Essence: Book 1 - Septima

by Nick Braker

  Tohmas didn’t want to bring Alta in on his discovery of the liquid Imagium too early or he’d risk her taking it and leaving without him. He loved that bitch, but she was all Rohku and would put a dagger in his back for the right price. Liquid Imagium would be that price. He had to time this right, so that he took control of Troy at the same time Alta made her move to get the store of Imagium and before she could get off the planet without him. He had several plans in motion, with his biggest effort placed in forcing Alta to keep the parasite in Tohmas intact because she would need him to help take the Reptauran’s citadel and steal Borit’un’s ship. The parasite was key to him returning. How it worked, he had no idea yet here he was, slowly taking over Troy, becoming himself more each day. Alta’s revelation that she had implanted the parasite to convert him was the missing key. Tohmas would give her a special night of pain for her help in bringing him back. She’d love it, of course, because she craved it. His plan would be Alta’s best option too, so he knew she would try to kill him afterward, not before.

  I’ll be ready for such a move, you pretty little bitch. Can’t wait to get back in your pants.

  Of course, she would take precautions and he’d guess she had a bomb planted deep within the military complex designed to destroy everyone within miles of the facility. She liked the theatrical pyrotechnics most. Could she be any sexier than when she was at her most deviant self?

  Tohmas left Joliza’s quarters, heading to the west side shield wall. He would need a controllable Piran lackey to do some dirty work for him. With Joliza’s unwitting help, he had the means to control one and move his plan forward.

  Chapter 19

  AGARIA

  Pira - Morning.

  Troy woke feeling exhaustion deep in his arms and legs. He grabbed his head in his hands, holding himself still for several moments. The headache never ended and today was no different. It pulsed behind his eyes, blurring his vision.

  Dear god, will the pain ever end?

  He rolled off the mattress which was on the floor and stood up. Troy stretched, trying to ease the pain in his limbs, but the effort made his head throb harder. He didn’t sleep well anymore and always woke feeling tired. Last night was worse. His arms and legs were sore as if he had finished a hard workout the day before. He wanted to crawl back into bed and sleep but, because of what they had done to him, he needed to find a way off this planet.

  He dragged himself into the bathroom to clean up. His hands and feet were black and he smelled of sweat and dirt. It was as if he really had worked out. Had he tossed and turned all night in a heated, sweaty nightmare?

  What the hell is going on?

  As Troy showered, the hot water soothed his muscles, releasing the tension in his body and taking the edge off the throbbing pain in his skull. Had he been sleepwalking last night? That would explain the grime and fatigue. He would stop by the medical facility to see Kima and ask the doctor about it. The doctor and the nurse respected him and he felt like he could trust them. Hopefully, the doctor would give him something.

  Troy had acquired new quarters two days ago giving him a reasonably secret place to sleep. His room was deep within the military complex, away from everyone else. That’s all he required now. He didn’t talk to Alta or her Piran lackeys anymore. He would never trust them again.

  Troy planned to put together a small team that included his friends and Kima under the ruse of doing another S&G. This would put them on Earth and they would simply never return. He didn’t need to create a ruse. He would order it, Caiden would put the team together and he would be back on Earth by the end of the day. Alta was probably lying about the lack of energy and, more likely, lying about a Reptauran attack on Earth. He wasn’t sure there was enough energy but it didn’t matter. Troy planned to burn all of it, even if they had nothing left afterward.

  Fuck ‘em. Wait, what about Agaria?

  Troy couldn’t trust his own thoughts anymore. Tohmas’ influence was trying to control him. He had to focus on one task, get back to Earth and continue his campaign to warn them in case Alta wasn’t lying about the imminent attack. He left his quarters planning on taking the least traveled route back to Gen-Pop. Troy wanted to get with Caiden and order him to start prepping for another S&G. He wanted to do it face to face to avoid using his comm-device which could be intercepted. Troy turned the first corner and he nearly ran headlong into Agaria.

  “Tohmas, I’m so sorry,” she said. “I was told your quarters were in this area. I’ve been roaming around trying to find you.”

  “Agaria,” he said. “I, uh...”

  “It is good to see you again, Agaria. What can I do for you?”

  “It is I that will do for you,” she said.

  She smiled at him, showing him the left side of her face.

  “The bruises have healed,” Troy said.

  Agaria was an attractive woman and her shy, sweet, and gentle nature enhanced her charm. She nodded at him and then stepped close, hugging him. Troy resisted his natural impulse to block her arms as if she were trying to attack him. He already knew if she needed something, his heart would force him to help her. Troy was responsible for the life of her child, regardless of Horace’s insistence to the contrary. Troy wanted to return home and get away from those who had hurt him, but what good would that do if he sacrificed his humanity and denied Agaria the help she needed?

  “All because of your efforts,” she said, softly. “If it were not for you...”

  Where was she going with this?

  “Horace and I would like to invite you to dinner tonight. Horace told me to not accept no for an answer,” she said. “You know it is the worst insult in Piran culture to refuse.”

  Agaria placed her hands together in front of her as if praying and her eyes pleaded with him. All he could think was that this was a setup. Someone had told her to come to him, putting the idea in her head that the two of them needed to thank Troy for his help, likely Alta.

  You’re being ridiculous, she merely wants to thank you for helping her. Oh yeah? Does that really trump warning my own people of an impending invasion? Nice try.

  Troy had to admit, his paranoid side was back at work and hard at it. Was he talking to himself now, too? Since learning of Alta’s treachery, he had fallen back into questioning everything. He went out of his way to obtain food from people in Gen-Pop, rather than risk eating something someone could have drugged here in the complex. The Piran people gladly gave him his fill. He would tell her they would have dinner tomorrow, though it would be a lie. His planet, Earth, needed him.

  “Agaria--”

  Caiden rounded the corner in a run.

  “Sir,” Caiden said, coming to a stop.

  Troy nodded at him to continue.

  “We have a problem. We’re tracking Reptaurans on their closest approach to the base. We have maybe three segments before they find us.”

  Troy sighed inwardly. He didn’t want to hear it. This reeked of a setup but Caiden wasn’t part of the conspiracy against him. Caiden was a soldier and a terrible liar. If he believed what Caiden was saying, the base would be discovered and the last of the Piran people would be slaughtered.

  “You have pressing matters to attend, Tohmas,” Agaria said. “We will speak again.”

  Agaria left, leaving the two standing in the corridor alone.

  “Sir?”

  Troy wanted to sigh and scream at the same time.

  If you do nothing, the innocent on this base will die and it will be your fault. If I stay here, I could lose my entire home world.

  Was he talking to himself or was Tohmas planting thoughts? Troy already knew what he would do. He would help them because they needed the help now or they would die. The threat to them was real and it was immediate. Earth could be weeks or months away from needing help.

  “Prepare your forces, Caiden. We’ll need a team of your best. Let me speak with Alta before we act. Dismissed.”

  Chapter 20

  KENN

&nb
sp; Pira - Later that day.

  Troy found himself once again in Alta’s office. He hated being here. They had all deceived him, Alta more so than any of them. It had to be her idea and certainly her science behind the parasite. His fury had burned out hours ago but the lingering emotions within him were enough. The logical side of him agreed with her decision but every other part of him wanted to kill her.

  Killing people is always a good option. It keeps those that remain in line.

  Thoughts like those were normal now. Were they normal back on Earth? Probably not, but he couldn’t remember what was true anymore.

  Alta wore her lab coat today but her hair was still neatly styled like the day she wore the green dress. Alta stood up from her chair, moving to a computer console behind her.

  “Tohmas,” she said, “frankly, I’m not surprised to see you here but if you’ll give me an increment, I’ll get you the information you want.”

  “Why are you not surprised?”

  “You have a good heart. We both know you could not walk away without helping,” she said.

  Her comment had softened his anger somewhat and it seemed genuine. What would he do in her place if imminent destruction were at the door and there was an unethical action he could take to help save hundreds of people? Would he put a parasite in someone, too?

  Hell, you murder people for beating their wives. Who are you to judge her actions?

  Alta bent over the console, reaching for a bank of switches lined along a panel against the wall. Troy’s attention shifted from the danger the Reptaurans represented to Alta’s movements and the position she was in.

  Don’t get distracted like you always do. This is life and death. There is no time for this shit.

  Troy tried to divert his eyes but her fingertips were a few inches short of reaching the switches and the view it created only cemented the thoughts in his head.

  “Damn it,” she said. “I seriously need to get someone in engineering to move these.”

  “Damn those lazy assed engineers,” he said, staring at her nearly exposed upper thighs.

  Troy walked around the desk, coming up behind her. He positioned himself behind Alta, putting both hands on her waist and lifting her slowly up, giving her the few extra inches necessary to flip the switches. The monitors along the wall powered up, humming to life. Alta’s left hand slipped and she teetered forward into the console. Before her face could hit it, Troy reacted. He moved faster than he thought possible. He put his left arm under her lower abdomen and his right hand under her chest, catching her. He held Alta there, enjoying the intimate closeness it gave him. Did she feel the same? She craned her neck around, looking at him.

  “Want to put me down, tiger?” she asked.

  “No,” he said. “Do you want me to put you down?”

  Troy’s right hand almost completely cupped her left breast allowing him to feel her heartbeat, which, interestingly enough, was increasing. Was it because she almost fell face first into the console or his presence near her? Of course, if she had intentionally let her hand slip, it certainly was his presence then.

  “Let me be clear, put me down or you’ll be missing part of your manhood,” she said.

  Troy eased her away from the console, twisting her upright to face toward him. He set her feet down making sure the move kept the two of them pressed together. He was face to face with her and close enough to see the pupils of her eyes looking up at him. They were slightly dilated which generally meant a positive response. Her face had a touch of pink, though that could be a result of her weight on his arm holding her abdomen. Her heart rate was up but... he stopped himself.

  I’m doing it again. People’s lives are in danger and I’m working on getting into some woman’s pants. Why would I be interested in this one anyway? Why? Rip her clothes off and smack her across the face, you’ll find out instantly how much you’ll like it.

  Troy did want her. The memories of Tohmas’ trysts in her office flooded him. The surge of pleasurable memories and the passion the two of them shared in secret only increased his lust for her. Tohmas loved Alta but, more importantly, she was the best sex he’d ever experienced. Alta could not be controlled and Tohmas would not give up until he did control her. The double edged sword took both of them to heights of sadism and masochism that included vile and evil acts that both sickened and excited him. They always escalated their acts with each other, trying to force the other to yield. Neither of them ever would, though they both believed otherwise. Alta’s appetite for deviant sexual behavior knew no bounds and Tohmas’ desire to best her, to control her, would not let him stop.

  What? None of that happened! I didn’t do any of it. How can I remember something from someone else’s mind?

  Troy gazed into her eyes. His breathing was sharp and strained. He couldn’t seem to catch his breath. He had to have her. The memories of their escapades were fresh in his mind and the lust it brought was nearly uncontrollable. She was watching him, searching his face for something. He wanted to save these people from the Reptauran patrol but he also wanted her and right now he was leaning toward to hell with the Reptaurans.

  Why the hell can’t we have both?

  Troy didn’t want Alta because he cared about her, it was lust and he’d do pretty much anything to satisfy it. Was there more though? Did he care for her? Troy wasn’t sure. All of these feelings could be those of another being, one that was slowly merging with him. A merger that brought thoughts he would swear were never his.

  Is this normal? No, it can’t be. Yes, it can and it is. It’s normal. She wants it too or she would have pushed you away. Go for it.

  “Okay, I think you made your point,” she said, clearing her throat. “I guess you’ve forgiven me then?”

  Troy’s anger flared again, more so at himself for considering the notion and some at her for patronizing him. She knew what her words would do to him and she taunted him with them. Troy pushed away from her returning to the front of the desk. With Tohmas inside him, there would be no checks and balances. He’d never be sure if it were his thoughts or Tohmas’ thoughts. What happened between him and Alta? He was a few seconds away from raping her and she would pretend to fight back, letting him take her anywhere he wanted, including hurting her physically. There was nothing to hold him back. Is this what happened to Brice? Did Alta infect Brice with a parasite and it ate away at his heart, leaving him no restraints?

  “Did you infect Brice?” Troy asked.

  “What?” Alta asked. “No, of course not. What we did for you was for the good of us all, including you. What happened to Brice was his own mental deterioration, likely the result of years of stress, heartache and loss.”

  Troy cocked his head to the side, looking at her.

  “You must think me a monster. I did what I had to do to give us all a fighting chance, including your Earth.”

  “You said there was nothing I could do. Nothing, and now you’re telling me you did it to save both planets.”

  “Don’t twist my words around,” Alta said. “My point was that you needed to stay here, where you could do something and not run back to Earth, wasting your efforts at trying to convince a race that thinks they are the center of the universe that an alien species is en route to destroy them. Seriously, do you think they would believe you?”

  It was so hard to think. Troy massaged his temple with his right hand. He only had short moments of reprieve from the pain but those moments were clouded in desire and lust. He wanted the pain to go away and what better way to accomplish that than using the power and control he possessed? He could take anything he wanted. The icy cold of Piran’s winter weather helped ease the throbbing but power and control were much more... Troy sighed. He was turning into Brice. He laughed. Brice? No, not Brice. He was turning into Tohmas.

  “Hello?” Alta said.

  “Yeah, they won’t believe me even if I could show them all of it. I get it. They tried to arrest us and if they couldn’t they would have killed us.”


  “Work with us then,” she said. “Join our fight as a stronger, better Troy. You won’t regret it.”

  Agaria and her daughter needed him. Horace needed him. They all did. Somehow these people needed a miracle and they felt Troy could pull it off. They were crazy. He laughed again.

  “What is it that you find so funny?” Alta asked.

  “It’s not what you said. It’s your people’s faith in me that is going to get them all killed.”

  Troy’s eyes were closed as the pain in his head throbbed more. He was too preoccupied with it to see her come around the desk and move in front of him. She put a hand on his chest, pressing against him.

  “No, it won’t,” she said, softly. “I believe in you and I’m not stupid or crazy.”

  Holy hell?

  What game was she playing? Alta’s presence near him and her touch had flared his lust to life again. He finally understood part of Tohmas’ weakness. Perhaps she understood him, too.

  “Alta, I’d like to keep my manhood,” he said.

  “Good boy,” she said, patting him on the chest.

  Alta returned to her desk, tapping some keys. The monitors changed showing a satellite view of their location. According to the scale on the screen, the maps showed approximately 20 miles of terrain around it. Small, flashing red triangles showed movement north of the complex at about the fifteen-mile mark. She tapped a built-in comm-device on her desk.

  “Cienna, bring them in,” Alta said.