The Hound's First Task
"G-Good... C-Commander!"
Thud, thud. The dull sounds of flesh slamming against flesh echoed raw and unfiltered through the commander's quarters.
Helena, peeking through the crack in the door, forgot to even breathe.
Her embedded core felt like it was about to burst.
The scene unfolding before her was more chaotic than any apocalyptic landscape of zombies, mechanical monsters, or anomalies devouring the world.
"This... this...! It feels so good! Ah, aaah!!!"
"Like this?"
"Ah?! Aaaah! Haaaah!!!"
"Th-There...! Lick it! Nngh! Uuugh!"
The ECHO’s moans, her hips twisting in lewd ways, face ecstatic with pleasure unbidden.
The commander responded to Pomen's near-pleading cries by thrusting his hips even more roughly.
"Do you like my pussy? Is it tasty~?! Aaang?!"
"I'm eating it because it tastes good, doesn't it?"
"S-So...! Ah! Uuung! Compared to Noa— Hiiik!!!"
"Pomen has her own unique flavor. You can't compare her to the other ECHOs."
"C-Commander! W-Wait—! Th-There! Ah! Ah! Aaaang!"
Helena's processing circuits couldn't keep up with their conversation.
The physical union between Pomen and the commander—her legs spread wide, accepting a human male's cock—wasn't one-sided exploitation or violence.
It looked more like they were mutually seeking pleasure and satisfaction.
So... it wasn't some sexual crime by a female ECHO against a human male.
If it were, Ark 69's Central AI wouldn't have stayed silent.
......
That's why Helena couldn't believe the scene she was witnessing even more.
According to her common sense and all the data she'd accumulated, humans despised and avoided ECHOs as repulsive monsters pretending to be human.
Even the commanders of Ark 74, where the Cerberus Squad had been stationed, found it unpleasant if an ECHO so much as stepped on their shadow.
It stemmed from some baseless superstition that an ECHO stepping on your shadow raises mission fatality rates.
But this Ark's commander was the complete opposite.
"Ha-ut! Yes! N-No! N-Nipples! Pulling on my nipples feels gooood~! Goooaaang!!!"
Disgust toward ECHOs? Contempt?
No trace of any such negative emotions.
Even as Pomen—the lewd ECHO—wrapped her legs around him fiercely and clung tight, the commander showed no sign of displeasure.
On the contrary...
His face revealed a pure human lust for an ECHO, a desire to dominate, and deep satisfaction—just like how humans craved each other.
How can a human... make that kind of face with an ECHO?
It was a primal sight, like a starving beast devouring its prey.
"Ooh! Oooh! Ooooooh!!!"
He even poured his semen inside the ECHO.
Watching the long, white fluid trickle down Pomen's thighs filled Helena's mind with question marks.
The two embraced, chatting briefly, then began rubbing their bodies against each other and kissing again.
Watching that, Helena swallowed dryly once more.
...No way is he a mechanical monster?
Or perhaps a new-model male ECHO they didn't know about?
Such irrational thoughts flashed through her mind for a moment.
But that couldn't be.
If so, the Central AI—Ark 69's eyes and ears—wouldn't have stayed quiet.
Just a matter of taste, then...
Helena tentatively concluded that Ark 69's commander was mentally off.
She'd heard that when the Crawler Queen obliterated all of Ark 69's forces, this commander had been right in the middle of the carnage.
Something must have happened to him then.
......
So, how should they proceed?
Helena's mind rapidly analyzed the situation. It wasn't a bad thing, at least.
The more positive the fleet commander of the Ark was toward ECHOs, the easier and safer their lives would be. That much was obvious.
However...
Would the commander want us too?
And if so, how should she act?
Her eyes flicked between the commander's firm muscles and Pomen's voluptuous figure.
"......"
Honestly, she wouldn't mind either way.
"Hngh-ut! Yes!"
She wasn't immune to the desire to feel a human's body heat and affection, like Pomen moaning in the commander's quarters.
But living branded as hounds had taught her such feelings were luxuries beyond her station.
Yet if this commander cherished and loved them...?
It might even feel... incredibly grateful.
But if not, that was fine too.
The Cerberus Squad had survived this hellish world through camaraderie alone, without human attention or affection anyway.
So either way...
"—!"
Helena's heart plummeted as her gaze absentmindedly drifted toward the door amid those thoughts.
The commander's eyes—locked on her through the door crack as he resumed ravaging Pomen's body—met hers perfectly.
She'd been caught. Completely.
Helena froze in place.
She reflexively reached for her shotgun's grip but barely restrained herself.
An ECHO aiming a gun at a human? That was instant execution, no words needed.
"...Commander?"
That's when it happened.
Pomen flinched at the commander's sudden halt in thrusting, puzzled, then picked up a piece of scattered combat gear into her hand and kicked the ground.
She flew at Helena like a streak of lightning.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Boom!
The commander's quarters door shook with a heavy thud.
Helena slammed into the wall, choking out a strangled gasp.
This is an ECHO's strength?
I knew ECHO physical abilities far surpassed humans'.
But I'd never imagined they'd go all out like this.
Outside, Pomen gripped Helena's throat with one hand, her other holding a sharp shard to the woman's neck.
One word from me, and she'd pierce it clean through.
"Enough, Pomen."
At my low command, Pomen's shoulders twitched.
She glared at Helena with murderous eyes and spoke to me in a heated voice.
"...Commander, this bitch is dangerous."
"The Central AI didn't say a word, did it? Bring her in."
If Helena had approached with any hostility, Wanderer would've warned me first.
Pomen shot Helena another glance, sighed shortly, then yanked her arm roughly and hurled her into the quarters.
Crash!
"...Cough!"
Freed from Pomen's grasp, Helena tumbled across the floor, coughing harshly.
I watched her silently. Her face was filled with terror, confusion, and wariness.
What's she here for? I didn't give any orders.
No point in secrecy anyway.
I sat on the bed's edge, looking down at her.
"What brings the Cerberus Squad leader?"
Helena hesitated at my question, then lifted her head.
"I... confirmed through Ark 69's main AI that the Cerberus Squad has been temporarily assigned here. So I came to pay my respects to you, Commander. I had no ulterior motives..."
Helena bit her lip, unable to finish.
Intent didn't matter—she'd spied on the commander. A grave offense warranting any punishment.
......Heh.
I inwardly chuckled at her.
Looked like she'd stumbled upon us by chance. Should I just send her back?
No other humans on Ark 69, and no need to hide ECHO skinship anyway.
That's when it happened.
Pomen, pondering something deeply, suddenly knelt before me.
She naturally took my still-limp cock—lingering with aftershocks—into her mouth.
"...Pomen?"
Her soft, hot tongue licked up the shaft, and my body reacted instantly.
"Slurp! Chup!"
Pomen ignored my gaze, focusing solely on the task.
Naturally, my cock swelled hard again. Once fully erect, she released it and turned to Helena on the floor.
"Your turn now, hound."
"Wha—?"
Before my question could even land, Pomen grabbed Helena's hair roughly.
"Kugh!!"
Helena's eyes shook violently as she was dragged helplessly.
Before her eyes loomed the human cock—still slick and menacingly swollen from Pomen's mouth moments ago.
"...Ah."
Impossible on Ark 74.
But this wasn't Ark 74.
One phrase etched into Helena's mind from years as a "hound" echoed.
Obey the commander.
Resistance meant disposal.
Helena glanced at the commander's face, hesitating.
If he looked displeased, she'd back off immediately. But she sensed no rejection on his face.
So...
"......"
Slowly, very slowly, Helena's mouth opened.
Like a malfunctioning machine, her trembling tongue awkwardly accepted the alien texture for the first time.
The human body heat she felt for the first time... was warmer than she'd imagined.
"—"
As that warmth spread through her mouth, Helena shuddered involuntarily.
She moved her tongue clumsily, pursed her lips ineptly.
Unsure what to do, she glanced up at the commander repeatedly, gauging his reactions to guide her mouth.
"......"
Since that was visually quite stimulating, I sat on the bed and enjoyed the service of the newly joined Echo.
Even designed for absolute obedience to humans, blind service commands like this might trigger resistance...
Was it because I'm this Ark's fleet commander?
Or the hound moniker?
Helena's motions for fulfilling the task were quite desperate.
"Mmm, Commander. Feels good?"
Pomen watched with a satisfied smile, then pressed against Helena's back.
She slipped her hand under Helena's tights top, twisting the hidden nipple.
"......"
But Helena showed no reaction.
Her half-lidded eyes stayed mechanically fixed on the task of serving the commander.
No moans, not even a tremor.
"Oh? What's this?"
Pomen's eyebrow arched slightly.
She stimulated harder than before. A body that had felt pleasure multiple times through the commander. Even tested against Alpha.
No reaction at all?
Yet Helena remained utterly still.
Boring.
Pomen withdrew her hand disinterestedly.
Then casually scratched Helena's side with her nails.
No reaction again. A sly smile crept onto Pomen's lips.
"Hey, you hound..."
Pomen nibbled Helena's earlobe, whispering like a serpent.
"Your pain sensors are turned off, aren’t they?"