Merker's Outpost

by I. Christie

  Uh, oh. This must be the bodyguard.

  "Lt. Harriet Montran," the voice cooed seductively, "you have the whole outpost looking for you…and…here…you…are." She approached Harriet in a slow and sensuous walk that spoke more of a different type of assault than what she expected of a bodyguard. In all her wildest imaginings, this was what she pictured a metradame to be. In response, her heart beat faster and a hot flush infused her face, to say nothing of the sexual attraction that was causing her a large amount of distress.

  Zeus in a harem's pool! Harriet cursed to herself. You'd think I was at my first brothel after a month of combat duty in a militarized zone with nothing but my own hand to entertain me. What a joke! And I was thinking of seducing her?!

  "Are you the one that is responsible for those little," she leaned close to whisper in Harriet's ear, "tricks in Lord Chaney's room?" The tickle of the metradame's breath on her ear sent a pleasant shiver skittering down her spine and the release of warm liquid down her inner walls.

  Sheila stepped back and casually let her eyes roam over Harriet's body. Another hot flush suffused Harriet's body as she tried to control her erratic breathing and move her limbs that suddenly seemed to have become unresponsive to her brain signals to stir.

  Goddess, what is happening to me? Harriet's eyes were riveted on Sheila unwilling to move away.

  "I had thought Lord Chaney was here but I see he is not." She moved slowly around the room as if not in any hurry, disappearing out of Harriet's sight, but she could swear she knew she was standing just a hair's breath behind her because she could feel her body heat.

  What do metradames do when their masters are killed? Or, rather, what do bodyguards do when their employer is killed! Bloody moon, soldier! Do something with yourself!

  The tall figure moved in front of her, smiling. It was not threatening, but rather enticing. It sent another pleasant shiver down to her very wet and swollen bud.

  Gads! Harriet, you had better get your thoughts together! Bodyguards turn into avenging assassins if their masters or mistresses are killed, she again reminded herself with a stronger will. You better start thinking of what you're going to do besides stand here like a statue.

  "I see you are alone. Perhaps we can enjoy some pleasant moments together before Lord Chaney is done with you." Sheila ran a finger down Harriet's arm that was hanging motionless against her side. She walked around Harriet lightly tracing patterns over her body and coming to a stop in front of her. Her hand cupped one of her breasts, tweaking an erect nipple, smiling at the groan her captive emitted from stiff lips and the trembling in her body.

  Harriet's chest was heaving from the passion burning throughout her body. Her body strained to come into contact with Sheila's hand that had withdrawn, yet hovered close without actually touching. Harriet groaned with desire.

  "Yes. I can see you do too." She touched Harriet's cheek with the back of her hand, again sending chills of pleasure throughout her body. "Why don't you wait right here while I go see where Lord Chaney could have gone. Then when I return, maybe you can think of what we can do. I shall not be long."

  Lips close to Harriet's ear produced more anguish at the need for relief from the buildup of sexual energy Sheila's game was causing. A puff of breath and lips just touching her ear, whispered a bye, nearly causing her knees to buckle. Another touch was all she needed to send her into an orgasm, a release to the building up of energy that was consuming her. If only her voice would respond, so she could beg Sheila not to go yet.

  No! She's a bodyguard! She'll kill you. She suspects Lord Chaney is dead. Just look around you. You have his personal effects scattered about!

  Harriet could not get her eyes to inspect the area to see if the evidence of their fight showed or if the bots cleaned it up before Sheila arrived. That was the last sensible thought she had before the sexual fantasies took over.

  ***

  **

  Maud found Harriet lying on the floor shaking from repeated orgasms.

  "I see you have met with Sheila, the former Lord Chaney's bodyguard and goddess of lust," she laughed softly with a touch of irony in her voice.

  Maud had a small instrument in her hand. She placed it against an open area on Harriet's neck. Moments later, Harriet was breathing normally. Maud helped her to sit on the bed.

  "Goddesses and angels! What a nightmare!"

  "Nightmare?" Maud's expression of disbelief was the same that she herself would have given. It added to the disquieting feelings she was getting about her stay on Merker's Outpost.

  "I think I just had enough wet dreams to last me the year! Goddess, what am I saying?" she groaned.

  Maud was trying not to smile but was unsuccessful. "What I have just given you will prevent the paralyzing result of the gas to effect you again. As for the rest…I've heard once bitten…"

  "I'm surprised someone hasn't killed all the metradames if this is their effect."

  "No," Guardian's voice came softly in her ear. "Only Sheila was equipped with what they call a lust gas. If it makes you feel any better, she released enough pheromones in the air to set off an entire roomful of species sensitive to the chemical, whatever gender. Lord Chaney spent a considerable fortune on her. You two will need to get out of there. Once Sheila finds the body and scans the retina for who had killed him, she will shut down momentarily, and come back up in an assassin's mode," Guardian warned.

  Maud was looking through the pile of Lord Chaney's things the bot had dumped on the bed.

  "You will need this ID card. Did you find a ring with a horses head and a horn in the center?"

  Harriet pulled it out of her utility pocket.

  "Good. Keep it close to you. This ID card will render Sheila inactive for about five stan minutes by pinching both sides simultaneously on these marks. Under normal circumstances, it would put her to sleep but since she is going to be in her assassin's mode it will only cause her to pause for a few minutes. Don't lose it," she cautioned.

  "Isn't there a way to shut her down completely?"

  "If you can render her unconscious during those five minutes you can hold up the this ID card, it's a reset device, in front of her eyes…pinch the sides on these two colors. The flashing light is on a frequency that is specifically set to engage her entire system and erase her duty to Lord Chaney. You then become her new mistress."

  "Oh, that's just great. Don't you think it sounds just a little too easy?" Harriet queried suspiciously and uneasily at the thought of how easy it was to enslave someone.

  "Well, the directions say it's supposed to work," Guardian told her seriously. "After all you're talking about a select few who can afford such creatures. They certainly did not want to make deactivating them too difficult. There is a fear among the owner's that their slaves may revolt so the dealers made sure they could easily put them to sleep."

  "So, you don't know if this is going to work?"

  "It's not like I have a laboratory full of willing test subjects, donated by their owners. Sheila has found the body and has finished scanning the eyes. She needs the saber in order to avenge his death, as her program dictates. I had the bot deliver the saber to a small lab I have there to study the saber, but it is not set up to prevent a determined person to enter it," Guardian sighed. "I have not finished studying it, but I have damaged the homing device, so when she has retrieved it, she will have to have a good aim to find its mark, but it is still sharp."

  "So, do we continue messing with the troops or kidnap someone of importance?" Harriet asked as Maud dumped the remaining belongings of Lord Chaney into a dumpster.

  Maud looked at her with an oh-so familiar expression.

  "That's what I intended with Lord Chaney, only it didn't go down quite the way I had planed it," she explained, uncomfortable at how it turned out.

  "It was a good idea. Perhaps the Fates will be more generous on your next plan. However, time dictates we move on with Guardian's plan and move to the broadcast area," Maud replied. "We have fif
teen stan minutes before the storm moves out, and then a two hour window before the next storm. Guardian has unlocked the secure keys to about seven hundred of the orbital satellites around the main broadcast stations, so he is bypassing their firewall secure farms and going directly into the broadcast streams."

  "The ratings of some stations should go up." Harriet took a deep breath when standing, her legs felt rubbery and her stomach performed flip-flops. Maud held her arm until she was standing taller and the flush in her cheeks was not as intense.

  "The owner will have to watch her business prosper from a rehab colony," Maud returned, releasing Harriet's arm cautiously. "She's one of the stockholders in the smuggling business. We'll leave this way," she gestured to the maintenance tunnel.

  They went back down a flight of stairs to the other side of the small area the troops and smugglers occupied. Feeling better, Harriet was in the lead dismantling traps, removing others and putting some in her pockets for future use. There were concussion bombs that would not harm the life support lines, but they could knock someone to the ground. There were also sleeping gas canisters thrown in for a mixture. Maud led her to the rooms that held the prisoners for auction. Harriet deactivated but did not remove the traps, making sure Maud's escape route would not be noticed by a guard making spot inspections.

  The two women moved back up the corridor, out of sight of the target room.

  No Sheila, Harriet thought gratefully. Guardian had no word of her whereabouts either. She was avoiding his cameras. They stepped into a corridor on the other side of the Command Center just around the corner to the room where the screening of the victims was held.

  "The broadcast has been going well so far," Guardian notified the two softly. "However, they are going to get a message that their broadcast has been sent to a public station soon."

  The swish of a door opening and the sound of boots running told them that the relaying for the video of one of the auctioned was being delivered topside, to be transmitted to the ship above, which would then beam it to those dialed into the auction and other citizens of the multiverses.

  All that running up and down has to be a lot of hard work! Harriet wondered how much they were making to warrant such effort. There's gotta be more than an auction going on here.

  "It is time for me to move the captives, so it is time for you to create a diversion."

  "Right."

  "I hear you are great at surprises," Maud mentioned lightly. "I certainly had no such training in any of the schools I attended. Perhaps you can teach me some of those at another time."

  Harriet Montran smiled. Maud laid the few captured traps she was carrying on the floor near Harriet's feet and returned to the service tunnel.

  Not much time, heh? This stuff should be enough to make a loud and painful bang, and rattle some heads.

  She placed them so that the first one would set the others off on a slight delay, with the concussion knocking everyone from one side and then to another. After a quick glance to see that the placements were right, she moved behind a corner to wait. The hairs on the back of her arms stood up and her pulse increased. Was something going wrong?

  "Are we ready?" she asked softly in her mic.

  "We certainly are," came the throaty voice of Sheila behind her.

  Harriet rolled out of the way of something shinny slashing down where she had once been standing. She lifted her foot to knock Sheila off balance, but Sheila threw a kick of her own knocking Harriet's leg aside, both falling to the ground. They rolled to their feet looking for a weak point in the other's stance.

  Uh, oh.

  Sheila pinned her expertly against the wall and shifted her weight to whip her feet from under her. Harriet instead held onto Sheila and kneed her, pushing her back. Sheila's feet intentionally entangled Harriet's, who fell against the wall, sliding down with a thump. Sheila was back on her feet and pulled Harriet off her feet, however, Harriet broke her grip, and knocked Sheila to the ground. Meanwhile the door to the broadcast room opened as another runner from the surface came down with bad news.

  A short man came out of the room furious. Anyone near him was handed insults, slaps and yelling, until the noise from the struggling women caught his attention. The smuggler and his men came around the corner to see what the noise was about. They immediately recognized the orange hair of Harriet Montran.

  The smuggler knew Lord Chaney had ordered his metradame to capture Harriet for Alan Fermin. He pulled his stunner out and took aim. Harriet spotted him and gave Sheila an advantage in their grip so that she would be between her and his aim.

  "Blasters! Get the Sheila out of the way!" he bellowed, dropping his arm to gesture to one of his smugglers behind him.

  The others would have done something but Sheila paused in her struggle, giving Harriet a chance to break free and activate two of the concussion bombs. It would only be a matter of time before the whole hall would be shaking with concussion bombs in a ripple effect. The first bomb went off and knocked everyone to their knees. Sheila was standing in front of her and took most of the shock as both of them bounced against a wall. The second one caused Harriet's head to hit the wall but her helmet had activated after the first explosion, and absorbed the impact. Stumbling over to the service panel Harriet got in before the other bombs released.

  "Guardian?"

  "Yes?"

  "Did Maud get the captives out?"

  "Yes, but she needs more time to clear the area. Can you can keep them preoccupied a bit longer?"

  "Right." Harriet checked her internal map. "Where do they keep their supplies?"

  "The storage area next to the morgue."

  Harriet shuddered. "Nice place."

  "You will need to return to base," Guardian reported suddenly. "It is now wise for us to back off. Lord Chaney's body has been discovered by the smugglers. We must now wait, and see what develops. Hopefully, they all will leave soon without further damage to themselves or us."

  "Right. I'm on my way. Ahh...how do I summon my ride?" she asked suddenly.

  "Simply call for it. It has been set to your bios. It will not go anywhere if you are not in it."

  Harriet felt a little embarrassed. "As in, 'here, car'?"

  "That simple," Guardian replied.

  Harriet stopped her jog and turned to look over her shoulder. Was that a sound her helmet's amplified hearing picked up? Not taking chances, she exited out of the service panel. She ran quickly until she came to an elevator, and accessed the service tunnel from this side of the corridor. As she dropped down one level, she was hit from behind. The impact knocked her against the wall. Sheila lifted her as if she were a small bag and threw her into the wall where another exit door was, knocking her out of the service tunnel and into a corridor. Unharmed, Harriet rolled under Sheila's feet, entwining their legs. Sheila fell to the ground, hard. Both bounced back up to their feet. With a good handhold, she bounced Sheila's head against the wall and moved away, however Harriet paused, grateful to see that Sheila was not immune to hard hits. The pause gave Sheila enough time to recover and was quickly back on the offensive. Harriet was able to knock her off her feet again. This time, without pausing, Harriet was inside the panel and back up the ladder. The first chance she got she dropped a level to get to the travel tube.

  Sheila did not take her unawares the third time. This time the battle was in the small confines of the tunnel with their grunts echoing along the passageway. Sheila suddenly changed tactics and surprised Harriet with a punch to the head. Her helmet took the impact but the force drove her into the wall and the service panel door behind them came open, depositing Harriet's body in the middle of a dark area with Sheila on top. Sheila pinned Harriet and with the knife in one hand, she was ready to deactivate the helmet the other. Harriet knocked away her hand but Sheila was able to find the release button to her helmet. Harriet needed to get her somewhere where the environmental gases would render her useless. She needed to get to the tube area. Harriet twisted, breaking Sheila's
grip. She kicked her in the chest, knocking Sheila on her back. Harriet escaped into the service tunnel and down a ladder to the tube area. She was exiting into the tube area when Sheila grabbed her from behind and both fell into the transportation area. Unfortunately, it had breathable air in it. Harriet forgot the captives probably passed this way to be transported to their safe destination and they would need air.

  Sheila reached for Harriet Montran as they both fell. Harriet twisted herself so Sheila would take most of the impact of the fall. Once down, Harriet tried to get free, but Sheila rolled on top of Harriet. Sheila leaned her weight onto Harriet pinning her to the ground effectively.

  Helgas Moon! Where is my backup when I need her?