumbled a little and reached out to take it from him as he bent in close to whisper in my ear. “And I won’t let my future cousin or cousins starve… eat, I will talk to Daddy Reon about getting you something more substantial.”

I heaved a sigh and nodded, taking it from him and started to chew, savouring in the salty sweetness of the meaty morsel. He gently pulled Amadio closer and spoke to him before simply letting him go. I was shocked as he let the lizard just wander off, leash dangling from his collar. However with the ease that the reptile navigated his way through the crowd I understood the reasoning.

If it were the three of us, we would struggle to get anywhere, Merin would be stopped by the nobles to talk, and no one would move to give way to myself. However, as a former assassin, the reptile could slip through the crowd unnoticed and uninterrupted. sliding with ease through the throng of people like water slipped through cracks, silent and unnoticed.

Roughly five minutes later, Prince Reon approached, flanked by his two stallions Ebony and Ivory, Amadio’s leash being held by the white stallion. The imposing sight of the prince with his two ‘bodyguards’, seemingly on a mission, caused many of the snobs to move aside and give him passage. He stopped in front of me and gave a cheeky smile as he suddenly stood to attention and held one arm in front of himself and gave a slight bow. All he was missing was to click his heels together. Which would be difficult for someone with digitigrade legs.

“My dear David, I hear that my brother is remiss of your care and that you are in need of sustenance,” he announced clearly and I felt a fresh blush light up my face “What kind of prince would I be to not come to the aid of a damsel in distress?”

“I’m a damsel now am I? Here I thought I was a Slave, my prince?” I asked with an eye roll before taking his arm, only for him to pull me in close.

“While you carry my niece or nephew, you are a damsel to me, little David,” he whispered before pulling away with a smile, returning to his playful attitude “Let me be your Prince in shining armour while my brother is busy with the rabble, and see you safely to the buffet table. Whereupon you may feast till you are fat and content.”

I rolled my eyes again but went with him, knowing that eventually would be fat, albeit not with food. I felt the eyes of the others we passed upon us as we walked, uninterrupted towards the large, food ladened tables. Close by the large spread of food, I spotted Zox’i who was talking with a dignitary. although his eyes seemed to drift to me and the buffet table, watching closely. I knew he was in charge of making sure everything was safe for consumption, not only by myself, but everyone else.

Buffet’s were well known for being spiked with poison, and monarchs across history had been bumped off by said methods. Zox’i i knew had more subtle methods to make sure the food was safe than having a Taster, a position which was usually extremely prestigious, yet almost always ended in the Tasters demise.

“Here is a plate, and a napkin,” Prince Reon said politely as he handed over said items “pick and choose to your heart's content. As your Guardian, I give you permission to select what foods you would like.”

The choices were numerous and varied, from what appeared to be inedible to delicious. I tried bits of whatever smelled or looked good. The whole time I was being watched by the dignitaries and nobles, trying to ignore the occasional insulting whispers about the fact I was serving myself. Reon stayed close by as I ate, keeping me company as we waited for the announcement to be made.

As I ate, I gazed out to space, marvelling at the beauty of planet Thar and its rings. Ships, large and small, flew to and from the planet below or even to the station below the Sovereign. It was almost hypnotic to watch how the world just carried on as normal regardless of the event going on around me.

I was pulled from my observations as a lioness guard approached us. Standing to attention before myself and the prince, she gave a bow to the lion and a salute. She appeared to be trying to remain neutral, although did seem worried about something.

“Prince Reon and royal slave David,” she greeted formally, “Emperor Leniad requests your presence on the stage immediately.”

“Finally getting to the actual ceremony,” The prince grumbled a little and nodded to her “Lead the way.”

She saluted again and turned sharply to start walking. Reon meanwhile grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me close to once again whisper into my ear.

“Stay close to Leniad and us.” he warned before straightening back up and walked with me, hand still holding my shoulders like he was making sure i wouldn’t run off.

Master waited for us on the large stage, his brother moving to join his boys not far behind him. I stepped up close to the white lion who gave me a smile, a look of love in his eyes before he turned back to the crowd.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” he announced confidently, gaining the attention of everyone in the room “Thank you all for joining us today. As you all know, Today is the relaunch ceremony for the IFS Sovereign. Her wounds from being ambushed and then the follow up coup barely a month ago are finally healed. Although she does bear many scars from her short and turbulent history she wears them with grace. I can think of no greater symbol for the Empire’s endurance and solidarity than this ship, battered, bruised, but still strong and resolute. May she continue as a shining beacon for the Empire as our flagship for many years to come! To the Sovereign!”

There was a chorus of ‘To the Empire’ from around the room and I spotted that master nearly smiled, managing to hold it back at the last moment. Those with glasses raised them in toast and downed them in one. Outside, the ship's external lights turned on, illuminating the hull and her name, emblazoned boldly on the plating.

“Now, I have one more announcement to make,” Master called out to the crowd, drawing their attention once more. “I must admit that this has been delayed by all of the recent events. However I am proud to finally announce the future of the Empire, and the Imperial throne. At this very moment, my slave, David Ursus, is destined to bear the future heir to the throne.”

There was mutterings around the room, most of the nobles and dignitaries regarding me with either awe, admiration, or contempt. I wanted to shy away from those looks, a little fearful of the hatred in their eyes, but Prince Reon’s voice echoed in my head and I stayed close to my feline owner.

What shook me from the fear however was the sudden eruption of cheer and celebration from the crowd. Through the windows, bright flashes of lights filled the empty blackness of space as spacial fireworks were launched from the ship and station. I didn’t know if the fireworks were something Master had planned, or that the ship's crew had set up as a surprise. Either way, it was comforting to know that for some reason, I and the news were being celebrated.

Our quarters on the Sovereign felt more plush and luxurious with the fresh carpets and new furniture. Everything had been replaced, table, chairs, sofa’s, the bed and sheets. As soon as the doors were closed, Master pulled me close to give me a tight hug followed by a passionate kiss.

“Finally we’re home and alone.” he said with a purr before taking a step back before removing his tiara and jacket, dumping them on the sofa haphazardly.

“I must admit I have missed it here.” I said with a smile “I am surprised that you made the announcement Master… I thought you wanted to wait longer?”

“I did, and i will admit I contemplated waiting till we were away from Thar, the Serengeti and heading to our next destination,” He answered as he walked back over to me and started to take off my clothes “But I realised that it would be selfish of me to do while, effectively, in hiding. My subjects deserve better than that. I am sure the announcement is being transmitted to every planet in the Empire right now.”

“Won’t this just paint a giant target on my back?” I asked as he pulled off my jacket and top exposing my chest and stomach, which was still mostly flat.

“No more than being my slave does,” he admitted, gently rubbing his hand over my chest and then belly, a deep purr rumbling from his throat as he looked lovingly down towards his hand “If anything, it just changes who might target you from those within the empire to those outside it.”

“You mean the Theocracy?” I clarified and shivered as he kept groping over my midsection, fingers tracing over my skin and around my belly button “I don’t fear them.”

“Really now?”

“Nope… not when I have you by my side, Master.”

“At least you didn't say my brother.”

“Why would I want to be with him?” I asked, growing a cheeky smile “He can't even knock up his own boys, what makes you think he could knock up me?”

“Ooo, a slave insulting the Crowned Prince… I might need to punish you for that.” he playfully threatened, purr growing louder and his hand moved lower to cup at my crotch.

“Mmph, I hope it's a very rough punishment.” I retorted, my cock already starting to grow hard and tent out my pants.

“I’ll leave you gasping for breath and screaming for mercy,” he teased, leaning in close to nuzzle at my cheek “I will ruin you, my Slave.”

“Less talk, more ruining.” I replied and moved quickly, capturing his lips with my own, hand reaching out to fondle at his own tenting crotch bulge. He gave a lustful growl as we kissed, tongues intertwining while I stroked his cock and sheath through his clothing.

Suddenly there was the sound of an incoming message and Master gave an irritated growl as we broke apart a second later. He brought up a holo screen, Captain Markeus’s face appearing. Thankfully, Master had positioned it just right so no one could see anything below his chest.

“Sorry to interrupt you so late Sire,” the Dragon said politely “You wanted me to inform you the moment we had completed undocking and were ready to depart the Thar system.” To his credit, the lion was good at rapidly composing himself enough to hide his irritation.

“Yes, thank you Captain, Set destination for the location we discussed earlier.” he replied, the dragon nodding in return.

“Very good sire, Sorry to have disturbed you. Goodnight, we will see you in the morning.” the screen vanished and Master gave a groan.

“Next time… I'll tell him to just do it and inform me later.”