#Storch x Star | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

hummingjay · 1 month ago

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Check it out on Wattpad too. I'll also be posting it on AO3 if my account gets approved! Note: Rabengeiers belong to @sosadraws. Check her post out, it's real good.

Chapter 1

Magazin adjusted her hair, looking into the mirror. She kept it in a ponytail, which was hard at first, seeing as she has rather short hair, but eventually she asked a Eule to teach her how to put it up. The other starlings in the cadre teased her a bit, but she didn’t mind all too much. It was only friendly teasing, and her hair might as well be the only form of individuality she could get. All starlings had the same face, same body, and until a fair bit of time passed, the same personality, with few exceptions. It was rather pretty face, she had to admit, so she found it hard to complain, but still, it was nice to have something other than her designation to define her.

She washed her face, trying to wake up a bit more. She slept in this morning, so going to the cafeteria for coffee would hardly be possible with what time she had. Instead, she used the coldest water the sink would spout and thoroughly rinsed her face, hoping the cold fluid would help awaken her. Truth be told, refreshing as it was, she didn’t feel much better.

Magazin sighed and walked out the bathroom door, striding back into the STAR dorm for her gear. Most of the other starlings were already out and about, some at the cafeteria finishing breakfast, some already on patrol. She nodded at another tired looking starling, Clip, her name was, as she walked in. She just finished the night shift, and looked it too. Clip threw off her armor, tossing it to the side of her bunk, grunting a greeting. “Morning, Magz.”

“Long night?” Magazin asked.

“Every night.”

Clip flopped onto her bunk, tossing her blanket over her tall frame. Magazin knew she meant well, and was always tired in the morning. She’d be much more chipper in the evening, having slept.

Magazin picked up Clip’s discarded armor and hung it on its respective rack. The last thing she needed was another memo from their Adler or some other authority figure about the “near-hazardous living space of the Protektor force.”, as amusing as it was to see the resident Adler scrunch his face in disgust at the sight of empty cans and unmade beds, she’d rather not upset him. Besides, he was rather easy get along with. Though Magazin couldn’t remember his name for the life of her, she did remember a lengthy conversation about fountain pens, and he was much nicer than the other units make him sound.

She donned her own armor, picking her pistol from the safe. She loaded it, making sure the safety was on before she cocked and holstered it. It was protocol to fully unload the gun before putting it in the safe for curfew. Any incidents were severely punished, and rightly so. Getting accidentally shot by a friendly gun was never in anyone’s to-do list, not that getting shot at all was a great idea. After making sure her cap was on right, she headed out the door.

The familiar bustle of the Kitezh Supply and Communications facility, more officially called M-01 Möbius, was an odd yet present comfort. Armed gestalt soldiers quickly strolled through the halls, some wounded, others carrying large crates, presumably food supplies or ammunition. Storches passed the gestalts easily, their speed attributed to their natural longer strides. Every now and then she’d pass a fellow starling, either standing guard or walking to whatever job was tasked onto them. She wasn’t the most popular in the cadre but she certainly wasn’t unpopular either, so she gets nods and even a tip of a hat or two as she walks by.

Magazin eventually reaches her guard post, nodding at the tired-looking starling already standing guard. She gives Magazin a pat on the shoulder, walking towards the dorms.

Magazin stands guard, watching the corridor. It’s the same experience every day, soldiers and Eules and gestalt janitors and repair workers passing by. She didn’t mind, usually. The Eules always brought with them a sort of air of joy, always smiling, sometimes even laughing as they pass by. The gestalts tended to steer clear of her, which ultimately made sense. It was her job to keep them in line, and as a protektor who towered over them, she was intimidating and she knew it. Then of course there were the rabengeiers. Black Vultures. These replikas dealt with potentionally hazardous biowaste, and that meant bodies. And at M-01 Möbius, there were lots of bodies. Acting as one of the main relay points on the frontline, between imperial raids and being the point where bodies are kept before being shipped to whatever their home world is- or was, corpses were common at the facility. Rabengeiers were nice enough, but seeing someone cart a tarp-covered corpse while covered in their white and blue hazmat suits, red eye receptors glinting behind their goggles, it was hard not to be intimidated. On a good day they carted around an intact body under a tarp. On a bad one it was hard to tell the difference between a normal trash bag and whatever mess of limbs was inside the body bag. At least it would be if not for the blood that leaked into the pristine white table. Security was rough but Magazin did not envy them.

Above her, Magazin could hear noises in the ceiling. Not just footsteps from the upper floors, either. It was likely an Ara unit, maybe two, clambering from one end of the vent to the other. The clambering stopped not far from Magazins spot, while more noise furthered on. The vent creaked open, and an Ara unit popped out, upside down, grinning and using one hand to hold her hat to her head, even though she could have buckled it properly.

“Good morning, Magzie”

The Ara unit was at eye level, hanging from the vent. Magazin didn’t even have to look up.

“Kupfer.” She said, greeting her. “What’s today’s haul?”

Kupfer reached into her bag, which she kept firmly clipped onto her belt, pulling out a candy bar.

“Caramel this time.”

For reasons Magazin never did understand, Kupfer had taken a liking to her. An oddity, considering Aras are unsociable most times, and talking to them at all is rare since they’re in the vents the vast majority of the day.

Kupfer passed the bar over, the wrapper crinkling under her fingers. Kupfer was dating one of the kitchen Eules, a rather sweet one named Nelke who worked in the kitchens. She kept Kupfer well stocked with whatever leftovers were there.

Magazin unwrapped the bar, taking a bite. Caramel oozed from the inside of the bar and into her mouth.

“How’d you get your hands on this one?” Magazin asked, covering her mouth with one hand. “The caramels always get sold out so fast.”

“Nelke saved them for me.” Kupfer pulled out her own candy bar and took a bite. How she was comfortable eating upside down was a mystery to her. Kupfer finished the bar in two bites, wiping her mouth with her hand. She managed to wipe away a chocolate crumb and smudge the soot covering her face. For some reason the Ara unit always had soot or some other mechanical excrete on her face. Sometimes oil, sometimes even sawdust, though Aras aren’t even meant to work with wood. Try as Magazin might, Nelke was the only one who could get Kupfer to clean her face off.

“She told me to bring one for you too.”

“That’s really nice of her. I didn’t know she knew about me.”

“Oh, I told her all about you.”

“Really now?”

“Sure.” Kupfer tossed the crumpled wrapper into a trash bin. Admittedly a good throw. “All good things. You’re the only protektkor that actually talks to me.”

“Well, so long as you make me sound cool.”

“Not as cool as me, but pretty close.” Kupfer twisted around, falling from the vent and hanging on with both hands as Magazin finished her bar and pocketed the wrapper. Hanging from the ceiling, the shorter unit was still just about eye level.

“Wanna know what a little birdie told me?” She grinned at Magazin, who raised an eyebrow.

“Sure.”

“You’ve got a mission.”

“Yeah, right. Which birdie told you that?”

“Oh, you know. Little chirps here and there.”The Ara units may be gossips at times but they do have an odd moral of never putting a name to the action. Kupfer wasn’t going to say which bird, though it was probably a Storch.

“It’s true though.” Kupfer continued. “You’re gonna go with two other Starlings, I think. Maybe a Eule and an Ara. Probably gestalts too. Something about communications or whatever.”

“Huh. That’ll be interesting then.”

“For you. I’m going to be bored without you for the next few cycles.”

“Aww, you’re really gonna miss me? You’re a sweet one, Kupfer.”

“Don’t push it, Magz. Nelke already calls me sweet anyway.”

“What else does she call you? Sweetie pie? Pookums? Maybe even Snuggle cub?”

“Nope, nope, and nope! She calls me princess.” Kupfer gave Magazin a grin, before blushing. “Sometimes she does call me Sweetie.”

A beep came from Kupfer’s belt.

“Ugh. I gotta go.” She said as she twisted back into the vent. She poked her head out.

“Hey, don’t die, yeah? It would be a shame to have you shipped back here by the rabengeiers in a plastic bag.”

“I hereby promise to do my best. Now get out of here before you get in trouble for being late.”

Kupfer shot Magazin a grin before shutting the vent with a click.

With Kupfer gone again, guard duty went back to boring. With but a few passing greetings from Eules rushing by, all she could do was stand at attention, looking for disturbances she hoped she’d never see.

Fortunately, guard duty was uneventful as always. She watched as the next guard walked across the hall to take over. Auslösen, everybody called her. She was an odd starling, showing sweetness that could rival a Eule, but the social straightforwardness of an Ara. Auslösen pointed at Magazin’s face.

“You’ve got chocolate on your lip.”

Magazin wiped her face with the back of her hand. The starling shook her head.

“Still there.”

Magazin wiped again. Auslösen pulled a napkin from her pouch.

“Hold still, Magz.”, she said, reaching over. She steadied Magazin’s head with her hand and wiped the leftover candy with the other.

“You still have the wrapper?”

Magazin pulled the plastic from her pocket, which Auslösen swiftly grabbed.

“I’ll throw it out.” She said.

“Thanks, Aus.”

“Don’t worry about it. Hey, go eat something.” Auslösen adjusted Magazin’s hat. “You haven’t eaten anything other than that, candy, have you?”

“I have not, no.”

“You should grab a bite then. Kommandantin told me to let you know you’re on call.”

So Kupfer was right. There is a mission.

“Thanks. You rock, Aus.”

“Of course I do. Now move it to the cafeteria before the Eules close up.”

Magazin saluted and walked off, catching a glimpse of Auslösen tossing the napkin and wrapper into the trash bin. She turned a corner, checking her internal time module. There’s still time left. And-

She walked straight into a Eule. Papers scattered and the poor owl crashed to the floor, while Magazin staggered.

“Shit! Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going. Are you hurt?”

The Eule picked herself up and started gathering her papers.

“No, I’m okay.” She replied. “I wasn’t looking either. Oof, I’m gonna be late. I can’t keep Kommandantin waiting.”

Magazin picked up the papers as well, stacking them neatly and extending a hand to help the Eule up. She could see her marking: EULR-M0156. A medical pack was slung across her shoulder.

“Thank you.” The smaller unit said, getting up. Magazin handed her the paper stack.

“Of course. Sorry again for barging into you like that.”

The Eule smiled. “It’s okay. Just try not to trip over the Kolibris, mm-kay?” Her tone was akin to a song, little lilts in her accent. Magazin smiled back at her.

“I’ll make sure to be more careful.”

The Eule nodded at her and carried on, waking a bit faster.

Magazin watched her walk away, feeling slightly bad. It wasn’t her fault, it was hard at best to see around the corners and Eules are a foot shorter than her. Still, can’t be fun getting hit in the face by someone in rock-hard armor. Magazin purged the thought from her mind and kept walking. She was hungry and she might not get to eat later.

The cafeteria by now was mostly empty. Just a few workers finishing coffee or some other small snack. Magazin herself got a large cup of the caffeinated drink and a ration pack. The coffee was too bitter and the ration was tasteless but food was food and she needed to eat.

The loudspeaker sounded out a ping.

“STAR-M0124, STAR-M0112, STAR-M0102, please report to Hanger 4.”

STAR-M0124. That’s her. As the order repeated Magazin tossed her empty ration pack and cup at the trash and missed entirely. She picked it up and threw the waste again, this time with success.

It only took 3 minutes to reach Hanger 4, it’s not far from the cafeteria. She could already see one of the other Starlings, STAR-M0112, Bolzen. She looked at Magazin, standing straight and arms behind her back, looking more like a general than a security technician. As Magazin got closer, she spotted a Kolibri and a Eule, the Eule obviously a nurse unit with her green medical bag, and the Kolibri…well, she looked like any other Kolibri, Magazin didn’t know her name.

Magazin strolled over, shaking Bolzen’s hand and nodding at the Eule, before saluting the Kolibri. Another Starling walked into the hanger. This one Magazin didn’t know. Judging by the numerous scars where her shell plates were welded back together, she was one of the older starlings. She extended her hand.

“Zwiete.” She said, introducing herself.

“Magazin.” Magazin said. “This is Bolzen.”

The Kolibri nodded.

“KLBR-M0105. This is Tulpe.” She gestured to the Eule. Magazin recognized her now, she was the same Eule she ran into, this time without her papers; she must have dropped them off while Magazin was in the cafeteria. Magazin smiled sheepishly. The Eule smiled right back in full earnest. It made her feel a bit better. The Kolibri continued.

“We’re still waiting on one other. And-“

She was cut off by the slam of a vent opening, then an Ara unit crawled out. Magazin was always shocked by how fluidly they moved, especially in such small spaces. If she was being well and truly honest it was rather creepy, like watching a spider crawl.

“Sorry I’m late. Gas leak took longer than I thought.” The Ara said, pulling off a gas mask. She left her goggles on, her all-familiar Ara hat was still on her head, and unlike Kupfer’s it was strapped onto her chin properly.

The Kolibri nodded, turning towards a small plane at the end of the hangar, gesturing to follow. A Storch unit stood next to the vehicle, arms crossed. Behind her were two gestlalts, pilots by the look of their uniforms. An older man with white hair and large mustache leaning on the frame, smoking a comically large pipe, and a young woman with a snake tattoo on her neck, sitting on a crate.

The Storch looked at them. “Apologies for the sudden assignment. Today’s mission was only deemed important this morning and time is short.” She said. She seemed bitter, as if she wanted the mission accounted for sooner. “You will fly out east, to deliver a message to the 56th attack platoon. We lost communications two days ago but recon shows they’re alive. However, the enemy is setting up artillery and the we have roughly three days before our soldiers die. You are to deliver them news and information on the artillery and the orders of retreat. We believe their vehicles are still functional. Provide any support needed until the platoon arrives back here. Any questions so far?”

Silence.

“Excellent. Likelihood of enemy anti-air is low. Tank presence is possible. If you do go down the mission is not aborted. You have 10 minutes to gather your weapons and board the plane. KLBR-M0105 will lead the assignment. Dismissed.”

The Storch unit saluted and walked away, leaving them. The Kolibri nodded.

“Weapon case is over there. Board the plane when you’re ready." she said, turning to board. The Ara and Tulpe followed her. Magazin and the other starlings turned towards the case put out for them. She was already armed with her pistol, of course. But it would be foolish to not take a more aggressive firearm, especially since it’s rare to be privileged with such firepower. She picked up an assault rifle. The StG-940, chambered in 5.56 caliber rounds. This one had a red dot scope attached and a vertical grip. She picked up extra magazines and tucked them onto her belt.

Magazin looked over. Bolzen had already chosen a large DMR and Zwiete was still inspecting a shorter shotgun. Magazin walked to the plane, nodding at the two pilots as she boarded and sat down. Luckily, the seats were against the wall and facing to the inside of the plane, giving her ample leg room. The Kolibri was still standing, and Tulpe was already sitting down, reading a book she likely borrowed from a Kolibri. The Ara unit was also sitting, her bag between her legs instead of up in the storage bins above the seats.

It was only a minute before Zwiete boarded, followed by the gestalts. The younger one sat in the pilot’s seat while the older man went for the copilot’s. The pilot tapped the microphone.

“This is your captain speaking. I’m Hana and this is Bernhard. Please buckle up and hold tight.” The engines roared to life and the plane began moving. “This is gonna be a smooth ride with clear skies and sand. Like every other day here. Try not to throw up during takeoff and landing. Or at all.”

The plane took off. Such a small plane didn’t have retractable landing gear, and the hum of the engine was loud through the armored walls. Not long after takeoff Bernhard stood up from his seat, walking steadily on what could only be called an unstable floor.

“We’re looking at an hour’s ride, so get comfortable.” He said. He looked at Tulpe, immersed in her book. “Smart lass, she is.” He turned to the Ara unit. “You can take the plant out. Keeping it in a bag can’t be good for it.”

She looked confused, before embarrassedly unzipping her bag and pulling out a potted flower, moving aside her tools, and placing it on the seat next to her. Magazin could see Zweite raise an eyebrow, but she didn’t say anything. The Kolibri, for her part, seemed unbothered. She glanced up, grinned, and went back to poring over the map of the area. She probably knew of the contraband from the start. Bernhard smiled and went back to the copilots seat. The Ara unit seemed more happy than anything else now that she could keep her plant out. Magazin stood up, hand on the ceiling to steady herself, walking over to Bernhard.

“How’d you know she had a plant?” She asked.

Bernhard grinned as he flicked a switch.

“I work with Ara units in the hanger a lot. They don’t go far from them, and nobody ever gets them in trouble for bringing ‘em.”

“They always have plants on them?”

“I’ve been in these seats for 40 years and only one Ara left her plant behind. Never did any of the higher-ups mind it either.”

“Huh. Well, I-“

A loud sound interrupted her. She could hear Zwiete shout.

“We’re hit!”

Magazin scrambled over, looking out the window. The wing had a hole in it, a worryingly big one.

“I thought there wasn’t anti-air!” The Kolibri shouted.

“There isn’t!” Hana screamed back. “They have fucking tanks! Buckle the fuck up!”

Magazin went for her seat, but the plane tilted violently and she fell over. She heard Tulpe scream.

Firm hands grabbed her and hauled her into her seat. Zwiete pushed her down as Magazin grappled the buckle shut. A tank round tore through the floor, hitting the ceiling and falling in front of Zwiete. More shots. Metal shards of the plane flew across the space. At this point the plane was shuddering and creaking a hideous cacophony of metal bending as it tried to hold together. What was louder, the metal of the plane screaming as it cracked, the thunder of the tank cannons or the engine trying to function, Magazin couldn’t tell.

Another explosion, louder. The engine on the right side of the plane burst into flame, spitting shards of metal cross the sky and into the plane. Tulpe screamed louder and the Ara’s face was contorted in pain, a piece of the engine imbedded in her arm, blood spurting onto the floor.

Screams. Who was screaming? Zwiete was silent, eyes shut tight. Bolzen? Tulpe? Hana was screaming. The cockpit was on fire. Magazin was screaming too, she realized. The plane wasn’t flying anymore, it was falling. How could she tell? She couldn’t look out the window and her thoughts were a mess. But she knew they were falling now, fast.

More screams, the plane, her, Tulpe, Hana, then more screams still. Then-

Nothing.

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mara-xx217 · 11 months ago

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Jamais Vu (Signalis Commission)- Human Gestalt/Everyone (Especially Stars and Storch)

This was quite a meaty commission! I hope you all enjoy!~

Love. Forbidden love.

Or was it love that simply shouldn't have happened at all?

The line between 'love' and 'cruelty' is dangerously thin...

Warnings: Dead Dove Do Not Eat, Rape/Noncon, Extreme Power Imbalances, Power Dynamics, Abuse of Authority, Imprisonment, Shock Collar, Hazing, Groping, Sexual Harassment, Technically Workplace Harassment, Blood and Violence, Broken Bones, Copious Amounts of Blood, Drowning, I'm really sorry about the German and Chinese I did the best I could

The gestalt worker’s body shook in rhythm to the rumble of the cargo ship’s engines. Equipment rattled and rolled in their containers, machinery and large parts trembled and vibrated throughout her body, making her eyes see double and her teeth to chatter. Her feet didn’t quite touch the ground, her shoes scuffed from use and unpolished, her uniform crinkled and improperly buttoned.

She stared down at her hands, her fingers twitching and curling into her palms. Her hands were rough from a brief lifetime of hard work and the calluses were a raised, ugly sight upon her hands. The gestalt picked at them and flinched as the skin just underneath her pinky finger was torn raw. Her legs dangled, feet reflexively kicking out as the sting of air hit her tender flesh. The weight of a bag hung on the tip of her shoe, a delicate balancing act that the gestalt couldn't remember initiating. She blinks slowly, eyes dry and unfocused from an undisclosed amount of time without blinking.

Upon this primordial body, the lands were changed, shaped, by gestalt and replika hands.

What becomes of a consecrated shape that has been meddled with in ignorance?

The head is in disagreement with the body.

Uneinigkeit

分歧

The tail shall be devoured in place of an effigy.

The ship shudders to a stop, its weight heaving and shifting in place as it settles to the ground. There is movement. Chatter. The sounds of heavy metal feet stomping around as replikas make contact with the cargo ship’s pilot, asking for documentation, for the cargo manifest. The noise outside of the ship is constant, a low drone through the thick shielding of the vessel. The gestalt doesn’t move, doesn’t hold her breath as she waits. It isn’t until the loading dock door is open that the gestalt finds herself focusing, blinking in the harsh light and wrinkling her nose to the strange consistency of the still newborn Heimatian atmosphere.

“-hurry up and get all this in the loading bay. The storm’s about to pick up and we don’t have time to- Huh?” A replika worker freezes in place as her eyes fall onto the unaccounted human being in the cargo hold. She was an anomaly. A threat.

Gefahr

威胁

Panic spread throughout the replika workers. The STARs were called in, who then called upon the STRCH unit of the outpost in. The gestalt was compliant with the security units’ demands, allowing them to place her in handcuffs and keep their guns trained on her as they waited for their overseer to determine if you a spy or merely a very foolish human that would face the wrath of the Resistance for her insolence and stupidity. Storch snatched the gestalt worker’s identification card and the paperwork found on her person when the STARs frisked her, narrowing her eyes and curling her lip as she tilted her head towards the loading bay doors.

“Take this one-” She gestures to the worker with a flick of her wrist.

“-in for questioning. And the Elster unit as well. Take her gun and cuff her.”

Elster units aren’t known for malfunctioning in such a way. Their gestalt blueprint was chosen specifically for her willingness and eagerness to follow orders and for her disdain for the Empire. Such a unit disregarding orders was odd. Suspicious, especially given her defiance in refuting the charge of taxing a potential spy to an outpost that was declared lost after a catastrophic storm wiped it off the map decades earlier.

There was no note of any gestalt workers that were to be shipped to the outpost, there was no need for any such workers, yet there were supplies to support no more than one human for approximately the equivalent of six revolutions of Heimat, something that was not only unaccounted for in the cargo manifest but also in the ship’s fuel supplies, as it only had enough to make the trip to the outpost, not to leave it as well. Yet in spite of this all, Storch held in her long, strong fingers a work transfer slip that clearly outlined how their mysterious gestalt worker was to be shipped to the now ‘destroyed’ Outpost 773-5-94S for emergency deployment. The assignment given, though, was unclear, only stating that it was for the eyes of the FLKR unit overseeing the outpost and for no one else.

She was placed into isolation, just as the Elster unit, per their regulations. The replika was unaffected by the conditions, preferring it, even. The gestalt was more tense, upset by the procedure but not combative. Storch contacted the Commander, presenting her with both the replika unit and the human along with the cargo manifest and the work reassignment order that was on the gestalt that indicated that she was notified of this transfer and no one else. Storch saluted, standing to attention as the Falke unit towered over her, hands clasped behind her back as she stood in front of the gestalt worker’s cell.

“There was no one else within the ship?” The Commander’s voice was smooth, authoritative. Storch nodded, breaking her salute and handing Falke the documentation aforementioned.

“The only things not accounted for are the human and the supplies for its stay.” Falke was silent as she glossed over the documents. Her eyes narrowed as she shifted the worker’s reassignment documentation that clearly stated her name, Eusan National identification card, and the outpost’s classified designation.

“Interesting.” Commander Falke resituated the documents and handed them back to Storch, who took them and awaited her orders. Would the trespassers be executed? Sent back to the New Nation for further questioning? Perhaps her Commander would allow her to extract further information from both the replika and the gestalt… The Commander was tall enough that she needed to bend at her waist in order to view either prisoner in their cells. Her grey eyes flicked over to the replika, then the human, eyes lingering for just a moment before she stood upright and said-

“Release the gestalt and place her on domestic duty.” Storch blinked in shock.

“I- C-Commander! Is that a wise thing to do if we don’t know what its-”

“Are you questioning my judgement, Zwei?”

“...no ma’am.” Commander Falke narrowed her eyes and Zwei didn’t quite meet her eyes.

“Place the human on domestic duty. Any work the EULEs detest, she will do. In the meantime, the Kolbris will monitor both her and the Elster unit. See if you can get her to talk, will you?” Zwei started her Commander and remained until she was formally dismissed.

Deep inside, the Storch seethed as one of her Star units unlocked the gestalt’s cell. Walking away to her office and slamming the door with enough force that some object inside was knocked to the floor, shattering to pieces, the Storch struggled to find adequate outlets for her bubbling anger. The Commander had one of the Star units, one paired with Zwei during her training before they both were assigned to Outpost 773-5-94S, to calm her and redirect her misplaced anger towards a more productive outlet. Paperwork needed to be filed, the Elster unit needed to be questioned further, the gestalt needed to be monitored…

Commander Falke’s judgement wasn’t something that could be thrown into doubt. It was one of the flaws of the replikas, or perhaps not, as this ensures their loyalty to the Nation that created them. The falcon’s reign is ordained and none may challenge it, not her storks, not her hummingbirds and certainly not her beloved eagle, though even he found pause at her reasoning to allow an unknown gestalt to wander their outpost, though it wasn’t as if she was unguarded or unmonitored. It was such a strange thing for his beloved Commander to do and it didn’t escape Adler’s notice, even if Falke gave no further reasoning behind her decision.

A Star unit had fitted her with a monitoring choker that would track her every move. The moment Zwei suspected the human worker was up to no good or getting a little too comfortable, all she had to do was snap her fingers and a painful jolt would be shot throughout her body in an instant. She demonstrated this with glee, grinning to herself as the little woman crumpled into a pained heap on the floor, wheezing and gasping for air. Perhaps the shock knocked some sense into her, or maybe the adrenaline pumping through her veins made her feel brave, as the gestalt looked up at the Storch unit for the first time since her arrival.

And she frowned.

Brows knitted together, the human’s face was finally unobscured by her hair. She was unremarkable, a dime a dozen, just as all humans were. Yet Zwei looked her over and her own face dropped, though only for a fraction of a second. Something in her artificial gut began to knot up. There was an electric shock that snapped just behind her face plate. It made her nose scrunch up. Pressure was building in her neck and Storch felt surprise turn from annoyance straight into anger. But just as she realized she was getting angry, her body began to cool down as she simply just-

SNAP!

The feeling was gone as quickly as it came. Whatever look was in the gestalt’s eyes was gone just as quickly. She went back to being a nameless, faceless, expendable thing, just like how all humans were. The twisting in her gut remained, though, and it itches and irritated Zwei enough that she, again, typed in the worker’s details and, again, she was faced with nothing other than a ‘error, invalid worker designation’ message flashing across her screen every time she entered it.

Did the Commander know something that she didn’t?

Zwei informed the highest ranking Stars unit that she was heading to her private bathing quarters and wasn’t to be disturbed for the rest of the day, unless ‘the uninvited guest’ did something worthy of note or if the Commander, herself, asked for her directly. Storch models were notorious for running hot and it was past time for her to cool off. The gestalt was assigned to domestic work, which fell under the Eule units’ jurisdiction. She was out of her hair and had the means to end her with a snap of her fingers. This power made Zwei feel more at ease, if a Storch could feel such a thing.

A human worker has never been to Outpost 773-5-94S. Talk of espionage was hushed but excited. There was a divide between those that were delighted by the prospects that a spy had been captured, that their little outpost would be finally put on the map and they would be recognized by the New Nation and that there would be a possibility for an expansion, and between the units that felt like this would only bring unwanted attention to the outpost and could possibly lead to reprimands and even the dissolvement of the outpost and the units that worked aboard it. The domestic and economic workers craved the change while the Protektors and the administration were on edge to the point that a mandatory curfew was set into place.

There were no quarters for any gestalt workers, only ones for replikas. It wasn’t as though there weren’t any spare bunks in the outpost, there were, as it was chronically understaffed. The issue was how to ensure what security believed to be a spy wouldn’t attempt to steal information when no one was looking, or try to transmit the outpost’s location to the enemy, the Empire. But there was no transmission equipment that was accessible to the workers, nor even to the Protektors, as only Commander Falke had clearance to such a device. Not even Aldler had access to it, which only proved how much secrecy was valued in Outpost 773-5-94S.

The Eule dorms were the largest but they also contained the most vacancies. Not many, only three of the seventy bunks were unoccupied, but it was a bed and it was something that was in need of occupation. The worker replikas were abuzz when you were guided in by a Star unit. There was music and light and a warmth that was absent from the rest of the outpost that took the gestalt aback for a moment. A crowd of eight, the Eules were all dressed similarly yet different, some merely in the signature, skin-tight diving suit unique to replikas while others wore a light, thin garment over their petite frames that was reminiscent of a leotard, in pinks and purples and light blues… The sociable Eules easily adapted to a new face in their dorms, the Star not bothering to place security expectations onto them as it would only cause undue stress to their personas. Besides, security was a Star’s duty, and it was one that they all took with a seriousness that was befitting for their status as Protektor units.

“If you have any complaints, you know how to reach me.” The Star leaned down and whispered into one of the Eule’s ears. There were giggles as the others stared at the Star, then at the gestalt, then to the Eule whose ear was turning dark from oxidant as the security unit lingered for a moment before turning towards the human woman that stood lone to the far side of the room then said with the narrowing of her eyes-

“We will be watching you.”

And then left, just like that.

The chatter in the room instantly died as she left. The heavy door creaked shut, a loud and oppressive noise that cut through the air. An echo left an impression on the room, the Eules look between each other, faces straight and grave though it ultimately didn’t last for long. There was a giggle from one, then the other, then they all were smiling and laughing. The warmth was back and the music was crystal clear once again.

“Did she scare you?”

“What?” The gestalt was surprised by the question and blinked. One of the Eule’s approached her with a grin.

“The Star! They’re all a little intense sometimes.” It was said with a nonchalant tone. She touched the worker on the arm and guided her over to one of the two empty bunk beds in the dormitory. She sat down on the bottom bunk, which was firm enough not to sink under her weight whatsoever.

“Y-Yeah….” The Eule’s eyes fall on the collar around her neck, lingering there long enough for the gestalt to notice it. Once she did, though, the Eule’s eyes snapped back onto her eyes.

“I’m Tawny.” The replika’s eyes shone at the prospect of making a new friend. The other Eules gathered around closely, all listing off the names that they had given one another.

Ash, Mina, Sandy, Strix, Glaudice, Athene, Niona…

They all looked the same, the standard Eule models that the Nation created enmasse. All the same but different, looking like octuplets and as though she would be able to tell them all apart. The music playing on the record player in the room was beginning to swell slightly, putting the atmosphere on edge as Tawny sat beside her new roommate.

“Since you’re new here…” Tawny gently draped her arm over the human’s shoulder, pulling her flush against her artificial body. It was warm though not soft like an organic one, a little smooth with a slightly pliable surface but it was a little too rigid, somewhere between where it should be and something that was an imposter that left the hairs on her body raised slightly.

“...you’re going to have to undergo ‘the Tasks’.” There was a ripple of excitement from the other units. They all whispered to one another, giggling behind their hands before looking at the gestalt, only to laugh again as some shifted from foot to foot in anticipation.

“‘The Tasks…?’” She parroted it back to Tawny. The Eule smiled and nodded.

“See, these are things all new units must do before they are accepted into our groups. It’s like a right of passage, of acceptance.” The other units nodded firmly, almost solemnly as they looked her over.

“Since you are new, you need to undergo this too, just as we all had.” Tawny’s became so quiet that it was barely heard above the music. The worker nearly couldn’t understand what she was saying, having to lean in close to hear what she was saying. She placed her hand over her breast, emphasizing herself as she said-

“I had to go through it too! It’s only fair that you do as well, right? And besides-!” The gestalt’s shoulders shook gently as the replika squeezed her.

“-if you go through it too, and complete it, of course, then that would look better to the Protektors! Just think about it: you abide by the traditions of the outpost-” Tawny gestured out vaguely towards the other Eules. She was referencing the facility as a whole but it came off like she was merely talking about herself and her fellow Eule units.

“-then surely they can see that there’s been some kind of mistake and that you are just another worker, like us!” The human woman frowned a little.

“Trust me, this won’t be anything too extreme. We usually have the rookies sleep on the floor for like, a week and they do the work that their ‘senior’ Eules don’t want to do and dress up in a silly costume throughout what we call their ‘probation’. After you do all of this, you’ll be equal to us all!” Tawny motioned between herself and the other Eule units. Again the gestalt frowned. She swallowed thickly, a knot forming in the pit of her stomach.

“It’s… a little much, isn’t it?” The warm, affable air suddenly dropped and it became tense. The music droned on but it seemed distant and cold.

“What?” Tawny’s smile faltered slightly. Her brows knitted together and she genuinely looked surprised.

“Well… I just got here, and… well, I’ve already been through a lot…” She placed her hand on her neck, fingertips digging into the nearly nonexistent space between the collar and her neck. Everything has been cold and cruel since she got here, the only person seemingly showing her any mercy being the Commander of the outpost, which was something Falke units weren’t exactly known for. Wasn’t she just here for a test assignment? Details were fuzzy in her mind and she frowned. The Eules were frowning, too, and Tawny’s arm dropped from her shoulder.

“But… you have to do it to become part of the group.” The worker shook her head, still frowning.

“I… don’t know… Should I be a part of it…? I-I don’t-” The replikas were beginning to look dejected, almost sad. Their lower lips all began to puff out and their shoulders dropped visibly. If they were trying to be subtle, they were failing miserably. Or maybe they were purposefully trying to be over the top to make her feel bad…

“C’mon! Would it be so bad? Trust me, it’s not even that bad of tasks! It’s just simple things that you would be doing around the place, anyway!” Tawny fidgeted in place, tugging on her clothing. The others were crowding. The gestalt looked to her feet.

Just a little…

It will be quick!

Shush! Don’t be like that…

You can’t say no…

Will you disappoint us yet again…?

You said ‘yes’ before…

You can’t change your mind now.

A feeling was squeezing in her gut. Her hands become clammy, her heart racing in her chest as a fog laid itself over her mind. She was numb in spite of how her heart slammed into the back of her throat. It was almost as if this had happened before…

Deja vu…

Bekannt

亲密的

No, this was different, a different time, a different place… The gestalt fiddled with her uniform’s skirt, shifting in place slightly as she began to clear her throat.

Well… What is the worst that could happen?

“I… alright.” Tawny squeaked in excitement and pulled her close. Some clapped and giggled, others nodded in approval.

“Wonderful!” The tension that was in the air quickly evaporated. It was like a veil of some sort was lifted and the uncertainty and apprehension that the worker felt was now mostly gone, though it lingered ever so slightly.

“But I don’t want to do anything crazy, alright? I just…” She frowned. The nature of her assignment eluded her. The gestalt knew she was there to work but to what end was it? One of the pillows on the bottom bunk was tossed into the floor, the blanket from the top torn off and tossed right on top of it. One of the Eules, Athene, pointed down to the pile.

“C’mon! Let’s get you settled in!”

The night was an uneasy one, at least for the gestalt. The nickname ‘Newbie’ was given to her, even though she had specifically asked them not to do such a thing, but Eules were particularly with the names given to those in their cliques so there wasn’t much of a way to dissuade them from calling her that. Newbie was surprised by the amount of clothing and beauty products that the replikas were allowed to carry. It was more than she had ever seen in her entire life! Eules were always prim and proper and cared greatly for their appearances but they were also subjected to the same regulations as anyone else in the New Nation and had a very specific dress code to follow while in public. It would seem, though, that special permissions were given to them that allowed these units to both keep and also occasionally wear clothing that fell outside of typical regulations. Newbie didn’t think this exception would fall over her as well, but the Eules were adamant that she wore an ankle length dress that was the appropriate Eusan colours but also was decorated with unnecessary frills and lace. It was difficult to believe such a dress would be allowed underneath a Falke’s rule but Newbie was directed to take her uniform off all the same, to which she did. Hesitantly.

“Go on! Take it off!” A Eule unit, Ash, waved her hands at Newbie as she urged her to undress. It wasn’t uncommon for Eule units to monitor gestalts in their daily lives, especially while they dress and undress, as to make sure no contraband was slipping through the cracks. Newbie nodded, still uncertain that this was a wise decision to make.

She unbuttoned her uniform, revealing a plain, black blouse underneath. The gestalt folded her clothing as she took it off, a reflex that was a lifetime in the making. She slipped her skirt off, then her skin tight leggings, leaving her in only her plain undergarments. Newbie waited for one of the replikas to hand her the dress but no one did. She furrowed her brows and frowned.

“Where is it?” Athene tilted her head to the side.

“Where is what?”

“The… dress? Where has it gone?” There was a brief moment of silence before Athene laughed, then others were laughing too, all at once.

“Oh, Newbie…” It was Tawny- or was it?- that placed a hand on her shoulder. She was warm to the touch but still cooler than a human body, which was a little unnerving to Newbie.

“You don’t wear anything in the dorms! It’s better to not wear your uniform unless you’re going out! It prevents it from getting dirty or wrinkled!” That… actually made some sense… Newbie nodded slowly, grabbing the blanket on the floor and wrapping it around her bare shoulders.

“Cold? Don’t get all shy on us now! You’re gonna have to get used to this!” Another Eule, Ninoa, winked at the human and she blushed a little.

“I-I’m not-”

“Don’t worry about it! Some of us don’t feel the need to wear much of anything and others like at least a little something.” The replikas didn’t really appear to have any sexual characteristics other than the impression of breasts, like gently sloping mountains. The Eules all appeared rather girlish, almost androgynous, with long torsos and long legs. Their proportions weren’t exactly unnatural but it was close to becoming uncanny. Newbie’s eyes occasionally shifted down but she managed to look down at the ground before any of the replikas noticed exactly where her eyes were wandering towards.

“Y-Yeah… R-Right…”

Sleeping was nearly impossible that night. The ground was cold and the blanket she was provided did nothing to prevent the chill from seeping into her bones. Sometime in the night, Newbie thought that someone was trying to subtly tug the blanket off her body. It was so slight that she genuinely thought that she was imagining it, though it happened with enough frequency that it couldn't merely be all in her head… Or maybe it was? Perhaps the Eules were still messing with her, hazing her for being ‘new’.

New or unfamiliar?

Why treat her with such comradery if they had only cruel designs for her in mind?

They all laughed upon seeing her in that dress.

Every. Last. One. Of. Them.

Snickers behind hands.

Leers out of the corners of their eyes.

She is vulnerable.

Verletzbar

无助

All of Newbie’s tasks revolved around placing herself in uncomfortable positions: bending over, scrubbing the floor, cleaning things that the other Eules didn’t want to deal with… The bathrooms were all spotless but regardless she was to clean them all twice daily. Every last one of them, on top of her typical duties of cleaning the rest of the outpost. Her arms, legs and back aches before half of the working day was over, allowing for the realization to sink in that she would not be able to physically keep up with her tasks the longer she was here.

“Oh, I’m not worried about you! I’m sure you can keep up.” Was all that was said to the gestalt whenever she brought up her concerns to the Eule, Mina.

Throughout her shifts, a Star unit was assigned to keep watch over her as she worked. ‘Just to make sure she didn’t sneak off’ as was said by one of the units. They all barely regarded her, watching her but seemingly uninterested in either speaking to her unnecessarily or even looking in her direction though… Newbie couldn’t help but to feel their gazes on her only when she had her back turned or was busy with something underfoot. Her imagination, surely, but the professionalism of all the replikas would soon evaporate as she was pushed to work more and more, especially in the more private quarters of the outpost.

As she was cleaning the mining workers quarters, she was bumped from behind. The only other unit in the dorm with her was a Star unit, so the sudden push greatly startled the gestalt. She picked herself up and smoothed down the bed she had just made, turning towards a large pile of small, soft, seemingly worn down plush dolls that were piled haphazardly in the corner. How did something like this escape her? It was odd… What replika would hold onto such things? Newbie picked one of the dolls that laid on its side, at her feet, and placed it back onto the pile. The Star unit noticed this and narrowed her eyes but said nothing. The gestalt was quick to move on, for fear of reprimand.

The mining workers’ dorms were filthy, covered in dust and mud and other organic debris from Heimat’s soft planetary crust. It took Newbie hours to clean it, so when she was through, she was utterly exhausted. There were holes in the walls, only barely just hip height. Much of the dirty debris in the dorms seemed to originate from those holes. Holes? Here? The Star unit seemed totally unbothered by the sight, almost as if they were supposed to be there. As Newbie began to clean around them, the Protektor warned her against getting too close to them.

“Don’t go poking around in there. The Ara units will have a fit if they see anything out of place…” Was it a courtesy warning or was it something else? Newbie kept her distance from the holes, for fear of upsetting one of the Aras. What about all the… dirt? Metal shavings? What was on the floor? She sighed as she looked out across the dorm, realizing that she likely had a dozen or so rooms to go in this section of the outpost alone…

Perhaps it was dirt, as more than a few of the rooms in the ARAR dorms were dedicated solely to plants of all kinds of variety. Mostly flowers, colourful and delicate looking, while others were merely leafy greens that looked totally out of place inside of a building. None were exactly tree-like, though they seemed to have trunks of sorts. All the plants were well manicured even in spite of the scant few leaves that littered the floor. The human worker’s shoulder was grabbed every time she entered one of these rooms and she was warned to leave any and all plants alone, for the Ara units’ sake.

‘They’ll have a fit if you touch them.’

After what felt like hours, she slunk out of one of the many dormitories, covered in sweat and body trembling from over exertion. Newbie had passed the pile of plush toys once again and, yet again, they toppled over. She had a mind to leave it alone but feared repercussions should everything not be as it was before she had begun her duties. The gestalt put them back into a pile, as haphazard as it was, and paid little mind to the guard that was eyeing her up from the far end of the room.

Stepping out into the hallway, the door slid shut as the Star exited on her heels. Newbie didn’t take a full step before she was stopped by the replika, a short, curt whistle cutting through the air and causing the gestalt’s shoulders to raise and their heartbeat spike into their chest.

“W-What…?” Newbie felt small underneath the Star’s gaze, needing to crane her neck up to even meet the replika’s chilly grey-blue eyes.

“Before you continue, I need to make sure you didn’t take anything from the Ara and Myhna dorms.” The gestalt was a little taken aback by the Star’s insinuation that she had stolen something, though she knew better than to question the authority of a Protektor unit. The Star noticed her slight hesitation, taking it as a possible admission of guilt.

“Do you have anything to admit to, worker?” The gestalt shook her head.

“N-No! I have nothing to hide. I didn’t take anything from the dorms.” It was a fact. Newbie didn’t take anything and she only touched things that needed to be cleaned. Maybe the replika was just trying to intimidate her or maybe they did have a protocol where the domestic workers were frisked every time they completed their duties. Whatever the case, she complied with the Star’s orders and she turned to face the wall upon her request.

“Turn and face the wall- Yep, just like that. Now place your hands on the wall and spread your stance wide.” This wasn’t the first time she had been searched. All gestalts have been subjected to random searches and detainments at some point in their lives and Newbie wasn’t an exception.

Even though she has done this before, and though she knows for a fact that she hasn’t done anything wrong, the gestalt still felt sick to her stomach as the replika began to pat her down. First she pulled Newbie’s hair back, tousling it and pausing for a split second as though considering something before letting it drop back to her shoulders.

“Anything at all I should know about?” The Star ran her hands down the long sleeves of Newbie’s dress, the replika’s strong fingers curling around her wrists as she felt for any hidden objects.

“No, nothing…” Newbie stared at the wall as her other arm was searched. It felt as though the replika slowed down significantly, making the process agonizing as the gestalt just looked forward, expecting the absolute worst to come from this encounter.

“Are you sure? Your cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine levels just shot through the roof.” The Star’s hands tickle down the worker’s sides, the thin dress doing nothing to stifle such a firm touch. Fingertips dug into the swell of her hips, an uncomfortable chill running down her spine as the replika’s hands shifted forward, slowly, slooowly moving up her torso and towards her breasts.

“I-I… didn’t take anything…” Her voice was just barely above a whisper as dexterous fingers cupped her bosom. The dress was technically up to code, not showing any unnecessary skin and not having too many frills. It wouldn’t pass inspection in any other Heimat settlement but here it was different.

Newbie’s breath hitched in her throat as the Star unit didn’t even attempt to hide the fact that she was outright groping her. The replika squeezed her breasts, massaging them in the palm of her hands and even catching and pinching one of her slightly hardened nipples in between her fingers. Instinctually, she stiffened and arched her back, her legs closing as she felt an intrusion somewhere in between her knees. The Protektor forced her legs open, shoving one of her long legs in between the gestalts and effectively forcing them back open as she pulled her knee up, until the worker’s body was straddling her leg and barely able to touch the floor with the tips of her toes.

“P-Please, m-ma’am-!” The gestalt’s voice was a high pitched squeak as she struggled to remain balanced in place. Her core was beginning to throb from excess blood pooling in between her thighs and she was becoming light headed and dizzy from such contact. The Star unit leaned over her, whispering into her ear as she continued to molest the worker.

“Keep your legs apart for me. Failure to comply will result in your arrest and a full body cavity search…” Newbie’s eyes go wide at the implications. N-No. No, she’s n-not-

But she was, and she didn’t simply stop at groping her chest.

The Star ground her knee against the gestalt’s heated sex. The friction was uncomfortable and made her squirm in place. It was painful to have her full body weight resting on such a delicate part of her body for so long. Newbie could feel the replika’s breath on her ear, not quite warm but not cool either. It made a shiver wrack her spine and she gasped as the hands on her chest were removed and she was placed back onto the ground. W-Was it over…?

No, the Protektor had only just begun. She placed her hands on her hips and slowly traced them down the length of her trembling legs. Instead of remaining on top of her skirt, the replika pushed her hands underneath Newbie’s dress and touched her bare skin, something that was very, very much against protocol in all the Eusan Nation’s settlements. Even so, it wasn’t like she could do anything to stop the Star.

“T-This-!!! P-Please, ma’am! Please-!!!” Newbie’s voice wavered and trembled as the replika’s hands moved up the sides of her thighs.

She was wearing thick, black tights that left absolutely no skin showing, per regulations, but she still felt everything. The Star’s fingers were long and slick, digging into her skin and likely leaving bruises in her wake. As she reached the gestalt’s waistline, she swiped her hands forward, so that her fingers dug into the soft fat of her pubic mound. The gestalt body responded violently to the unwanted contact, knees fully buckling and back arching as she tried desperately to escape the touch. Newbie was on the verge of hyperventilating, fully expecting some sort of retribution for resisting the search. Would a stun baton be used? Would- Would- Her throat squeezed shut at the thought of the collar around her neck delivering an electric shock. She waited for the Star to jab the baton into her back, or for her to ignore her resistances completely and just… doesn’t stop. But-

Her hands were removed from Newbie’s hips. The gestalt had the knee jerk reaction to face the replika but fought against it and remained facing the wall. The Star fluffed out the skirt of her dress and took a step back, shifting in place as she likely looked the human up and down.

“Alright, turn to face me. Slowly.” Newbie was sniffling and hiccuping, struggling to not break down into sobs. She kept her hands up a little, terrified to make a wrong move. The replika stood with a hand behind her back and one clenched in a fist in between her and Newbie’s bodies. The gestalt stared at it, confused.

W-What was it…? What-?

“Thought I would miss this, huh?” The Star narrowed her eyes as she lowered her closed fist to the other woman’s eye level. Newbie’s eyes watered to the point that tears streamed down her face. What was she talking about?! She didn’t take anything! S-She didn’t!! The Star’s face was flat as she began to open her fist. Newbie didn’t know what it could be. It shouldn’t be anything because she took nothing! Nothing! In the replika’s hand, there was- was a…

…a leaf…?

Newbie stared at it, confused. She… didn’t understand. W-What…? She could only blink her tears away, heart slamming into her throat a handful more times before it began to slow down dramatically. Was… Was she…?

No, the Star unit had a smirk on her face whenever the gestalt looked back up at her. Was this some sort of joke? There was only a small, curved, yellowed leaf in the palm of her hand. It was chipped and cracked, as though dried. Totally dead. Newbie’s tears dried quickly and were instead replaced with dry blankness. The replika crumpled up the dried leaf and allowed the flakey remains to scatter onto the floor at the gestalt’s feet. She wiped her hand clean and seemed to take great pleasure in the look of utter exhaustion that overtook the human worker’s face as the adrenaline in her veins harshly mellowed out.

“For this time and this time only, you’ll be let off on a warning, worker. Taking anything from replika dorms is and always has been strictly prohibited, no matter the object taken.” The Star unit leaned against the wall behind her and crossed her arms, soaking in the details of the gestalt’s crestfallen face.

“...of course, ma’am.” Newbie kept her tone even as she spoke, struggling to swallow down the lump in her throat that threatened to choke her.

“Hmm… Good. Now, before you go-” The Star grabbed her by the shoulder and pushed her to the ground.

“Make sure to clean this mess up before you move on.”

It wasn’t only the Eules and the Stars that took glee in humiliating and pushing the gestalt to the brink. All replikas in the outpost would soon partake in the ‘hazing’ ritual that the Eules first proposed to her. Perhaps calling what was taking place a ‘hazing’ was far too lenient for what was truly taking place.

At first, it was more subtle. Newbie was tasked with all the things the other domestic workers didn’t want to do. Working long hours in a confining dress made every working day a living nightmare. Her back and knees ached, her feet were walked raw and her hands chaffed from constant exposure to water. Hard, back-breaking labour wasn’t something new to gestalts, certainly not to her. Having a work load solely on her back, though, wasn’t something that she had ever really experienced before, and it was utterly overwhelming when combined with the other treatment she received.

Newbie was subjected to multiple searches of her person throughout every day she had been at the outpost. The Stars never bothered to make the search particularly professional, as they continued to escalate greatly every time they took place. At first, it was frisking with some under the clothing touching, then it was strip searches that took place in the common areas of the outpost, where any replika could witness her humiliation. The touching was perverted and the Stars’ intentions clearly lecherous. Some enjoyed forcing their fingers into the gestalt’s mouth, pushing it so far into her throat that she would gag. Others began to touch… those places on Newbie’s bodies. She is ashamed to admit that she never tried to stop the Stars from violating her in such an intimate way. What could she even do? They would drag her by her hair over to a flat surface, a dest, a chair, another replika’s waiting knee, and would conduct the search there and then, making sure that Newbie knew that they derived genuine, perverse pleasure from harming her and, worse of all, the gestalt’s body responded kindly to those moments.

After the fact, the touches always lingered. Her body was heated and buzzed with overwhelming sensations of humiliation and pleasure. She had never touched herself in the manners that those replikas had and her body began to react before those attacks would even take place.

Why was this happening to her? Why her?

Why did her body anticipate such things before they even happened?

Was she… disturbed? From the very beginning?

Who was at fault?

Wer hat sich verändert?

谁有缺陷?

What day did the gestalt shift from ‘the Newbie’ into ‘the outpost’s new Toy’? She didn’t know… She didn’t even know how long she had been in this place. The human’s rations were becoming more and more strained, either due to the fact that there simply wasn’t much left given there has been no resupply dropships in what must have been months or because the replikas merely wanted to harm her even further. In order to eat, she needed to work, but working while faint from hunger and exhaustion is nearly impossible and the replika units all knew this.

Was she watching this…?

F̷͉̙̺͔͗̓́̔͋̓͗K̵̢̡̛̛̭͍̠͓̟̦̄͛̍̒̈̈́͊̋͐̈́̓͘͜͠͠Ļ̶̡̼̱̼͉͉̖͍̹̘͓̩̩̎̂͂͒͋̽͌͗͐̽͌̏̑͝͝͝R̸̤̩̄̒́̎͋͛͜

L̸̥̿̓̇̀̑̍̆̄̃̕i̵̢̻̯͎͓̥͇̤̘͆̇͗͑̑̒͊̆͑͆̕̕ȩ̶͒̂̀̓̓̏̒͒̅̊̒̚̚͠b̶̬͋̉̈́͗͆̈́́̄̔̓̇e̷̛̺̮͓̻̞̟̫̦̞̤̦̻̼͂̌̒̾̈́͗͂͋͛̂̍͛̇͘̕͝r̷̲̤̘̓̊͒̚ ̶̛͚͎̌̇̍͗̽͆̎̇̓͂̾̔̑̊̌͘F̴͔̠͚͍̜̠̏͆͐̈̈́̀̑͒̀̽̄́́͒̕͝å̷̢̗̗̜͓̳̳̞͇̣̝͔͐͒͐͒͛̈́̌́͛̓̿͝ͅl̷̤̫̼̋̒̊͆̈͑̂̊̕k̴̠͉̲̫̝͇̘͈̠̣͚̼͉͕̽̍̓̿̿̈́̆͑̏̋̋͘ͅȩ̷̻̠̗̝̞͛̆͑̄͌,̴̧̦͉̲̘͑̄̏͌͆̿͌́͊ ̷͍̜̫̬͋͌̂̎̃͑̓̋͂̎͒͝͝ͅw̸̱̤̿̌̔̎͐̐̎̽̃̑̆̕̚a̷̡̰̙̦͎̞̙̙̐̔̅r̸͙͉̮͉̣̠̜͍̩̮̞̞̫̝͉̱̲̐̔̊͆̓̾̍͌̀̓̋̑u̸̡̢̻̻̖̬̘͈̭͚̞̠̺̣͋̿͗̀̉̅̽̑̂̿̈ͅm̷̧͙̻͌̐́̅̈́̃́͑͋̈́͐́̚͠ ̶̦̃͛̄̒̑̓͌̒̌̍́̈́̕͝ḩ̴̭̠̝̹͓͎̣̤̖̠͖̭̤̍̏a̵̢͚̣̪̟̳͇̱̫̮͕͗̀͗̕̚̕s̶̮͙͔̗̉̿͋̃͆͗́͂̔̓̇t̶͖̦̖̼̋̊̎͝ ̵̖̣̽̿͒̌͗͋̂͌́̆̏̓̈́̚͝d̶̛̥͔̤̲̘̭̘̑̊͒̋͝͝u̶̖̦͔̯͚̻͍͓̤̣͗͂̂̽́͝ ̷̫̺̻͕͗͋͠ͅm̶͖͓͉̦̯̈́͒̉̈́͋̈́̌̕͝ȋ̶̢̼̤̠̪͛͗̑͛͝c̸̡̣͎̬̟͎̙̝̃̔͐̾̍͜͠ḧ̷̡̛̰̲͚̭̗̣͙̯̰̳̦̗̰̞́͛̔͑̽̿̓̅̕̕ͅ ̸̨͚̳̰͚̺͉̼̤͉̩̻̖̞̀̄̉̄͛ͅv̶̗̟̫͔̫̰̝̻̒̏͊̇́͝ͅė̶̛̞̥̂͒̄́͊̒̽̓̚r̸̼̮̹̳͕̔́̽̈́͐͆̆̃͑̏̌͊̂͐̃͘l̷̡̛̘̗͓̗̪̠̗͈̰̺̓͂̚͝ä̵̢̧̳̞̹̝̩̬͕̳͓͘̚s̶̲̄̏͆̈́͂̀͂̈̓s̸̢̙̠̮̺̼̺̠̤͛̿̌̚̚͝͝͝e̵̫̻̯̩̤̹͛̑̆̅͗̎n̴̨̤̦͔͍̾͂͊̕͠?̸͍̰̯̗̬̯̬̠̖̜̻̣͍̠͊̅̅̾̔̇̕ͅ

̴̢̮͖̦̫̰̠̹̻̞͉̩̞͍͆́͜ͅD̴̨̀̅̉̓̀̈́̉͛͝͝u̵͙̦̫͕͇͕̹̹͗̈́ ̷̘͚͔͉̝̗̯̲̗̆̋͌̀̉͋͗̽��̂͆̚͜͝͝͝s̷̨̢̨̲̻̳̞̪͔͕̹̎̍͛̈́̀̑̀͊̄͒a̵̧̧͔̟̥̬̟̰̘̝̠͎̩̲̐̋̋͆̒̽̂̇̚g̶̨̮͕̬͛͛̒̚͜t̵͎͓͒͌́̓́̄̓̀̆͛̏͘͠ę̸̫̼͍͇̙̬̲̗̰͈̏̄̓̆͗͂̈́̇̂̑̌̓̍͝s̵̡̝̦͖͍̟̹͉͍̤̝͐͒͆̍̿̉͊̾͐̾͂͛̚͘͜͝͝͠t̶̡̟̜̜̓̋̽-̷̡̭̜͉̰̗̣̭̜̬̟̍̑

̶̤̠̤͓̬͍̩͔͔̳͖̻̰̭͗̽͒͒̄͂͘͝͝͝

“J-Just don’t-! N-NGGH!~” The gestalt’s voice trembled as she felt a familiar pair of hands caress up the insides of her thighs. Three Stars were leaning over her at the same time, one to her left with her hands on the worker’s left leg, one to her right with her hands around the workers right leg and one directly behind her, pinning her hands far above her head. The woman tried to push her body against the wall in an attempt to escape the replikas’ touches but a firm hand pushed her lower abdomen flush against the Star’s groin. There was a thick, stiff hardness that pressed into the small of her back that made her knees buckle and her mind grow fuzzy and blank.

W-What was it-?! W-Why was it so… s-so-

Déjà vu,

the unfamiliar is known.

Or was it jamais vu?

Things that should have remembered

have been repressed.

Has the tree fallen

if none are there to mourn it?

那么为什么?

为什么你要让他们伤害我……？

“So, little spy. How have you been enjoying our little outpost, hmm?” The Storch towered over the gestalt even when sitting, long legs crossed and splayed out haphazardly before her. The gestalt was no longer a ‘newbie’, though she wasn’t much else to the replikas other than a distraction. Zwei observed how the worker balled her fists into the skirt of her dress and swallowed thickly.

“...it is an honour to work here.” Zwei narrowed her eyes.

“Mmhmm… So, tell me-” The tall replika was fingering the stun baton that was magnetized to her side. The way her fingers brushed past one another made the gestalt’s skin crawl with anticipation. Zwei removed the baton and examined it nonchalantly, making it a point not to make eye contact with the human worker as she spoke.

“Why do you want an audience with Commander Falke?”

The gestalt bristled.

“I don’t-”

“You know there’s no point in lying, right? The Kolbris know everything there is to know about you…” Zwei swung her legs and sat upright, leaning down towards the seated worker and leaving her with nowhere to go other than further back into her seat.

“...and damn do they have some interesting things to share about you and your time here.” The replika tapped her baton on the worker’s knee, causing her to jump and writhe uncomfortably in her seat. She didn’t maintain the Storch’s intense eye contact, looking down and to the side as she struggled to calm her breathing.

“N-No… I-It’s not like-” She was doing everything she could to swallow down the feeling that was trying to creep down the back of her throat.

It felt like she was about to drown…

“Like what? I’m not accusing you of anything. Not yet, anyway.” Zwei continued to tap the baton on the gestalt’s knee, rhythmically, with enough force to make her leg reflexively kick out.

“Really, I’m just curious about somethings. I’d like to conduct an interview.” The words she used took the human worker off guard. An ‘interview’? Not an interrogation but an ‘interview’...? She was already wary, but as time went on, she would become more and more uneasy as their conversation continued on.

“Don’t give me that look. I don’t have anything personal against you, you know.” The Storch sat back in her chair, raising her hands- including the baton- in the air in a bid to feign innocence.

“I just want to verify some things that the Kolbris had reported to me, that’s all. No bullshit, just doing my job.” Still incredulous, the worker looked the Storch up and down. It simply wasn’t possible to read what a Storch was thinking. They were brash and harsh, always on edge and working with a secondary, hidden objective that would be unknown to anyone other than the Commanding Falke. Regardless of this fact, if a Storch askes something, there is nothing to do other than obey her every command. To disobey a Storch is akin to treason in the eyes of the Commanding force that is the New Nation and her Falke…

“A-Alright… of course. Whatever you need, ma’am.” It felt as though the gestalt had just signed a warrant of some sort. The Storch was clearly pleased with her response and went to stand, an action that made the gestalt’s head and stomach swim with vertigo as she looked upon the goliath replika.

“Good answer. Come with me, worker.”

The gestalt shouldn’t have suspected such a thing yet being led to a large, filled bathtub of water filled her with a sense of nostalgia that she couldn’t shake, like a bad memory that had been buried deep within the recesses of her mind suddenly exploding just underneath the surface of her conscious mind that didn’t quite breach the surface, only disturbing it enough to make itself known to her. Watching the Storch sigh to herself as she removed her Protektor equipment, leaving her bare in the signature black-and-red skin tight suit that was a staple of the replika look made the gestalt’s skin crawl in a way that confused her. Was it disgust or was it excitement?

“Do you mind? Keeping this outpost safe is hard work, you know. Gotta cool off one way or another…” There was a hint of something in the replika’s eyes as she swung one of her long legs over the side of the tub, then the other, before lowering herself down into the steaming waters with a loud SPLASH! Water overflowed from the sides of the tub and crashed down onto the floor, covering it and the gestalt’s shoes in slightly murky water. There was a clean, herbal smell in the air that almost made the worker’s eyes water, stirred up by the Storch’s movements.

What was she expecting to find

in a hollow shell?

“Ahh~ Much better…” Zwei stretched out languidly and moaned softly as her footless legs draped over the side of the tub. Even with how large it was, it couldn’t contain her impressive leg length. Her short bob rested just above the waterline and she propped her cheek up on one of her palms as her other hand dipped into the water.

“Now then… Tell me: what purpose did it serve you to come to this place?” Zwei’s ice grey eyes stared a hole into the gestalt as she stood before her, tiny even while the replika was soaking in a tub full of water. She swallowed noticeably and blinked.

“...I was assigned this position by our Nation.” Zwei clicked her tongue and sighed heavily.

“You know, you keep saying that… And while you do have physical documentation, it doesn’t change the fact that there is no record of a gestalt by your name or worker designation in all of the Nation’s databases.” The worker frowned, tilting her head to the side and blinking slowly as if confused.

“I don’t understand-”

“You’ve ticked all the boxes and yet that still couldn’t change the fact that you don’t exist according to our Nation’s laws…” Water splashed onto the floor as the Storch sat upright in the tub. The way her brows dipped and the corners of her mouth twitched made the gestalt tremble with anticipation. A vice grip had a hold of her lower gut and only tightened exponentially when the replika grabbed her by the wrist.

“I had all my Stars double check this-”

“-d-don’t-”

“-even had the Commander’s Adler triple check-”

“-please-”

“-and while he’s found no trace of you whatsoever-”

“-p-please-!”

“-he certainly has some… interesting theories about you!” Something in the gestalt’s wrist and shoulder snapped as she was suddenly yanked forward off her feet. She cried out in pain, it being cut short as her mouth collided with the rim of the tub. For a fraction of a second, everything blacked out, a blinding heat pooling against her teeth as blood filled her mouth. Her eyes fluttered and her limbs went limp, allowing the Storch to easily pull her over the lip of the tub and into her still steaming hot bath water.

Water filled her mouth and nose as she was held underwater. Her dress was heavy and constricted her movements, constricted the few, precious moments that she had to breathe when it all became too much to bear. The taste of bath salts stung her eyes and made her stomach and windpipe cramp further, causing mouthfuls of water to fill her lungs. The gestalt kicked her legs out and continued to drown further as the skirt of her dress was ripped over her head and her body was finally thrown over the side of the tub, allowing her to vomit out the water that had invaded both her stomach and her lungs.

“And don’t get me fucking started on what the Kolbris had told me! All the shit that you’ve done-!” The gestalt could only cough and retch as she struggled to pull the rest of her body out of the tub. Zwei had one of her thighs in a bruising grip, causing her to scream and cry as something physically shifted in her hip as she was pulled partially back into the tub.

“YOU’RE the kind of trash our wonderful Nation warns us all about!” Her leggings and underwear were both torn in half with a sharp pull. The gestalt was still struggling to keep her head out of the water, to keep her lungs full of air… It isn't possible to escape from a Storch once they have decided that you are deserving of punishment. She couldn’t do anything other than cry and beg for mercy that she knew that she wouldn’t receive.

“P-PUH-LEASE! PUH-LEASE! P-PUH-LEASE!!!”

SPLASH

SMACK!!!

She screams as a hand strikes her from behind. An indescribable pain blooms against her backside, the pain not only surface level but seeping into her bones and making her briefly lose control of her bodily functions. Her diaphragm seizes painfully, making breathing totally impossible in spite of the fact that the gestalt was desperately trying to suck down as much air as she physically could.

“‘P-PUH-LEASE- P-PUH-LEASE-!’ What are you even saying?! If you’re a Eusan National then you should be speaking properly!”

SMACK!

SMACK!!

SMACK!!!

The sound of her pounding heart drowned out the animal-ish howls that escaped the back of her throat. It was nearly deafening, even to the Protektor unit that was accustomed to both civilian and military war zones. As grating as the noise was, it brought the naturally cruel Storch a kind of satisfaction that she’s never really experienced before in her artificial life. Yet… it was so familiar… Haunting and arousing at the same time. Something inside of her body was shifting and flashes of what the Kolbris had shared with her began to flicker behind her eyes.

S-So dirty…

It’s disgusting…

This deserves punishment.

“T-They say ‘loose lips sink ships’ but that’s the case for both pairs that gestalt females have, you know!” The gestalt was clinging to the lip of the tub directly to her right. The Storch repeatedly grabbed her by her now undoubtedly shattered hips and forced her back into her lap. The feeling of something hard pressing against her body was lost on her, the only sensation the human could decipher being pain.

Everything in her lower body was just hot. White hot and in a vice grip of agony. An electric shock of pain made her legs tremble and a chill raced up and down her spine repeatedly, settling somewhere in her extremities and in a place vaguely in between her legs. The pain she felt only grew two, three, then four fold as it felt as though something was beginning to split her in half from her groin up. This renewed the gestalt’s need to flee from the replika but after she felt something tear in her gut, her body began to seize again and she was unable to do anything other than scream breathlessly as blood-red water began to splash over the side of the ivory tub and onto the white-tiled floor underneath.

“H-HA-! HA-! HAHAHA-!!! FUCK-! If I k-knew that it would feel like this, I w-would have done this sooner-!!!” A burst of manic energy forced a bubbly giggle out of Zwei’s mouth. It was just as her Stars had reported to her: the human was a sick little pervert that was likely sent to disrupt the Eusan Nation’s forces from within, likely to either corrupt the replikas and/or other gestalts or to sow general chaos throughout Her ranks.

The things the Kolbris had shared… that the Alder had shared…!

It was something that Zwei had felt from the moment the gestalt had landed on the outpost. There was something wrong with this human and it was only just now, nearly ninety-six days after her arrival, that the Storch unit finally understood exactly what it was that irked her about the human. It was the way she looked at her. From the very beginning, the gestalt looked at the Storch with eyes that seemed to rake up and down her body, her gaze lascivious and her body just as crude, eagerly welcoming the ‘routine’ searches that Zwei’s Star units had performed on the gestalt per National and outpost policy and even getting off to such mundane acts of security. How could such a disgusting human be a part of their great Nation? Her appetite for the obscene had no bounds and if she, Zwei, couldn’t appropriately punish her for such a thing then who could?

Not Falke,

not Falke…

Pain was the best teacher there was but even so, the gestalt’s body was beyond receptive to the Storch’s use of pain and seemed to derive a twisted sense of pleasure from it. Even as her replika body part damaged her human sexual organs, Zwei could tell that the human was enjoying herself.

She can feel how the walls of her vagina squeeze down around her shaft, how she lubricates herself as she pulls her tiny body down lower and lower, until yet another barrier within her is breached and a cascade of red-brown fluids flood into the replika’s bathtub-

“Y-YOU-!!! YOU ARE DIRTYING MY PROPERTY!!! YOU-!!!” The gestalt’s nose breaks as her head bounces off the inside of the tub’s now red-stained walls. Blue-green stars invade her vision, her already weak body now falling limp as thick, slimy tears well in her eyes and sticky blood fills her sinuses and her mouth. Her body slides forward and her head dips into the water, violently being dunked as the Storch’s hips jerked and bucked without any rhythm to speak of.

“Y-You think you can just foul everything up and we wouldn’t do anything to stop it?! That I wouldn’t do anything to stop you?!” Zwei pinned the gestalt down by the back of her head, pushing her until her face was flush with the bottom of the tub.

“Did you really think that I would let you dirty up MY Commander Falke?!”

Her already fleeting consciousness completely blanked out within moments. The gestalt already couldn't breathe and when combined with the rapid blood loss both externally and internally, it was no surprise that she would succumb to her injuries. She wouldn’t die immediately though this was no thanks to Zwei seeking medical attention for the gestalt after realizing that she had lost consciousness.

The gestalt lingered in between life and death for far too long, long enough that something was picked up by the Kolbris units that answered directly to the Commander, Falke. What they picked up wasn’t words, it wasn’t even a code, it was a… sensation, something that was so strong that it pulled every single bioresonant replika into a state of decay that was unlike anything that the outpost, or any Eusan controlled sector, had ever seen.

How could such a human sensation have such an effect on the inorganic?

Was it an STI of the body or the mind?

Krankheit

��疫

Would god allow such a thing to fester and rot?

Life-water filled the gestalt’s lungs, dribbling out of the side of her mouth and from her nose. Her body was pale and cold. Lifeless, damaged beyond saving and yet a faint pulse persisted just underneath her damp skin. It could be felt in her neck, in the insides of her wrists, though could not be heard in her chest when a replika pressed her ear to her breastbone. No ghosts of a breath tickled the unit’s finger when she placed under the gestalt’s nose though it could be heard as a faint, almost imperceivable wheeze that was unpleasant on the ears, even to a seasoned, well conditioned replika that was built to be impervious to any and all outside stimulus other than the ones of her maker’s design.

In her glassy eyes, a reflection met the eye of its beholder. A stray hair was pushed behind a cold, stiff ear. It was a face that was plain but familiar.

Nostalgic…

Those hands were tiny and pruned, stained red-brown and popped when stroked by fingers longer than the hand they were touching. Pale lips brush against bruised knuckles, tracing a pattern that was familiar yet unfamiliar to the replika.

Jamais vu…

Her hummingbirds were shrill in her ear, her eagle pealing at her feet and begging for just a look. A look… a passing, fleeting look…

But all the falcon could see was her, ash-grey and in a death spiral. She didn’t care if her flock was spiraling down alongside her.

Their calls all melted together and all that she could hear was the deafening rumble of a ship’s engines and the rattling of equipment as they jostled in their containers, straining against their straps as a deafening hum reverberated throughout her body….

@prettycutebunny, @infinitewhore, @kennbb, @slutwithadegree, @dead-bxxxtch-walking, @space-arsonist, @pink-soft-shadow, @sinlessdesire, @hoemine, @memoryofheather, @horny-3

#signalis #paid commission #original characters #none of the replika's present are in the game's story #elster #lstr #arra #ara signalis #star signalis #eule signalis #storch signalis #falke signalis #adlr signalis #mynah signalis #kolbri signalis #dead dove do not eat #rape/noncon #x reader #signalis x reader

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cyarskaren52 · 1 year ago

Text

In 1998, the mainstream Hip-Hop landscape was dominated by No Limit soldiers, Bad Boys, and Wu-Tang killer bees. There was a preoccupiation with floss and, in the wake of the high-profile murders of 2Pac and the Notorious B.I.G., the industry seemed to want to shine as much as possible. Understandable — but out of Yonkers, N.Y., there came a crew.

With a production wizard, a brash beauty, a trio bred from the streets, and a tortured superstar who was taking the rap game by storm, the Ruff Ryders put the streets squarely on the late 90s pop charts. In doing so, they helped usher in the new millennium of East Coast hardcore: grimy enough for the hood; polished enough for the charts. They owned the streets and the radio.

Here's 25 of their best bangers.

#26

"JENNY FROM THE BLOCK" - JENNIFER LOPEZ FEAT. JADAKISS, STYLES P [BONUS SONG]

Our BONUS SONG pick is a celebrated classic guest spot! J. Lo got to reconnect with some of that Uptown swag and Yonkers connection when she hooked up w/two-thirds of the LOX.

#25

"THEY AIN'T READY" - RUFF RYDERS W/JADAKISS, TIMBALAND, BUBBA SPARXXX

They crew from Yonkers made it clear that they had love for that Dirty South swag. VA superproducer Timbaland laced the track, which also features Athens, GA's own: Bubba Sparxxx.

#24

"WW III" - RUFF RYDERS W/SNOOP DOGG, YUNG WUN, SCARFACE, JADAKISS

Swizz Beatz pulled together a who's-who of legendary emcees for this track from RYDE OR DIE VOL. 2. The song also served as the album opener for the hit compilation.

#23

"NIGGAZ DIE 4 ME" - DRAG-ON FEAT. DMX

X was Ruff Ryders' biggest star, and he had underrated chemistry with the young gun from The Bronx. The lead single from Drag-On's gold-selling 2000 debut album, OPPOSITE OF H2O, is one of the best from Y2K.

DROP YOUR EMAIL

TO STAY IN THE KNOW

SUBMIT

#22

"WHO'S THAT GIRL" - EVE

The single from Eve’s sophomore album, SCORPION, is one of her most memorable, mostly due to the catchy hook. She’s clearing up any confusion about who she is as a woman and what she brings to the table artistically, carving out space to shine completely on her own.

#21

"KNOCK YOURSELF OUT" - JADAKISS

Never sleep on Jada's ability to craft radio tracks. From his solo debut KISS THA GAME GOODBYE, Jada's second single wasn't a Swizz beat; it was actually produced by The Neptunes.

#20

"GOT IT ALL" RUFF RYDERS W/EVE AND JADAKISS

Jada and Eve pull off the classic "Battle of the Sexes" with this stellar back-and-forth over a steel drum-driven beat from Teflon. Released a single from Ryde Or Die, Vol. 2, it revived a classic pop music formula (seriously, everybody from Otis Redding and Carla Thomas to Ice Cube and Yo-Yo have done it) for the hardcore bling era.

#19

"WHO WE BE" - DMX

The surging beat is one of the most anthemic X ever rhymed over, and his aggression belies a tour-de-force performance that caps the tail end of DMX's most classic run. The kiddie chorus is the right kind of foreboding: both a warning and a call-to-arms.

#18

"MY NAME IS KISS" - JADAKISS

Kiss and The LOX had been well-established by the time he released this declaration of self. It's a showcase for his particular brand of pensive street rap and lyricism, a pronouncement more than an announcement. And proof positive that Kiss has a lane all his own.

#17

"WHAT'S MY NAME" - DMX

By 1999, the whole world knew who this guy was. But X's hunger was still palatable in every single. Even as the vids got glossier and the collabos got Sisqo-ier, X managed to bring grittiness to hip-hop's surging mainstream over a skittering backdrop by Irv Gotti & Co.

#16

"LET ME BLOW YA MIND" - EVE FEAT. GWEN STEFANI

She'd begun her career on Dr. Dre's Aftermath, but we didn't really get to hear what E-V-E could do with the Good Doctor (and Scott Storch) until this monster hit from the early 00s. Paired with soon-to-be-solo superstar Gwen Stefani, the Philly rhymer delivered a bouncy single that still seems to capture the best of its era.

#15

"SLIPPIN'" - DMX

One of the best examples of DMX's tortured brilliance, the autumnal sadness of this classic perfectly conveys the hopelessness and vulnerability in X's verses. He's an artist who came to embody "write your pain," and this single from his second album is proof positive that few wore angst better.

#14

"LOVE IS BLIND" - EVE

An examination of domestic violence that lingers long after that first listen, Eve's heartfelt single was dedicated to her high school best friend. The Ruff Ryders' First Lady struck back for victims everywhere — and struck a chord with anyone who'd endured, known someone who'd survived, or had lost someone to the pain of abuse.

#13

"WHAT THEY REALLY WANT" - DMX FEAT. SISQÓ

DMX was on quite the singles run, Sisqó was at his post-"Thong Song" peak and over a slinky beat that could only come from Nokio, X rattles off his frustrations as a gruff ladies' man. The infamous name-dropping of "Brenda, LaTisha, Linda, Felicia..." made it one of the most quotable tracks in X's oeuvre and birthed a viral internet challenge almost 20 years after its release.

#12

"GOOD TIMES (I GET HIGH)" - STYLES P

Swizz's inspired flip of Freda Payne is the perfect backdrop for Styles P's ode to herbal refreshment. The hit leadoff single from his A GANGSTER AND A GENTLEMAN album, the track was close to inescapable in 2002; turning up everywhere from Swizz's own compilation to the Kevin Hart comedy SOUL PLANE.

#11

"STOP BEING GREEDY" - DMX

It sounded like a warning, issued from a newcomer ready to take on the flossy chart-toppers dominating the rap game. DMX had a few major hits under his arm when he unleashed this anthem, letting everybody know, regardless of where you stood in hip-hop's hierarchy, you were going to have to contend with the dark rhymer's hunger.

#10

"WHY" - JADAKISS

Over soulful production from Mobb Deep's Havoc, Jadakiss poses the hood's hardest questions. It proved to be one of his most resonate tracks, and it's not hard to see why. Referencing everything from the prison industrial complex to the early 2002 Oscar race, it became a smash hit in the summer of 2004, skyrocketing all the way to No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.

"JIGGA MY NIGGA" - RUFF RYDERS W/JAY-Z

NYC-based rap labels were enjoying a friendly competition in the commercially lucrative late 90s. Roc-A-Fella and Ruff Ryders were two of the hottest brands in Hip-Hop. Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella understood how to walk the balance between ballerific raps and street grit. Hov pairing with Ruff Ryders made all the sense in the world circa 1998.

"RIDE OR DIE BYTCH" - THE LOX W/EVE AND TIMBALAND

It became a phrase that defined Bonnie & Clyde-esque solidarity for a generation. And it was the single that announced The LOX's second act, as the street rap trio had landed on Ruff Ryders after a highly-publicized departure from Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records. The Timbo-produced track made it clear the trio from Yonkers could craft radio hits and keep it street.

"WE GONNA MAKE IT" - JADAKISS FEAT. EVE AND STYLES P

An epic single that served as the first solo hit from Jadakiss, this street anthem (has any song ever epitomized that phrase better?) is one of the best in Ruff Ryders' enviable oeuvre. Alchemist laced Kiss with one of his most inspired beats, and Jadakiss delivers as only he can: the kind of rabble-rousing call to arms that resonated on many a corner.

"GOTTA MAN" - EVE

There had been odes to thug love before, but none had managed to be so cute, so sweet and so street — all at the same time. Eve's brand of everygirl relatability was unique in the high glamour late 90s, but make no mistake — nobody could blend swagger and sex appeal like the Ruff Ryders First Lady. The kind of song that made many a thug wish they had this sorta girl by their side.

"GO HEAD" - THE LOX

Sometimes you just know an artist is in their element, and just enjoy watching them work. The LOX were, in many ways, the soul of Ruff Ryders. The grimy street tales from the Yonkers trio were always a better fit for Ruff Ryders than Bad Boy, and Sheek Louch, Styles P and Jadakiss do what they do best on this melancholy masterwork from TJ Beatz.

"DOWN BOTTOM" - RUFF RYDERS W/DRAG-ON, SWIZZ BEATZ, AND JUVENILE

Proof positive that nobody does synth-driven fanfare better than Swizz, this epic single gave Drag-On a huge boost leading into his solo career and was one of the few late 90s East Coast/Dirty South collaborations that didn't’ feel forced or awkward. Juvie repped for NOLA’s Cash Money and, circa 1999, this was the two hottest new labels in the rap game joining forces.

"GET AT ME DOG" - DMX FEAT. SHEEK LOUCH

Everybody knew Dark Man X was coming. He’d been making noise via underground performances and several star-making appearances on hit singles by Ma$e and LL COOL J for almost two years. But his first major label single dropped like a grimy bomb in a landscape littered with shiny suits. With his first hit, X made it clear who he was, and also made it clear that the game wasn’t going to drown in jigginess as we raced towards Y2K.

"WHAT Y'ALL WANT" - EVE FEAT. NOKIO OF DRU HILL

She finally had her moment. The "Illest Pitbull In A Skirt" had been waiting in the wings for almost three years, but it was this catchy, salsa-inflected single from the RYDE OR DIE, VOL. 1 compilation that not only let the world know the Philly firebrand had arrived, but made it clear the RR was taking over the radio.

"RUFF RYDERS ANTHEM" - DMX

Could there be any doubt? The song that all but announced the genius of Swizz Beatz, its an anthem in every sense: instantly memorable; a call to arms for the crew; and a song that transcends its time and era. It's the label's theme song, and captures a moment in time that feels immediate and fresh every time you hear that infectious chorus -- but it never feels stuck in 1998. It's a street rap masterpiece. And to think, X didn’t even like the beat when he first heard it

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