by I. Christie
"Well Lady Montran…" He let his eyes roam her naked body picturing where he would give her pain. His hand went to his forehead as pain laced his head. "When I get this chip removed…I have a future planned for you. A future that is meant to give me…great pleasure and you…a new purpose in life."
Alexandra could see his eyes cloud over as the chip sent another unpleasant stimulation to his brain. His eyes were glistening from the pain.
Alan was too hyped up to want the pain and he realized it could easily escalate causing him to become unconscious. They had a month of travel before they could stop at the illicit hospital ship. There he would have his chip removed and one implanted into his victim. Moreover, he did not intend to let his captured Black Rose soldier kill herself or sabotage the ship while he was incapacitated. He returned to his seat next to Vanster after he instructed the medibot to give a shot to his is captive to prevent her from becoming active. He would have liked to have made it something painful, but like all medibots, it had ethics.
Alan barely glanced at the Black Rose soldier his agents had seized when they had captured Sgt. Major JG. Both had a chip implanted. Vanster was his game and JG was Lady Varina Chaney's. Alan wanted a Black Rose member he could control if he should ever need an inside agent with his supposed friend, Lord Chaney. The chip escalated Vanster's class prejudice and for fun, Alan had a subliminal running in her quarters that influenced her dislike of Lady Alexandra. He smiled thinking of getting Lady Alexandra to torture Vanster or maybe the other way around. He stroked the wild hairs on his chin in contemplation.
"Strap in," a gruff voice ordered.
Alan hated to strap in and ignored her.
The next maneuver was to evade the droids that suddenly blipped on the screen. Vanster grabbed Alan's shirtfront and thrust him back into his chair as he tipped out on the first shift.
"Strap in you fool!" she repeated angrily.
Alan hastily did, and realized that he had an expert behind the controls as his enslaved pilot escaped not only the droids but also the monitors that would have set off the net that disables craft that were illegally trying to pass through the gate.
Alexandra was left to bounce around. It was the Sha'Kar that protected her from any more bruises by lying an energy blanket around her, its own body.
***
Chapter 34
Zohra felt the air change around her and rolled to her feet on Alexandra's side dismayed when her ears caught the sound of a shower. Vanster was standing in the doorframe looking around.
"What's going…" Zohra's words froze as she felt the stunner's impact. She fell to the ground a victim of paralysis that burned through her numbed limbs. As she fell, she could see Alexandra and hear her yell.
Agonizing through the return of feeling, she crawled to the front room to see what happened to their guards. Both lay on their backs, eyes opened to the ceiling shaking from the effects of the stunner. She kept pulling herself to the door where she could hear pounding on the walls. Suddenly the door opened and soldiers poured in…too late.
Lt. Malchi reached Zohra and pulled her into her lap stroking her forehead as the spasms ran up and down her limbs as the second stage of recovery started. Vanster had used a painful setting that did not kill but would make the victim of its blast think twice about being shot again. It was the same type of stunner Captain Miller gave to the Alowan.
"Get her into some hot water," LaDea Gedaliaha ordered. "Move the others into the pool also. It will cut down on the pain and speed up the recovery."
LaDea Gedaliah quickly moved into the bathing room pulling out of the cupboard some herbs and tossing them into the water. She turned up the heat regulator. Carol-Maa slid into the water and was handed Zohra's shaking body.
Tears rolled down her cheeks from the cry of pain her frozen voice cords could not shout. Fire shot up her limbs, burning, it seemed, every cell in her body. She closed her eyes and tried to center herself as Alexandra had been teaching her.
"Find your peaceful center, Gari," Alexandra instructed her.
"I don't have a peaceful center. I have a focused center," Gari returned, being a little upset that the general ordered her to light duty. The general laid out the facts; she had been working for nine years without a break and deserved some rest while there was quiet. She did not need a break. She was fine. However, she was forced to admit, she enjoyed the private moments with Alexandra. So she gave it another try, paying closer attention to what her lover was telling her.
"Gari, it's there. Just a little beyond that focused center. Come on. All warriors need to find this place just as much as that focused center you use to fight from."
Gari breathed deep and let her breath out slowly as Alexandra demonstrated for her. She opened one dark eye and peeked at Alexandra. Alexandra shook her head and with a smile, leaned forward until their foreheads touched. She closed her deep emerald green eyes and Gari could feel a stillness wash over her. It was…beautiful.
Finally Zohra rose from the hot water, furious. "Helgas bloody moon, that woman is dead!" She pushed against Carol-Maa's arms that had been supporting her but she would not let her go. The arms around her tightened. Out of frustration, Zohra leaned back against the bare breasts shouting her anger and fear…for Alexandra. Zohra finally gave in to the sobs that hurt her chest from holding the emotional pain she was experiencing. She cried out the loss and the pain of being deceived by an old lover and someone she had thought she knew.
Finally exhausted she was helped out of the water. The guards already recovered, had left.
"Now…we can get to work!" General Aglauros nodded from the front room. Let's meet in five stan minutes in Com-C. Should give you time to dress, Daughter."
***
**
The meeting room in Com-C was filled with top officers and shamans.
General Aglauros began the meeting as soon as Major Zohra took her seat.
"This is where we are right now. On Merkers, we've got five sections that are under siege by soldiers…they are Alowans. They have found a way to open up tunnels from their failing planet to here. We are attempting to contain them. We have also stopped Alan's teams that were sent to destroy seven portals. Thank you brothers for your work on deciphering his black book." She nodded to the tall red headed Lord Hadrian DeMonte.
Major Zohra studied the man noting that there was only a slight resemblance to Lady Montran until she noted the set of his shoulders. Stubborn.
"Now…we need to find Alan. Our spy has sent a message that they are in route to the Shiae, which is an illegal hospital ship that removes chips and implants them. It's a month's travel and that is without taking evasive maneuvers. Thanks to Brother Regas we were also able to discover who was Alan's plant in the Black Rose, our sister Megan also known as Vanster."
Major Zohra clutched the arms of her chair and the shaman on one side of her touched her hand gently.
"Because of that…we were able to use Vanster." Aglauros shook her head sadly. "Lt. Ninan of the Black Rose, who is Brother Regas, had known that Vanster was under Alan's thumb for a long time and was monitoring her. We could not tell you, Daughter, in case it would change your relationship with her. Alan had a chip implanted that was difficult to locate to enhance her hate for the upper class. We've dissolved it. Her quarters in the City was wired to give her hypnotic suggestions to hate Lady Alexandra in particular."
Aglauros held up her hand at Zohra's comment that was on her lips. "Daughter, we dissolved the chip and countered the suggestion but…she had to continue to act her role, just as we had to let the Black Rose escape from their prison. In two days our counter suggestions should be overriding Alan's hateful program. Sister Megan is not as hateful toward the classes as much as one may think. She is resentful…but not hateful. She will rise to the occasion when she realizes how Alan had used her. I have faith in her."
Mother! I hope you are right for the woman I have bonded with in my heart…is at her mercy, Zohra prayed silently.
"We have a ship watching the Shaie. Alan will not get any help there."
General Aglauros continued with her summarizing and enlightening the others of the military and political goings on in the Galaxies.
The meeting seemed to go on for a long time and the calming effect of the touch on her hand was wearing off. The ache she was feeling started to leave her empty and lost. It seemed the further Alexandra moved away from her the deeper her depression.
"Daughter," Major General Aglauros called again.
Zohra lifted her head and blinked a few times. She looked around startled for the room was empty with the exception of her mother.
"I think you need to keep busy."
Zohra shook her head trying not to cry. She could not believe how intense the pain Alexandra's departure was.
"You had not danced the third dance, I take it."
Zohra shook her head, as she was unable to speak. "No…time," she finally got out.
Aglauros pulled her warrior daughter towards her and held her as she wept. Aglauros sighed. She knew she should not do it, but…"There's a ship leaving in a stan hour to check out Alan's abandoned ship. It's been monitored long enough to know he's not around, but it does have traps on it…and you are the specialist in that field…"
Zohra kissed her mother on the cheek, knowing she was stretching rules. "Thank you, Mother."
Chapter 35
"All right, come about easy," Major Zohra was outside the hull of the Star Chaser, dressed in a top of the line AEG suit that soldier's normally do not get. The Collective's Lt. Commander Planin, who was second to Captain Itk of the Star Chaser, provided it. They were the same height and stature.
Major Zohra found one bomb trip at the portal opening for a life pod release. She pulled herself out of the way, as the pilot eased the ship closer to the hatch opening. Though Captain Itk was the boss of his ship, she was the boss over this recon mission and had directed him not to order a coupling hull to hull. With the umbilical tube, they would be able to quickly break away if they should need to. As the tube slowly extended she grabbed the edge and pulled herself inside, tumbling and twisting, as the tube continued its progress to come up gently against the hatch.
"Contact….Seals are secured….Readings are good to go," she reported in her com. She felt the breathable air rush around her and braced herself for the heaviness that would follow environmental stabilization within the umbilical tube.
Air inside the ship was breathable according to the readings, but one could never be sure what would happen.
The personnel from Star Chaser were to leech as much data from the ship, then let her go just in case Alan returned or the ship had other purposes.
"Corporal, don't step there." Zohra halted the young solider before he placed his foot down on a plate that could be rigged. Zohra was tense, but not from the job. This was everyday stuff for the Black Rose. She took a deep breath to bring focus back into herself, examining what was going on, separating personal issues from business.
Corporal Stik slowly withdrew his foot, sweat beading up on his upper lip. His eyes watched the major as her eyes stared at nothing in particular. As long as she remained still, he would too.
"Wait here…don't move or touch anything." Something stunk.
She found a body, nearly dead, in one of the staterooms.
"Corporal, we got a live one, barely, in the third state room on the right. Send in a medibot, stat!"
Zohra completed her meticulous inspection of the ship where the two communications experts were going to be working.
"Do not go anywhere without telling me…that includes the can. Am I understood?"
The two nodded.
Bloody moon. Something feels wrong about this ship. Why didn't he sabotage it when he left? Why just leave a body to rot with a few traps…it's like he doesn't want to damage the ship's hull integrity…why?
Standing in the cockpit, she looked around at the controls. It could be a four crew ship or just one pilot. It was a luxury ship that carried five small cabins, seating for eight and a cargo bay that could be packed with a months worth of trinkets bought on Centur I. Centur I's inhabitants were twice Zohra's height and everything on Centur I was big and cheap. Sighing she decided to check his call logs.
"Hmmm. Now what do we have here? He deleted everything but the backup files. He must have been in a hurry to have forgotten," Ensign Haital muttered to herself.
"Ensign Haital, do you think we can get a dump of these files? Looks like they go back a while." Major Zohra was reading over her shoulder.
"Major. By these dates, he hasn't erased his backup files for two stan months….hmmm. Someone has been downloading these files and then erasing them when the download has completed…see, here is the loop code."
"When was the last time they were downloaded?"
"According to his docking logs, at his family's dock on Selen. The logon is from his family business…do you think he downloads his own files?"
"Maybe, but if so he would have remembered to clean them out when he did his main databank. Maybe his father or…someone in the business. Keep checking to see what else you find."
"Right, Major."
While she kept one eye on the ensign to be sure she would not run into a trap of some kind, Major Zohra checked the furniture in the cockpit. Two chairs were very comfortable looking, the pilot and co-pilot chairs, but one that was designed differently, looked like it was used more. Leaning closer to get a look at what was shoved between the well-worn seat and back, she kneeled down and began a careful exploration with gentle probing.
Carefully she drew out a box that had elaborate carvings. "Helgas bloody moon," she breathed. It had to be the box Alexandra reported Alan used to read the time line. She opened the box cautiously and was rewarded with tiny sticks that had been carved into partially recognizable figures. She could not mistake the two orange tipped stick figures, one that had painted breasts and very long orange hair that was longer than the stick. Some of the others she was not sure of…what she was sure of…was that Alan would return to the ship.
"Everyone, abandon ship!" Suddenly the ship's board came alight.
"What the…"
"Major, I didn't touch any of the controls!"
"Captain Itk, get out of here! Follow at a discrete distance and run silent. Everyone, he may read life signs so get in the pods."
"Major, there are only two!"
"It's a luxury model so I'm sure there's room for at least three. Just don't breathe deep and we'll be fine."
Zohra removed the piece that represented Alexandra and put the box back where she had found it. Looking around she nodded and joined one of the other crewmen in a second pod. Even if it was a luxury model, it was a tight squeeze since they were wearing AEGs.
Bloody moon! I hate these small places.
***
Chapter 36
"Alan, leave her be," Vanster growled. She had left her pilot's seat to see why Alan was not answering her.
He was squatting next to the unconscious figure, tracing invisible lines along the bare body that had bruises and cuts from their rough ride out of the Committee's space. He was not acting harshly yet, as the chip would render him unconscious.
"Shut up, bitch!" he snarled at her and continued with his fascination of watching the skin of the partially conscious woman twitch from his touch.
He did not hear Vanster as she lifted him off his feet and pinned him against the ship's bulkhead. She did not say anything just watched as Alan's eyes suddenly took on a look of fear.
"We're approaching the point your ship should be arriving. I don't like the idea of dragging that ship here when we don't know if anyone's aboard or if there is a plant on it. So, I'm pretty testy right now and I am not in the mood to see you play when you should be up front getting ready to board your ship! Now, get dressed!"
She dropped him to his feet.
He struggled to stand up straight.
"And get h
er stored in the pod," Vanster ordered and turned to return up front.
"Why?" he demanded, his voice bouncing off surrounding bulkhead, reminding them they were in a small space.
Sgt. Vanster walked back towards him, schooling her voice into a reasonable, nonthreatening tone. "Because, if this is a trap we'll want to get out of here quick. You said you have the pod set for that planet on the other side of this galaxy, right?"
He nodded.
"Well then, you have something to bargain with….knowledge of where she's headed. We see any trouble, I'll jettison her off and…there's your guarantee."
Alan nodded. "She's important. Her brother will want to save her. He'll want her back."
He hefted the body up and lumbered to the lifepod, dropping her unceremoniously into it. He checked the setting to make sure it was set for Arnica. One of his sisters had been sent there on a colony ship, before it was revealed that it was already inhabited. No one wanted to pay for the colonists return and he doubted any of the colonists wanted to return. He smiled as he thought of their reunion and what he would do to her and her offspring.