by Jayne Ripley
The imperial guards and robots didn’t bother to tell them to stop fighting and lay down their weapons. They gave no warning as they leveled their energy weapons and opened fire. The first blast hit the reptilian slaver Darkon was fighting. The slaver collapsed to the ground.
Darkon spun away, but he knew in his heart that the fight was as good as over. After the slavers had abused the Terran female who’d sent Nahkar into mara vrhon, Darkon had known they’d end up here eventually, with imperial security robots enforcing the peace. At least the imperials and riot-control robots weren’t using deadly force. Since the slaver who’d been shot didn’t have a big, smoking hole in him, it was clear he’d been stunned unconscious.
Darkon turned toward Nahkar, intending to tell him to put down his weapon and surrender before this got even more out of hand. They weren’t going to fight their way through the station’s imperial legion to steal a starship armed with only a sword and a spear.
This had been fun and wild, but it was all over now. The time had come to pay the consequences.
Yet, he almost laughed about how surprising life could be. It was endlessly entertaining. This morning, he’d had nothing else on his mind other than training for the next arena battle. It had seemed like just another day. Now he was involved in a riot, freeing slaves and fighting to rescue a pretty Terran female like a hero from outlawed holo-shows. How exciting was that?
Darkon didn’t have the chance to actually laugh before an energy bolt slammed into his chest. His body tensed, every muscle going rigid. The pain was immense. His spear fell from nerveless hands as his body stopped obeying his mind and he crumpled to the ground.
His last thoughts were how all females were trouble. It was a universal law, like gravity.
But how could you ever hold it against them?
Then the world went dark.
CHAPTER FOUR
Jennifer
After all the commotion, chaos, and fighting, Jennifer was brought to a gorgeous room high in some kind of palace skyscraper by strange aliens she guessed were guards or police. The robots frightened her, but not as much as the merciless guards.
But none of them frightened her as much as the lizard aliens who had abducted her.
She had no idea what was happening or why. She had no idea why the huge, bronze-skinned alien built like a mountain and the blue-skinned alien who moved with the grace of a cat had suddenly tried to free her from her captors. They had been trying to save her. Or at least it seemed that way. But that didn’t make any sense. They didn’t know her, so why would they want to help her? They’d been hurt because of her.
Her hands were still shaking, but at least she wasn’t crying. Her heart no longer felt like it might explode in fear. Her legs didn’t feel weak anymore. Maybe because she felt completely numb.
Her life had plunged into a crazy nightmare since that night in the Los Angeles hills. How long ago had that been? Days? Weeks? She didn’t know anymore.
After the alien police and robots or whatever they were had shot everyone except the slaves with their laser guns, she’d nearly broken down completely. It had taken three shots to put down the big alien who had cut her free and tried to carry her off. Panic had clouded her thinking at the time, but after he’d been shot, she’d realized he was trying to save her. Even though she’d been in shock, she’d run to the big alien’s side anyway. Her heart had broken believing that he had died and she didn’t know his name or why he’d risked himself to save her. She’d made it hard on him too. She’d been confused and afraid, like a trapped animal, and had fought him and run from him.
One of the alien guards had grabbed her. He—or it—had dragged her away from the big guy’s motionless body. Jennifer had dared to ask if he was dead, not expecting an answer. But the guard had tersely told her that he was just stunned.
Hearing they were still alive was such a deep relief that it left her breathless. For once, she was grateful he could understand the strange speech coming out of the guard’s insect-like helmet. The slavers had already implanted something in her head that translated alien words into English. She was now fluent in alien speaking through the wonders of technology. Wouldn’t Melissa be proud of her now?
Oh, Melissa… She missed her friend so much. She missed her family, missed everyone so badly. She even missed the traffic on Interstate 405. How desperate was that?
God, her life had gone up in flames. At least those guards hadn’t given her back to the hideous lizard-like aliens that had kidnapped her. Even now, she still wanted to believe all of this was a nightmare. Too bad her heart knew better. She’d desperately tried convincing herself that it was all a horrible dream after the lizard aliens’ ship had sucked her onboard with a weird, glowing tractor beam. She’d been paralyzed by some kind of force while those creepy lizard aliens had examined her and installed the microchip or whatever in her head. That had been terrifying and humiliating. A two-for-one special.
At the time, she’d been shocked to discover she could somehow understand their language. They’d been discussing her as if she were a cow they’d just bought. Or stolen. That was more accurate. They had stolen her from her planet and from her life.
Two alien males she didn’t know had tried to change that. She couldn’t get them out of her mind. Her stomach went all fluttery when she thought of them. They had been so different. Different colors, sizes, voices, species. But they had tried to help her…
She reached up and touched the collar around her throat. The tether still dangled from the front metal ring after the huge alien warrior had cut through it with his sword. Then he’d carried her. Swept her right up into powerful arms that felt strong as steel. She’d been frightened and confused, but her body had responded to his as he’d held her. For a second, she’d felt like she might finally be safe. Because he had been trying to rescue her, hadn’t he? He wasn’t trying to steal her.
But she’d been afraid of her own reaction and fought him anyway.
Jennifer rubbed her temples as she stared down at the alien city below this palatial tower. Some of the other slaves had told her this was an enormous space station. When she stared at the sky, she could see what looked like huge glass panels and massive metal struts enclosing the entire city. Stars glittered beyond the glass. She could see a gigantic planet that looked like Jupiter but definitely wasn’t.
She wasn’t crazy. Everything around her was crazy, but she wasn’t.
Lonely. Terrified. Exhausted. But not crazy.
Right now, she wanted to be crazy. A stubborn part of her wanted to believe she was locked in some loony bin somewhere, raving about lizard creatures, space stations, and muscley hero aliens who probably had great big cocks to go along with all those ripped muscles. Mmm. She wondered—
The door to this luxury suite slid open behind her. She turned quickly, fear grabbing her again. She hated feeling so helpless. She hated feeling so weak. But she had a bad feeling that she was going to have to get used to it for the rest of her life.
The person who came through the door startled her. The female-shaped alien had bone-white skin, completely black eyes, and a body that was more than half robotic. A cyborg? She thought that was what they were called. The cyborg wore symbols on its clothing that she recognized. That didn’t comfort her, though. The scary armored police who had zapped her two heroes had worn those symbols. The pattern looked like three metallic slashes through a blue crescent, with some weird alien scribbles around it.
The cyborg walked as if it—she—was gliding across the room. She stopped near Jennifer and stood there looking at her. The cyborg’s arms and legs were metal, covered with lights, grooves, ports, and other mysterious, high-tech things.
“Confirm your name, Terran female,” the cyborg woman said to her in a strange, emotionless voice.
She didn’t know what the hell a Terran was, but since there was no one else in the fancy room with them, she went ahead and answered. Besides, no one else had asked her name since she’d be
en abducted. Not even the other slaves she’d been penned up with. That almost trivial fact had her blinking back tears and cursing herself as an emotional idiot.
“I’m Jennifer Smith,” she answered. Her voice was raspy and unsteady because she hadn’t used it in a while.
“Jennifer Smith, you were claimed from the Sol System by a life-acquiring ship of the BioVerge Corporation,” the cyborg female told her. “You are on Quasarask Station. I am Second-Rank Administrator Bevelle. I am here to update you on your status at Quasarask, including who owns your bio-contract.”
“I don’t know what you’re saying. I’m an American citizen. You abducted me. Kidnapped me. I demand you take me home—”
“The Terran homeworld known to you as Earth is claimed by the Grand Daxai Empire. The Sol System is within the empire’s territorial dominion. Terrans have no rights under imperial law. Under imperial law, labor acquirement corporations may procure biological life from non-treaty, primitive planets such as yours.”
Jennifer wanted to walk right over there and kick this half-metal bitch right in her robot butt. Maybe if she were as big and strong as that bronze alien who’d tried to stick up for her, she would have done it. Or as fast and graceful as the blue one with that odd spear weapon. Since she wasn’t a tough girl, she could only stand there feeling weak and scared. She hated herself for it, but right now, it was taking all her strength not to break down in tears and curl up into a ball.
“You seem distressed,” Bevelle said, blinking those solid black eyes. “Your biological processes are strained. Sustenance will help with your blood sugar levels and clarity of thought. I will continue my explanations of your current status as you refuel.”
Bevelle walked to a control panel on the wall and pushed a few buttons. A chime sounded. The cyborg opened a hidden hatch in the wall, revealing some kind of…oven? The smell of cooked food reached Jennifer’s nose. It smelled odd but not unpleasant. It had to be spices or herbs that she’d never tasted before. The food was yellow-orange and in a bowl. It was a thick liquid, like a stew or soup.
Bevelle brought the bowl to a fancy-looking table carved from a strange kind of wood. She set the bowl and a long metal spoon on the table.
Jennifer stared at the bowl. She didn’t move. She didn’t know how her nervous stomach would react to food right now.
“You are required to eat,” Bevelle said. “This is a collection of nutrients that will sustain Terran biology.” She pulled out a chair and pointed to it. “Eat. Now.”
Jennifer fantasized about taking the bowl and dumping it on the cyborg’s head. Then while she was shorting out, Jennifer would escape through the halls, steal aboard a ship, and stowaway back to Earth.
Simple, right?
Instead of living out that fantasy, she meekly sat down, took the spoon, and began to eat. The food had the consistency of pea soup. It tasted vaguely like carrots and sweet potatoes, with salt and another spice that she didn’t recognize. It wasn’t French cuisine, but it wasn’t inedible either. Her stomach approved with a rumble.
“Your situation is complex,” Bevelle continued as Jennifer kept her head down and focused on eating. “As I explained, you were a physical asset of BioVerge as lawfully obtained biological property. But as of twenty galactic-standard minutes ago, you were sold to a buyer who wishes to remain anonymous.”
A chill went through her. A sense of unreality had her head spinning. Someone else had bought her? “What does that mean? This buyer is making me… No, he’s keeping me as a slave?”
Bevelle stared at her emotionlessly. “Your status is changing. That is what I’m here to explain. I am to bring you to a two-hundred-level suite where more will be revealed and your new master introduced. We will leave when you finish your meal. You should be honored. Few slaves ever see that level of the Grandvier Palace.”
The cyborg sounded bored as she spoke. No, on second thought, not bored. She sounded like a robot. It made Jennifer feel even more scared and alone than ever.
Bevelle said nothing else while Jennifer finished up the stew-like food. Her stomach was so tense that she felt as if she might puke it all up again anyway. She managed to hold it down through sheer determination.
Apparently, Bevelle had brought new clothes for Jennifer to wear. “These were purchased by your new master with instructions that you are to wear them for this meeting.”
“Do I have a choice?”
“No.”
“I hear that a lot,” she shot back, snatching up the dress.
The lizard aliens had made her wear some kind of cream-colored robes made of a heat-trapping material. She’d been wearing them since shortly after her capture, after the lizards had stripped her and sprayed her down with chemicals as if she’d had lice or fleas or something. Jennifer didn’t know what they’d done with her black cocktail dress or her heels, but she hadn’t seen them since she’d been abducted. It was stupid to be worried about them, but it really pissed her off. That had been one of her best outfits.
Bevelle watched impassively as Jennifer tried on the new clothes. At first, she’d been angry about being ordered to wear clothes someone else had chosen. But these clothes were stunningly beautiful.
The dress reminded her of some Regency formal gown made of exquisite fabric. It covered her from her neck all the way down to her ankles. There was a choker with a fancy crystal of some kind on the front. She had slim black gloves that sheathed her arms. The gloves had patterns that glowed in wild neon purples and pinks before fading back to black again. The gown fit snugly but not too tightly across her bust and shoulders and waist, then swept down in elaborate folds. The colors on the dress skirt matched the patterns of the gloves.
The shoes were actually boots with heels that made her three inches taller at least. The tops came to just below her knees. They were odd too. Strangely…futuristic. Space boots. She was afraid she wouldn’t have any traction with heels, but they seemed to grip the floor like some kind of athletic shoe. She couldn’t help loving how she looked in the dress—staring herself in a mirror that appeared at the press of a button on the wall. But she wasn’t sold on the boots, despite their grippy-grip.
Not like she had a choice. Apparently, she had to play dress up for whatever creature had bought her. Her new “master.” How disgusting was that? She only prayed he didn’t look like Jabba from the Star Wars movies. Or worse, the scary alien that burst out of people’s chests.
Once she was dressed, Bevelle marched her out of the fancy suite with its fountains and geometric artwork and the glowing ceiling. They walked down a tunnel-like hallway. The walls were like an aquarium with frightening creatures swimming inside. They had spines or tentacles or lots of teeth. Sometimes all three at once. She tried not to stare at them too much. She’d had enough nightmares since being taken. The thought of swimming in a lake with those things was enough to chill her blood.
And to think she’d once believed her life was boring. If she ever saw Melissa again, she was going to hug her breathless and then kick her butt for inviting her to that stupid party. She was going to throw out her phone and its worthless GPS too. If she’d never gotten lost, she would’ve stayed safe with all the people in the L.A. herd. No one got abducted in the middle of a concert or football game or sitting in rush-hour traffic, did they?
Were they missing her back home? Were the police looking for her? Was she going to be one of those missing-forever people in the statistics?
Her throat tightened. Her eyes teared up. She worked at calming herself as she walked a step behind the cyborg woman. They stepped into an elevator that whooshed them upward so fast that her stomach felt like it had been left a hundred stories behind.
After the elevator ride, Bevelle led her down another hall. This hallway was even more luxurious than any she’d seen yet. Big ornate doors swept open for them automatically. She followed Bevelle inside, wondering how they expected her to act and who she would be meeting. Part of her wanted nothing more than to curl up un
der a table and cry until she fell asleep. Part of her still held out the insane hope that she could somehow escape—
A small gasp left her lips and her thoughts scattered when she saw who else was in the room.
The huge, bronze-skinned alien built like a bank vault was sitting on a couch, taking up most of it. Standing by the window was the blue-skinned alien who had silver, tattoo-like patterns on his head instead of hair.
Her heart felt like it might pound its way out of her chest. Her mouth was as dry as dust. She was already breathing faster, her insides all butterfly flutters. She hadn’t expected this. She was delighted and relieved to see that they appeared unhurt. She also had no idea what to say to them.
Both males were staring at her with an intensity that stirred her blood and made her nervous at the same time. Their eyes seemed to drink in every detail of her. Was she crazy, or was that desire in their eyes?
Her core tightened. She even felt slightly lightheaded. Why were they affecting her like this? It was as if she was afraid and turned on at the same time. She was so aware of them, of their bodies, of their distance from her, that she would’ve said she’d developed some kind of instantaneous obsession, but who had ever heard of that?
Her two would-be rescuers didn’t have their weapons with them anymore. Like her, they were both wearing different clothing now. The big one’s impressive chest was no longer bare. She kind of missed it. The blue alien was wearing fine clothing that looked as fancy as hers, although the matched suit was clearly something designed by alien tailors. It was black mixed with a blue that matched his skin color. His suit’s silver trim matched his eyes and the intricate pattern of lines on his hairless head. Even though he was wearing those elegant clothes—like something out of 1800s England mixed with a science fiction show—she could tell his body was in peak shape, packed tight with muscle. The way he was looking at her with frank appreciation and a warmness to his gaze made her heart skip more than a few beats.