Kenyon: Knight of Chivalry

by T. J. Quinn

  Samantha’s frown deepened. “I’ve heard of those illegal arenas… they make the Roman Gladiators tournaments look like kids’ games.”

  “Yes, exactly.” By now, Kenyon was used to Samantha’s references to Earth’s ancient history. Her first remark to him was comparing him with a mythological creature called a Minotaur.

  “Let’s hope your instinct isn’t right this time,” she concluded.

  “We’ll find them, no matter what,” he assured her.

  She nodded as they left the control room. It was time to get something to eat and recharge for whatever laid ahead of them.

  “Talk to me, Kenyon. What did you find?” Ethan asked through the video conference.

  “Nothing. There’s not a single trace of the ship or of any battle, for that matter,” Kenyon explained.

  Ethan’s expression became even more somber than it already was. “What do you think happened? A vessel doesn’t simply vanish into thin air.”

  “I know, my guess is they were lured somehow and then captured,” he explained to his boss his theories.

  “What can we do?” Ethan asked, worried.

  “I’ll talk to some contacts I have in these parts to see if someone has put them up for sale and we’ll go from there,” Kenyon said.

  “Let me know the minute you hear from them. I’m already on my way to join you. Gideon will continue with the planet search, at least until we have news from Jaffar,” Ethan decided.

  “Very well, boss. I’ll get in touch with you as soon as I get some info,” Kenyon agreed, and after discussing a few more details, they ended the conference.

  “Where to, boss?” Matthew asked.

  “Let’s go visit Kalyko. They have one of the biggest slave markets of the quadrant,” he announced.

  Kalyko was a place he surely didn’t look forward to visiting, but he knew if Jaffar and his men had been abducted like he suspected, Zyrh, one of the most important traders of the place, would know something about it.

  “Sure thing, boss. We’ll be there in a few hours.”

  “Go as fast as possible. Every minute counts,” Kenyon ordered.

  Matthew nodded and turned his attention to the screen in front of him.

  “What’s Kalyko?” Samantha asked, curiously.

  “No place for you. You’ll remain in the vessel at all time, and if we get visits on board, you’ll remain confined to your quarters,” Kenyon ordered.

  “You have to be kidding me!” she protested.

  “Do I look like I’m kidding, Samantha?” he asked, giving her a stern look. “Human females are the new attraction on the slave markets. One look at you and I’ll have all the slavers there after you. You will not abandon this vessel, or I’ll lock you up myself. Is that clear?”

  She pouted. “I’m sure you’re overreacting,” she said, raising her hands to stop a new rant from him. “However, I’ll do as I’m told. I promise.”

  “Good,” he mumbled in a gruff tone before he turned around and walked out of the room.

  It took them three hours to get to Kalyko. Once on the small planet, he went down to the surface with Steven and Matthew. Like him, the two cyborgs barely needed weapons to defend themselves and, on a world, where weapons were forbidden, that was quite an advantage.

  They went straight to Zyrh’s auction house. It was one of the most impressive buildings in town, and it showed exactly how important the man was.

  “Greetings, citizens. How can I help you?” the Cetian receptionist asked when they entered the building.

  “I’m here to see Zyrh,” Kenyon announced.

  “Citizen Zyrh does not receive people without an appointment,” the reptilian female informed with a courteous smile. “And he has no appointments scheduled for today.”

  “Would you mind asking him? Please, tell him Kenyon Aslor is here to see him,” Kenyon insisted.

  The woman smiled and picked up a communication device. After a short exchange of words, she turned to face them. “Citizen Zyrh is busy right now, but he would be willing to receive you in three hours.”

  “Perfect. We’ll be back then.”

  Pleased Zyrh still remembered him, Kenyon guided his men out of the building.

  “How come you know this guy, boss? He looks like a big shark around here,” Matthew asked.

  Kenyon ran his fingers down his long, dark hair. He had been waiting for that question. He hated talking about his past, but when he had decided to come here, he knew he would have to share some of it with his men.

  “Right after I left Aslora, I wandered around this quadrant until Zyrh hired me to fight in the arenas for him. I had nothing to lose, so I accepted. Aslorans are very hard to kill, so I was some kind of challenge for other gladiators,” he explained. He wasn’t very proud of his past, but it was what it was, and he couldn’t change it.

  “I guess you never lost a battle,” Steven deduced.

  “You guessed right. Those battles were to the death,” he replied. “We still have to wait for a while, so let’s see if anyone else knows something about our missing friends,” he suggested, changing the subject.

  His men nodded, and they headed to an auction house not far from where they were standing. They were having a female slaves’ auction and had managed to gather quite a crowd. Fortunately, there were no human females amongst the slaves.

  “Why is this allowed?” Steven asked, disgusted with the show.

  “Different cultures. Some of these females are here on their own, others are sold by their relatives, and some others are born as slaves,” Kenyon explained.

  “And some are abducted, for sure,” Matthew concluded.

  “Yes, some are abducted,” Kenyon agreed. “And I know you would love to rescue all of them, but you can’t. So, please, stay out of trouble. We’re here to get intel on Jaffar’s whereabouts, not to start a war with these people,” he warned his men.

  They nodded before they went deeper into the auction house. Kenyon asked a few questions to the people assisting the auction, but most hadn’t heard a thing about a new cargo of gladiator slaves.

  They were about to give up and look somewhere else when the auction ended. It meant Kenyon was able to talk to the auctioneer.

  “Gladiators, you say? Like the men with you? Yes. I heard something about it. If I’m not mistaken, the Sherlaacs announced they would be bringing in a good bunch of them to auction them here, on Kalyko,” the tall, slim, gray alien auctioneer informed.

  This was bad news. The Sherlaacs were some of the most vicious pirates on this side of the universe. Known for their cruelty and lack of any kind of morality, they engaged in the most coldblooded raids ever heard of.

  “Do you have any idea who will conduct the auction?” Kenyon asked.

  “No. We’re all competing to have the privilege, but they haven’t decided yet, as far as I know,” the alien auctioneer replied.

  “Thank you for the information. Would you be kind enough to let me know if you are chosen?” Kenyon asked, covering all the bases.

  There was no way in hell they could afford to buy Jaffar and his men, but they would have a better chance of rescuing them before the auction if they knew where it would take place.

  “Of course. Give me your contact, and I’ll make sure you’ll receive a message.”

  They thanked the man and headed out.

  “There’s no way we can buy them, boss,” Matthew pointed out. “I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard the number of credits some of the slaves reached.”

  “I know. The plan is to get to Jaffar and his men before they reach Kalyko. Once here it will be almost impossible to rescue them. This planet has one of the best security systems known. Breaching it has never happened,” Kenyon replied.

  “How are we going to find them?”

  “My hopes are on Zyrh. If they contacted him for the auction, he would know where we can find them,” he replied.

  “Do you really think he will help us?” Steven asked, a bit skep
tical. That would mean turning down a very profitable business.

  “Yes, I believe so. Zyrh owes me a few favors,” Kenyon said, with more hope than certainty.

  They wandered around town until it was time to go back to Zyrh’s auction house. This time, they were invited in as soon as they got there.

  Chapter Two

  Zyhr was a massive , green alien. He loved to eat so much that he couldn;t move around on his own anymore, so he had commissioned a sophisticated wheelchair to take him wherever he wanted to go.

  As usual, a few, half-naked, female aliens, part of his personal harem, surrounded him.

  “Kenyon, my friend!” Zyrh greeted him effusively. “It’s a pleasure seeing you again. What brings you here?”

  Kenyon chuckled as he shook his head. “Always straight to the point, right, Zyrh?” he said, approaching the other man and shaking his hand, the way he had learned when working with the man.

  “No sense wasting time, my friend,” he replied, though they both knew Zyrh’s species lived longer than anyone cared to count.

  “That’s right,” Kenyon took a seat in front of the man, following Zyrh’s silent instructions and motioned his men to do the same. “I’m sure you’ve guessed the reason I’m here,” he said, with a scowl.

  “It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out,” Zyrh confirmed. “What’s your interest in this cargo of cyborgs?” he asked, showing exactly how much he knew.

  “They are my friends. When they disappeared, I suspected they had been abducted and judging by the rumors, here on Kalyko, I wasn’t wrong,” Kenyon explained.

  “They fell in one of the Sherlaacs’ traps. For trained warriors, they acted a bit too innocently,” Zyrh confirmed Kenyon’s words.

  “I guess they weren’t expecting foul play out there. This is their first encounter with space pirates,” Kenyon retorted.

  Zyrh sighed, as he slid one arm around the waist of one of the female’s, pulling her closer. “I hope you’re not thinking of buying them back,” he said, while he caressed the furry hips of the female.

  “No, that’s out of our reach and too risky. I plan to intercept the Sherlaacs before they get here,” Kenyon confessed.

  “Then, you don’t have much time left. They will be here in less than two planet rotations,” Zyrh informed him. “The only reason they aren’t here already is that Roet had to pick up another cargo he had promised me.”

  “It’s enough time for what I’ve planned. Can you give me his location?” he finally asked the question that had brought them here.

  Zyrh didn’t answer immediately. Kenyon knew he was measuring the consequences of answering his question. “I’ve already paid a great deal of money for that special cargo Roet is bringing me,” he stated, in a cold tone. “I would hate to lose the money, but the truth is I would hate even more to lose the cargo.”

  Kenyon knew Zyrh wouldn’t budge that easily. He was a big shark, probably the biggest around the place and he hadn’t won that position being weak or condescending. “All I’m interested in is my friends. I would bring you your cargo intact,” he assured him.

  “No matter what it is?” Zyrh asked, showing obvious doubt.

  “No matter what it is.” Kenyon knew he was taking a considerable risk here, but if they wanted to get their friends back, they didn’t have many other options.

  Zyrh seemed to consider his words carefully. “Despite the friendship that unites us, I will not allow you to fall back on your word, Kenyon,” he warned him.

  “I’m well aware of that, and I wouldn’t even dream of it,” Kenyon assured him.

  Zyrh nodded. “Don’t leave witnesses behind. You know how vengeful Sherlaacs can be,” he gave him one last warning before he handed him a tracking device. “Go get your friends.”

  Kenyon picked up the device and nodded as he got up. “Thank you. I’ll see you in a few days.”

  Matthew and Steven got up as well, and a few seconds later, they were on their way to their spaceship.

  “Why do I have the feeling you just made a deal with the devil?” Matthew said as they entered the ship.

  “Because that’s exactly what I did.”

  “What if the cargo he’s expecting are human slaves? How can we deliver them to him?” Steven asked, with a deep frown.

  “We don’t have a choice. Remember I told you we cannot save them all? Well, that certainly applies here,” Kenyon stated coldly. “This is the only way we can save our friends from the Sherlaacs, and if to do so, we have to deliver the extra cargo, then, we will. Zyrh can be even more dangerous than all the Sherlaacs joined together.”

  “I still don’t like it,” Steven mumbled.

  “Neither do I, but we don’t have a choice,” Kenyon assured him, as he walked straight to the communications chamber.

  He needed to contact Ethan and let him know what he had found out.

  “Are you sure this is the only way?” Ethan asked after Kenyon explained the whole thing to him.

  “Yes, I am. We couldn’t have found our men without Zyrh’s help.”

  Ethan sighed. “We can’t save them all, I know that.”

  “How far are you from me?” Kenyon asked. Time was running out, and they needed to get their plan ready.

  “I’ll be with you in less than an hour.”

  “Our best chance is to set a trap for the Sherlaacs. They are incapable of resisting easy prey, so I plan to use your vessel as bait for them,” he explained. “You’ll send out a distress signal while my vessel will be camouflaged not far from you. Once they board your vessel, we’ll attack.”

  “That sounds like a good idea, but I wouldn’t like to have the women in the line of fire,” Ethan said, with a frown.

  “I thought of that too. Though Kalyko isn’t the safest place for females, it’s the closest planet, and we don’t have any time to waste. We can take them to the house I have there. As long as they stay in all the time, they should be alright.”

  “You have a house in Kalyko?” Ethan looked surprised.

  “Yes, I lived there for several sun rotations. Hotels do not meet my needs,” he explained. “I guess I should have sold it but never made an effort.”

  “Very well. We’ll take the women there before we attack.”

  The minute Ethan reached Kenyon’s position, he gathered the women in a flying pod and took them to his house on the planet.

  “I still don’t understand why we are being brought here,” Samantha protested.

  “We are going to face some pretty vicious pirates, Samantha. The last thing we need is to worry about your safety,” Kenyon explained.

  “I’m sure we would be safe on your ship. Nevertheless, I understand your point I guess,” she conceded reluctantly.

  “Thank you!” Kenyon replied sarcastically. “Just remember you cannot leave the house under any circumstances. The laws on Kalyko only protect their citizens. You would be a perfect catch for any slaver lucky enough to get his hands on you,” he warned them.

  Neela and the other women nodded. They knew exactly what being a slave meant, and they did not intend to go through it again.

  “We’ll stay inside at all times, I promise,” Samantha assured him, but he still had doubts. His friend could be quite stubborn.

  He left the women at his house with enough food and drink and went back to his vessel. Ethan would stay on his vessel with only three other men while the rest would be on Kenyon’s ship.

  Though Sherlaacs were vicious, they weren’t that smart. Kenyon was counting on that to take them by surprise and attack them. He knew their crew was never too big because they hated to share the profits, so, with luck, they would be able to take them all down with very little damage to them and their vessels.

  The plan worked perfectly.

  They traveled to a location near the Sherlaacs position and sent out the distress signal. They didn’t have to wait long to hear from the Sherlaacs. Roet himself established the communication.

  “What s
eems to be the problem, commander?” he asked, in a smooth tone, as if he meant nothing other than to help a vessel in distress.

  “Thank you for answering our call. We’re having severe engine problems, and there’s no way we can get to the nearest planet. Our flying pods won’t go that far,” Ethan explained, using his best acting skills.

  “My engineers are quite good. Perhaps, they could take a look at your problem,” Roet suggested, with a wide smile on his reptilian face. “If they can’t, I’ll gladly tow you to the nearest planet. We’re not far from Kalyko, my destination.”

  “That would be great, thank you,” Ethan agreed.

  Roet’s smile became even broader. “Perfect. Prepare to be boarded.”

  “Of course.”

  Kenyon had been listening in on the whole conversation. He had scanned the pirate ship and found out the pirates had quite a cargo on board. The vessel was a lot bigger than his or Ethan’s, but it needed a lot fewer men to pilot it. Other than the cargo they were carrying in the vessel’s cargo area, he was only able to identify six Sherlaacs.

  The reptilians’ body composition was a lot different from the other people on the ship, so it wasn’t that hard to determine that. He also discovered where they were keeping the cyborg prisoners.

  Roet seemed very confident in his power because he left the vessel with all of his men. As soon as both vessels were connected, they boarded Ethan’s vessel, fully armed, but with their weapons concealed. After all, their goal was to take as many of Ethan’s men alive.

  Ethan was expecting them, pretending to be ignorant of their true intentions.

  “Thank you for taking the time to help us,” Ethan said, with a fake smile.

  “I’m sure you would do the same for us,” Roet replied, with a devious grin. “What seems to be the problem?”

  “One of our main engines is dead. I usually travel with my engineers, but this time they had to stay behind fixing a problem in one of my other vessels,” Ethan explained.

  “So, you’re traveling with few men?” Roet asked, looking too pleased.

  “Yes, just the minimum crew needed, just three other men and me,” Ethan confirmed.