by S. E. Smith
“Welcome, little warrior,” Madas called out in greeting. She looked at Armet who was coming up toward her with a deep scowl on his face. “I see you have brought company.”
Star looked over her shoulder with a frown. “He figured out what was going on somehow and was waiting in the transport for me. I swear his face is going to freeze like that if he doesn’t stop scowling at everything all the time.”
Madas chuckled. “I believe his expression will change shortly. Come, the sooner we leave the sooner we arrive at where we are going.”
*.*.*
“Star ship 782.226 clearance granted. Safe journey,” the voice of the control tower stated.
Star trembled nervously from where she was strapped into the chair. She had a clear view of out the front viewport. She watched as the ground slowly slipped away, becoming smaller. A burst of power had her jerking back into her seat. She held onto the hand grips so hard her knuckles turned white. Within seconds, the darkness of deep space surrounded her and she felt herself relaxing again. She heard a mumble of voices over the communications system as the control tower gave them clearance to the jump gate. Armet answered calmly. Before she could let out the breath she was holding all the way, the lights dimmed on the inside of the star ship while outside colors flared as the ship picked up speed as it entered the first jump gate.
“Oh yeah, now this is smooth,” Dakar said with a grin of appreciation on his face. “Madas, I know the Tearnats don’t have a ship like this. Where in the hell did you get it?”
Madas chuckled as she relaxed back. She was a good pilot but she was nowhere as good as the two warriors in front of her. She had done her homework last night after she had worn her mate out. She knew Gril was going to come after her once he realized what she was up to. He was very protective of her. She often got amused at his need to protect her and his possessive behavior. She enjoyed keeping him on his claws. He was an excellent lover but when he was outraged with her over something, a shiver of delight flared in Madas as she thought of her mate’s reaction to this little adventure.
Yes, it will be worth his anger when I return, Madas thought with a small smile.
“It is a gift from a friend of Lord Jazin. He confirmed that Jazin was not on board the fighter when it exploded. A traitor to the Tearnat was the victim. Tai Tek is behind your prince’s disappearance,” Madas assured both men.
“How do you know for sure this ‘supposed’ friend is on our side?” Star asked, worrying her bottom lip. “What if it is a trap?”
Madas reached over and gently unclenched Star’s fisted hand and held it tenderly in her larger one. “Trust me, little warrior. I would not lead you into a trap. The warrior who gave me this star ship is to be trusted. He knew things about you that only your mate could have told him. Things that he would not have share with an enemy, not even under torture.”
Star’s eyes filled with tears at the thought of Jazin telling someone else about her. “Like what?” She asked in an unsteady voice.
Madas reached over and picked up a strand of golden hair, letting it run over her slender fingers. “Like how your hair is the color of the sun touched with gold on a clear day and how beautiful, strong, and brave you were against those much larger and fiercer than you. He spoke of your courage and loyalty. But most of all, he spoke of his respect and love for you.”
A single tear slid down Star’s face. For a moment, it was as if she could feel Jazin brushing it away with a tender kiss. She closed her eyes and pulled an image of him into her mind. She gripped Madas hand tightly, wishing with everything in her that it was Jazin holding it. She breathed deeply before she opened her eyes and stared at her friend.
“He is alive,” Star whispered. “I can feel him. In here,” she said, touching her chest over her heart. “I can feel him calling to me.”
Madas nodded. “He is alive, little warrior. He has much to live for.”
Chapter 8
Pain racked Jazin’s body where he hung from the wall. He leaned forward, resting his head against the hard stone trying to relieve the pressure on his shoulders. Exhaustion beat at him but he refused to give into it. He let his mind turn instead to Star. Over the past week or more since he had been captured, the picture of her face staring up at him was the only thing that kept him from going insane. Tai Tek had personally been seeing to his torture. The numerous cuts, bruises, and burns attested to the former councilman’s desire to take his frustration out on Jazin. His methods of trying to extract information from him were becoming more brutal. His latest ploy was to see how long Jazin could stand upright without dislocating both of his shoulders. His arms were chained out to the side and only his standing, gripping the chains tightly in his fists prevented the heavy weights attached to the ends from pulling his arms out of their sockets. He had been like this for the past six hours or more. Every once in a while, Tai Tek would come in with a whip and viciously strike him over and over, leaving his back a bloody mass of torn flesh. Jazin refused to give Tai Tek the satisfaction of seeing him in pain. He stared at the wall with a cold, impassive face as blow after blow ripped at his flesh. His mind turned to Star and the memories of how her gentle hands had caressed him the night before he left. Tai Tek had left him several hours ago with a curse that he would make sure Jazin talked when he returned or else.
Jazin knew he wouldn’t last much longer. Not only because his strength was waning but because Tai Tek was growing increasingly more desperate. That desperation was leading to more brutal blows. It was only a matter of time before one of them lead to his death. He would never reveal the information that Tai Tek wanted. He would die first. He stared at the ceiling of his prison and fought back a wave of grief at the idea of never seeing his mate again. If he could have just one more moment with her, he would tell her that just the short time they had together brought him more joy than anything else in his life. His eyes burned but he refused to let the tears of grief to form. He would only think of Star’s beauty. He would only relive the times when her fierce spirit woke a need inside him that he never thought to have.
“I love you, my fierce little warrior,” Jazin whispered into the darkness of his prison cell. “More than anything, I wish I could tell you one last time how much.”
His head dropped down to rest on his chest as exhaustion pulled at the chains holding him. Perhaps he should let death take him. As long as he had his memories of Star, he would not die alone. He would seek her out in another lifetime. He would always look for her, no matter where the Gods sent him. She was his soul mate – forever.
Jazin didn’t bother raising his head up with the door to his cell creaked open. He mentally tried to prepare himself for another beating. He pulled even further into his tired mind, seeking shelter as he felt first one wrist than the other being unchained. He had no idea what new torture Tai Tek had for him but he would die a warrior. He forced his head up as he was turned around and stared straight into the eyes of his tormentor. A frown ceased his forehead as he saw a set of familiar eyes, instead. The dark, glowing amber eyes met his for a brief moment before turning away. As his strained arms fell to his side weakly, the huge figure of the male in front of him lowered him down to the cold, stone floor gently.
“Your warrior mate is coming for you,” the voice whispered hoarsely. “Stay alive. She is not alone and neither are you.”
Jazin let his head rest weakly against the floor. He didn’t know if the voice or the figure had been a figment of his imagination. Perhaps this was one of Tai Tek’s tricks to torture his mind as well as body by giving him hope. He rolled weakly over and looked around the dimly lit cell through blurry eyes. He was alone. Rolling over again, he curled up as far as his battered body would let him to preserve his body heat against the cold of the rock cell he was locked in. His mind drifted back to the first time he saw Star. Everything became fuzzy as his body and mind began shutting down in exhaustion. He reached up with trembling fingers to touch the faint scar on his cheek where Progit had c
ut him. All he could think of was when Star had touched him for the first time. Her tender touch as she gently wiped the blood away and her softly spoken words. His head turned slightly when he thought he felt her gentle fingers against his cheek for a moment.
“You are safe now,” her husky voice whispered through the lonely cell.
“I know,” he whispered back. “As long as I have you in my heart, I’ll always be safe,” he responded to the ghost in his mind as darkness settled over him.
*.*.*
Star jerked awake from the dream she was having. She sat up trembling, her hand covered her mouth as silent tears flowed down her cheeks. She had seen him. She had seen Jazin. He had been in a dark cell chained to a wall at first before she saw him again lying curled up. His body was covered in welts, bruises, and cuts from being beaten.
She pushed the covers on the narrow bed back and slid her feet into the soft brown leather boots. Pushing her hair back impatiently, she straightened her top before walking over to the small closet-size cleansing room. She stood looking at her pale reflection. Her eyes seemed too large for her face and were slightly red from crying in her sleep. She could have sworn she had touched him. She could feel his skin under her fingertips as she caressed his cheek. She looked down at her fingers and was surprised to see a small trace of red on the tips. Her hands trembled as she raised them up to the dim lighting above the small mirror. Small streaks of dried blood were barely visible on the tips but they were there. Star looked back at the reflection in the mirror trying to see if she had scratched herself in her sleep. She looked frantically, ripping open her shirt and checking her arms, chest, face, and stomach for any sign of injury that could explain the blood on her fingers.
Nothing, she thought. No scratches, not cuts, no marks except …. her eyes rose to look in the mirror again in disbelief. She had been with him. She knew it. She had told him he was safe now.
Star fumbled with refastening her shirt. She quickly braided her hair, brushed her teeth, and washed her face. Her eyes were glued to the faint trail of red as she washed her hands before it disappeared. Her face hardened into a frozen mask of determination. She was going to bring him home. Her eyes glittered in fury as she stared into the mirror one last time before she turned to find Madas. She was going to bring him home and she was going to kill the man who had hurt him. No one messed with her family and lived, no one!
*.*.*
Dakar set a cup of steaming tea down in front of Star before he moved around the narrow table they were using as a conference table to sit on the other side. Madas let her tongue taste the brew before she smiled in pleasure and took a deeper sip of it. Armet pushed into the room late. He had set the auto-pilot and wanted to double check some of the weapons systems before joining them.
“This is what we are facing. We need to not only break into this fortress but then try to get out of it in one piece,” Dakar said pulling up a three-dimensional map of Tai Tek’s prison fortress. “There are four levels in all. Three above ground and one below. The cells are below ground, of course. Look at these towers. There are six of them. Each has a high power laser cannon capable of bringing down any size fighter. In addition, there are smaller automated laser cannons that can be controlled from this center building. They are set to automatically fire at anything that shows a heat signature. You would see what I mean if you could walk around the perimeter of the fortress,” Dakar said in disgust. “It is littered with the remains of any creature unfortunate enough to wander into the firing range. Truthfully, I don’t think there is any way to get into the fortress alive.”
Star stared at the structure in front of her. Her eyes following the lines of the fortress as Dakar showed it from different angles and explaining the materials used to build it. Her eyes kept going back to the long, thin cable that extended from the mountainside where the fortress was built into to the main control rooms in the center of the grounds.
“What about from above?” She asked hesitantly. “Are the cannons aimed for anything coming from above the fortress?”
“Of course, they are set to fire on any incoming vehicle,” Dakar said, pointing to a series of cannons pointed upward.
“Yes, but what about from here,” Star asked pointing to the narrow aqueduct system that came out of the mountain and the cable attached to right below it to the center building. “What about if someone were to go through the access tunnel at the top of the mountain? They could make their way to this release duct. Would the cannons detect someone coming across the wire from where it is connected here to the control tower?”
Armet leaned forward studying the areas Star was asking about. He shook his head. “There is no way to do that. The vents are too small. They can’t be more than two feet in diameter. Even if Dakar or I could fit through there we wouldn’t be able to cross the cable. There is a security field set up that stops about a foot under the wire.”
“But, if someone was able to make their way through the vent, cross the cable to the control tower, and take out the control room, it would allow others to breach the fortress, right?” Star insisted looking at the wire that ran down where it attached just outside an access door to the control room. It was a left over from the building stage and had probably been left as an afterthought for maintenance.
“IF someone could squeeze through the narrow tube AND cross the wire without triggering the alarms, then yes, I guess it is possible to bring the system down long enough to get additional support inside,” Armet said reluctantly as he looked with growing unease at Star who was smiling.
“Then, we know how we will get in. Dakar, I will need you and Armet. Jazin is hurt and I’m not big enough or strong enough to carry him out. You know the inside of the prison, Dakar. You will know where they are likely to be keeping him. Madas, you will have to pilot the star ship,” Star said looking excitedly from one frowning face to another to the last which had a grin on it.
“No, little warrior. I will go with Dakar. Armet is the better pilot. Once their defenses are down and we have Lord Jazin, we will have to be able to leave quickly. The star ship is capable of landing in this area,” Madas said pointing to a larger area used for training exercises. “I am a fair pilot but we need an excellent pilot who can come in fast and leave just as quickly.”
Star looked at Madas for a moment before looking at Armet’s tight face of disapproval. “She’s right. She is strong enough to help carry Jazin.”
“No,” Armet said harshly looking at the little human female in frustration even though he knew she was right. “I promised I would keep you safe.”
“And you will,” Star interrupted, leaning forward to place her hand on top of his. “By getting us out of there safely. I can do this. You’ve been working with me and I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Please, Armet,” she whispered looking into his eyes with determination. “I can’t lose him. I love him and I can’t lose him, not again.”
The muscle ticked in Armet’s jaw as he stared into Star’s bright, light blue ones. His eyes moved to Dakar who was sitting back with a grim expression on his face as well. Their eyes collided with the unspoken message that neither liked the plan but they both accepted it was the only way. His eyes finally traveled to the huge female Tearnat who was sitting back with a smug look on her face and a twinkle in her eye. If he didn’t know better, he would swear she knew something that neither he nor Dakar were aware of and that just made the muscle tick faster.
“I want to go over some strategies with you before we drop your ass off,” Armet said in a low, gruff voice. “You better not get yourself captured or killed. I swear, if anything happens to you I will personally take that damn place apart stone by stone. You are just too damn small and delicate to be doing this,” he added under his breath.
Star squeezed the hand she was still holding. “I may be small and I may not be as strong as a Tearnat female, or even a Kassisan one, but I have a strength built on love and determination to bring my mate home. I won’t fail and I won
’t die. I have too much to live for,” she declared in a quiet, passionate voice. “Believe in me.”
“I do,” Madas said reaching out and laying her slender, green hand on top of Star and Armet's hands.
“Oh Gods,” Dakar muttered in a dark voice before laying his hand on top of Madas’ hand. “I do too. It is so crazy it just might work,” he said with a disbelieving chuckle as he watched the image of the fortress circle slowly in the center of the table.
Chapter 9
Star and Madas giggled like a couple of high school girls at a classic car show with their boyfriends as they listened to Dakar and Armet oohing and awing about all the modifications to the star ship. One of the defense system upgrades to it was the ability to deflect any type of radar from detecting it. The second upgrade was the new engine design. Jazin was able to develop an engine that was not only more powerful but also did not release a heat signature. This made it virtually impossible to detect and track. The last upgrade was the most important as it would give them the advantage they would need when Armet came in hot and fast – it had a cloaking device.
“Guys aren’t much different when it comes to their toys,” Star said as she watched the two men talking excitedly as they discovered another feature they had missed earlier when they were exploring.
“Gril is the same,” Madas replied with a shake of her head. “He understands the things he can touch, not the things he cannot,” she added softly. “I miss him. I am not used to being away from him for this long.”
Star reached over and touched her friend’s hand. “Is he going to be upset with you?” She asked, biting her lip in guilt.
Madas chuckled and looked at Star with a mischievous look in her eyes. “I hope so. I like it when he is upset.”
Star’s eyes widened at her friend’s innuendo and she blushed, drawing another chuckle from Madas. “I never thanked you for giving me hope,” Star murmured as tears formed in her eyes.