Mature Content Warning: This chapter contains scenes of death and violence, and something that looks like sex.

Author's Notes: Another happy installment of I Hate You Master. Expect another one a week from now. :)

Chapter 3: Hard Nut to Crack?

The plains were viewable for miles in this area. Since the climate changes after Widow War II a lot of forests became fields and fields became forests. The fact that the outer banks of Northern Carolina moved over a hundred miles inland contributed to that as well.

John did not care much about outdated geography despite being well versed in the subject. What he did care about was that face that he was going to have to pay two hundred dollars to confine his unruly acquisitions. The confinement rooms were a strange form of technology that completely removed all power from a Demi-Human. They were a jealously guarded secret despite the fact that they were used worldwide.

Within the confines of those rooms a Demi-Human became incredibly weak. In many instances they were no stronger than the average human being. Their special attacks, magic, pretty much anything out of the human standard norm were shut off.

During their stay in the holding cell they would also be subjected to constant propaganda. Such statements as "I love my master" and "Master knows best" would be repeated over and over again without stopping.

Truly unruly Demi-Humans would be given a rather hefty dose of a medication affectionately known as 'behave yourself'. It was a rather disturbing concoction that removed a Demi-Human's ability to focus and made them incredibly suggestible. It was still preferable to the final method, wherein their mind is more or less ripped apart and rebooted from scratch by a high-end psychic while they are suffering under the effects of 'behave yourself'.

The Blazine and the Kraken would be stuck in their holding cells while their master and his fully reloaded Steel Valkyrie went on their sweep. The only good thing about the confinement cells for a Demi-Human was the regenerative factor.

Mindi would heal at an accelerated rate within its confines and be completed restored within a matter of a few minutes. Before the advent of such rooms the kill-to-capture ratio had been roughly a seven-three split out of ten confrontations. There were rumors that the mystical technology used in the rooms was being micronized but the best John had heard about was the newest cage technology.

Geo-tech Labs had recently released a fully functional cage that could fit inside the trunk of a car. What they intended to put inside said cage was anyone's guess. Most Demi-Humans would not fit. There were also a large number of people in the scientific community who chuckled politely every time the Geo-tech staff members claimed they would eventually create one the size of a softball.

Honestly, how would you use a capture and restraint system the size of a ball? Ludicrous non-sense!

The quintet and their Demi-Humans had traveled in a roving band all day and most of the night. There were several kills and a handful of captures but nothing of particular value. A few Avianettes, a Catgirl, and a dozen or so bug types of varying nature had been taken down one way or another. None of them were that interesting to John, and none of the other people on the sweep seemed to be intrigued by them either.

The five humans and the dozen Demi-Humans on-hand were making a pretty standard sweep of the area so far. These sweeps would rarely find anything too dangerous due to the common nature of their occurrence. These sweeps happened through the same perimeter areas every hour on the hour day and night. This kept the area relatively safe for up to two miles in all directions. This also kept the hunting slim. Few standard sweep patrols took down more than a score of Demi-Humans in a given day. Most would be lucky to run into half that number.

The corpse wagon was running light, but they had stacked a few bodies in it so far. Whenever they took down Demi-Humans they attempted to render first aid and capture them with a collar.

Unfortunately, this didn't always work out. A cage could be set to put a Demi-Human in a sort of stasis field where she would be safe from further damage. However, between the take down and mobilization portions many feral Demi-Humans were killed or died in transit. The group was paid either way of course. Corpses were good for medical experiments if nothing else. Sometimes they were purchased by power companies for feeding to their Demi-Human work force as well.

The need to keep so many Demi-Humans well fed was quite costly. If it wasn't the safest type of power production known many companies would switch to other concepts.

The group took a break a few minutes later leaving John and Kara to take up perimeter defense. Each team member took a turn in a rotating order. Perimeter defense in this instance meant setting up the motion detectors and cameras then sitting in the truck monitoring said equipment. It was much more efficient than wandering idly in the woods hoping to see everything in the dark.

John watched the screen as his Steel Valkyrie sat in the gunner seat and stayed at the ready. The long day was almost over. They had two more hours left before ending their sweep and arriving back at the center. He hoped those two new additions of his would be more amenable toward working with him. Their old lives were gone. They would either perform their role or be sent to an auction house.

He tapped his scanner and moved its function to send out a signal to Kara. "How you doing back there? See anything that I don't?"

"No, master, the plains are empty." replied the Steel Valkyrie casually. The patrol had been routine, and in accordance with what the team leader had originally claimed it would be. There was a lot of walking involved but beyond that nothing really happened.

The break slowly ended and a new crew took over the truck. John and Kara would be walking for the last two hours of the sweep, but then came the sweetest part of all, the divvy. The total capture and kill count would be in and each of the five human team members would receive their split of the prize.

....

Tera sat on her floor mat and continued to hug herself. The constant droning of the loudspeaker was getting to her. Hour after hour she had been subjected to the constantly repeating bullshit that she hated. She was supposed to love her master because master was right. It, in a word, sucked.

The Blazine gave up attempting to ignore the words and sighed to herself. She folded her arms around her ample breasts and slowly shook her head. Her life had become a serious problem for her now. Before this she had been on the fast track to freedom.

In a few more months she would have been free to walk away from this dangerous life and would have had enough money to start her own business. Now those dreams were completely wrecked. She was at the bottom of the citizenship heap again, nothing more than an educated slave.

The Blazine sighed again and rolled back onto her mat as the shifting lights in the room caused ever changing patterns on the walls. She knew from previous experience that gazing at those walls for too long would slowly cause her to enter into a more suggestible frame of mind.

"I love my master. My master is right." stated the voice over the intercom system. There was nothing in the room to use as a means to reach the partially hidden intercom. Her powers were not working within the field effect of the room and she found that her natural strength was barely that of a human woman of similar build. In short, she had about as much chance of leaping up and breaking the intercom with her fist as her master had of getting a clue.

Tera inserted her fingers into her ears and started singing again, "La. La. La, can't hear you. La. La. La." The voice did not concern itself with her antics. Pre-recorded soundtracks were obstinate in that regard.

The Blazine closed her eyes and thought about anything else that she could but the room was having its effect one way or another. She resisted heavily, but in the end it would leave a few telltale traces of her occupancy within its confines.

....

John stretched as he and Kara walked away from their former team leader. The center had paid them their standard rate for the captured and killed Demi-Humans, much to John's delight. Sixteen hundred dollars was nothing to sneeze at considering it was a single shift. Roughly half the girls encountered had managed to survive capture and placement within the confinement cages. The rest had been stacked like cord wood inside the corpse trailer.

The trip had proven reasonably lucrative and allowed them the luxury of surviving in the coming month. It had been exhausting work, however. Only one truck had been taken and whenever it was filled it had to be driven back to the collection center.

He handed Kara her cut of the profits, ten percent, and nodded at her. "You did a good job."

The Steel Valkyrie politely nodded in return. It was the closest thing to actual praise he had given her thus far. Even when she had saved him from being beaten to death by an irate Kraken he had simply acknowledged her existence. It was strangely gratifying to have her master actually notice her skills. Until that moment she had not realized she was concerned with his view of her capacity as a Demi-Human.

John considered the mildly surprised Demi-Human and nodded slowly once again. "Technically it is considered a bad idea for one of your kind to be placed in a command role. However, given the current situation and your level-head you will be my alpha for the immediate future."

She blinked at him in further shock then returned the nod in kind. "Understood master."

"Since the promotion has been taken care of, I give you your first charge. Bring your harem sisters in line. If they will not do so by the time I am ready to leave the area, I will sell them." instructed John.

"I will make certain of it, master."

John granted her the briefest of smiles then turned away. Their business was complete. He had better things to do than baby sit petulant animals after all. There were priorities that had nothing to do with their insubordinate mannerisms at present.

"Shall I attend to the matter now, or do you require anything further of me?" inquired Kara with an even tone. She was rather excited internally, but she had to keep up her cool and calm demeanor. It had earned her a promotion after all.

"You do that. I have other issues to attend." instructed John before handing her his confinement recall slip then strolling off to the registration desk. He needed to make a few schedule adjustments.

Kara responded with an affirmative and moved toward the confinement center. She had a few things to say to her new sisters.

Once she handed the slip to the Generica on duty she waited for Tera to be released into the outer chamber. The outer chamber was a high-impact resistant and spell-reinforced room that separated recently released Demi-Humans from their masters. Sometimes they did not take too well to the amenities that the room provided.

Tera walked into the area and felt some of her strength returning. There were fewer restrictions on her powers in this room but she would still be woefully underpowered while in attendance.

"Blazine, I have need to speak with you." informed Kara casually.

"I have a name you know." groused the naked Demi-Human as she covered herself with her arms and tapped her feet.

"No. You do not have a name. You have only duty." stated Kara with as much authority as she could muster. She had yet to experience a taming with her master, but she was his alpha and bound to him by mutual contract. She would perform her duties to the letter. It was not in her nature to do otherwise.

"Oh, here we go. This is where you tell me all about how I'm nothing but his property and I should just give in." responded Tera with a snort before blowing a strand of her flaming red hair out of the way.

"Yes. I am glad you understand. It might save your life." replied the Steel Valkyrie in total agreement.

Tera rolled her eyes and shook her head. "All of those newbie tamers are alike. They think they're Selene's gift to the world. We're supposed to bow and scrape and beg for them to tame us. Pass!"

"Very well then, you will be returned to confinement. I will use master's confinement slip as authorization for full-conditioning. Thank you. That is all." responded Kara without any further need to argue.

"Wha-what?!" cried out the Blazine in shock. Full-conditioning was just one step shy of a total mind wipe. It was often used to condition lesbian Demi-Humans or powerful and dangerous feral types. Demi-Human bandits and man-killers were often subjected to the process as well.

"I have total authority in this endeavor. Had you shown willingness to comply I would have let you out today after your psychic scan for authentication of your statements. Master only placed you under confinement orders. I assume this to mean that he preferred to let you sit here a short time and consider your options. I am neither as forgiving nor condoning as our master."

"Hey! That's... He didn't. How could you do this?" babbled the Demi-Human in fright and shock.

"No. Master did not specifically state that I should do this. However, he gave me authorization to bring you and our other harem sister in line. He did not expressly forbid me to have your psyche ripped apart. As I stated, he is more forgiving and tolerant of your childish antics than I am." stated Kara while attempting to avoid the smirk threatening to appear on her lips.

"You bitch! I'm a free Demi-Human! You can't do this!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"No. You are an owned Demi-Human. I can certainly do this. The only way to regain your free status is through the leniency of our master. He currently holds the power to sue your former owner on your behalf due to breach of contract. If you are sold or won via salvage, you forever lose that right as you cannot contest your citizenship once you are out of his hands." replied Kara adding a little more bait to the proverbial line.

Tera glared at her for a moment before she cast her eyes downward. Shortly thereafter, tears fell softly to the ground. She hated to admit it but the gun-wielding whore was right. She would never be free again unless she convinced her current owner to free her, or contest her former contract.

Kara waited roughly one minute then turned aside to say, "I will need to request a full-conditioning for this Demi-Human."

"I'll do it..." responded Tera softly. She spoke so softly that Kara was not sure she heard her right.

"What did you say?"

Tera lifted her head and replied with a broken sounding, "I'll do it."

"Go back to your confinement room until you have been scanned for authenticity. Your standard conditioning treatment will continue until this has occurred. If at any point in the future you go back on your word you will face mental reconfiguration. There will be no third chance to do your duty." stated Kara with neither heat nor pity in her voice. Her voice was that of a sober judge pronouncing sentence.

"I... understand. I will comply, but how can you authorize a mind wipe?" asked Tera with her brows furrowed.

Kara tilted her head to the side and quirked an eyebrow. "You ask me questions as though you have a right to an answer. You are nothing more than nameless property. You do not question. You obey."

Tera growled lightly at her and ground her teeth together for a moment before turning away and stalking back into her room. The doors locked electronically behind her and Kara smiled. That was one down.

...

John looked over his books one last time and nodded. He had set his team up for a private patrol that would set out at ten in the morning. Even if they only caught a handful of Demi-Humans, the patrol would be worth it.

He was planning to have enough money to make the trip all the way to the Florida Preserve. The Orange Cup would be underway in two months and he hoped to make a showing in it. Winning would be a perk, but just making it into the official roster was all he needed for the time being. His sponsor had given him all the money they were willing to at present. Winning tournaments would bring notoriety to their cause and this meant lucrative deals. If his girls did really well he might even be able to get his own clothing line or something.

The only problem was that he did not know what to call his team yet. Every tamer needed a team name for registration purposes.

A buzzing sound came from the intercom linked to his door. He called out, "Speaker on." when the door made an acceptance noise he followed his instruction up with, "Who is it?"

"Kara returning master." replied the loudspeaker version of the Steel Valkyrie's voice.

John stood and said, "Door unlock protocol four."

The door made a negating sound and he muttered before repeating his previous command. Another negative sound was heard and he snorted. "Stupid piece of junk."

The man walked over and tapped the open door button releasing the magnetic locks used to secure his room. The door parted to reveal a rather satisfied looking Kara on the other side.

Her master noted this and raised his left eyebrow. "You seem pleased with yourself."

The Steel Valkyrie smiled a little brighter and nodded. "Mission accomplished for the moment."

"Oh? How did you manage that?"

Kara filled her master in on the sordid details and his estimate of her capacity increased. She was as devious and underhanded as any human he had ever met. While that was not necessarily a good thing, it had worked in their favor in this instance. He respected her skills more. However, he decided not to trust her without cause. She could easily turn that manipulative streak on him if she desired to do so.

"Good work. You did well." he replied thoughtfully.

Her smile increased slightly before she regained a handle on her emotions. It would not do to get too excited. He had not even tamed her yet. The thought of taming crossed her mind then and she realized that some of her reservations about this man had dwindled. He was not a perfect specimen or a military leader. However, he had handled himself well and had a reasonable head for tactics. That was adequate. It was also easier to consider his touch due to his minor praise of her work performance.

John turned away from her and moved back to his plans. Kara watched him for a time then decided that she had to speak up. "Master?"

He turned back to her with a mildly interested expression. He was done with her for now. He had given her a compliment for her work. What else could she want?

Kara took a deep breath and squared her shoulders before announcing her thoughts. "I require taming."

The man blinked at her and found himself at a loss for words. The first thing that came to mind was, "I thought that you felt that you could last for a week? Has that changed?"

The Steel Valkyrie fought down the blush forming along her cheeks and pressed her lips firmly together to avoid the soft squeak she nearly unleashed. Her response came in the form of a slow nod accompanied by down cast eyes.

John considered for a moment then sighed. "Very well, you earned it I suppose."

The girl winced visibly at that remark. Her luxurious black hair was a beautiful mass that gleamed brightly in the light. Her lips were full and pouty. Her curves were well formed and her eyes were quite expressive in their innocence.

She was a soldier, but her appearance was that of a sweet girl next door. Albeit she was the girl next door who enjoyed copious amounts of violent gunplay. When all was said and done, she was quite an attractive specimen of femininity. She had always known this to be true. Yet, her master's desire to tame her was nothing more than a duty or a reward for a good job. It hurt her pride both as a warrior and as the woman she resembled.

Her master looked at her for a moment then gestured for her to come to him. The idea of being dominated did not sit well with her, but she knew her roll. He was her commanding officer in some ways. As such she was supposed to follow his directives.

Kara strode toward her master with as much calm as she could muster. What manner of lover would he be? Would he be gentle? Would he be demanding or even perhaps a bit of a freak? Her mind was a chaotic maelstrom of thoughts and worry over the coming experience. The battlefield was simple and direct. She fought and the end result was as it must be given her skills, resources, and the situation. This was an entirely different type of battle. It was a type she was ill prepared to wage. How did one win at such a contest anyway?

When she came within arm's reach of John he frowned slightly then nodded. He removed his shirt and began to undo his shoes as well. The unclothing portion of the event continued for a brief few minutes as she followed his lead.

After they were mutually naked there was an awkward silence as the two individuals in the room tried to avoid making the first move. John was the master. He was supposed to be in charge. However, he was uncertain how to begin.

He had partnered with the fairer sex on a few occasions, but never anything lasting or even particularly instructive. He had spent most of his time locked away in study and knew little beyond text book examples of what to do to perform such carnal duties.

The Steel Valkyrie bit her bottom lip. She sighed deeply as she stood naked before the man who owned her service for the next half-year. She said nothing, but did casually observe his overall physique. He was of a medium build, a stocky man of average height and tolerable musculature. He was not a warrior but he was in reasonable shape. A few sit-ups might not hurt, however.

John was trying to fathom what he was seeing. Several millennia of interbreeding with Demi-Humans had more or less made most of the creatures physically appealing. He had seen a scant handful of naked females in his time. However, none of them had looked like Kara. It was becoming rather difficult for the man to remember that she was nothing more than a well-trained animal. She looked so very human after all was said and done.

He took a deep breath then blinked slowly. He could pretend for a while that she was human. That might help. She was quite a lovely creature. Had he not known better, he would have mistaken her for a human anyway.

The man was uncertain what to do, but since she was looking at him he decided to issue a directive. "Turn around."

Kara blinked at him. She felt the tiny hairs on the back of her neck start to rise a little at the domineering tone of voice, but calmed herself and did as directed. John stepped in closer and allowed himself to place his hands on her hips.

The awkward tension continued for a moment as he clumsily moved his hands around in an attempt to decide how he should touch her. Kara's frustration began to build within her as the minutes passed. This wasn't a taming. This wasn't anything but uncomfortable.

Finally, John simply said "How do you want it?"

He was done trying to figure it out. For all he knew her body was some strange and beautiful puzzle. She was like the cubes he had seen for sale in a trendy hobby shop back at the mall. Had she been human he would have been more confident. As it was, he did not wish to accidentally injure himself or his alpha. They had work to do after all.

Kara flushed lightly but mastered her emotions quickly. It would not be seemly for her master to notice such things. "You can massage my breasts if you like."

John noted her decision and readily complied. In for a penny, in for a pound, as they say. His hands moved up to her chest before he began a slow kneading movement like he was rolling dough. She moaned softly. He bit his lower lip and considered what else to do. She seemed to enjoy this simple interaction more than a little. Perhaps this was all she would need of him?

The Steel Valkyrie instinctively leaned back into him, causing her jet black hair to fall over his shoulder as her cheek pressed softly against his. All of her life she had been a soldier. She had been tamed before. No one had ever asked her how she wanted to be tamed, though. They took what they wanted and she had to be satisfied with it.

Her master blinked at her actions then mentally filed them away under things she enjoyed. It did make sense that she enjoyed being petted.

Kara moaned softly and began to grind her pert ass against his rapidly hardening erection not long after. John, uncertain how these events were supposed to unfold softly asked, "What else do you want me to do?"

The girl bit her lip for a moment hardly daring to believe she was allowed to say such things. Maybe he was rewarding her for doing a good job? She moaned softly once more before whispering, "Kiss me master."

John saw no issue with this at the moment. He kissed her softly on the side of the neck. Her motions caused him to inadvertently nuzzle her, and she mistook this as his attempt to be sweet to her. A sensation of gentle warmth began to spread throughout her body as she was softly caressed by his lips and firmly held by his hands.

A short time passed before John asked her again, "What do you need?"

Kara flushed deeply and wriggled her body against his. "Master... I... I need you to tame me."

"How?" he asked curiously.

Her hormonally excited body mistook his tone for one of interest in her desires and set her inner passions aflame with need for him. "I like it in the ass."

John blinked. Suddenly he wondered if he had bitten off more than he could chew, so to speak. As his alpha wiggled her rear against him enticingly, however, he found that he could not deny that such an activity did seem to have merit. She was the expert. If taming her meant anal intercourse then it was his job as her master to fulfill her needs. Everything in its place, everything played its part.

The Steel Valkyrie gasped softly as she felt his erection pressing against her anus. She closed her eyes and suckled her bottom lip for a moment then blinked. There was constant pressure and what felt like an earnest effort to perform as asked, however nothing seemed to happen beyond that.

Finally after a few frustrating minutes she heard her master remark. "Kara, I will need to get some lubricant."

The girl flushed and tried her best, but she could not suppress her giggle. Her surprise was genuine when she heard a soft nervous laugh from her master. That giggle turned into an outright laugh when he sighed and said, "A hard ass Steel Valkyrie, go figure." He was so sweet for trying.