by Lauren Wood
She shook her head, ready to help defend him if it came to it. “Be ready to run if I tell you.” Cassius told her.
“No way, I’m standing by you.” She stated.
He smiled at her. “Alright, but I really don’t know if this is bad news, or nothing big.”
“Go ahead.” She stood by his side and he answered the door.
“Yes can I help you?” Cassius asked the blue man standing at the door.
“Wow, Brakley wasn’t lying; there are really new people on the planet!” The man smiled and pushed his hand towards Cassius. “I’m Jureal; I’ve lived on Zeron for around ten years now. You are the first new people I’ve seen come here. I was just wondering if you needed anything.”
“Oh it’s nice to meet you Jureal. I’m Cassius and this is Melody.”
Jureal looked from one to the other. “Hmm, interspecies couple are you? Interesting, I would never have imagined that on Zeron!” He laughed.
“Yeah we wanted to be away from the bustle of it all. You know live a very quiet life.” Cassius said.
“Oh you’ll have that here on Zeron. Overall, there may be around 100 of us here. All of us are spread out quite a bit. So you should be able to enjoy your peace and quiet here. Perhaps I’ll contact the others and we can have a little party to greet you one day.” Jureal said.
“Sure that sounds nice. But can you give us a bit to fix up the place, and we can have it here?” Melody said, shaking Jureal’s hand.
“That’s not a problem. Most people who live on Zeron don’t like to travel much anyway.” He laughed heartily.
Cassius and Melody looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.
“Well I just wanted to stop by and welcome you to the planet. When you get the phone installed here’s my number. Just let me know if you need anything. I’m one of your closest neighbors.” Jureal explained.
“Oh how far away are you?” Melody asked.
“About four hours or so, with the speed travel options. But if you want to go the slower way it would take me a few days. So not very close at all! I just happened to be in the area to visit the shop.” Jureal explained.
“Well thanks for stopping by. We’ll let you know when we get our phone in and are ready for a party!” Cassius said.
“Yeah it’s always nice to see someone new comer to Zeron. Hey did anyone ever tell you, you look like that gladiator dude a bit. Well you’re not near as big as he looks on the channel though.” Jureal laughed as he left.
Melody looked at Cassius, “Do you think he knows?” Her nerves felt frayed at the thought of Jureal knowing Cassius real identity.
“I don’t know. We’ll be careful and watch to see if we get a lot of visitors or not. I’ll set up an alarm system outside. That way if they do come for us we can hopefully get out quickly.” Cassius said.
Epilogue
Melody looked over at Cassius; they had been on Zevon for six months now. She had grown to love Zevon quite a lot.
They had a party about a month ago and met several of the other people who lived on this lonely planet. Jureal had turned out to be not only a real friend, but also a good source of information.
It had been just two weeks ago when Jureal had come to visit them again.
“Hey, Cassius and Melody how are you both doing?” Jureal asked him as he came into their home.
“Hey Jureal, we’re good. How are you doing?” Cassius had asked.
“Not bad. I heard some interesting information from the Goma the other day.” Jureal had said.
“Oh what is that?” Cassius had asked quietly.
Melody had felt the nerves begin to throb in her body. On more than one occasion Jureal had hinted about how much Cassius looked like a great warrior he had once seen at the Goma.
“Well it seems that Demetri, he was the guy who sold the tickets and promoted the fights. He was killed, there was a lot of talk about how the warrior, Cassius, funny he has the same name as you. But the warrior had supposedly killed him. However, you know that never made much sense to me. Why would a guy who had just won his freedom do something like that? Surely, it would be someone else.” Jureal had paused.
“Right it wouldn’t make sense that a guy who was finally free would kill the man who basically gave him that freedom.” Melody had said.
Cassius had cut her off with a look though.
“Yeah I agree.” Jureal had said. “So anyway, I thought perhaps it was a relative of the Lars fellow. Do you know anything about the Goma?” He had stopped and asked them both.
“No, besides the legend talk I’ve heard from some people in the past.” Cassius had stated cautiously.
“I have no idea, I’m from Earth.” Melody had looked at him and played dumb.
“Okay, we’ll you have heard of gladiators before right Melody.” Jureal had looked at her.
“Yes, the Romans on Earth used to have fights to the death.” Melody had shook her head.
“Well the Goma is the same thing, but in our Galaxy. The men who battle are often slaves, they’ve either been sold as slaves, or their families were slaves. The deal is that if any warrior can win 200 fights they will be set free. It isn’t a task that is easy to do. There have only been two in all of the history of the Goma. Mazart back around 100 years ago was the first fighter to complete all the fights. Recently, Cassius completed this same number of fights. This is where it gets interesting though. The night of the fights someone killed Demetri, and the signs all pointed to Cassius. I on the other hand had other theories about the guilty party. I thought that it would either be one of Lars’s relatives, he’s the man that Cassius obliterated in about 10 minutes time. Or perhaps an angry fan who felt they were cheated on a bet. I just happen to have the right connections and let it be known of my theories. It seems that the authorities hadn’t looked at the cameras in the building yet. When they pulled up the footage from that night, you know who could be seen clearly walking out of the building?” Jureal had stopped and studied them both closely.
Melody squirmed under his study, but sat tight lipped. Cassius had not said a word either.
“Well it was Cassius and his prize for the fight. About two minutes after walking into Demetri’s office was a hooded man. The kicker was when they pulled the office film though. The man who had come in was Lars’s younger brother, Marteen. Clearly on the film you can see Marteen as he slayed Demetri.”
“Oh really, that’s great news!” Melody had said.
Cassius had looked at Jureal, “So how long have you known I was the warrior?”
Jureal had laughed, “Since the first time I met you son. But I’m telling you I have a sense about anyone I meet. I can tell if they are a good person or a bad one. You my friend are indeed a good man. That was why I pulled my strings and made sure that the truth was discovered. You my man are truly a free man. If you want you can go back home.”
Cassius and Melody had been stunned further to find out that Jureal had once been an inspector for the authorities. If he had thought Cassius was really guilty, he would have called them in the day he first met them. But he had gone with his gut instinct and now Cassius could do anything he wanted.
They had decided they loved Zevon and would stay there most of the year. But had planned to visit his home planet once the baby was born, he wanted his parents to meet their new grandchild.
“What are you thinking about Melody?” Cassius interrupted her thoughts.
“Oh just thinking about how scared I was when I was first kidnapped. I never imagined that I would find love out in space.” She answered as she rubbed her belly.
“You know I was so upset when I first found out you were the prize. Boy was I a stupid man at that point.” Cassius laughed.
“But you’re not anymore!”
He grabbed her and kissed her deeply, “No my love I’m not, and I have the most amazing wife a man could ever ask for. I love you Melody.”
“I love you too Cassius.”
THE END<
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SEBASTIAN
Chapter 1
“I really appreciate you helping out Dr. Burk. I would swear that it’s a full moon. There are never enough beds to go around and sometimes I think that there are a few that get lost in the cracks. Volunteering your services like this tells me that there has to be a military connection in your family. I don’t mean to pry, but I’m usually a pretty good judge of character.” Randy Hope was the administrator for a halfway house for military veterans coming back after something traumatic happened during their mission. Randy had the full support of every military branch. He was of military origin himself, but he came back and found a purpose. He wasn’t going to drown in self pity at the bottom of a bottle.
“I only want to help. People like you who serve for the right to protect our freedoms deserve our respect. You honor us with your duty to country and to the flag and we are responsible for all of you when you come back damaged. I’ve been meaning to throw myself into a volunteer capacity, but I’ve never had enough time with my own busy practice.” Cali Burk was a bigger girl with the kind of curves that had a lot of men salivating for the chance to see what kind of stamina she had underneath the sheets. Her dirty blond hair was shoulder length with slight curls that gave her an innocent quality. “I wish that I could be truthful with him, but that is not how this works. I’ve been sworn to an oath and made to sign a nondisclosure agreement. I won’t betray the confidence of the man that gave me a task that others have failed at miserably. I’ve read his file and Sebastian comes here every day to sit with those that have lost a limb or are suffering needlessly because of painful reminders of their past.”
“I do have to ask you why you would consider doing this now. Everybody has their reasons and there’s always that stressor that pushes you into doing something that you’ve never been totally comfortable with. For me, it was losing my family because of nightmares that had me waking at all hours of the night screaming bloody murder. My wife at the time tried to be there for me, but I don’t blame her for wanting to start over with someone that didn’t have that much baggage.” What Randy wasn’t saying was that he wanted to kill his wife many times. It was as if the enemy was seen in her eyes and the last straw was putting his hands around his wife’s throat. It took his two young children to beg him to stop and then he knew it was over.
Cali could see that Randy was hurting, but doing this had alleviated some of the stress of what he had seen and endured in his time with the navy. She wanted to help on her oath to do no harm and to heal those that could be healed. “I do have one caveat for me to come here on a volunteer basis. I need to pick and choose those that I want to get more in depth with. I think it would be a good idea, as I usually have a good eye for those that are suffering more than others. I’m looking for a challenge and someone is out there waiting for me to take them by the hand and bring them into the light. They’ve lived in darkness long enough and it’s time that they finally find their way back home.” “My mission is clear and Sebastian Nicholas is my assignment of choice. I need to treat this very gently and not bulldoze my way into his life. Not even Randy knows my true purpose for being here. It was stressed to me with vehemence by a man that had so many medals that it was almost blinding to be in his presence.
“I have a few that say that they don’t need any help, but I know differently. It’s those that you should concentrate your efforts on. They won’t be very forthcoming and those missions that keep them up at night are for eyes only. Only those personnel given that kind of clearance can know what they’ve gone through.” Randy couldn’t help, but to look at this young woman in the prime of her life. She was wearing her heart on your sleeve and that kind of bleeding heart could get her into trouble. He had seen them come and go. Some left on their own accord and others had to be forced to find a different line of work. They couldn’t handle the horror stories and their minds would literally shut down after envisioning some of the things that these soldiers had to see.
“Those are the ones I’m looking for. I respect every man and woman that comes through that door looking for somebody to help. It shows that they have the strength of character and a willingness to look past their pride. They know that something has been broken, but it’s those that think that they are able to deal with it on their own that are truly this close to losing it all.” Cali watched this dark haired gentleman with caring eyes and a smile that made you feel at ease from the moment that he sat down in front of her.
Cali had her glasses on. It was a nondescript pair that made her look more matronly or maybe something of a naughty librarian. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail, but it gave her that educational feel. That was not what these people needed. They needed someone that was going to be on their level and not treat them like they were numbers on a chart. She needed to personalize her approach and not make it seem like therapy. It had to look more natural. That wasn’t going to be easy.
Randy rummaged through the files and came up with five distinct names that would fit the criteria of what Dr. Burk was looking for. He glanced over his shoulder to see that she was looking out the window and there was a bead of sweat between her bountiful bosom. It made him lick his lips like a starving dog, but he also knew that he had someone special waiting for him back home. It’s just that he had always had a fantasy of making it with a woman with that kind of obvious endowment. It seemed almost cruel to end up with someone that was a bit less than what he was hoping for. She was the love his life, but she did not hold a candle to those that were busting out all over the place.
Cali was not blind and she knew what kind of effect that she had on those that were around her. Their careful and subtle glances or leering gaze was a good indication that she had more than the average girl, but this was something that was a sought after commodity by many. “I think that I will take a look at these and see if anything strikes my fancy. To be honest, I would like nobody to know that I’m a therapist. I find that it’s easier to consume their thoughts by becoming one of them. I have made myself a file and what I’m suffering from is a former PTSD. According to those records, I’m an infantry grunt that has troubles following orders. I have fits of rage and I tend to lash out at any authority figure. I’m going to weasel my way into one of these men’s lives. It might not be conventional therapy, but I do not believe in failure.” “I don’t want to be this secretive, but they told me that this was a matter of National Security. Sebastian Nicholas is a sharpshooter for a secret branch of the military. For all intents and purposes, he is known to be a navy sharpshooter, but his true purpose is more clandestine. They showed me a redacted file and I could tell from what I was reading that this man had skills that went beyond the Normal Range of military practices.”
“That’s highly unusual and I really don’t condone this kind of trickery. I’m not going to tell you how to do your job, Dr. Burk. By all means, take all the time that you need. I’m just going to do my rounds and I have a young man that is working through some issues concerning his family. He lost both of his legs in Afghanistan trying to defuse a mine in the middle of the road. He’s despondent and I know he’s this close to wanting to end it all. Maybe if you had the time, you can see what you can’t do about helping him.” Randy was dressed impeccably, but there was almost something casual about his approach. He was wearing dark black jeans, a white shirt with no tie and a vest that made him look professional, but also someone that you could talk to about your problems. He stood at the door not wanting to leave.
She made a spectacle of looking through the files, but she knew exactly who she was looking for. Sebastian Nichols was the second from the last in the pile of five. His file was very light, but that was by design by the government. His missions were highly classified and ones that had left a lasting impact on his psyche. They called him in when only the most deadly of all could be the answer to what they were looking for. He could blend into any surroundings and become a sort of chameleon. He would infiltrate not unlike what she was going to d
o with his life and then burn it down from the inside out.
Cali took off her glasses replacing them with contacts and slowly taking on the guise of a wounded animal. She shifted nervously in your seat, wringing her hands and darting her eyes from one corner of the room to the other. This was common practice amongst those in the military. They were taught to have eyes in the back of their head. She had purposely gone through a three month program to get into the mindset of this mission. She needed all the information going forward and coming up with mannerisms that would come with the territory of PTSD was not easy by any means.
Cali did not consider herself to be fat and for the most part she was just a bigger boned girl and she knew how to take care of herself. She had learned hand in hand combat, how to fire weapons and was quite surprised to find out that she had a kind of marksmen status that others needed to work diligently to accomplish. They considered her an idiot savant and it was if the weapon in her hand was an extension of the rest of her body. Her boot camp trainer tried to get her to sign up for advanced courses.
“I’m not only going to have to immerse myself into every facet of their life, but I’m also going to have to play the part that’s been given to me. I need to get into character. The next time you see me, I don’t think that you’re going to recognize me.” Cali saw that Randy really didn’t believe that, but she was about to make him a believer.
“I don’t know how you expect to get away with anything with these people. They are practically human lie detectors and they will see any kind of bull shit coming their way. It’s going to be very interesting to see you work.” He couldn’t help looking at her chest. He tried to be nonchalant about it, but his eyes mirrored that of a young boy getting his first peek of a woman’s body. “With any of those five guys, I’m going to assume that you know what you’re doing and are not getting in over your head. If you need me for anything or if you feel that you’re drowning then all you need to do is ask for a lifeline.” He closed the door behind him envisioning her naked splayed out across his desk with legs spread and arms out asking for his type of loving.