“Meet the Herrain at the coordinates I send you. Any other vessel who attempts to cross into our space will be destroyed,” Danstu warned. “Be here in eighteen hours,” he demanded then shut off the screen. He tapped in his new commands into the main computer then looked up to see Zion standing just inside the door.
“We have a ship called the Herrain?” Zion asked.
“As of about two hours ago. This will be their first mission. You’re back?” Danstu questioned.
“Yes. Orion and Rosanheer remained behind. As soon as you’re finished with me, I want permission to return to Clovucutte. I want to take those sons-of-faas down!” he requested.
“With what and who? We can take care of ourselves, but we’re in no position to battle the Marisheio yet,” Danstu admitted. He sat back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. “Norton Helli is coming here and he claims to have a plan. Let’s see what he has in mind before I send our army to be destroyed. With any luck, he’ll bring Qilo with him and we can change this damn code. That would be one less concern I have to think about,” he ordered.
“You’re giving up hope that easy?” Zion said, slightly shocked that Danstu would write off Sedom so quickly.
Danstu sat forward, shaking his head. “Zion, you and I both know that it’s only a matter of time before the Marisheio realize who and what she is. My orders were to protect Gathow at all costs. If they manage to place a slave collar around her neck that code is as good as theirs and we’re all dead. When she returns, the code is hers once again, but until then we need to protect ourselves.”
Zion’s angular jaw clenched with his frustration. He violently smacked the wall with his palm, causing a small dent. He slowly calmed, taking in a deep breath to relax. “Okay, get Qilo home, you grab the other two and we’ll change the damn code. After, I want to be on a ship as soon as possible to Clovucutte,” he demanded.
“Deal,” Danstu offered. “Until then, report to medical. I want the doc to check your head out. I heard your senses still haven’t fully returned.”
“I’m fine. I have no problem—”
“That’s an order,” Danstu barked. “I need you at the top of your game.”
ELEVEN
“Syrok,” Tausi called softly. He brushed her cheek to wake her.
She woke, looking up into his caring eyes. A bright smile fell over her lips. “Tausi.”
He glanced towards the hall, hearing voices echoing from within. “My new master is here to claim me. Don’t worry, I will be safe,” he whispered.
She took his hand, holding it tightly. “Please, don’t leave me. I’ll do anything.”
“I don’t have an option,” he returned melancholy. “He’s taking me someplace safe,” he continued in Celibec. He rested his hand on her cheek. “I promise, we will meet again. I’ve gained the friendship of the Chadon. I’m not about to let that go.”
She nodded, holding his hand against her cheek. She allowed his hand to fall away as she centered her thoughts. “If you have the opportunity, please give a message to my friends. Tell them the message is for Danstu. Tell him to look for the dawn of space travel. The answers he seeks are within,” she whispered.
“The dawn of space travel. I will try my best, Chadon,” he returned.
A clanging of a chain against the bars caused both to turn. A very short Clove man dressed in a simple cargo ship captain’s uniform walked beside Cizel.
“I don’t know what fool thought it was a good idea to put him next to Syrok. I don’t care how many wins that boy has, he’s still probably scared to death,” Cizel mentioned as he opened Tausi’s cage.
The captain glanced over at Sedom, nodding his appreciation of her. “Come on, boy. Let’s get you out of here before something attacks us,” the Captain called, motioning for Tausi to come to the opening.
Tausi and the Captain remained by the cages for a moment while Cizel attended to the paperwork. “You ready to get out of this hell hole?” the captain asked Tausi.
“What about her?” Tausi asked with concern.
The Captain knelt to Sedom, resting his hand on hers. “Chadon, we’re working on a plan to get you out of here. Hold on. Your friends are coming soon,” he whispered.
“How is my crew?” she whispered back.
The Clove captain shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m just a piece of a much larger puzzle,” he admitted.
She squeezed his hand tenderly. “Thank you.”
“Fine specimen, isn’t she?” Cizel mentioned from behind the Captain.
The captain rose, nodding his appreciation. “Fine specimen, that’s for certain. She for sale?” he asked.
Cizel laughed. “Not for a price you could afford,” he returned. “You’re all set. Enjoy your new pet.”
Tausi and his new owner hurried on, leaving Sedom to watch them leave. At least she had a few moments of kindness. She glanced down at her hand, noticing the Captain had left her a note. She opened it, reading over four names: Qilo, Rosanheer, Zion and Orion. Tears clung to her eyes when she realized it was a list of those who survived. Then she realized Tremble’s name was missing. She pressed the note to her chest, sniffing back her tears.
Cizel tapped on her cage with the chain. “Syrok, get ready. You have a game.”
She rose to her knees in outrage. “I have two days off!” she growled.
“After that little stunt yesterday?” he said with a chuckle. “Lord Wyice is requesting you battle his favorite player. Suit up. You have a half-hour.”
___
Jeina rushed down the narrow corridors of the base, searching for Aris. She skidded to a stop when she noticed Rosanheer with Orion and Avant Nigeer.
“She’s fighting again,” she heaved out of breath, causing all in the room to turn to her.
“But they gave her two days off,” Rosanheer growled.
Jeina shook her head as she attempted to catch her breath. “No… such luck. She upset… Lord Wyice. He arranged… for her to fight Chickmoi,”
Avant Nigeer gasped, “Ah, hell!” he griped.
“I take it this isn’t good,” Rosanheer spoke up.
Jeina shook her head. “Chickmoi has over fifty wins. She will have difficulties,” she returned honestly.
Avant Nigeer grunted. “That’s an understatement. He’s a massive Zalmin with a really bad attitude. He can read his competitors thoughts and use their fears against them. She won’t stand a chance,” he explained.
Rosanheer grinned as he thought about the situation. “She’ll be fine. Empaths can’t read her. Even our blue Windrit psychiatrist can’t read her without direct contact.”
Avant Nigeer stood as he patted Rosanheer’s shoulder. “I hope so for her sake. We better get set up,” he said, then motioned for Jeina to follow him out into the hall.
A deep scowl formed on her lips as she turned back to Rosanheer. “It’s dangerous keeping them here. We need a way to rescue the Chadon and sneak them off the planet.”
He agreed. “The Tasgool have something in the works. We’ll know more soon. What of Captain Naic?”
“In route with Tausi. They’ll be here within the hour.”
“Good work. At least then we’ll know the condition of the Chadon.”
___
Commander Miserin knocked three times on his captain’s door. There was no answer. “Computer, please tell me the location of Captain Cembre,” he asked the computer by pressing his hand on the wall.
“Captain Cembre is in her quarters,” returned the computer’s male voice.
Miserin stared at the door with confusion for a moment then called out. “Security, meet me at the Captain’s quarters.”
Within minutes, six armed security guards converged around Miserin. He tapped in a sequence of numbers on the door, opening it.
“Captain Cembre?” he called out.
“What the—” came Cembre from her bedroom. She hurried over to her open bedroom door, poking her head around the corner. Everyone in the ro
om could tell she was only wearing a robe. “What are you doing in here?”
Miserin and the security turned their backs to her to give her privacy. “Sorry, Captain, but I grew concerned when you weren’t answering your communicator. We also can’t locate Captain Ooganal as well.”
A tinge of grey fell over Cembre’s lime skin. “Oh,” she sighed deeply. “Uh, just give me a moment to dress.”
Miserin nodded then motioned for the security to leave. Moments later, Captain Ooganal slipped out of her bedroom in search of his wrist communicator.
“Commander,” he said, nodding to Miserin.
Miserin cleared his throat. “Captain Ooganal.”
“Um… Your…” Captain Ooganal began.
Miserin held up his hand to silence the captain. “This is none of my concern.”
“Good,” Ooganal replied sternly as Cembre returned from her room, now fully dressed. “Captain.”
“Captain,” she returned with a grin, sending the man from the room. She turned her attention to her first officer. “Don’t ask.”
“I wasn’t going to. We’ll be in orbit around Matrador within the hour. After we drop off the crew of the Esirra, we are to proceed to the Cha’laan system and wait on the border for a ship called the…” he glanced down at his wrist com, attempting to recall the name of the vessel they were going to wait for, “…the Untella.”
Cembre’s brow furled in thought. “A Rook vessel?”
Miserin shrugged. “The Chisarel’s orders. As soon as the crew of the Esirra is settled, they are ordered to join us as well along with another ship called the Herrain, which is apparently already in route.”
“The Herrain? I was only unavailable for six hours. What the—” she gasped.
“The Chisarel works fast,” he joked. “There’s concerns we may be going to battle against the Marisheio sooner than we anticipated. He’s scraping together Captains and crews as fast as he can. He even asked my opinion about Captain Annaya.”
Cembre shook her head in a panic. “Oh, no. That blood-thirsty Windrit bitch? Well…” she huffed, “at least I won’t be the only female captain in the fleet,” she joked in return. “If she does come on board, pray the Chadon doesn’t give her either the Oslo or the Azeran or our space with be smothered in blood.”
TWELVE
Sedom stared down at the fast forming puddle of blood at her feet. She could just make out her smeared image in the waving puddle. She slowly lifted the man’s head into the air, forcing the crowd to cry out in pandemonium. She turned, seeing the Lord watching her from the V.I.P box. In a fit of anger, she hurled the head at the man, coming close to knocking him off his feet.
“Are you happy now?” she called up to the box.
The Lord stumbled back, only being kept upright by his guards. She returned with a quick neck-thrust in his direction, making it clear just how much she despised him.
Terrill ran onto the field, forcing her to lower her arm. “What the hell are you doing? He’ll kill us both, you stupid girl,” he reprimanded.
“Let him try,” she grumbled back.
“He’s going to put me in chains for this,” he cursed. He latched the chain to her collar, jerking her towards him.
“That would be a shame, for one of us,” Sedom scoffed in return.
“Stupid, reckless…” Terrill grumbled as he led her out of the arena, shoving her inside the tunnels. “How can you do this to us, to me? After all I have done for you.”
Just inside the gate, Terrill spotted a dark-skinned man with long, black braids. “Tamernaas,” he grumbled. “Keep your head down. We don’t want any problems with this man,” he ordered Sedom.
Instead, she looked directly at the man, daring him with her golden eyes. The man stared directly back at her then turned his eyes to Terrill. “Master Terrill, a word,” the man demanded.
Terrill bowed his head. “Master Waar, an honor,” he began. “I beg your forgiveness. I assure you, it was all in show. She overheard he order the fight today. She just wanted him to feel like he was getting his money’s worth.”
“If you say so,” Sedom called.
Waar shook his head, his expression lacking amusement. “You think I believe that? Lord Wyice was not amused and neither am I. This is the third time that she has assaulted him. The first two we were willing to forgive. This time she has gone too far. You will control your slave or she will be removed from your custody,” he warned.
“It will not… happen again,” Terrill said as if warning Sedom, who simply rolled her eyes.
Waar eyed Sedom up and down, frowning as if he recognized her. He opened his mouth to speak, pausing. His eyes turned to her hand, noticing her tattoos. She quietly moved her other hand over the marks to hide them.
He released one gasping, amused laugh from his thick throat. “Fine. I’ll pass your apologies on to Lord Wyice. Hope he’s in a forgiving mood.” He looked into Sedom’s eyes sternly. “For your sake, don’t let it happen again,” he warned then continued on.
Terrill turned to Sedom, scowling. “I told you to keep your head down!” he growled.
Waar returned to the box, slumping into a seat beside Lord Wyice. His eyes peered down to the puddle of blood left behind by the head Sedom tossed into the box. He leaned forward, hiding his scowl behind his hands.
“Well?” Lord Wyice asked, his expression irksome on his pale, angular face.
Waar stared off for a long moment, looking down into the arena. Although the games had concluded for the day, there were still many maintenance crews cleaning the debris from the fights.
He began to nod, satisfied with his decision. “You need to purchase her contract,” he said low.
Lord Wyice turned to him, a scowl on his thin lips. “Why would I do that? What use do I have for a game player? Especially one who wants me dead? It doesn’t sound like a smart investment,” he asked amused.
“If you value your family, then I highly suggest you purchase her.” Waar turned to Lord Wyice, yet his eyes were still watching the arena. “She’s not a slave.”
“Have you seen her fight? She acts like she was born in the arena,” Lord Wyice questioned.
Waar bent closer to the Lord, whispering, “there’s a rumor circulating that a Marisheio ship with a Tasgool call sign crashed not far from here. Suddenly, there’s a new Narkoy face in the arena. We haven’t exactly seen many Narkoy around in awhile. She has a collar, so she can’t say where she’s from. There is only one Narkoy in the galaxy known for her fighting skills,” he mentioned.
Lord Wyice moved away from Waar, grinning as he thought about his words. “You honestly believe the Chadon herself would come to this planet?” he scoffed.
Waar shrugged. “Maybe not intentionally, but yes. I noticed the mark on her hand. It’s a mark given to a Chidi. It’s her. I’d stake my life on it.”
“This I have to see for myself,” Lord Wyice said, brushing his long black cape aside as he stood.
From inside her cage, Sedom watched the distant hallway leading into the palace. She couldn’t quite see him but she could hear Terrill’s voice as he was talking to someone. She grew closer to the cage bars, slipping slightly on the wet hay that lined the bottom of her cage.
“No, not this time. Your apology is worthless. It needs to come directly from her. She’s attempted to kill me and I want to know why,” Lord Wyice bellowed.
“Because I can’t stand you, you sadistic son of a faas!” Sedom growled under her breath.
“She was giving the audience a show. If she wanted to kill you, she would have,” Terrill explained.
“What if I were the Cassaus?” he screeched.
“She wouldn’t dare. Lord Wyice, I believe she likes you or she wouldn’t have missed,” Terrill pointed out.
“You believe she has that good of aim?” Lord Wyice asked. “I want a demonstration.”
“She’s just finished battling. She needs time to rest. Tomorrow,” Terrill offered.
Sedom co
uld see the Lord lifting Terrill by the collar, forcing him against the wall. “I want to see a demonstration, now!” he demanded.
“Right… away, Lord Wyice,” Terrill gasped.
The Lord set him down then followed him to Sedom’s cage. “The Lord wishes to see a demonstration of your skills,” he explained as he opened the cage door.
She stepped out, staring directly at Lord Wyice. “Should I use your skull or… his?” she hissed sadistically, staring directly into his eyes. To her surprise, his eyes were two different colors, the right red and the left silver.
Lord Wyice grabbed her by the throat, holding her with a strong electric current. She couldn’t talk, she couldn’t move, all she could do was look into his eyes. “Do us both a favor and stop tossing heads at me. It would be a shame to have to put Terrill in the arena instead of you.”
“Would… it?” she gasped.
He released her, grabbing her hand. He glanced down at her marks then shoved her back into the cage. “Watch yourself, Syrok. I only have so much patience,” he warned.
As he was walking away she could hear him barking orders to his assistant waiting in the hallway, “Buy her, whatever the cost.”
She turned to Terrill who had an expression as if he soiled himself. He hurried away, not bothering to look back.
___
Danstu blinked several times, surprised to see Marnet Rokaa Desvin along with Norton Helli and Qilo walking towards him. Being visited by a Rook prince was beyond his comprehension. He took a step forward, offering both men his hand to shake.
“Chisarel Danstu Keriney. This is a surprise, Marnet. We had no idea you were coming,” he introduced as he shook Rokaa’s hand.
“Good to meet you, Chisarel,” Rokaa said, wrapping his free hand around Danstu’s as they shook. “We’ve met before, haven’t we?” he asked as he thought. “No-nee, that’s it. You moved up in the galaxy.”
“Yes, at your Ardeth celebration,” Danstu mentioned.
“Well, it’s good to see you again. Mr. Helli insisted on taking my ship. My ship doesn’t leave Juvin-que without me. Plus, I have an added interest in this mission,” he mentioned. He motioned to Qilo whose arm was in a sling and still look pretty beaten up. “It took some effort, but we managed to have your man released into my custody. It will be a shame when I tell Rycal he escaped.”
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