AN: Since I have a little energy at the moment, I decided to finish off Chapter 3 tonight. As such there will be one more post tonight after this one. Chapter 3 has 5 parts.

Soon the chapter rewrites will have fewer parts as later chapters were a bit shorted.

Chapter 3.4: A Hard Nut to Crack?

John looked over his books one last time and nodded. The standard patrol that they'd done on previously proved modestly lucrative. Sixteen hundred dollars would be enough to easily cover one month's simple expenses. Of course, that did not include other issues such as medical supplies and confinement fees.

He scheduled a private patrol that would set out at ten in the morning. Even if they only caught a handful of Demi-Humans, the patrol would be worth it. The only concern that dared rear its ugly head involved his new acquisitions. He could not afford to keep them in confinement for more than a few days. Should Kara prove unpersuasive, they would need to be sold. It would be a pity, but he refused to risk the fiscal solvency of his team for the sake of petulant beasts.

The current plan was to save enough money to make a trip to the Florida Preserve. The Orange Cup would be underway in two months. A proper showing in the arena would allow his plans to progress at a much faster rate of speed. Winning would be a perk. Making it into the official roster was all he needed for the time being. His sponsor granted him all the money they were willing to at present. Winning tournaments would bring notoriety to their cause. That notoriety would mean lucrative deals. If his girls did well he might even be able to get his own clothing line, or something.

"Jackets by John..." mumbled the man, mildly amused. He cared little for fashion, but the money from such a deal would fund a great deal of his research.

The only problem was that he did not know what to call his team yet. Every tamer needed a team name for registration purposes. He did not even truly have a team, not yet. Naming something before it existed seemed rather silly.

A buzzing sound came from the intercom linked to his door. He called out, "Speaker on."

When the door made an acceptance noise he followed his instruction up with, "Who is it?"

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

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

The door made a buzzing sound of negation, much like the sound one might hear when a contestant spoke the wrong answer on a game show. He muttered before repeating his previous command. Another negative sound was heard and he snorted. "Stupid piece of junk."

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

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

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

"Oh? How did you manage that?" he asked, sincerely curious regarding the details.

Kara filled her master in on the sordid details, and in so doing his estimate of her capacity increased. She was as devious and underhanded as any human he'd ever met. While that was not necessarily a good thing, it worked in their favor in this instance.

A brief pause echoed silently through the room after she gave her report. He respected her skills more. However, he decided not to trust her without cause. She could easily turn that manipulative streak on him if she desired to do so.

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

Her smile increased slightly, it even reached her eyes. They began to shimmer slightly in the light just before she regained a handle on her emotions. It would not do to get too excited. Her master had not even tamed her yet.

The thought of taming crossed her mind then, and she realized that some of her reservations about this man had dwindled. He was not a perfect specimen, or a military leader. However, he handled himself well and possessed a reasonable head for tactics. That was adequate. It was also easier to consider his touch due to his minor praise of her work performance.

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

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

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

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

She fought down the blush forming along her cheeks, and pressed her lips firmly together to avoid the soft squeak she nearly unleashed. It would not be fitting of a warrior to act in such a manner. Her response came in the form of a slow nod accompanied by down cast eyes.

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

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

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

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

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

When she came within arm's reach of John he frowned slightly then nodded. He removed his shirt and began to undo his shoes as well. The awkward unclothing portion of the event continued for a brief few minutes as she followed his lead. Oh yes, lust was in the air. Mild amounts of lust and awkwardness indeed...