The Slave Planet

by Seven Steps

  It can’t be.

  She looked up and down the hallway once again. Then, on silent feet she approached the golden door.

  Suddenly, the door slid open.

  A voice rang out.

  “You have arrived.”

  The voice, like the door, was familiar.

  Eva peered into the bright, white room and breathed a sigh of relief. Her best friend, Nadira, Nadira’s Prime Servant, Kiln, and Eva’s Prime Servant, Lex, all turned their heads to look at her. They gave her nervous smiles.

  They’re alive! I’m not alone!

  Powerful memories of Lex’s tender kisses rose in her mind. He seemed to be intact. His dark red hair was neatly combed back from his face, and his beard was trimmed and shaped. His crimson eyes gazed upon her with love and assurance. She wanted to run to him, to hold him in her arms, but something was wrong. Her friends were on edge, too afraid to even stand and welcome her.

  “Empress Eva, please sit.”

  Eva turned to face the front of the room.

  Sitting on a jewel-encrusted throne was a woman Eva knew all too well. Countess Jun-Su.

  A glittering band held her long, dark hair in place. Olive shoulders were exposed and tattooed with suns, a symbol of strength on Venus. A thick purple band stretched across her breast, held onto her body by thin strings that crossed around her collarbone. But all of her gaudy opulence couldn’t hide the tightness around Jun-Su’s mouth, the tension in her forehead, the way she gripped her fingers around the arms of her throne.

  Next to Jun-Su, on two smaller, though no less gaudy thrones, sat two children. The twin boy and girl both possessed olive skin and dark hair, strong chins, wide green eyes, and heavy brows.

  Who are they? Eva wondered.

  She curtsied. “Countess.”

  Jun-Su gestured to the group, and Eva scurried to join her friends.

  The men, clothed in white loose pants, shirts, and slippers, sat on white pillows at Nadira’s feet.

  Eva let her gaze touch on Lex’s before sitting next to Nadira, and clutching her friend’s hand. A mixture of relief and joy coursed through her.

  Nadira’s deeply bronzed skin stood in stark contrast to the white around her. She sat upon a white, cushioned chair stationed in the center of the floor. Her dark, kinky hair had been pulled back from her face into a large, flat bun. Peeking at Eva, Nadira gave her a small smile before focusing her attention back on Jun-Su.

  “Empress Eva and Empress Nadira, my old friends.” The Countess nodded to each in a show of polite respect. “Welcome to my ship, the Omni. Let me begin by offering you my deepest condolences on the loss of Grand Empress Marie Lumesta.”

  Eva’s eyes slid to Nadira. She watched her friend swallow harshly. Nadira’s eyes darted to Kiln, her six and a half foot tall, blond hulk of a slave. His sharp blue eyes turned sad. Nadira turned back to Jun-Su as the woman continued.

  “I would also like to offer you my deepest gratitude for saving my children.”

  “Children?” Eva gasped. Her eyes flicked to the enthroned twins again.

  When did Jun-Su have children?

  “The letter to my mother,” Nadira said, the strength in her voice growing with every word. “It was about them, wasn’t it? That’s why she was going to Zenith. To hide them.”

  Jun-Su smirked. “Very good, Nadira. Rest assured that the children’s father has been contacted, and if anything happens to them, or me, he will be very put out.”

  Their father? Realization hit Eva hard. Jun-Su didn’t have the children on Venus. But, if she didn’t have her children there, then where? Who is their father?

  “Arees was using my own children to blackmail me,” Jun-Su said. “She threatened to murder them if I ever betrayed her. But I got the last laugh, didn’t I? You delivered them right to me.”

  She placed a hand upon the little girl’s head. The child smiled up at her mother, a wide beautiful smile.

  “Why are you here, Jun-Su?” Nadira asked. “I thought you took over the Council? Shouldn’t you be back on Venus ruling over your stolen throne? Or are they still picking up the bodies of the women you and Arees murdered?”

  Jun-Su smirked. “The Council was full of fools and cowards. They got no less than what they deserved.”

  “Even the Beta Council?” Nadira asked. “Even Empress Baleen?”

  “Baleen, and the Beta Council, were part of a cancer that needed to be cut from Venus’ heart. Just because they were a little less blackened doesn’t mean they were not part of the corruption.”

  Nadira let out a breath. Her hand tightened around Eva’s.

  “For a few, brief hours I alone had the ultimate power,” Jun-Su said. “It’s an amazing thing, power. Like a sweet, potent wine, and, for a small moment, I drank from its goblet. But, like any great thing, it didn’t last. By midday, Arees came back with an army stronger than I ever thought possible. I thought she’d died along with the other Councilwomen in High Council Hall, but apparently what we are taught at temple is true. Evil cannot be destroyed, only changed. In any case, I am temporarily sequestered to this ship but know this: it is only a minor detour to a greater goal. The children’s father is on his way with a great army and, when he finds me, I will have at my disposal a force more powerful than Arees could ever dream. And then, her, and every one of her barbarian supporters, will feel my vengeance.”

  “What supporters?” Eva asked.

  “The Enforcers who follow her. When they came back, they were...changed somehow. They had the letter A on their foreheads. It was...branded on.”

  Eva’s stomach flipped.

  “There is something wrong with her,” Jun-Su said. “Something dark. I’ve seen it, but I never thought...” Jun-Su swallowed, and patted her daughter’s head. “She can never find me here, or my children. If she does, there’s no telling what retribution she may heave upon us.”

  “Nothing you don’t deserve,” Eva said.

  “At least my murders and lies were against politicians and slaves. Women with the means to defend themselves and men who weren’t worthy of a defense.” She squeezed her lips together, her brows furrowing, her eyes far away. “At least that’s what I thought at the time.” A beat of silence passed before Jun-Su refocused. “Arees wants power so she can burn all of Venus to the ground. I tempered her as much as I could, but now that I’m no longer there, she’ll have what she always dreamed.”

  “What’s that?”

  “A Venus that cannot hurt her. A Venus with no voice. A Venus populated entirely by Enforcers.”

  Nadira’s dark eyes went wide, her mouth agape as if she was about to speak.

  Suddenly, a loud boom filled their ears and the ship shook violently.

  Eva was thrown backwards, her tailbone hitting the floor with a painful thud before her back slammed to the ground. She grunted in pain. Stars flashed before her eyes.

  Lex rushed to her side.

  The pain blurred Eva’s vision, making Lex’s bright red hair and beard appear fuzzy and distorted. She reached up and touched her fingers against his soft beard, assuring herself that he was really there.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, his raspy voice sounding harsher than usual. Eva wasn’t sure if it was his worry, or if the fall had affected her ears as it had her vision.

  “I think so,” she responded. She blinked several times, trying to snap her vision back into focus.

  “What was that?” Nadira cried.

  Another boom. The floor sharply tilted, throwing Jun-Su and her children from their thrones.

  “It’s Arees!” the Countess cried, her face stretched in terror. “She’s found me!”

  She scrambled upright and darted out of the room.

  The two children stared after their mother, their faces a mix of fear and surprise.

  “Jun-Su!” Nadira called. “Your children!”

  The Countess did not return.

  Nadira rushed to the children’s sides and ushered them back to their thrones. Kiln
hovered close.

  “Stay here,” Nadira commanded them. “You’ll be safe in here.”

  “Please don’t leave us!” The girl launched herself at Nadira. “She always leaves us.”

  Eva’s vision finally cleared, and she sat up on her elbows. She watched Nadira’s lip shake as she set the girl away from her.

  “You must stay here. We’re going to see if we can help. We’ll be back as soon as things calm down. You’ll be safe here. Your brother will protect you, won’t you?”

  The boy nodded and gripped his sister’s hand.

  “Stay here,” Nadira repeated. “We’ll be back. I promise.”

  Nadira looked back at Eva, then, with Kiln hot on her heels, she ran from the room.

  The Omni’s flight deck was in chaos.

  Twelve terminals faced a large window that wrapped around the front of the ship.

  Jun-Su sat in the pilot’s chair.

  The women around her worked furiously, mashing buttons and screaming into their headsets as they attempted to fend off their coming destruction.

  Though still in pain, Eva managed to follow Nadira into the flight deck. Through the front window, Eva could see a massive gray ship approaching them.

  A metal tube shot out of the gray ship and headed in their direction.

  Eva’s heart stopped. She felt Lex wrap himself around her, protecting her.

  “Incoming!” Jun-Su screamed from the pilot’s chair. “All women to battle stations immediately!”

  The tube slammed into the side of Jun-Su’s ship.

  Sparks hissed and flew through the air.

  Eva was thrown from Lex’s grasp, her body landing hard on the floor. A moment later, Lex was by her side, pulling her upright.

  The women at the terminals regrouped, struggling to return Arees’ fire before it was too late.

  “Countess, the Czarina has blown out three of our engines!” someone at a terminal cried.

  “Go to auxiliary power!” Jun-Su replied. “I want this ship stabilized immediately!”

  Eva turned back to the window.

  The gray ship crept closer.

  Several smaller ships dislodged from Arees’ ship and headed toward the Omni.

  “They’re heading this way!” Someone yelled.

  The ships were upon them.

  “They’re trying to dock!”

  “Fire on them now!” Jun-Su screamed, her commanding voice tinted with terror. “Don’t let them on this ship!”

  Eva heard metal screeching upon metal as the smaller ships latched onto the hull.

  “We’ve been breached!”

  “Guard the doors! Don’t let them in!”

  The ship’s lights went dark. The terminals went silent.

  “Auxiliary power is offline,” someone said. “What do you want us to do, Countess? We have no power!”

  “Guard the doors!” Jun-Su’s voice was strained, her eyes were wide in fear. “Don’t let her in!”

  They were coming closer. Metal grating upon metal. The sound of a saw. Screams.

  A sharp explosion ripped through the door. Flames burst into the flight deck, spreading up the walls, licking the ceiling. Smoke filled the cabin, turning it into a black, suffocating cloud.

  Something hissed past Eva’s face. Before she could react, she was blown off her feet, her body flying across the cabin deck and landing behind a terminal.

  “Get the extinguishers!”

  “Turn your blasters to full power!”

  “Protect The Countess!”

  “Don’t let her get The Countess!”

  The crew’s Venian blasters whistled as they booted up. They fired at the gaping hole that had once been the door.

  The enforcers returned fire, quickly shrinking the crew’s numbers.

  Eva righted herself, and poked her head around the side of the terminal.

  An enforcer grabbed Jun-Su, dragging her through the door.

  Jun-Su’s screams were full of indignation, “Let go of me, you brute!”

  A woman threw herself at the enforcer.

  The enforcer pointed the barrel of the Venian blaster at the woman’s exposed chest. She pulled the trigger, sending the woman’s body flying backwards in a bloody heap.

  The enforcer pulled a kicking and screaming Jun-Su through the door and out of sight.

  A sudden, horrible thought popped into Eva’s mind.

  The children!

  She looked about, trying to find familiar faces in the smoke-filled room.

  An enforcer stalked toward her, stopping just shy of her hiding place. Eva held her breath, praying to the Mother Goddess that the enforcer couldn’t hear her hammering heart.

  “Tell the Czarina that we have apprehended the fugitive Jun-Su and the children.” The bass in the enforcer’s voice seemed to fill the room. “We’re heading back.”

  Static. Then, a light, melodious voice answered, “What is the condition of the ship?”

  “This ship’s not going anywhere anytime soon. The engines are all blown out. If they’re lucky, they may be able to jump start the auxiliary power. That may last them for perhaps a week before total shutdown.”

  “Excellent. Return to base.”

  “Copy that.”

  The enforcer moved away from the window.

  When the sounds of boots faded, Eva allowed herself to breathe.

  The Countess is captured, and we’re trapped in space. What will we do now?

  CHAPTER 2

  Alpha Sector, Venus

  Overly muscled, with a shot of red fuzz atop her head, Officer Bragnia directed four of the twelve armies into the luxurious housing district of Venus’ elite. Working at lightning speed, the soldiers drilled holes, erected metal poles, and ran wires around the perimeter of the Residential. The enforcers worked tirelessly, their mind singularly focused on one thing.

  Building a fence.

  They paid no heed to the residents who poured out of their homes and ran into the streets, demanding to know the meaning of the soldier’s actions.

  Bragnia spied the residents descending upon her soldiers, and directed two more armies to move in.

  The residents pushed and shoved the soldiers in their desperate dash to reach the fence.

  The enforcers used their weapons as prods, pushing the residents away from the construction.

  Another army was dispatched. Their mission was clear. Break down every door, drag out the children, and usher them into a single home at the far end of the Residential. They completed their task with expert efficiency.

  When the last of the children had been herded into the house, Bragnia turned to the awaiting enforcers.

  “Guard the house!” She cried.

  Two more regiments moved in. They surrounded the home that housed the children, blasters aimed at the crowd.

  The residents screamed and rushed toward the house.

  Enforcers fired warning shots into the air.

  “That’s enough!” Bragnia shouted. She stood on the top step of the home. “Any more of this and I will personally burn this house to the ground.”

  The residents froze, then regrouped.

  “Take your army and leave here immediately!” someone called. It was Empress Laoca, a former Councilwoman with white hair and dull brown eyes.

  “The Residential has been identified as a breeding ground for traitors,” Bragnia called back. “You are all to remain within these fences until further instructed.” Bragnia gestured to the nearly completed fencing that surrounded the Residential.

  “Czarina Arees is the traitor!” Empress Laoca shouted. “She’s murdered Empress Drell and Empress Baleen. She was in league with Countess Jun-Su to murder the High Council. She has executed our slaves without cause, and now she’s trapping us in our own community. This will not stand!”

  The crowd cheered their agreement.

  “Lest you forget, Laoca, it was Countess Jun-Su who turned on Arees and disbanded, then murdered the Council,” Bragnia said. “A
rees has driven Jun-Su off world. She saved your life, and the lives of all Venians. You should be grateful.”

  “Grateful?” Laoca spat. “Arees has declared herself high ruler and has not reformed the High Council. She has taken our slaves and executed them. She’s locked us in our communities. Venus is ruled by the people, not by the Czarina. This will not stand!”

  The crowd cheered again.

  “Those sound like traitorous words,” Bragnia said.

  “We demand a vote for a new head of the High Council and a reformation of the High Council itself!” Empress Laoca shouted. “Arees has no right to rule us. We won’t allow it! No one has the right to rule Venus. Venus is ruled by the many. She has no right! She is a thief, a murderer, and a tyrant who should die for what she’s done! And, if that monster Jun-Su ever steps foot again on this planet, she should die too!”

  The residents cheered again and pressed forward.

  Bragnia nodded to a nearby enforcer.

  The enforcer raised her weapon and fired on Laoca. The woman’s body shuttered for a moment before she crumbled to the ground, surprise painted on her face like a death mask.

  The crowd gasped.

  Whispers.

  Wailing.

  Calls for justice.

  The residents faced Bragnia, hatred in their eyes.

  “We want to see the Czarina!” someone yelled.

  “The Czarina is currently unavailable. However, she has sent me in her stead.” Bragnia walked down the steps, her beefy hands behind her back. She nodded toward the Residential spread out before her. “Burn it.”

  The rest of the enforcers moved in.

  The residents divided.

  Some went after the enforcers, who were setting fire to each of the houses.

  Others went after the fence, only to find that it was electrified.

  The Residential had descended into chaos.

  From the top of High Council Hall, Czarina Arees watched the twelve armies of enforcers surround the Residential. She placed ebony colored fingers on the window, wishing she could be with her troops, standing at their head, motioning them forward.

  Look at them, she thought. They fight for my honor. They battle for my glory.