by Zara Zenia
If someone messed up this mission, he might lose his sister, as well as the humans who meant so much to Chera. If they were important to her, they were important to him. And he was beginning to understand the value of slaves as people with thoughts and emotions.
There was a space station between the Vada System and the neighboring star system. It was an incredibly dangerous destination. Terud and Aulius ships were rampant in this area. Thras made an announcement over the ship's intercom. "My loyal crew, this is a place where our planet and royal family are widely hated. That makes it an extremely dangerous location for all of you. You are again to disguise yourselves as members of a cargo crew ship. If anyone does anything to jeopardize the princess, or the human women, they will personally answer to me. I hope that is clear."
Thras, along with a group of crew members, disguised themselves as Aulius cargo runners. They left the Vada Shadow to head out onto the space station to search for clues. Now that they were at the right location, it was seemingly easy to figure out where Pari was being held. She was locked away in a rented storage area. No one around the space station was on the lookout for government officials. It just wasn't expected that anyone like Jatra royalty would be there. It wasn't a hive of scum like their last stopover had been.
Thras returns to the ship to tell his crew what he found. "I know where the princess is being held, but there are men guarding her. I fear that any hasty moves might result in her being hurt."
The other crew members who had remained behind to man the ship in case of emergency were busy at their stations. His most trusted men, Vini and Kenor, still hadn't made it back from the space station. Thras had contacted the others by radio to tell them to return to the ship, however.
Chera had come to the bridge when she heard Thras had returned. "I'm happy you found Pari! What about the others?" she asked. "Are you able to save them?"
He could tell she was secretly wanting to know if he was still willing to try. "I also found where they are," he said.
"That's wonderful. Thank you so much," she said with a smile. But that smile soon turned to a look of worry. "Will it be possible to rescue all of them?"
"I hope so. While I couldn’t have any contact with the princess, I was able to get near your fellow Terrans. They were being held in a caged area with other captives. Unlike Pari, they weren't being as closely guarded. All it took was a small bribe for the one Aulius guard to let me inspect them privately before they went to the slave auctions."
"They're going to be auctioned?" asked Chera.
"Yes, I'm afraid so. But that might actually give us our best chance of rescuing them. It could be as easy as making the highest bid, which we can easily afford. I only hope it isn't so high that it raises suspicion about who we really are. However, I think we shall try a rescue first."
"Were you able to talk to them? Are they okay?" she asked with great worry.
"They seem healthy, and they have clearly been eating well enough. The injuries they sustained during the assault on the palace on Jatra look to have been healed."
"That's good news at least. I guess it doesn't make sense to treat your slaves badly if you want to make money from selling them."
"That is correct. And I did speak to them, but their translators must have been taken away. Those are valuable on their own, so it makes sense to remove them."
"If only at least one of them had listened to me when I offered to teach them your language," said Chera. It was impressive that she'd taken it upon herself to learn the language of her captors. The lust for knowledge and understanding of others were an admirable traits.
Vini returned to the ship, having been told about the new events over the radio. "So, you have found the princess! Pari is going to be safe and back with her big brother soon," he said when he entered the bridge.
"Yes, indeed. You have no idea how overjoyed I am. Except, we are not there yet. She is being held in a private location, and I was told by the Terud I paid for information that there are several guards. He seemed to think they might hurt Pari if they thought she might be rescued."
"That does not make any sense," said Vini.
"They must hate Jatra royalty enough to do it out of spite rather than let her be freed," said Thras. It hurt to speak the words, and he swallowed with a lump in his throat. These new found emotions of his were making it hard to come up with a logical plan.
"What of the Terran women?" Vini asked.
"They are being held with other captives and aren't as guarded, they should be easy to rescue."
"How can any of our crew tell them who we really are in secret? They might refuse to go with any of us even if we do get them free," said Vini.
"I had not considered that," replied Thras. The women could choose to sound the alarm themselves rather than be taken captive by a new threat. At least they were seemingly being cared for on a basic level by their current captors. He felt like all was lost and looked to Chera for some sign of support.
Just setting his eyes on her beautiful face, those warm and inviting blue oceans peering back at him; it made Thras feel like things would be fine no matter what. And to think he'd just seen her as another slave at one point in time. "Wait a minute," he exclaimed. "We cannot talk to them, but Chera can. You could dress as a servant. Prisoners need to be given food by someone, and they would only trust someone they view as beneath them to do that job."
"Are you suggesting I pretend to be a slave?" Chera asked. "Well, I'm not sure if I would be able to play that part." She smiled, which lightened the mood.
"I don't understand. You are a slave," said Vini without any tact.
"That was a joke. I am beginning to quite enjoy your humor," Thras said to Chera with a smirk of his own.
"I know, it's not exactly the time or place for it, but I sometimes make bad jokes when I'm nervous. This is definitely the right time to be nervous. Do you really think they'll buy that I'm one of their servants though?"
"They probably can't tell one Terran from the next," said Vini. "Ah, no offense intended," he added.
It was clear to everyone that the king admired Chera, so they weren't outright wanting to offend her no matter what their views on Terrans were.
They found the clothes that Jaia had been wearing when she was brought onto the Vada Shadow. Unfortunately, they were a little tight fitting on Chera. The younger woman didn't have the same voluptuous figure. "They are slightly revealing, I have to admit," said Chera. She'd gotten changed and come back onto the bridge.
"Your servant clothes were too damaged after the attack. They would certainly look out of place and draw attention," said Vini.
Thras was tongue tied by seeing Chera in the tight fitting servant clothes. It was a flowing dress made of a silky material that clung to her figure. Her rear end was prominently displayed due to the tight fit. And her shapely bust was pressed together and showing a lot of cleavage.
"You don't think this outfit will be distracting?" Chera asked, looking down at herself.
"Distracting to the guards? Possibly. That would be a good thing though. So long as you look the part."
"I guess they're not going to worry about looking at your face when your boobs are looking so fine," said Jaia from the corridor. She was standing at the edge of the bridge now, having been beckoned to find her old clothes and help with dressing Chera to look the part. "You look hot," she said.
The plan needed to involve rescuing Pari and the Terrans at the same time. If one thing happened before the other, it could alert everyone on the station and the captives might not all be safe. "As soon as we execute the plan and have Pari and all three Terrans, we must leave immediately. We cannot wait for crew members for long, so nobody waste any time getting back here. Do whatever it takes to return to the Vada Shadow once we have the four females under our protection. Is that clear?"
Everyone knew what they had to do now. As the crew went about the business of readying themselves, Thras took Chera aside. "I know this a lot to a
sk. I don't want you to be placed in a dangerous situation," he said to her.
"Believe, me I don't want that either. Don't forget I was a military cadet though. And I want to do my part to help the others. I care about your sister a great deal, no matter what happens. You know how I feel about Marta, Nisa, and Fera. They're like my family. I have to do this for them."
Chapter 16
Chera
Chera was afraid deep down, but honestly thrilled to be part of the rescue effort. When Thras had asked her, it showed that he truly did value her as an equal. He would never have wanted her to help otherwise. If she messed this up, it could lead to not only the death of the other humans, but also of the princess. He was putting his own little sister's life in her hands in a way. That took a great deal of trust.
The Sector 9V12 Space Station was nothing like the outpost back on planet Kren. That place was dirty and full of all manner of unsavory characters. This was even farther away from the Vada system where the Hjotts maintained law and order. Only, it seemed a lot less dangerous. That was mostly due to it being cleaner and more advanced. Perhaps it was just operated by a higher tier of scum with the money to keep their den of crime in better condition. And they probably kept a lot of the riffraff out. She didn't want to let herself become overconfident.
Even with Thras following her in secret, this was a deadly situation to be in. The crew was given the job of rescuing the princess. They would easily be able to overpower the guards, but everything had to be timed perfectly. The instant the other women were free, the crew would raid the storage area where Pari was and take care of any criminals who opposed them. Did that mean killing them? Chera wasn't sure, but she suspected as much.
Once she'd made her way over to the holding area for the slaves, Chera had to be careful. She was disguised as a servant, but that didn't mean she was meant to be back there by herself. Getting by the guards in the front area of the building was easy. They let her go by without more than a grunt at her. There were other Terran servants coming and going from different areas inside. If only they could have rescued all these poor people.
Creeping by the different cells was a harrowing experience. Every time a large cage of women spotted her through the bars, it looked like they half wanted to shout at her to free them. There was a good reason no other slaves were back there without guards. It would make escape too easy. Some of them quietly asked for help, but Chera had to say she was sorry and keep going. She worried that someone might shout out and raise the alarm just to get even with her for not helping them.
Finally, she found her friends. They looked up wearily from their cage but didn't even make eye contact. They seemed to have lost their will to live. She made sure there were no guards around, and none of the other cells of women were watching. Chera walked over and whispered to the nearest of them. It was Marta.
"Marta, stay quiet, it's me. Chera."
The woman's expression was of shock at first, and then she seemed elated. "What are you doing here?"
"There's no time for that. Take these," she said. Hidden under her flowing dress, strapped to her legs, she had four laser blasters. They were small pistols that were easy to fire but packed quite a punch. They each took them, the other two women being just as shocked when they recognized Chera.
Chera gave them the rundown of what was going to happen. She had step-by-step instructions for the rescue they would be attempting. It would happen in one hour. "Keep those blasters well hidden, and don't let anyone know that I was here. Not even the other slaves. Don't trust anyone, okay?"
Chera crept back from the holding area, keeping the remaining blaster carefully strapped to her leg under her dress. Now all she had to do was go be a servant for an hour. That was easy enough, since she was well trained as one. Every time one of the guards gave her a command, she worried they might recognize her from the attack on the palace. So, she simply pushed her chest out and gave them bedroom eyes, hoping they would be distracted by her body. It worked too well, almost. So much that she became worried one of the guards might proposition her. These aliens clearly had no qualms about mating with humans. Well, not mating; fornication was the right word for it.
The next part of the plan relied on Oszul, the head of the Jatra military. He was going to set off an explosion to create a distraction. Chera secretly checked the time on the small device she'd been given for that purpose. There were no pockets on the slave dress she was wearing, so she had to keep it hidden in her prominently displayed cleavage.
The explosion rang out, catching the aliens in the area by surprise. The locals must have been thinking the worst, because a panic surged through everyone. Chera didn't run but walked quickly back to the slave holding area. As soon as she was out of sight of any guards, she bolted to her friends. As she approached them, she gave a nod. They'd been told to blast the lock off the cage when that happened, and they did so without hesitation. Marta was the one to do it, being the defacto leader without Chera inside the cage with them.
They made their way back to the Vada Shadow. The blasters, they carefully concealed but kept within easy reach. No one tried to stop them. People were too busy either hiding inside, cowering in the corridors and behind furniture, or hunting for the perpetrators of this so-called attack.
Thras came out of nowhere and joined them. He brought up the rear, looking around intently for anyone who might try to stop them. He also had a weapon but wasn't making any effort to hide it. "I'd forgotten you were tailing me," said Chera.
"Then I did my job well," he replied with a smile.
She wanted to throw her arms around him and hold him. That would stop the fear that was rising inside of her. It had been such a stressful plan, but now it was almost all over. Chera just wanted to be consoled by the big, strong Hjott king now.
They met up with the rest of the rescuers as they approached their ship. Pari was there, being carried by a burly Hjott. "Oh, thank goodness you're alright!" shouted Chera.
"Chera!" replied the young princess. She looked to be in bad condition. They must not have been treating her very well.
"We don't have time for that," said the Hjott who was carrying her as he rushed onto the ship. With everyone aboard the Vada Shadow, they took off without a second's delay.
"If we are lucky," said Kenor, "our ship will be able to clear the area before anyone notices the princess and Terran women are missing. I will take it from here if you wish, Sire."
"That would be appreciated," said Thras. "I would like to spend some time with my sister to ensure she is alright."
Pari and the other women were taken to the med-bay to be checked over. Chera went back to her quarters and sat with Jaia to wait. Eventually, Thras summoned Chera to his chambers. The moment she was through the door, he took her in his arms and kissed her warmly. "I cannot thank you enough for helping! This is the greatest time in my life."
"If you didn't ask me, I would have insisted on helping," Chera said earnestly. "How is everyone?"
"Your friends are all in good health. They were given treatment for the wounds they sustained during the attack on the Palace. Only, I wish I could say the same about poor little Pari."
"They mistreated her? Those bastards!"
"She wasn't injured, apart from scraped and bumps, but they were only feeding her the bare minimum to keep her alive. And she is dehydrated. That is nothing the ship's medic is unable to help. Everyone is fine, so there is no need for you to worry."
After asking again several times if they were truly okay and acting like a concerned mother fussing over her own children, Chera accepted that things had essentially turned out well. They were still standing just by the door where he had embraced her at first. There was so much to talk about that they didn't think to move to sit down.
Thras couldn't contain his passion anymore, and he kissed her. He had told her that she could have her freedom. But apparently, he didn't feel it was forcing anything to kiss her after they had done so many times already. Che
ra returned the kiss, but before things could get any more heated—he withdrew from her.
Still holding her hands in his, he said, "Chera. My uxormea may have chosen you as my mate, but my mind is in agreement with my heart. You are a wonderful person who I have grown to admire greatly. If you were to leave my life, there would forever be a cold void inside me."
"Do you really mean that?" she asked. Sure, she believed him, mostly. This was all just happening so quickly that it was hard to accept. How could someone like the king of an entire planet possibly want a lowly slave from another race?
"I do. I want to tell you something that I have never said to another person in my entire life. Not even my own father. It is simply not our way to share such emotions with anyone other than our fated mate. I never thought I would get the chance to feel this way, let alone to say this: I love you."
Chapter 17
Thras
The look on her face was disheartening. He had just shared a part of himself that no one else had ever been privy to. Chera simply looked like she was considering whether or not he was crazy, or if perhaps she should run screaming from the room.
"Wow," she finally said after staring at him. Her reaction was difficult to read. Her facial expression varied, moving through several clear emotions as though it was a cycle. There was surprise, joy, fear, a hint of anger too possibly, and then just pure shock. "I don't know what to say to that," she continued. "Please don't take offense if I just need a minute to process everything you said. Is that alright?" She placed her hand on his upper arm when she asked this, as though she were trying to calm him from reacting badly to her reaction.
"Perhaps it will help if I explain something to you. It is about what my people call uxormea. Have you ever heard about this?"
"Well yes, I've heard about the stories. That's just a metaphor though isn't it, a myth? Like when Terrans say they've found their soul mate. Have you ever heard that expression?" she asked.