by Petra Landon
Saakshi nodded thoughtfully. He made perfect sense. The Juntafeyore was a ship whose main mission was to fight. And now she knew that whatever plans for her Zoran came up with, it wouldn’t involve staying on the ship with him.
Later that night, Saakshi lay held within the crook of Zoran’s arm and wedged against his body. She felt drowsy after a busy day at Pik’s, aided by the soothing motion of his finger drawing gentle circles on her hip. Her eyes closed languidly, and she’d almost drifted off to sleep when she felt a careful nudge turn her over. She ended up on her stomach with her hands splayed up over her with her eyes still closed.
Gentle fingers swept her hair off her neck as warm lips pressed soft kisses on her nape and shoulders. She felt a delicate touch on the puckered scar of her prison implant. Saakshi flinched involuntarily as she felt his fingers probe carefully around the scar.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to hurt you” he apologized softly with regret.
“You didn’t. The scar doesn’t hurt anymore” she assured him. “It looks a lot worse than it feels.”
“I felt you flinch.”
“It’s involuntary” she said slowly. “My body flinches whenever it remembers the pain of the implant being put in.”
There was appalled silence for a few seconds.
“Let me guess, the Ketaari decided to forego the use of easily available localized pain- killer that would’ve saved their Budheya prisoners unnecessary agony” he spat out, his outrage and disgust obvious.
Saakshi said nothing. There was nothing to say.
“Those Ketaari are serious &%$#*&^%” he snarled, the last words guttural and not translatable, especially since she was naked and not wearing her translator device.
Saakshi tried to flip onto her back, compelled by an urge to soothe her mercenary. She was gently nudged back to her original position.
In a few moments, he was back to bestowing soft kisses and feather-light touches on her back, though he steered clear of the implant.
“I’m going to find a way to get that implant out of you and inject a little Body Tissue Regrowth Agent to fix the scar” he allowed his fingers to trail delicately down her spine.
“Hmm” Saakshi murmured, the whisper-soft touches and the warmth radiating from his body lulling her to sleep.
“Did the Ketaari put anything else in your body, in addition to the shoulder implant and ownership bracelet?” he asked.
Saakshi roused herself reluctantly from the simple bliss of his touch.
“I don’t think so, but I wouldn’t bet my life on it. They could’ve put something else in when I was asleep.”
“We have a pretty sophisticated Remote Communicable Device (RCD) Scanner on the ship. I’ll make the arrangements to have you scanned tomorrow evening. If we detect any more devices embedded in you, we should be able to neutralize them easily, though extracting them might have to wait until I can get you access to more sophisticated equipment. Alright?”
“Yes” she acquiesced softly.
He was silent for a few more minutes, stroking and exploring the dips and turns on her back before he spoke again.
“I have some contacts deep in the Empire. I’m going to ask them to keep an eye on your prison contract and let me know if there’s any activity, however insignificant, on it. I might not be able to stop your contract from being revoked, but I can make sure you’re not here on the station when they come for you. Tomorrow, I’m going to ask Pik for details about his contract on you with the Imperial Forces. I’m sure he’ll comply, since he’s the one who warned you about the threat in the first place and suggested that you come to me. Is that all right with you?” he asked her, his tone sober.
“That’s fine” she said quietly.
“I might have a plan to get you off this station. But first, I want you to answer one query for me.”
“Hmm?” she asked softly.
“If Ghesh hadn’t come after you, were you planning to rejoin the resistance after your prison term was up?” he inquired.
“Yes” she agreed promptly. “But if I run before my term is up, I will not go back to the rebels. It would bring too much attention and trouble down on them if I’m wanted by the Empire.”
“It would, yes” he agreed. “So, I’m guessing you’d be amenable if I found a role for you that keeps you safe from the Empire but still allows you to help the rebels?”
“That sounds almost too good to be true, Zoran” Saakshi said wonderingly. “I never dared to dream of escaping the Ketaari, let alone helping the rebels if I was a fugitive from the Empire.”
“I have a plan, but it needs certain things to be set in place before I can execute it. I’d anticipated having more time when I set things in motion, but circumstances have changed now. I can’t tell you anything yet. But you’ll be safe.”
“Okay” Saakshi agreed without hesitation.
“You won’t regret it, tseriya” he promised with a soft kiss on her back.
The soft kisses continued, his fingers trailing delicately over her back. Saakshi closed her eyes again. The kisses became progressively more urgent and the fingers more insistent. The heat radiating from his body seemed to sear her where their skins brushed up against each other. Her hips wriggled in languid and unconscious invitation to the attentive male hovering over her. He produced a pillow to tuck it under her before draping her hips carefully over it to his satisfaction. Saakshi roused herself to raise a drowsy protest when a hard knee nudged her thighs apart. His big body settled over her back, his weight on hands braced against the bed on either side of her. She felt enveloped by the hard, smooth and warm body over her, his damp lips and warm breath on her neck sending shivers down her body. Then her eyes snapped open abruptly, her body awakened unceremoniously from its dreamy state of almost slumber by the feel of him poised demandingly at her feminine entrance.
“What …” she muttered incoherently, attempting to disengage her neck from his insistent kisses to turn her head and glare at him. Hadn’t she already satisfied him for the night, she wondered bemusedly in sleepy astonishment.
“Tseriya, I want you again” he cajoled, rubbing himself sensuously against her.
“Hmmph” she groaned softly as the head slipped into her easily and he began the slow and somewhat familiar dance of trying to fit himself in her. She decided to let the male have her again. He had, after all, been deprived for a few days. Her body moved languorously under him, aroused out of her slumber. He reared up a little, muscles bunching to reach for her. One large palm cupped her under her stomach, his splayed hand holding her steady for him, as he seated himself in her with a single thrust.
“Alright, tseriya?” he asked with the scratchy quality in his voice she loved so much.
She moaned softly in response, her body squirming under him. Zoran took that as a signal that his tseriya was just fine, and proceeded to take her again, to their mutual enjoyment.
The morning started promisingly with Zoran waking her up early to cajole her into loving him again. Saakshi participated enthusiastically once she was fully awake, and then went right back to sleep with a muttered comment about insatiable males. Zoran sauntered off to the bathing enclosure with a satisfied smile on his lips. He headed out to put in a few hours of work, after making sure that she was all cozy in his bed. She needed her sleep after he’d kept her up a good part of the night. The dark circles under her eyes had lessened just a tad to his critical gaze. But Zoran was determined to banish them completely. He returned a few hours later to rouse her adorably rumpled body off to the shower. Zoran brewed her a cup of coffa and they broke their fast companionably together, Saakshi relaxing in the big fluffy robe.
“You’re scheduled for the RCD scanner tonight after work. I need to make an appearance at an event on the ship tonight. It will be for an hour at most. Would you like to come with me?” he asked.
Saakshi glanced up from her meal in surprise.
“You have parties on this ship? I thought it was a warship.”
“It is” Zoran acknowledged with a smile “But we do throw parties for special celebrations when the ship is in downtime for recreation.”
“Thank you. I’d like that” she responded, a little shyly.
After breakfast, he gave her a tour of the ship. It was magnificent and sleek though, in Saakshi’s eyes, almost too luxurious to be a warship.
Zoran smiled when she told him that.
“A Keeyori trader with more money than brains had it custom built for him. He desired to command a warship but also wanted to indulge his expensive tastes. We keep updating it with state of the art weaponry every six months. I’m a firm believer in technology as a superior weapon over brute strength. We have the latter in plenty too, but knowing that you have the heavy arsenal to back up your fighting skills always gives you a significant advantage in battle.”
She was curious to know how he’d acquired the ship but didn’t feel comfortable asking him that question yet.
“I want you to know that I’ve activated the ship’s entry sensors and only IDs on the access list can now gain entry on to the ship. You are on the access list. I’d rather not have you on the station without an escort unless you’re at Pik’s, so feel free to explore the ship in your free time. You’ll meet many of the shipmates tonight, and hopefully won’t feel too much of a stranger on this ship.”
Saakshi thanked him again, absolutely disarmed by him. The male did have a knack for surprising her with his considerate behavior.
Eight
For the next few days, Saakshi’s life settled into a pattern. She worked two shifts at Pik’s and spent the rest of her time on Zoran’s starship. He made sure to brew coffa for her every morning, though sometimes he was too busy to spend any part of the morning with her. Zoran would wait to partake the last meal of the day with Saakshi after her late shift at Pik’s, and would always insist that she spend the night in his chamber. Saakshi spent her leisure time exploring the Juntafeyore, eagerly devouring the ship’s data store of information on Quadrant Five – the various races and their history, the diverse worlds and their geography and other interesting information and space phenomenon she unearthed.
The second evening after Zoran’s return to the Trade Sphere, he had her scanned by the ship’s RCD Scanner. It led to the discovery of an implant in her upper thigh in addition to the implant in her shoulder. The ship’s Medic, a wiry male of a species Zoran told her was called Lopordian, had promised to work on programming the Scanner to disable the communication capabilities of both her implants. This way, they would be rendered ineffective for remote activation. Zoran was determined that eventually, the implants would be surgically removed altogether from her body.
For Saakshi, one aspect of the time she spent on Keeyor 9 had undergone a transformation. Since Zoran’s return to the station, usually two and sometimes larger groups of Hadari’Kor mercs could be found drinking at Pik’s during her work hours. They sauntered in halfway through her first shift and stayed till the end, when Zoran showed up to escort her to his ship. The night she had accompanied Zoran to his ship’s celebration, a few of the mercs had come up to her to thank her earnestly for their Captain’s generosity. They were grateful to be tasked by the Captain to hang around Pik’s and drink copious amounts of whatever ale caught their fancy. Jolar, witness to the conversation and the resulting gamut of expressions on Saakshi’s face, had burst into loud guffaws of laughter that had everyone glancing at them curiously. She had been introduced to some of the shipmates at the event. Most attendees at the celebration had been polite, though clearly curious about her. Saakshi had silently noted the respect his mercs accorded their Captain. Jolar, who she now knew was his Second-in-Command, was the only one who dared to tease Zoran on occasion. And usually, only in her presence.
The Ketaari Unta-Golar made no further appearances at Pik’s, or came anywhere near Saakshi during her time on the station. On the third day after Zoran’s return, two of the Unta-Golar’s Ketaari companions, from the day Jolar had confronted him, paid a visit to Pik’s. They seared her with vicious looks but didn’t dare approach her, probably leery of the group of Zoran’s mercs who lounged at one of the tables, drinking ale and staring aggressively at the Ketaari. That evening, as Saakshi walked to the ship accompanied by Zoran, the throngs on the walkways made haste to get out of their way. His aggressive stance and intimidating stare usually cleared a path through the crowds, but this seemed different. People seemed to be scuttling away from them, almost as if word had spread around the station that Zoran was on the war path. Saakshi contemplated him speculatively, wondering what had precipitated this. Zoran’s response to her question was to shrug disinterestedly. It was Pik, on one of his rare appearances the next day, who enlightened her about the general fear of Zoran and the Hadari’Kor currently pervading the station.
“Saakshi Budheya” he’d hailed her in full audible range of the patrons congregated in the open seating area. “You’ve done well with your HadKor Captain.”
She’d glanced at him inquiringly, flushed by the openly curious glances from several patrons and the other server girl.
“I hear that he cornered that Ketaari commander harassing you to administer a very brutal and public beating on the lower ring a few days ago with a large crowd of spectators. This station has been newly reminded of the savagery the HadKor are capable of when crossed.”
Saakshi had gasped at Pik’s words. Ring One was the level to avoid on the station due to the unsavory nature of its businesses and their patrons. It also implied that the beating would have been very public indeed, for spectators on the upper rings would have had an easy view due to the spherical design of the station.
“Word is that your Ketaari commander was taken to the station’s Medic Bay. And that the nature of his injuries indicate that he will need a decent stay there before he heals, even with access to their advanced medic tech” Pik had reported, almost gleefully.
“He’s not my Ketaari commander” Saakshi had gasped out inconsequentially, reeling at this new turn of events.
“Apparently, his Ketaari entourage attempted to interfere before sensibly deciding on self-preservation after one look at the Captain’s face. Your Hadkor had a couple of his mercs assigned to crowd control. They held back the spectators to give him a wide enough clearing on the crowded level” Pik had laughed with genuine amusement.
When she had broached the subject with Zoran after their evening meal, he’d seemed surprised by her words.
“I warned the Ketaari that I would break every bone in his body if he touched you again, and I always keep my promises” he had replied, nonplussed by all the fuss. “I wasn’t about to let that murtobak get away with hurting you” he’d added flatly, his eyes on her slowly fading bruise. She had refused the ship Medic’s offer to treat the surface contusion, and Zoran had not pressed her.
Then, he’d distracted her with a swift and urgent kiss, followed by a slower and more thorough one that had ended with them both being completely distracted from such mundane matters.
Saakshi’s heart hummed with a quiet happiness that she savored to guard jealously. For the first time in her life, she also felt hopeful of the future. A future that promised more than before. Before, her singular goal had been to survive her imprisonment at the hands of the Imperial Forces. Now, Saakshi found herself dreaming of more. Of a life in the future not merely to be endured under the brutal Ketaari while eking out an existence on Budheyasta with the occasional small victories against the occupiers of their land. Her worries about the future had been inexplicably lessened, her concerns mostly allayed by Zoran’s pledge that she would never again find herself under the control of the Ketaari Empire.
Six days later, everything came crashing down. Having partaken of their evening meal together, Saakshi walked into the chamber, enveloped in the huge fluffy robe she’d adopted, fresh from a piping hot hydro shower. Zoran, busy working on his tablet, glanced up with a smile at her entrance.
�
�I have something for you” he gestured at the bed. “It was given to me a long time ago by a Terilian trader in payment for services rendered. It’s made of the finest Terilian silk. I had it specially sized for you. I hope you like it.”
A silky blue ensemble lay pooled on the bed, its bright indigo color contrasting with the red-hued tones of the piliken coverlet. Saakshi moved towards it, as if in a trance. The dress was light as a feather, soft to the touch and gorgeous, with barely-there sleeves and matching sandals wrapped neatly in a bag – the kind that ladies dressed in to go out to a fancy meal or event. Fitted at the waist, it fell in simple folds to the ankle. Deceptively simple and beautifully cut, delicate hand-crafted embroidery bordered the neckline and hems. It felt like the softest piliken to the touch, yet the floaty skirts were light as air. The gossamer gown was the single-most expensive article Saakshi had been privileged to caress in her life, and her heart sank inexorably at the knowledge.
“I can’t” her voice wobbled as she fought inexplicable tears.
She sensed him get up slowly to move towards her.
“Why not?” he inquired tersely.
“It’s too expensive. I’d ... I’d feel like a kept female” she replied, throat choked with tears.
There was an instant of horrible silence. Then Zoran spoke, enunciating his words with deliberate precision.
“Have I ever treated you like a kept female?” he inquired coldly, a thread of hurt in his voice that came through, despite the brusqueness. Saakshi would undoubtedly have picked up on it if she weren’t so busy fighting back her own tears.
Shame sliced through her at his words. Zoran had never asked for anything or expected anything of her. Even the bargain between them had been struck at her instigation. A bargain that he had more than lived up to, beyond her wildest expectations. She had asked him for protection from the Unta-Golar. But he had given her so much more. From their very first meeting, when he’d conjured a suppressor device on short notice to enable her to meet with him on his ship without an audience, Zoran had always tried to smooth her path for her.