Elamimax

CWs: Negotiated autonomy and indentured servitude (as ethically as I could make it). Light D/s dynamic.

“The first is a Rat contract. That’s the unofficial name but it stuck.” Winter pointed down. “Most of the people on the factory floor work with Rat contracts. Six months, competitive pay. If you can find the same job elsewhere for more pay, we’ll match it. And, I’m quite proud to say, it’s union.”

“Wait, really? I thought unions were outlawed?” Epoc leaned forward and opened the folder. It was hefty, but there was, indeed, a tab marked as such. 

“Not strictly speaking, no. Lobbying for a union is illegal, but any company is allowed to help its employees unionize.”

“That’s… different. What’s the job?”

“Nothing special. You’d be using an A5 Frame. You’re familiar.”

“I am,” Epoc said. An A5 unit was about 20 to 25 feet tall. They were extremely mobile, and often had open canopies. There had been some controversy because of their use in various warzones, being small enough to hide inside of a building. There had been… casualties. 

“At Mako we found their use in disaster relief, deep-sea and low orbit construction, and, when no such contracts are available, they work well as a loader. It’s not glamorous work, but you’d make a steady wage, and you’d have access to our in-house facilities, including cafeteria and sleeping quarters.”

Epoc refrained from shrugging again. It really was good work. It wasn’t the work she wanted, or the work she’d really trained for. It was basically glorified power loader work. A5’s were often glorified exoskeletons. “What are the other contracts?”

The CEO smiled a deeply genuine smile and Epoc felt something stir in her stomach. The nebula on Antimony Winter’s lips seemed to shift every time she moved her mouth. 

“Cat contracts are proper pilot contracts. I think this might be more your speed. Six months to two years. You work from A6 Frames and up. You share Nexus with the other Cats until we find us a Hound. Highly competitive pay, room and board is taken care of. You’d sign an NDA, because you’d get up close and personal with some proprietary technology. After five years or five contracts – whichever comes first – we offer an indefinite contract where you own a share of the corporation.”

“What kind of share?”

“Exactly one room, your own vehicle, benefits, and the option to buy company stock.”

“Why?”

“We like our pilots loyal, Epoc,” Winter said. 

“That sounds… really good,” Epoc said. “What kind of benefits? What kind of vehicle?”

“Oh, we can only offer company cars, I’m afraid. You don’t get a private loader,” Antimony said with a little giggle that was like ice cubes in a crystal glass. “And benefits include medical care, dental, and legal protection in case of future post-Mako contracts.”

“What’s the work like?”

“It’s hard work,” Antimony said with a nod, pursing her lips. “Disaster relief, but on a larger scale. You’d assist in megafauna disposal and cleanup. If you consent, you could be a part of military parades, and VIP protection. There may be occasional off-world excursions.”

“Frontline combat?” Epoc shifted uncomfortably. “It’s only because, well, I don’t, have, uh…”

“We’ve seen your file, Epoc,” Winter said. “I’m not sending you into a warzone without military experience. That said, you would be taking mandatory training. A6 Frames are war machines first, and while we try to stay out of conflict, neutrality is expensive. That said, Mako Group gets plenty of contracts that don’t include human hostiles.”

“That’s good to hear,” Epoc said, relaxing a little. “That sounds really good, to be honest.” The thought of getting to fly Nexus was already a dream. But a part of her was hungry for more. She glanced at the third file. Antimony put her hand on it, perfect fingernails pearly and, Epoc noticed, filed quite short. There was that flutter in her stomach again. 

“You want to know.” It wasn’t a question. Epoc nodded. 

“Yes, please.”

“Good.” Antimony said, and there was another word that hung in the air, unspoken. Epoc had to breathe through her nose for a second. “This is a Hound contract. I won’t hold it against you if you don’t take it.”

“Why is that?”

“It’s… extensive. Shortest contract is five years.”

“Woah.” That sounded like a good thing. No company offered job security like that.

“Don’t get excited yet.” Antimony opened it. “The cancellation fee on your end is… big. If you sign up, you can negotiate for early termination once a year, but your first time is tomorrow.”

“Why tomorrow?”

“Because, Epoc, if you take this contract, it’s very possible you’ll want out by tomorrow.” Winter looked at Epoc through thick eyelashes. “Under a Hound contract, Nexus Alpha –” She gestured out the window of the office at the head of the giant frame, “– is essentially yours. You can customize it to your specifications, as long as you can get Diana to agree to the changes.”

Epoc couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She’d be sole owner and pilot of what was likely to be the most cutting edge Frame currently on the market? That was a dream come true. 

“On top of this, room, board, medical and legal expenses are all covered.” Antimony leafed through the pages, tapping the pages at relevant passages. “There is an on-staff nutritionist and trainer to make sure you’re taking care of yourself, as well as a therapist and we have the facilities for several religious ceremonies should you want to make use of those, privately or with others. Basically, if you want it, it’s yours.” 

“Okay, okay,” Epoc said. “What’s the catch?”

“Well,” Antimony said, “this is the big one, Epoc. The catch. The reason we only have two Hounds on staff.” She turned the page. “Total relinquishing of autonomy.” Epoc blinked. Did that mean… “Under a Hound contract, Mako Group owns you. You are our property. Your bodily integrity is guaranteed, but where it goes and what you actually do with it is up to us. There are a lot of consent forms and yes, those can be negotiated, but only to a certain limit.”

“But that’s indentured servitude!”

“Yes,” Winter said. “It is.”

“Why would anyone take this?”

Winter flipped to a page. The top of the page read “LONG TERM MATERIAL TRANSFERENCE.”

“After four contracts or twenty years, whichever comes first, Nexus Alpha is yours.”

“Wait, you mean–”

“Yes,” Antimony said. “After twenty years of piloting, this fifty-billion dollar machine would be, effectively, yours. You just can’t sell it or sell its specs. Industrial secret.”

“But… that’s… how?!”

“It is an investment we consider worth making. We currently have two Hounds on staff, and four ex-Hounds that have decided to stay in our employ as freelancers. That’s how my mother did things, and her mother before her, and it has always been more than worth it.” She turned a page. “In the event of your death, ownership transfers to your next of kin. In case they refuse, Nexus Alpha becomes ours again and ten percent of the estimated market value of Nexus Alpha is paid out. In case no next of kin present themselves, we obviously take Nexus back and she gets a new pilot.”

“That’s… a lot.” Epoc said. Indentured servitude. And it’s not like she wouldn’t be able to fly Nexus Alpha on a Cat contract. But… it would be hers. And twenty years wasn’t that long of a time. She’d barely be fifty by the time she got out of the contract. She could go anywhere in a machine like that. She could go off-world if she wanted to. She could do anything. “Why?”

“Why?”

“Why this? Why the indentured servitude?”

“Because of the way we work here,” Winter said. “It requires that we have… more control over the bodies of our pilots than is traditional. It’s for your own health, but it doesn’t always feel that way. In order to keep you from burning out in the cockpit, we need to be able to do what is necessary, whether you like it or not.”

“What does that mean?”

“I can show you, if you like. That might convince you,” Winter said.

Epoc squinted and raised an eyebrow. “O–kay?”

“Sign this.” 

She slid forward a document. It was a non-disclosure agreement. Epoc looked at it. It basically guaranteed that what she was told during the interview process was not to be repeated. It seemed very generous, not extending beyond the conversation. The only problem was the fee. It was in the billions. Hesitantly, she signed it. 

Antimony Winter walked around the desk again. “I may have to touch you. Revoke consent at your discretion.” She pressed a button on the wall and the window became opaque. The one on the floor, Epoc noted, didn’t. “You asked me earlier why I made you tell me how flying a Frame made you feel.”

“Yeah,” Epoc said. 

“Flying a Frame, especially the Delta through Alpha classes, puts a tremendous load on the nervous system. That’s why most pilots burn out after five years. There’s exceptions, of course, and my family has done extensive research into why. It’s a closely guarded family secret.” She sat on the desk, directly in front of the chair. Her thighs were maybe a foot away from Epoc’s face. “In a small subset of the population, the Link process causes sexual stimulation. The mental pressure is temporarily offloaded onto the pleasure centers, as it were. Stand up.” Winter paused. “Please.” 

She felt a little silly, but Epoc did as she was told. Now they were on equal level, at least, although that wasn’t necessarily an improvement. She didn’t mind being eye-to-thigh.

Antimony continued. “Lift your shirt for me?”

“Excuse me?”

“Humor me,” Antimony said. “If this is too much, a Hound contract will not be for you.”

Epoc lifted her shirt, showing her stomach. She was quite proud of a stomach that had moved through ‘taut’ and had come out on the other side. An ex of hers had joked about using it to shred cheese. None of that mattered when Antimony’s cool fingers touched her abs and sent jolts of electricity through her body. Her underbelly was swarming with butterflies now. She could feel herself straining against the clearly insufficient cloth of her underwear.

“We discovered that, if that stimulation is maintained and amplified, we can delay the negative effects of the neural load,” Winter said as she traced the outlines of Epoc’s stomach. She walked around behind her and hesitated. “May I continue?” 

Epoc’s breathing was heavy. She hadn’t expected this. She hadn’t expected any of this. She also, deeply and powerfully, didn’t want this to stop. She nodded and then, with a quiet voice, whispered, “yes.”

Antimony Winter pressed her hand flat against Epoc’s underbelly and gently pushed her back, directly into herself. Epoc found herself leaning against the taller woman. “If you take the Hound contract,” Winter whispered in her ear, “you belong to me. I would own you, and whenever you’re out in the field, I’d be the one in your ear.” Her fingers traced the hem of Epoc’s pants. “And as long as you’re piloting, you’d be constantly stimulated. As activity increased, you’d be teased harder. Constantly on the edge of climax. We carefully monitor your autonomous nervous system to keep you from reaching it until you come home. To me.”

The hand stopped again. Epoc realized she was being asked again. She nodded. Words wouldn’t be coming anymore. 

Very carefully Antimony’s fingers slipped under the waistband, and moved down. It wasn’t long before they found something to wrap around, and Epoc’s head swam. It was hard to imagine this was really happening. The woman’s perfumed breath brushing against her ear and cheek, filling her head with pink clouds. Those soft but cool fingers gripping her cock. 

“Take it off,” Antimony said. Epoc did as she was told, pushing her pants down. The recycled air of the office was cool and the gentle breeze of the air conditioning was causing her to stiffen even more, if that was even possible at this point. Very gently, Antimony moved her hand up and down. “You would be mine,” Antimony continued, “and mine alone. I would get to do whatever I want to you, whatever I feel is necessary to make you the most effective you could possibly be.” Antimony pushed her pelvis against Epoc’s ass as she gently stroked the pilot’s cock. Every time her fingers reached their apex, she slowly traced one against Epoc’s tip. Gently, Antimony ran her fingernails against the sensitive skin, sending little sparks of electricity up and down through Epoc’s nervous system. 

She squeezed and started to increase the speed of her movements. 

“Do you want me to stop?” she asked. 

Epoc shook her head. She was too far gone now. Completely surreal, as if in a dream. 

“Good girl,” Winter purred in her ear and suddenly Epoc felt the other hand pressed against her lower back. Excitement gave way to trepidation for a moment when she realized several of her fingertips were coated in something cold. The hand slipped between her legs and she practically jumped.

“Wait,” she whispered just as the fingers pressed against her asshole, and Antimony immediately stopped. 

This was it, Epoc realized. The moment where she could just end this whole fever dream in an instant. She could walk. She could take the Cat contract. She’d be allowed to pilot the Nexus in short bursts and have more money and comfort than she would anywhere else. For many, it would be the perfect job. 

But then she wouldn’t own Nexus Alpha. It wouldn’t be hers. She wanted to be a part of that machine as much as she wanted it to be a part of her. And if that meant belonging to Mako Group…

She relaxed and pushed back against Winter’s hand and the waiting digit slipped inside of her. The groan that came out of her mouth was the rawest noise she might have ever made, and she found herself grinding against Antimony’s hand. She realized the woman wasn’t moving. That she was simply holding still and that Epoc was fucking herself on the woman’s hand. 

“Yes,” she whispered, and Winter moved again. No longer teasing. Her fingers moved with purpose, pressing against her g-spot with one hand and jerking her off with the other. 

Then there was her voice again. 

“You’d be mine,” Antimony said. “And when you come home, to me, I would make sure all of that mental load is taken off. I would push you over the edge until you can’t stand anymore and then keep pushing until you can’t speak and then keep pushing until you can’t think, until you are completely spent. Do you understand?” 

“Yes,” Epoc gasped. She was pushed to the edge, fingers fucking from behind, and she leaned forward onto the desk. 

“Look down,” Winter said. Epoc did as she was told. The glass floor showed the factory floor far below. If someone looked up, it would be hard to make anything out. But she felt completely exposed all the same. It was pushing her closer to the edge. Antimony increased the speed of both her hands. “Are you close?” she asked. 

“Yes,” Epoc groaned. 

“Hold it,” Antimony said, squeezing her cock just above the base. “Not until I say so. That’s how this will work.”

“Yes.”

“I will be your handler,” Antimony said, squeezing as her fingers gently fucked Epoc. 

“Yes.”

“I will be your owner,” she said as she bit the pilot’s neck. Epoc found her hips trying to fuck the woman’s hand of their own accord, but she wasn’t giving her anything to work with. She was so close. So fucking close.

“Yes.”

“You will be mine.”

“Yes.”

“Do you want to come?”

“Yes.”

“Yes what?”

“Yes, please.” 

“Good,” Antimony said, and she relaxed her grip, then moved her hand down Epoc’s shaft again. “Are you ready, Epoc?”

“Yes.”

“Come for me.”

Epoc had never orgasmed so hard in her life. It started in her abdomen and flared out, like a chain reaction,expanding and exploding into her skin. It ran up her spine like a geyser and blossomed in her head, blacking out her vision and out of her mouth in a low, throaty groan. 

When it stopped, Antimony didn’t. Her hands kept moving, and in the middle of a daze, head swimming, Epoc realized she was being pushed towards a second climax while the first was still ebbing away. “W–” she said, and then a second, slightly lighter shockwave went through her body. Winter’s fingers were teasing every sensation they could out of her. 

Epoc was being milked, she realized, and she couldn’t stop it. The low groan became a constant, desperate moaning. She was lightly aware of the sound of her cum hitting the glass floor, but it was all she could do to stay upright. Her knees buckled and her arms trembled. 

“Good girl,” Antimony said, and pushed her fingers deeper into Epoc’s hole. The stimulation was becoming too much, and Epoc shook her head. 

“Stop,” she whispered. “Please.”

Immediately, Winter ceased. Fingers were withdrawn, but gently. Epoc felt herself fall to the floor and then–

Two arms caught her, wrapping themselves around her shaking body. 

“You’re okay,” Antimony said. “You did so good.” A hand gently stroked Epoc’s hair and back. “Breathe. Gently. You’re okay.”

Epoc breathed and slowly but surely her vision came back. Reality snuck back in at the edges and Winter helped her put her clothes back on and sit back down in her chair. When blinked to clear her eyes, she realized there was a large puddle on the floor in front of her. Surely that couldn’t all be hers, could it? Antimony knelt next to her with a look of kindness in her eyes that was beyond rare in a corporate executive. 

“How are you feeling, Epoc?”

“Overwhelmed,” she wanted to say, but all that came out of her mouth was a light croak. Antimony handed her a glass of water and Epoc was surprised by how much her hands shook. She took a deep breath. Winter stroked her hair. “Spent.”

“That,” Antimony said, “is a Hound contract.”

“I see,” Epoc said and clenched her jaw.

“What happened here is completely confidential. It was only a taste and you would not be the first to turn it down. Nobody would hold it against you and if you don’t take any contracts I am still willing to write you a glowing recommendation, much as I’d like to have you on our team. I want you to take your t–” 

Epoc reached forward, grabbed the pen from the desk, and signed. 

Antimony smiled, reached forward, took Epoc’s head in her hands, and kissed her forehead. 

“Very well,” she said. She brought her bracelet to her mouth. “Theia, come in.”

If there was a response, it was likely through an implant, because Epoc couldn’t hear anything. Not that she was parsing much. Her mind was shutting down, and she felt herself struggling to keep her eyes open.

“Prepare a Hound suite. Yes. She did. Me too. Oh, and have someone bring some tissues. Actually, on second thought, maybe a mop and bucket. Yeah. You have no idea. Yeah. No. Oh, and run a bath. Yeah. Clear my schedule. Thank you.”

As Epoc’s vision went black, she felt Antimony’s forehead against her own. 

“Thank you, Epoc,” she said. “You won’t regret this. I promise. I’m going to take care of you. You’re mine.”

“M’yours,” Epoc mumbled. 

“Good girl,” Antimony Winter said, and Epoc dozed off.

Elamimax

And those are the first two chapters of Nexus Alpha! For those who have been with me for a long time: welcome back to the horny zone! I haven't written there in a while but this story has its hooks in me. I hope you enjoy it :)

I have 6 (ish) more like this in the chamber for a total of 13k words, and I've been writing a lot of it lately, so if you want to scan ahead to see what else is there, hop on over to Patreon!

Have a wonderful week, and I'll leave you with a question: would you take the contract? which?

Ela