Star Minds Next Generation

by Barbara G. Tarn

  Dadina shivered as they were shoved inside an elevator.

  ***

  Dadina was pushed into a room and her hands freed. The door slid closed behind her before she had time to react and try to run past her jailer. She tried to open it again, but it was locked.

  "No way out, unless someone requests you," a voice told her, startling her. "Besides, it's a labyrinth down here."

  She turned around and took in the windowless room. A double bed, a couch, a door that led to a bathroom and a wardrobe. From the bathroom emerged a young woman with a shifty expression, long frizzy brown hair, a tall, broad build and chocolate brown eyes. She had a towel wrapped around her body and her hair was still wet, so she obviously just came out of the shower. She went to sit on the couch and grabbed a beauty case, fishing for nail paint.

  "I'm glad they decided to pair us. I think we make a nice couple, don't you think?" She flashed a smile at Dadina. Her caramel complexion made a nice contrast with Dadina's pale skin and blond hair – two very different beauties. "So, what's your specialty?"

  "I don't... I'm not a whore!" Dadina snapped, opening and closing her fists in impotent anger.

  "Well, you are now, dear," the other replied. "Take off those ugly clothes and see if you can find anything sexy in there."

  "I'm not going to have sex with anyone!"

  "Tut-tut." The brown-skinned young woman shook her head. "Resist and it's going to be worse. Let's work together, and we'll both be fine. What's your name?"

  "Dadina."

  "I'm I'lli'nya. Lady Ivanka's friends are usually well-mannered, but sometimes they have kinky requests. I can field those, if you work with me. Where are you from?"

  "Sylvania."

  "Oh. So you're a virgin for men."

  "No, I'm not. And I'm not interested in women either."

  "Pity." I'lli'nya sighed. "You're lovely. Come on, take a shower and relax. You'll be fine."

  Dadina went to the bathroom if only to try to calm down. The shower did help, although she kept wondering how the others were doing – mostly Shan-leo, but also Wim.

  When she got out of the bathroom, her clothes were gone and I'lli'nya offered her a short sky-blue tunic that left very little to the imagination.

  "I'm not used to wearing sexy outfits," she protested.

  "You won't find anything else in that wardrobe," I'lli'nya warned.

  "Where are my clothes?"

  "Thrown away. They didn't do you justice anyway. Come on, nobody will see you except the customers... do you have a boyfriend?"

  "Not at this time, no," she muttered, opening the wardrobe to check. Indeed there were only sexy outfits in there – corsets, miniskirts, sexy lingerie.

  "Why don't you try that push-up bra and that miniskirt?"

  "That's a whore's outfit!"

  "Well, that's what you're supposed to look like, honey... How about that sequin dress?"

  After much looking and pondering, Dadina finally found a tulle dress that at least reached her knees. It was like a tutu with little tulle wings.

  "You look like a fairy!" I'lli'nya enthused. "Let's put some flowers in your hair!"

  She opened a box of head pieces and found a crown of fake flowers with a ribbon the color of the dress.

  "Perfect!" She clapped her hands after positioning it on Dadina's head.

  Dadina sighed and decided not to check herself in the mirror.

  "Want me to paint your nails?" I'lli'nya suggested. "Help you with makeup?"

  She squeezed her body into a stretch minidress and dragged Dadina to the couch to continue preparations. Dadina surrendered and let I'lli'nya take care of her and chat endlessly about vain things. Dadina stayed mostly silent. She wasn't really interested in all that girlish stuff – talk about AIs and cybernetics and she'd never shut up, but when dealing with "normal" talk, her shyness took over...

  ***

  Shan-leo was taken to a windowless bedroom that looked very much like the room he'd seen in his father's memories. An underground labyrinth where people could vanish without a trace. Before they took off his handcuffs, they shot something at the nape of his neck. As soon as he could, he touched the button protruding from his spine with his only good hand. S'lyss had used something similar on Uncle Kol-ian.

  And then he felt something and his eyes widened in panic. The mind-controlling device blocked his telepathy and severed the blood mind link. Now he knew why he'd been so sick when his father had gone through this. On one hand it meant Ker-ris would probably feel it too, and come looking for him, on the other hand it was scary. He'd never been mind-controlled before, but he'd seen what it meant though Kol-ian and Ker-ris's minds.

  His hand moved in spite of him and caressed Ivanka's cheek. He gasped, realizing she'd made him do it.

  "Interesting." She slowly smiled and the men retired from the room and left them alone. "Then it works. Undress."

  Unable to control his body, Shan-leo obeyed. His legs walked to her, his arms took her in and his lips sought hers even if his mind screamed he didn't want to. She could make him do what she wanted. She could use him as a sex toy or whatever she wanted. He didn't have a mind link with anyone, so it wasn't lethal, but it was tearing him apart. Being unable to do what he wanted, to read her mind, to use his powers to get out of trouble was not just frustrating, it was terrifying.

  He was completely powerless for the first time in his life, at the mercy of a new-rich who liked aristocracy, especially if she could toy with them like she was doing with him. What if she forced him to marry her? It was just sex for now, but what if she decided she wanted to marry a former imperial prince? How could he stop her?

  As he lay breathless in her bed after pleasing her, he tried to get rid of the button.

  "Stop scratching yourself," she chided, slapping away his hand. "You can't take it off. Only I can remove it. Now get some rest, then I'll feed you and we can have another sex marathon..."

  Shan-leo closed his eyes and passed out more from the struggle to regain control than anything else.

  ***

  Shan-leo!

  Ker-ris's scream sounded in Kol-ian's mind as if his beloved were in the room. He excused himself from the other members of the Five and rushed back to his apartment. He'd felt it too, the blood mind link with Shan-leo was gone.

  He found Ker-ris slumped on the couch, panting as if he were having a heart attack.

  Kol-ian...

  I know. Keep calm.

  He sat next to him and held him with one arm while he called Tyro with the other.

  "Get in touch with the Haiduc now! We need to talk to Shan-leo!"

  As he waited for the communication with the starship, he tried to comfort Ker-ris.

  "Something happened to him, I can feel it!" Ker-ris managed to say before bursting into tears.

  Tyro called back. "Haiduc almost here, should land in an hour or so," he said. "Just come to the hangar."

  "Did you talk to Shan-leo?"

  "He's not onboard. See you there."

  Ker-ris moaned, then slowly managed to get back in control. Kol-ian helped him to go to the Vaurabi Labs and the underground hangar of the Haiduc. They reached it while the starship was already in the planet's atmosphere. Maela also joined them, looking worried.

  "Who answered the call?" Kol-ian asked Tyro who was already there with Markandeya.

  "A Xi-kongian young woman. She said both Shan-leo and Dadina are in trouble."

  "Where?"

  "On Wega."

  "Malbeno!" Ker-ris winced in pain.

  Then the Haiduc landed in front of them. They went to the external door and met with a young woman with slanted eyes who had her hands handcuffed in front of her.

  "What the hell...?" Ker-ris stared at her, incredulous. He couldn't read her mind.

  "Can you please rid me of these?" She offered her wrists without smiling. "My name is Mayumi Ikagoru, I need your help to free your son and my associate."

  Maela used her artificial hand's l
aser to cut open Mayumi's handcuffs, glaring at the young woman with slanted eyes. Mayumi thanked her with a nod before turning back to Ker-ris.

  "Did he mention me at all when he came back from his trip chasing manuscripts?"

  "Sort of. You're one of the manuscript thieves." Ker-ris frowned.

  She sighed and averted her eyes. "Yes. I was working for Drox and he helped the Galaxy Police. I was captured with my assistant and we helped the GP to stop the stolen manuscripts trade. Me and Wim were released after Drox and Endonald Rotshy were arrested, but when we went back to Friport..."

  "You couldn't find work," Kol-ian completed for her. "You're in the GP database and you've betrayed your employer. So how did you get back in touch with Shan-leo?"

  Tears filled her eyes, but she gulped them down, straightening herself. "We waited on the Haiduc while he was on Sassy&Sexy's show, but before I could call you with a ransom request, we were intercepted by Drox's partner and he captured us all."

  Ransom? Ker-ris frowned, trying to read the young woman's mind, but met with strong natural shields.

  "Revenge?" Kol-ian raised his eyebrows. "How powerful is he?"

  "Not very." She shrugged. "But he paired with Ivanka Rotshy. She has a mansion on Wega. That's where they all are right now. Please, help me free them, especially Wim who is going to be raped by that son of a bitch..."

  "How did you escape?" Maela asked bluntly.

  "When we landed on Wega, I managed to run back to the Haiduc. It was already programmed to come here."

  "Military training?"

  "Martial arts. And psychokinesis."

  "That's why we can't read you! You're a natural ESP!" Ker-ris sounded relieved.

  "I'm also a telepath," she answered with a nod. "But Wim isn't. And he's been hurt enough already. Plus Dadina is going to find herself in the sex trade – not sure she can take it."

  Kol-ian and Ker-ris exchanged a glance. Markandeya was already working on his tablet, searching for information on Ivanka Rotshy. Maela seemed ready to pounce on Mayumi, but she waited for the Sire's decision, her lips so thin they were almost invisible.

  "Shan-leo said the Shermac fleet would beat Ivanka Rotshy," Mayumi added, hopeful. "Shall we go?"

  Take down your shields, Ker-ris commanded.

  She stiffened, but slowly obeyed. She replayed the capture and her escape for Kol-ian and Ker-ris who exchanged a quick glance.

  "Maela with us," Ker-ris ordered, heading for the Haiduc with Mayumi. Kol-ian, find a way to get into Mansion Rotshy legally. I'll alert the fleet just in case there isn't one.

  14. WEGA

  Shan-leo woke up in Ivanka's arms, still freaked out at his inability to control his body. At least his mother had controlled his father without his knowledge – Ker-ris had been blissfully oblivious of the mind control – but in his case, Shan-leo was completely aware of the control. He wasn't a brainless sex toy, which made things much worse.

  "Did you sleep well?" Ivanka purred, stroking his hair.

  "Why don't you take complete control of me?" he asked.

  "I like the fact that you're aware," she replied with a grin. "It's great to be able to manipulate a mighty Sire."

  Shan-leo smiled ruefully. "So that's my punishment? And what will you do, share me with your brother whenever he's released? Don't think you can keep me for that long..."

  "I know." She shrugged. "I could share you with K'iri'llian, if I wanted to see you in a man's arms. But that's not my kink. I could force you to have sex with three women at the same time – including me..." She caressed his prosthetic. "Is this enhanced?"

  "No, it's a civilian prosthetic. And it's broken, Mayumi shot me. I don't feel anymore."

  "Why, you could feel through the prosthetic?" she marveled. "The Sire technology is really more advanced than the rest of the galaxy, then! Why don't you have a cosmetic makeover so it would look like your real arm?"

  "Not interested." He averted his eyes. At least she'd moved away from the previous topic. Unless she had a kink of doing it with machines – but since he had no feeling in his right arm anymore, that didn't bother him much.

  "It makes you look fierce, like those cyborgs on the screen!" she enthused. "I wonder if you could be my champion!"

  "Uh, no, unless you take control of my mind and make me fight the way you want," he said. "I have no military training and have never used violence in my life."

  She huffed, disappointed. "Maybe I could have you trained. Someone will show you the moves, and then you can fight in a team."

  "I doubt it." He glared at her. He wasn't going to be a gladiator for her pleasure – unless she forced him, of course. Which was worse, non-consensual sex or an unwilling fight?

  She sat on the bed with a determined look on her face.

  "That's what we're going to do! Dress, and I'll take you to your trainer!" she ordered.

  Shan-leo groaned, but obeyed. If he hesitated even for a moment, he felt compelled to move again and do what she wanted. The mind-controlling device was definitely working.

  She put on her lingerie and a silken dressing gown over it, then guided him outside of the bedroom. The corridor had a couple of windows open on wide pits and caverns that showed the hunting ground and the arena from above. Shan-leo asked Ivanka if the audience just stood in the corridors or could sit somewhere with wide screens that showed the action live, but she scoffed.

  "They're live shows," she said. "Wouldn't make sense to pay to watch them remotely. No, whoever comes down here has a seat in the theater around the arena. And yes, there's a watchtower over the hunting ground, but I haven't used it much. That was Endonald's playground. I don't have an interest in watching two men running and fucking each other. You do know a lot about this kind of place, don't you?"

  "My father was kept in a dungeon on Vilas Lok and taken to a hunting ground once after he tried to escape," Shan-leo snapped. "And I've never seen a gladiators' fight."

  "We like watching men and women fight on Wega. And if you try to run away, I'll send you to the hunting ground, with K'iri'llian coming after you!"

  "I can't try to run away," he retorted, touching the button on his spine.

  She opened a sliding door. "Get in here. Gladiators' training room. I'll be right back."

  Shan-leo entered the gym and observed the various implements – not just to build muscles, but also blunt weapons and other fighting things. Body armor lay in a corner, but he doubted he'd be allowed to wear it in the arena. Thank God, he had genetically reinforced skin. Although he could be killed, and a knife at close range could cut him.

  Ivanka came back with a man in his thirties with a pierced nose and long auburn hair. His build was almost the same as Shan-leo's, so obviously gladiators had divisions, like wrestlers, based on their weight.

  "This is Raken," Ivanka said. "He's fast and not very strong, so he can teach you to stay alive in the arena."

  "You do realize that if I get killed in your arena, you'll join your brother in jail, don't you?" Shan-leo asked.

  She scoffed. "You're tougher than what you look. You're an imperial prince, Shan-leo, I know what you're made of. Raken will take care of showing you how to stay alive. And I bet you'll come out of the arena unbruised."

  Shan-leo glared at her, but she left without turning back.

  "The fight is in forty-eight hours," she said as the door slid closed behind her.

  "Well, this doesn't give us much time," Raken commented, shaking his head. "You must have pissed her off greatly."

  Shan-leo looked at him. "And what about you? Are you a volunteer? How long have you been fighting for her?"

  "I was indebted to her, so first she took me to her bed, then she threw me in the arena," Raken answered with a shrug. "I survived for three years straight, and I'm almost a champion. When I manage to win, I'll be free. So I'd be grateful if you helped me succeed. All the teammates I've had so far have been killed."

  "What kind of fight is it?" Shan-leo asked, deciding it was be
tter to play along. Maybe his father would save him before the actual confrontation, but if not, he should be prepared.

  "We're both lightweight, and we'll probably be pitched against one of those bulky monsters, all muscle and no brain. That's what I've had so far. Speed is key to stay away from those big murderous hands. I see you have a prosthetic – maybe we could add something to it to make it more lethal."

  "It's a civilian prosthetic," Shan-leo repeated patiently. "And it's half broken. I don't move it very well anymore." He showed the fingers almost still now. Dadina's patch wasn't holding.

  "Then I suggest you get rid of it," Raken replied. "We can probably attach a gun or a blade to the wrist, which would probably allow us to win."

  Puzzled, Shan-leo stared at him, then at his prosthetic. He'd never considered that. But since it was to save his own life, why not. He managed to take off the metal wristband and showed how the hand was already almost detached from the wrist.

  Raken nodded and went rummaging in a box of props, coming up with a couple of alternatives – a short blade, a hook and a retractile blade. Shan-leo wondered what Dadina would think of those implements, then thought about his foster sister for a moment. Worrying about her wouldn't help, though, so he pushed her to the back of his mind again.

  He must stay alive if he wanted to go home with her.

  ***

  I'lli'nya reminded Dadina of N'ell'onera, since she was older that M'oll'inda. But I'lli'nya was the first Ulba'wissian Dadina met who didn't have any martial art or military skills. The prostitute was vain, and enjoyed her work because it allowed her to wear all those pretty clothes she couldn't afford when she was living with her family. She had a boyfriend working at the mansion, and couldn't leave without him.

  I'lli'nya was not a slave and she tried to communicate her passion for her work to Dadina, but failed. Dadina wasn't interested in any of the things that appealed to I'lli'nya, but if she didn't want to be raped or abused by the customers, she had to play along. When a middle-aged man sat next to her on the couch and started touching her, she decided to try and ask for help.

  "I have been abducted, sir," she whispered, so that I'lli'nya – who was making out on the bed with another customer – wouldn't hear her. "I'm being forced to do this."