Counter Earth Chronicles Chapter 104: The Outpost Of The Forgotten (Conclusion)

Story by Worlds Apart on SoFurry

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#105 of Counter Earth Chronicles

Last Chapter-

Alex and Bertha volunteer to help out Kai, in the infirmary during a mysterious uptick of patients. The injuries they treat are quite severe and quite brutal. Later Alex receives his own set of injuries after stupidly goading a former rebel. When will he learn not to taunt the condemned?


Counter Earth Chronicles

Chapter 104: The Outpost Of The Forgotten (Conclusion)

After Spirit and Bertha's revelation about the current state of the empire yesterday evening, I was very curious about what had happened during the last eighteen months. It started with the sham of a debate between the High Evolutionary and his foolish challenger Rick Rivers which then devolved into protests across the empire by the human populace after Mr. Rivers was judged and punished. That happened a few weeks after Lady Ursa and myself were de-animated.

According to my cell mates, the protests lasted for weeks. When the dictator grew tired of them, he had the knight core move in and break them up. Several turned violent creating pockets of disobedience and unrest. But what happened after that? Before calling it a night, I begged Bertha and Spirit to tell me more. They told me if I really wanted to catch up, then I should check out the periodicals in the outpost's library.

Secretly, I think they did not want to worry me any further over something that I had no control over.

Day 908 (afternoon)

To thank me for helping out in the infirmary yesterday, Kai spoke to the warden and I was allowed to visit the library on the third floor of the administration building. After partially recovering from my manticore sting yesterday and my sex sessions with Bertha and Spirit this morning, I decided to continue my recovery out of the cell this afternoon reading and catching up on events from the last year and a half.

Eagerly I climbed the steps to the third floor which I discovered had been slightly touched up, new carpeting, some artwork on the walls as well. As I entered the library, I nearly walked into some beast else who was leaving.

!!!

"Lotus!" I stammered backing up.

The beautiful female centaur was on me in an instant pinning me to the wall opposite the entrance.

"Well look who I had the fortune to run into?" The centaur said cooly. "And your boyfriend is not around to protect you..."

"Funny meeting you here Miss Lotus." I said trying to act casually as she scritched my chin.

"Same." She said eyeing me.

"Please. I, I am not looking for trouble..." I stammered.

"What did you come here looking for then? Maybe new sexual positions to try?"

(Be polite Alex, do not taunt the condemned especially her- she is a vicious serial killer.) I said to myself over and over and over.

"No ma'am, just here to catch up on current events and to kill time... err I mean not kill. Definitely not kill. I mean waste time." I said politely as I could to the serial killer.

"Hmm...." She said eyeing me up and down.

(Uh oh!)

"You know you are looking quite lovely this afternoon ma'am. I would dare say that you are the prettiest centaur here in the outpost." (Sans the horns.)

"Relax boy, I am feeling tolerant this afternoon." She said rubbing my chin.

"Miss Lotus?"

"If I had designs on you, I would have to contend with that damn dog afterwards. I heard what he did to his last boyfriend." The centaur female said as she patted me on my shoulder and then moved on.

(Phew.)

With that unexpected encounter behind me, I entered the library. The layout had changed since I had last been there- shelving had been moved around and the tables oriented toward the windows.

I took a moment to stare outside admiring the latest blizzard to hit the area. You couldn't see five inches in front of your face.

(Wow, this looked like a real bad one. Not to say they all weren't bad ones.)

"Well look who was released from his cage!" I heard a female voice say.

I turned around to see who had said that, it was definitely a female voice.

"Who's there?" I asked nervously as I walked toward a blind corner and a table that I hadn't seen when I entered the library.

I noticed a female manticore- head and body of a lion, small wings, tail of a scorpion with an attractive looking rack reading a stack of pads.

"Miss Hurt!"

"Hello Alex." She said looking up from her pad. "Feeling well enough to be up and about?"

"Um, hi. Wait, how did you get out of your cage?"

"I learned how to override the locks."

(Oh.)

"Uh, what are you doing here?" I asked as she motioned me to join her.

"I decided to better myself. I certainly have the time now."

"Now?" I said turning my head.

"Solo's prison escape. Had I escaped with him, I would be far far away from here. I didn't and the fool got himself killed and had hell rain down on the rest of us even you and your bear."

"You mean warden King?"

"He is tyrant. It makes sense though, the last warden was a cream puff who tried to educate and reform everyone and he got himself killed; he was weak."

"So that is what happened." I said.

"Come join me, you would be better company than that killer centaur."

"Why is that?" I asked cautiously taking a step forward.

"She is all happy and twitter-pated because she is getting laid." Kathryn said to me.

"You mean Sodus?"

"Yeah, he decided to obey the warden and started boinking her."

(So that is why she didn't hurt me.)

"I don't know..." I stammered looking at the former rebel who had killed many in the name of her cause.

"Sit boy. Besides I don't feel like taking any lives today."

"Well...."

"SIT!"

"Um, yes ma'am." I said pulling up a chair opposite her at the table.

"This outpost can be quite lonely at times." She said noticing my hesitation. "It is alright boy- I won't sting you, you have probably started to build up an immunity anyway."

"Yeah I deserved that." I said looking down at the table. "Kathryn I am sorry I taunted you yesterday. It was out of line."

"Are you?" The manticore said wrapping her tail around me. "Well then I am glad I didn't let you die.

Ms. Hurt then pulled me across the table to sit down in the chair right next to her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better thank you. I heard, it was going to be a day before I was up and around again. But I started feeling better this afternoon."

"So why are you here?" The manticore asked me.

"I was trying to catch up on current events."

"You wanted to find out what was happening while you were an inanimate piece of artwork?"

I nodded. "I Heard about the protests and riots after the judgement and punishment of Rick Rivers."

"That was a year and a half ago." She said to me.

"Yes, I have heard."

"Try this." The manticore said giving me the pad she had been reading. "It is a summation of major news events that happened by month over the last few years."

I took the pad from the ex-rebel and started reading the headlines.

Rick Rivers Sentenced To Experimentation Humans In Uproar.

I read the article. Which was a recap of the one I had read the previous night.

_ After the protests, riots and mass imprisonments of the protestors, second class citizens are still in an uproar. Approval level of High Evolutionary drops as empire threatens to descend into chaos. _

"It didn't settle down after the empire punished the rioters?" I asked the former human.

"No, it carried over to the High Mucky Muck's state of the empire address; he was booed by the humans there who demanded full equality with first class citizens and Rick Rivers exonerated."

"What happened after that?" I asked her.

"The same thing that happened here when Warden King took over. Hell rained down on the empire. The high mucky muck was angered by what happened at his presentation, he ordered a massive crackdown on rebels, dissidents, separatists, alarmists and his critics. If he couldn't get you, he went after your family instead. Many were judged and punished including those whose only wrong was having a relative that disagreed with the empire. That acerbated human and beastial relations further."

"032 YOE must have been a really tough year."

"It was." The manticore with the nice looking chest said. "Look at this story."

Home Invasion and Robbery

_ A capybara family was robbed and assaulted at their home in World Two by dissidents who were irate at the conviction of Rick Rivers. _

_ Two protestors broke into the family's home while they were sleeping, robbed and beat them telling the parents and their cubs to go back to where they came from. _

The story was from the March before this past March.

"That was the start of it, other beastials had their homes broken into and were assaulted during this period too." Kathryn said. "The knights were very busy trying to maintain order."

"What happened after that?" I asked.

"This." The manticore said showing me another article on a pad.

Vehicular Attack

_ A twenty nine year old human separatist was judged and punished when he attempted to land his hover vehicle on crowd at a beastials only park. Thankfully no patrons were killed. But many in attendance suffered moderate to severe injuries. The human protester was heard chanting Counter Earth For Humans! As he lowered his hover vehicle on the unsuspecting attendees. _

_ This is the latest in the human uprising caused by the Rick Rivers incident. _

"That wasn't this April but the one before." The she beast said to me.

"I hope Dongo, Doria, Bess and Tess didn't get caught up in all of this."

"Who are they?" The female manticore asked me.

"Friends of mine, they belong to the Consortium for Mutual Coexistence a movement that was founded to mitigate some of the human suffering on this world, change some hearts and minds and to prevent the ranks of the rebellion from swelling. Here." I said handing her a story from the pad I was reading.

Kathryn Hurt looked at the story. "Hug a human day?!"

"It was one of their projects to foster respect and understanding for the second class citizens of the empire." I said to her.

"I wish they were around when I was thinking about joining the rebellion."

"Is that a twinge of remorse in your voice?" I said looking at her.

"If I could do it all over, I wouldn't have chosen the same path."

"May I ask you a personal question?"

"You may boy- if it isn't too personal."

"Why did you join the rebellion?"

"Unlike you, I am old enough to remember when the first beastials started appearing on this world shortly after the dictator came to power. I was sitting on bench with some friends in my favorite park when a group of them came running by.

"Was that a walking lion?" One of my girlfriends asked. "We couldn't believe what we had seen. Since when did a lion walk upright or where clothes? It was the weirdest experience. The lion was followed by female moose, a wolf, then a sergal who stopped to stare at the three humans on a park bench staring back at them."

"That sounded like a very awkward moment." I said looking at her.

"More and more of them joined the crowd. Pretty soon we had about 18 of these animal people staring at us on our park bench. That was when one walked over- a female caprine who politely told us to leave our park. I asked what for? She told me that the park was now off limits to our kind. I asked the she beast why? She politely said that the park now belonged to them; it was a park for beastials only.

That was the start of it. As their numbers exploded they started taking over neighborhoods, villages, towns and cities. That was around the time everything was being rebuilt from the war- infrastructure, schools, civic centers. But the problem was that it was the beastials who were doing the building. The humans were losing employment to the preferred new preferred class of citizen as the take over continued, my parents were included. In time I and my friends joined a rebellious movement to stop this invasion."

"May I ask how did you come realize the error of your ways?" I asked the remorseful she beast.

"Being here in the middle of no where has given me a long, long time to think about my life and being in this body- a set of fresh eyes to look at the world through."

"Really?" I said.

"My hatred blinded me; as did our leader the Poet. Beastials aren't the problem. It is the High Evolutionary, his rules, his laws, his policies."

(Did Kathryn Hurt just admit she was wrong?)

"So what you are saying is if he had said beastials and humans were equal from the start and not separated both into classes, the world would look much different today?"

"Yes." The female manticore said placing her paw on my shoulder. "After my friends and I were kicked out of our park I held a grudge for so long. I learned just last year who had signed the order that made that park a park for nonhumans- the dictator. My hatred had been misdirected for so many years." The manticore said dejected.

"When did you start realizing this?" I asked her trying not to lock my gaze on her breasts that were looking so jiggly right now.

"I noticed how your dragon friend came to your aid without hesitation the day we tried to kill you in that warehouse. I have thought about that moment over and over again. No body has ever done anything like that for me."

"That is called an epiphany. I also have friends in the consortium as well."

"Beastials?"

"Yes beastial friends. Dongo Dingo for instance. He is the group's leader." I said as I got up from the table and fished through a stack of pads.

"Why does that name sound familiar?" The former human asked.

"Probably because of this."

I found a news article of Dongo's final judgement and played her the highlights.

"That's right he is the one that got paddled for torching that girl's apartment! That footage is a riot!" The she beast said laughing.

"That was the turning point in his life. He became a better person after that." I said.

"Who are the other members?"

"I am one."

"You?!"

I nodded. "I attended one of their presentations a while back and saw what they were trying to do and joined them."

"So you believe in their cause?"

"It is a small movement, but I hope it flourishes."

"Here look at this." She said handing me another article.

Tornado Attacks

_ A rare intense tornado struck World Three this week during a spring storm causing vast damage to the basement in the outskirts of the city. Several inhabitants were killed, many homes were destroyed. _

"That happened in June." Kathryn announced.

"That is awful." I said looking at the pictures.

"The residents blamed the High Evolutionary for the weather incident."

"Seriously?!" I asked.

"The locations where the cities of empire were built were supposed to be safe zones free and away from catastrophic weather." The manticore said to me. "But what was interesting was that your consortium was on the scene helping the humans- handing out blankets, arranging housing and helping the victims pick up the pieces of their lives. That brought them to the forefront." The former human said to me.

"Good for them. I know they were trying to increase their membership." I said proudly.

"Then last July, this happened." Kathryn said showing me another pad with another article on it.

Human Saves Cub

A adolescent human saved a little oryx who suddenly stopped breathing. Fifteen year old Stevie Stevens was shopping with his parents at his favorite store in World Five when he heard the young beastial's mother scream for help. Running over. he quickly he assessed the situation and performed chest compressions until the young beastial started breathing on his own. As a result of his efforts the human family and the beastial family have become friends.

"That was some good news in an island of bad news." Ms. Hurt announced. "In October a Counter Earthquake hit World Four."

"Oh my." I exclaimed.

"The north end of the city was heavily damaged, beastials and humans both lost their lives. There were more protests. Some claimed that the dictator didn't know what he is doing after a second disaster befell one of his cities. A previous unknown fault was discovered just north of the city."

"So he got the blame." I said.

"Exactly. Which lead to more pockets of lawlessness in the five cities." The manticore said flashing me some more headlines from late last year... Smash and grab robberies in World One. Street robberies in World Two. Targeted hit and runs in World Three and trunk murders in World Five."

"Trunk murders?"

"Beastial citizens killed under mysterious circumstances. Their bodies locked in the trunks of their hover vehicles. And this past January World One and Two were buried under a monster snow storm right during the dictator's state of the empire address; both cities were paralyzed. Which caused many to doubt the high mucky muck and to paint him as insensitive."

"As bad as the storms here?" I asked the manticore.

"Not that bad, but close. Then this past April there was this..."

Mysterious Fires Torches Houses Across The Five Cities

_ A rash of house burnings is plaguing first class citizens across the empire as prominent beastials returning home from work, errands or vacations find that their homes have been torched or destroyed in mysterious fires. Not much is known about these fires that have occurred across the five cities of the empire. What is known though is the victims are all first class citizens. Disgruntled humans are suspected. _

_ The High Evolutionary has ordered a mandatory a curfew in all cities across the empire no one is to be out past seven in the evening or before seven in the morning for any reason. _

"That is nuts. I said to the she beast."

(Sounds like 033 YOE wasn't turning out to be much better.)

"That was his attempt to crush the uprising and unrest. But despite the misery- your group was again trying to mitigate the suffering." Kathryn Hurt said showing me another pad with a news article. This one from last month.

New Entertainment Opens In World One

_ A new form of entertainment has come to the empire. The first of its kind public gathering place for the watching of films and movies has opened in the historical district. The project created by the Consortium for Mutual Coexistence wants citizens- beastial and humans to watch films in a public gathering place instead of their own homes. The group believes collective watching of films in this so called theater will promote socialization, tolerance and friendship between the classes. _

The article had pictures of Dongo, Doria, Bess, Tess and some other individuals I didn't recognize.

"So this is them is it?" Kathryn said. "Wait those buffalo calves look familiar."

"They were at your transformation; Nikki Waters killed their father."

"I remember them." The manticore admitted.

"They took their familial loss and turned it into something positive." I said studying the picture.

"I see." She said.

"In working with that group, I realized that all of us may look different on the outside, but we are basically the same inside." I said to her. "We want a life filled with love and happiness away from pain, misery and suffering."

"It took me a long, time to realize that too."

"And now?" I asked her.

"If I could, I would apologize to my victims and prevent what happened to me from happening to others."

"Really?"

"I would do what I could to make the world a better place. But it is impossible to do that from in here."

"But Kathryn, you are here for a reason; you are paying for the evil you have done, the innocent souls you have taken in the name of your cause. There is no coming back from that; there is no getting around that."

"I know that boy. I suppose that I just have to be a better me now than I was when I was human." The she beast concluded.

"So what is it like being a beastial?"

"Different. I am stronger, agile, and a little smarter in addition to the claws, fangs, fur, wings and a tail."

"You also forgot the magnificent looking rack." I said smiling at her.

The manticore looked at me weirdly.

"The uniform dress code the warden established. Males and females prisoners wear skirt-like loin-cloths and walk around topless. I don't know about you but I like it- especially the topless part." I said grinning.

"PIG." She said punching me in my shoulder.

"Do you miss being human?"

"Not really. This form is better."

It sounded to me like the ex-rebel and former human had gotten used to her new body and was really starting to appreciate being a beastial.

Kathryn and I spent the rest of the afternoon swapping and sharing news stories. In a bizarre way, I think we bonded. I also learned what awaited my mistress and myself if we ever did escape the Maximum.

It was around five in the evening when I decided to head to the cafeteria for something to eat. I said goodbye to Ms. Hurt, and carefully left the library running into another beast. Lady Ursa who was watching the storm from one of the windows in the hallway.

"Mistress?"

"Alex! What are you doing here?"

"I was allowed some library time for helping out in the infirmary the other day. You?" I asked as I ran to hug her.

(Man, I have missed my soft pillows.)

"I was allowed some free time for being a obedient, model prisoner."

(She meant sharing her body with another.)

"I just spent the last several hours catching up on what happened while we were away." I said taking her paw.

"Pet I am so very sorry I got you into this."

"Mistress you were being manipulated by alien creatures. I wouldn't lose sleep over that. But our confrontation with Solo and his minions wasn't as successful."

"I am very sorry for that too Alex. If I knew what I know now, I would have handled the situation differently. Much differently." My fierce ursine warrior said to me.

"You mean we would have stayed in our cells that night and not gone up to the fourth floor?"

"Yes pet." She said as I continued to hug her. "Alex you can let go of me now."

"I know mistress, but I don't want to."

"Ok so what did we miss while we were um...."

"Statues?"

"Yes."

"The empire is in disarray; it started with Rick Rivers just before we left. But I will let you read about that. Say, how are you doing?"

"I am holding up pet. It is quite eye opening being the imprisoned instead of the one doing the imprisoning. I have also met with warden King about our false imprisonment here several times; he refuses to listen."

"From what I hear, the warden is a tyrant. The four prisoners who escaped yesterday couldn't tolerate the conditions here or him anymore."

"Yes, pet- they were found two miles from here by the guards this afternoon- they froze to death during the storm. It looks like life here, their punishment was intolerable for them."

"That supports what Bertha and I saw yesterday in the infirmary, I helped her treat a spike in injuries related to the ring in the arena."

"Boris says that it is the way the warden maintains order- he is beating and torturing those that defy him."

"How is your breeding partner? Any little bears yet?" I teased. "You two do make a nice couple."

"Remember pet Boris is a criminal; he is known as the Disassembler."

"How did he get that name?!" I asked looking up from my bear's magnificent rack.

"Because he is a master thief who can bypass anything electronic to get what he wants. Don't let how he speaks fool you. He is very intelligent."

"So that was why the previous warden made him the temporary engineer here. So did he make you a mommy yet?"

"No, pet."

"What if he did?"

"I wouldn't hold a grudge against him, he is just following orders as we all are."

"But how has he been treating you?"

"There is no need to fear Alex. He is a perfect gentle beast at all times especially when we mate. Kind, polite and gentle. He even warns me when he is going to cum. I sometimes let him cuddle with me afterwards and then he apologizes repeatedly. But deep down, I think he enjoys it."

"Do you mistress?"

"Alex! He isn't you. But it is nice to have another bear to talk too. But I could easily ask you the same. How have your cell mates been treating you?"

"Fine. They tolerate and look out for me."

"What about your breeding partner Bertha?"

"While she is physically identical to you, she is not you. I mean her breasts are the same size and shape as yours- but they aren't furry. Nor does she have claws, fangs or a tail."

"So that is why you haven't let me go. Any babies yet?" She said returning my hug.

"No. Thankfully, we mate twice a day when the guards are about to make sure that it gets back to the warden."

"What about the sex? Do you like it?"

"Mistress!"

"Pet?"

"If imagine that she is you during our love making it isn't as bad." I said nuzzling her breasts.

"What about Spirit?"

"Bertha is helping him with some sanity issues. He really needs treatment that this place can't provide." I said to my she beast.

"So he doesn't need to be in here then?" My mistress asked.

"No." I responded.

"His scent is all over you."

"I have become his boyfriend, his comfort animal of sorts. According to Bertha, I calm him and help him focus."

"Really how so Alex?" My she beast said raising her eyebrow.

"Well, after sexing Bertha, he sexes me. Now before you ask, like Boris, he is gentle and kind.... for a crazy person."

"Just how crazy is he Alex?"

"Since there are only two bunks in the cell, I end up sharing either Bertha's or his. On the nights I have slept at Bertha's side, I have woken up and found myself in Spirit's. Him nuzzling me with his snout-, groping my butt with his left paw and holding my penis with his right."

My she beast gave me a look of shock at that revelation as if to say, yeah, he is crazy.

"Another morning I woke up to him lying right on top of me, our genitals touching before he kissed me. He has these weird, lewd sexual fantasies that he likes to try out on me every now and again. I have complied with everyone of them."

"What was the last one he performed on you?" My she beast asked curiously.

"He yiffed me doggie-style and licked me on my head afterwards."

"Did you like it pet?"

"Mistress!"

(Yeah, somewhat.)

My blushing in front of my she beast revealed my guilt.

"It is ok Alex. You and I have made concessions others would find repulsive just to get by. No one will hold it against you. But we do need to figure out a way out of here back to the empire."

"That is going to be extremely hard to do given that we are in the middle of no where mistress."

Our conversation and my hug were abruptly ended as we were joined by a rabbit guard who had arrived on our floor. "Prisoner 69 and 70, looking at the storm?"

"Actually each other ma'am." I sheepishly admitted.

"Too bad it is quite the storm." She said looking out the widow.

"Yes ma'am." Lady Ursa and I said submissively.

"Well be graetful you two are in here instead of out there. That has to be the worst one this year."

"I find it hard to believe this place gets storms in July." I said.

"Bad storms abound on this continent all year around." The female guard said emotionless. "Did you come from the library?"

"Yes ma'am." I nodded.

"Was there anyone else in there with you?"

"Kathryn Hurt."

"You were in the same room with here Alex?" My bear knight asked concerned.

"Yes. It is ok mistress. She didn't harm me."

"Prisoner twenty-four could you join us in the hall for a minute?" The female guard called out.

"I still had a few hours more of personal time!" The manticore protested.

"It has been revoked. Warden King is having a mandatory assembly in a hour. All his possessions are ordered to attend in the arena. For you two noobs, that is the basement of the prison building."

"He is assembling all the prisoners of the outpost in one location?" Lady Ursa asked. "Is that safe or wise?"

"Yes." The female rabbit said. "You three finish up and then head to the prison building." The rabbit guard said departing.

"Yes ma'am." Kathryn, my mistress and I said in unison.

"I wonder what the assembly is about?" I said staring at the females.

"It isn't an assembly." The manticore said to me as my warrior bear looked on. "It is an public execution."

To Be Continued....