P’Lau said, “Rise, Javette, my Beloved Daughter, and Dan’L, my new Faithful Son. Your Emperor has a special assignment for each of you, assignments we do not want to give, but must.” He rose up in his flying throne a meter and hovered in front of them.
“The Empire has many undercover assets engaged in various assignments, some for many years. Within five days’ time, certain assets will be repositioned to assist you with your assignments, at elevated risk for all of you,” he said mysteriously.
Emperor P’Lau lowered his throne to the floor, and ordered, “Master Commander Javette: your will fly your ES warbird to Ban’Ti for top secret negotiations of the highest importance. You will mediate those negotiations as your Emperor’s Emissary. Be prepared to enforce my will, and succeed at any cost. Depart at first light tomorrow, my Beloved Daughter.” She saluted him and turned to leave, but C.S. Bette motioned for her to stand next to her, and listen.
“Novice Dan’L, my newest Faithful Son: circumstances have placed you within a dark web of intrigue, the likes of which we have never seen, especially for one of your Novice rank. After many discussions with our undercover assets, as well as those present today, we have reached a decision. Your Emperor asks you to volunteer to once again become a captive, and be delivered to the Traitor Duma Wat.”
The Emperor moved around on his throne, as if he was suddenly uncomfortable sitting there. He continued, “You will be assisted by assets in place whom you have never met, and cannot recognize. They will not reveal themselves to you. You will be accompanied by Commander Bok to the place where we will leave you to the mercenaries. They will capture, confine, and deliver you to Duma Wat. You will discover what Duma Wat wants from you, and why he is offering a planet’s ransom for my Novice. The risk is great, but it is not more than you can bear, according to your superiors. Do you volunteer, Novice Dan’L?”
Dan’L bowed his head and answered, “Yes, your Majesty. I volunteer for this assignment to serve my Emperor. May your Novice make one request of your Majesty?” Dan’L boldly asked. “May I request Novice Kayla to accompany me, instead of Commander Bok?” C.S. G’Rosk was at Dan’L’s side in a flash, absolutely glaring at the young man for being so impertinent. Novices were only to speak when spoken to, in the presence of the Emperor.
But the Emperor was intrigued by his request, and asked Dan’L, “Another Novice? Why my Beloved Daughter Kayla? This is most unusual.”
“Sire, Kayla has superior skills of negotiation and interpreting body language, my Emperor. She is my best friend, and I trust her implicitly,” Dan’L said with his head fully bowed.
Emperor P’Lau studied him for a moment, and then said, “Then know you are now trusting my Kayla with your life, Novice Dan’L. You will depart at midnight. May the Creator bless you both!” P’Lau hurriedly left the Royal Court.
Here came the expected backlash from Commanders Superior Bette and G’Rosk. They verbally blasted Dan’L for having the audacity to speak directly to Emperor P’Lau, and ask for a change to their well-thought-out plans. Dan’L stood stiffly at attention while they ripped him up one side and down the other. Javette stood at the side and listened to them lambast her Son. He had to learn.
Nearly apoplectic, C.S. Bette demanded, “Why my Novice Kayla? Neither of you have any field experience. It is proper for one Borgund Ranger to accompany another!”
G’Rosk stated, “Commander Bok is your Company Commander, in charge of your safety and development. He has many years’ field experience, and is an excellent Ranger.”
Dan’L waited until their verbal attacks tired out, then requested permission to speak. “Commander Bok is a Borgund Ranger of the highest order, and I respect and admire him. But his eyes are those of a trained assassin; that ‘do-or-die’ look of a ruthless, uncompromising warrior, Commander Superior G’Rosk. The mercenaries will know it is an attempted set-up. Novice Kayla is a trained Emissary and Ambassador of Emperor P’Lau. She can withdraw from her emotions and reveal nothing in return. I am much safer with Kayla than Bok, Commanders Superior Bette and G’Rosk.”
No one had rebuttal to Dan’L’s logic. He was ordered to report to G’Rosk at 10p.m. to receive mission-specific information. They gave him copies of his red crystals to carry on his person, knowing the Rebels would also be curious about them.
C.S. Bette walked to her office quickly with Javette, and commented, “Your Son has your stubbornness. What Novice was ever so bold?”
Javette tried to suppress a smile, and said, “He has his Father’s logic, and bravado. I would fight any battle with Commander Bok at my side. But he couldn’t talk his way out of a paper bag, Commander Superior Bette.” Both women chuckled. “How have you planned for Dan’L to escape from Duma Wat? Alive, I trust,” Javette asked.
“Most certainly alive. The entire assignment is futile if we do not discover the answers to our questions. We will continually track his whereabouts, 24/7, and rescue him, Javette,” Bette assured her.
“The mercenaries will scan and remove his ID chip capsule, as before. Any tracking device will also be found and removed,” Javette commented.
Bette smiled and revealed, “We will track his DNA signature; our newest technology. Our Emperor does not want to lose a valuable Novice, Javette,” she assured her. Javette saluted her Commander Superior and left to pack for her new assignment.
Dan’L shared his “last meal” with Sham’S and his fellow Novices, as if nothing special was happening at midnight tonight. Then he met his Mother at 9:30p.m., and they talked quietly in the Palace garden. “Do you think Father may still be alive, Mother?” He asked.
She replied, “I honestly don’t know, Son. K’Ser was a very resourceful Borgund Ranger. But it’s been months since he was reported killed in combat. I cannot have my hopes too high for his miraculous survival, and neither can you, Dan’L. You must focus your awareness and thoughts as never before during your meeting with the Traitor, Duma Wat. He was a graduate of the Royal Academy and Phase 1 Training, same as we were, and a favorite of the Court. He is wise, and wily, and not some common criminal,” Javette cautioned. “He is also charismatic, so I’ve heard.”
Dan’L nodded after listening to his Mother. He stood and gently touched a rose on the vine as she continued, “Duma Wat has successfully gained financial and political backing from some of the most influential aristocrats, Guild and Union leaders, and, some say, even top military officers. He is powerful. Be very careful, my Son. Very careful,” she warned.
“And you take care, as well, Mother. I hear the little jungle planet Ban’Ti has more snakes and rats than the other planets combined. Keep your boots on!” Dan’L said, and they laughed together, walking through the garden to the Ranger residences.
Javette kissed her Son’s cheek and said, “It’s the two-legged snakes in the grass you must beware of Dan’L. Be safe, and return to me.”
X
An outdoor entertainment mall at midnight is a perfect place for a date—or a kidnapping, Dan’L realized. He’d played games at this holographic arcade years ago. But now he looked at the mall stores, restaurants and arcades differently, with Ranger eyes.
Kayla and Dan’L strolled along, dressed in casual clothes, and held hands, as if they were on a date. They stopped in a café for a light meal. Dan’L ate little, remembering his prior experience being stunned with a belly full of hard cider. The arrangement was for the mercenaries to kidnap Dan’L and not harm the one who handed him over to them. Kayla was fun and looked very pretty, with her long black hair loose around her shoulders. Maybe too pretty, he suddenly thought, now wondering if asking for Kayla to help him was the safest idea for her.
They left the café and walked slowly along. Kayla asked him with a little more volume in her voice, “They have the newest games in here, Dan’L. Want to try your luck?” That was the signal. He agreed, and entered the open arcade with Kayla. The holographic machines in the front were powered down, tagged “Out of Service.” A brightly-lit machine a
t the end caught his eye and they walked towards the back.
Dan’L slipped in a 5-credit coin to play. When he put his finger on the button to launch a holographic fighter, he was hit on his shoulder from behind. He turned to fight, and received a face full of stun gas. Dan’L collapsed on the floor. He awoke in a stifling darkness, and realized they had him restrained, and covered his head with a dark hood, tied around his neck. He coughed and gagged, but did not vomit, this time. Another attacker, a really ugly man, raised his hood and sprayed his face again, and Dan’L passed out.
After the three men tied up Dan’L, they attacked Kayla, attempting to gang rape the very pretty accomplice. They got more than they expected from Kayla. The attackers tried to spray her in the face to subdue her with stun gas, but she quickly fought them off, and eluded them. A bruised Kayla made her report to C.S. Bette, and described the three men who hit and stunned Dan’L in detail. “After they knocked Dan’L out, the assailants tried to drag me in the back,” she reported. “I batted the vial of stun gas out of the ugly man’s hand, and fought the three men, just enough to get away from them. Then, I fled the scene, as ordered. Dan’L was unconscious.”
Bette furrowed her brow and stated emphatically, “You’re lucky you escaped, Kayla. We should have sent Commander Bok with Novice Dan’L. It was our original plan.”
“Begging your pardon, Commander Superior, but those men were armed with laser guns. Commander Bok would have been shot,” Kayla said matter-of-factly. “After I got away from them, I hid inside the alley and watched them load Novice Dan’L into a shuttle. Here are its tail numbers. They flew off at 12:46a.m., in a south-westerly direction.” She handed a small note paper to Bette.
Bette said with conviction, “You are young and innocent, Kayla. Straight from the Royal Academy, into Phase 1, 2, and 3 Training. The world is more than you have experienced. All people are not respectable, loyal citizens of the Empire. You are not used to the type of men sent to capture Dan’L. If they had successfully subdued and raped you, they may have killed you afterwards, in order to eliminate the victim and only witness. These are not honorable men. But you did well, Novice Kayla.”
Kayla thanked C.S. Bette for her concern, and Bette dismissed her. The eldest Shi’Lon Ranger watched the young Novice walk down the hall. The girl had confidence and carried herself well. Her skill with T’Ly martial arts in Phase 2 and 3 was well documented. But Kayla still had the veil of innocence about her. She was lucky tonight. Bette entered a recommendation in Kayla’s file to have her serve in the Main Court, where she could meet and become familiar with many types of people. It was time for the girl to get acquainted with more of the world.
Bette called G’Rosk and updated him with the latest information. Kayla had described each man down to the color of their eyes and hair, clothing type, size and colors, and each wrinkle, scar, and mark on their faces. The men were located in the police database, and warrants for their arrests broadcast. “Where is Dan’L now, G’Rosk?” Bette asked.
“Off K’Halon Prime, on trajectory towards M’Wati. No other info on him is available at this time,” he answered, and they clicked off. G’Rosk watched the DNA tracker for Dan’L very closely. He kept his trained eyes on the son of his late best friend K’Ser, and Javette.
Dan’L was fully restrained on a gurney, and being unloaded from the shuttle. The morons nearly dropped him coming down the hatch. They left his gurney near the shuttle to greet more men joining their party. Still hooded and restrained, he heard men arguing over credits, demanding their bounty. Then Dan’L heard laser blasts—their real reward for kidnapping him.
“Pick up the gurney and let’s go,” a man shouted. Where were they taking him now? Dan’L’s thigh was stabbed by a hypo needle pen. He was knocked out again, for much longer, this time.
M’Wati, five days later
The nurse checked her patient’s IV lines after changing his drip solution. She had never seen someone so young in such a dehydrated, heavily sedated state. “You poor boy,” she said, and checked his vitals. A crewman walked in, demanding information on her patient. “He is recovering slowly, but remains unconscious. He needs a lot of work, and complete rest,” she said, looking intently at the messenger, who took her information and quickly left.
The mercenaries kept Dan’L sedated the entire trip from K’Halon Prime to M’Wati. It was a long five-day flight, with M’Wati at its farthest orbital point from massive K’Halon Prime. The mercenaries slept, took drugs, and generally ignored their heavily sedated captive. They neglected him completely, never letting him awaken, never giving him water or nutrition. If Dan’L stirred, they sedated him again with the sedation drugs mixed with heroin. They were so drugged up they didn’t realize they nearly overdosed their captive fatally.
In another two days, Dan’L awoke. He was suffering from hallucinations and delirium tremens due to severe dehydration, early heroin addiction, and overdosing on sedation drugs. His body was restrained with padded belts head to feet to keep him from harming himself. It took seven days to withdraw from the heavy sedation drugs and the heroin. Dan’L was so malnourished his ribs and cheekbones protruded; he looked gray and ghastly. When he could stand by himself, he was bathed and shaved, and brought to Duma Wat.
Dan’L was escorted to an empty room with amber lighting and told to sit in a chair at the long conference table. Several men walked into the room and stood behind their leader, Duma Wat. “Welcome, young Dan’L, son of K’Ser. I am Duma Wat, your host.” Duma Wat watched silently while water was served to Dan’L. The young man drained every drop from the glass. He looked at his host with glazed-over eyes, trying desperately to focus.
“Let me first apologize to you, Dan’L. It was never my intent to drug you to the point of overdose, I assure you. I detest narcotics and all drugs, and do not permit their use among our personnel. Those who neglected and over-sedated you have been severely punished for the disregard of your wellbeing,” Duma Wat said convincingly. “Are you now in control of your faculties?”
Dan’L answered hoarsely, “I cannot yet focus, sir. I am parched with thirst.” More water was served to him, and again he drank the entire glassful.
Duma Wat said, “I am truly sorry, Dan’L. In a few days, your withdrawal symptoms will subside, and the drugs will be gone from your system. I will return you to your hospital bed in a few minutes. But, let me ask you this: Do you know why you are here in front of me now?”
Dan’L shook his head several times, and replied, “I do not know why. I have done nothing wrong, or done anything against you. I don’t know anyone important. I’m only a Novice, newly confirmed, sir. I know noth…” Dan’L suddenly passed out again, his head falling on the table with a loud “thud.”
“Take him back to hospital now. Notify me when he is stronger,” an angry Duma Wat ordered, and walked out.
“Withdrawal from the red poppy is difficult. Add a synthetic sedative to the mix, and the physical symptoms are brutal,” the Doctor stated, shaking his head. “His kidneys nearly shut down. I hope whoever did this to the boy is punished. If he had been under sedation and injected with heroin much longer, he would be brain dead.” The physician wrote orders for Dan’L’s continued treatment and dietary requirements, checked him out thoroughly once more, and left his room. Nurses inserted feeding tubes into his stomach through his esophagus and delivered liquid protein into his system. But the fluid was immediately rejected by his stomach.
In three days, some color was returning to his sunken cheeks from being able to eat soft foods, and keep them down. Dan’L chewed fruit-flavored syrupy ices all day long, and drank pitcher after pitcher of cold water. Vanilla pudding became his favorite food, and he ate bowls of it. They added protein supplements to it in a day or so. He was given red ginseng powder fruit smoothies, and ice cream shakes mixed with fruit and soy protein powder. But the smell of cooked food made him nauseous. Nutritional supplements were given to him four times a day.
Once more in fr
ont of Duma Wat, Dan’L proclaimed ignorance as to why he was there. “If you tell me what you’re looking for, I will try to help you, sir. I don’t know why I’m here. You brought me here for some reason. But I don’t know what it is. I know nothing. I have no fortune. I am a Novice Borgund Ranger, and I belong to Emperor P’Lau. I live where I am told, wear my uniforms, and do my assigned work. How can I help you, sir?”
Duma Wat was losing patience with him. He said, “You are the son of K’Ser, a Master Commander Borgund Ranger. He called you the night before he was killed. We have the comm link recordings. He sent you something a few days beforehand by common carrier. What did he say to you, and what did he send to you, Novice Dan’L?”
“My Father called me every other week when I was in Ranger Training, Fridays after 10p.m. We last talked about Phase 3 Training, and the sulphur springs swimming finals. The springs are near-boiling, and you must swim through the many interconnected springs very fast, or burn. All he sent me was the ES tech manual, to give me a head start on the technical specs for flight training. I swear, Duma Wat; I swear!” Dan’L stood, emphatically pleading his case. He vomited on the floor violently, and then collapsed.
Dan’L was taken to his hospital room again. He had lost several pounds of muscle mass in the last two weeks. Liquid protein was again infused directly into his small intestine to build up his strength. But his weakness and failure to recall recent events surrounding his Father, and his failure to remember the remains sent to his Mother, worked to his advantage, although unbeknown to Dan’L. Duma Wat had to keep him alive longer.
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