“Father,” she greeted, still feeling some of the tension between them.
“Come. Dinner is about to be served and we have an important guest coming afterward.” He led her toward one of the main halls.
It had been set out with different tables. The family was spread out over the different seats. Pela was guided by her father up to the top table. She felt a few vicious looks on her; in the clan, people were always looking to try to beat one another to get into the higher positions.
She didn’t pay them any attention; if she had, she might have seen the cold smiles on their faces.
“Come, let us drink a toast, to my daughter returned.” Her father procured two cups and handed her one.
Pela smiled as they drank deeply.
“Come on, being outdone by an old man like me? Come on, this wine will change your life!” Her father smiled.
Pela drank all the remaining wine and let out a gasp.
Her father took the cup and checked inside. “You really did drink it all! Seems in the end you come around to reason!” He laughed, putting the cups on the table as Pela frowned at his words.
It wasn’t long afterward that the elders appeared at the main tables.
Everyone stood and bowed in greeting to them. There were only three of them, but they were all close to her father, it seemed, by the way that they interacted.
“You’ve done well to raise a daughter such as this one,” one commented.
“It is understandable that she has a fighting spirit. It has made her very sought after by the men in Fornau.” Another laughed as Pela looked away awkwardly.
“She will bring great merit to our clan and raise us up within the city,” the third said.
“You are all too kind. She is a bit stubborn, but it looks as if the withheld fruit is more powerful than what is given freely,” her father said with a self-deprecating smile.
“The guests are soon to arrive. I hope that you will be able to greet them,” one of the elders said, looking to Pela with a smile.
“Yes, Grand Elder.” Pela bowed to the older man.
He nodded appreciatively and the three grand elders moved to their positions.
Her father quickly moved to her. “All right, nothing must go wrong. We’ll greet the guests by the front door,” her father hastily said in her ear.
She was happy that she had been able to get him recognized by these powerful people. Quickly she moved to the door, hoping to make him proud and increase his favor with the grand elders.
She didn’t have to wait until a set of carriages pulled up. She didn’t see the crests clearly in the darkness of night, but it wasn’t long until a familiar man stepped down from the lead carriage. Her skin crawled as she looked at him.
She also felt a chill and then a warmth spread through her body. Her vision started to swim.
“Gondi, is something wrong?”
“Running diagnostic. You seemed to have ingested a hallucinogenic, which has the effect of making it hard to form words or remain control of your body,” Gondi reported after a few moments. By that time, the man was closer and even in her swimming vision, she could make him out.
The third master of the Holga family, the adulterer Orel.
Pela looked to her father, who gave Orel a welcoming smile.
“Orel, to have a fine man like you as my son-in-law, then I will only be too happy!” Her father clapped the man on the shoulders.
Pela couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She tried to say something, but her mind was swimming.
“Father-in-law is too kind. To be married to a rare beauty such as your daughter can only be every man’s dream!” Orel laughed and looked over to Pela with a cruel light in his eyes.
“Come! Let us start the marriage ceremony, joining our houses!” Her father laughed.
Orel linked his arm around Pela, pulling her into motion as she stumbled forward, barely stopping herself from falling over. Orel kept her upright by strength alone.
“Thought that you would get away from me, Pela? I thought that you were only fruit to be plucked, but as you tried to escape me, I wanted to capture you all the more. The ridiculous lie of becoming a person of the Victor Corporation—did you think any would listen to you? It might be a great price to acquire you, but I will use you up and make you my woman so that no other will want you,” he whispered viciously in her ear. To the others, it looked as if two lovers were talking.
Pela stumbled.
“Oh my dear, watch your step.” Orel laughed good-naturedly as the others laughed in agreement.
It’s not a celebration, it’s a forced wedding ceremony where Orel wants to make me his woman! Pela’s thoughts raced and fear welled up in her.
“Gondi, I need help please!”
Her world was falling apart as her body was even losing normal function.
***
Rachel Donark had only been home once after becoming a merger. Her mother had looked at her new body and although she had been sad at what her daughter lost, she was still her daughter.
Rachel’s family wasn’t rich; in fact, they were rather poor. Still, they had all joined the military to try to defend their home. They’d become a family with a name. The Donarks held; they fought tooth and nail, leading from the front, and the people who followed them respected them.
Their home was still humble, but now it had much more technology add-ons as her brothers and sister had chosen to join the Victor Corporation, either in the military or as civilian contractors.
All of her family still had a home here.
Her brother’s and the neighborhood children all laughed and played around with one another. They kept on checking out Rachel’s Pluto armor that was over in the corner. Rachel would have them come over to her one by one, using her nanites to check on their health and place a seed of healing nanites in them. In case they had a medical emergency, it could help save their lives or alert a medic.
“Brush your teeth, you stinky brat!” she said to the latest one running away.
The adults all laughed as they sat around the fire, drinking wine, talking about this and that and looking up to the stars. Their world had changed so much in the last few years, but still they had one another and could get together with a few drinks and feel like it was fine.
“How they treating you?” one of the older ladies asked.
“Treating her well—she gets her own base and that thing. She’s got the high life.” Her brother pointed at the Pluto armor.
“Shut up, Trav.” Rachel laughed, shaking her head and hitting him in the shoulder.
“He’s just annoyed that his baby sister can beat him up now,” Rachel’s mother said.
“Momma!” Trav complained.
The others laughed and Trav could only sit back, looking up and shaking his head as he drank to the unfairness of it all.
“How’s the Yard?” Rachel asked. Her brother had gone another route but signing up to the Victor Corporation right away and pushing himself. He was one of the first batches to graduate.
“It’s good. We’re busy as hell with everything. Heard that a bunch of mergers are going to be helping us out in the coming weeks, which should really speed things up. That nanite tech is seriously useful.” Trav’s tone turned serious.
“What do you think of the Victor Corp?” Rachel asked.
“What are you, some background checker?” Trav grinned.
“Just want to know my elder brother’s thoughts.”
“They’re good. If it was some other group, from what I’ve learned with my NIAI, we wouldn’t have stood a chance and they would’ve taken over. They’re not trying to be everything in the system and they’re bringing us a lot of jobs and opportunities we haven’t had in the past. I don’t know where it will lead but I’m happy that they’re here and doing what they’re doing. That said, I hope they’re not the only show in the system. Would be nice to have a few more companies, maybe get some more platinum.” Trav winked.
; “Money grubber,” Rachel complained, happy to hear that her brother was doing well and he enjoyed what he was doing.
She was just about to open her mouth when her NIAI interrupted her.
“I know you’re busy, but one of the Victor Corporation personnel in the area is asking for immediate assistance.”
“What did they do?” Rachel was part of the Victor Corporation, so if they were in trouble, as the person on site, it was best if she got with the authorities and relayed the information back to whoever was in charge of the person.
“They’re being forced into a marriage.”
Rachel stood and her expression turned severe. Her suit started to power up.
“Integrate.” Information from the person started to fill her mind.
“I need to go somewhere,” Rachel said. Her suit rushed forward, opening and then closing around her.
“Something wrong?” her brother and everyone asked, in alarm.
“Something in-city—helping a Victor Corporation employee.” With that, her helmet covered her face and she shot upward, throwing dust around.
She looked to the location. It was located inside the city, in the Oina clan compound.
She shot forward. No one saw her before she slammed through a roof, caving it in as she dropped to the ground.
People screamed and dove everywhere as guards started to move toward Rachel.
***
Pela heard the roof coming in as she was just a few feet from the elders’ table. All of them were looking at her and Orel with smiles as she cursed them all inside her heart.
It seemed that there was no one coming.
“Duck.”
Pela had been working with Gondi for months now; she relied on him and listened to him instinctively. It had saved her from being hurt many times in the past.
She went limp and tried to cover herself as much as possible.
Orel’s face turned to one of anger when something massive ripped through the roof of the hall and slammed into the ground.
People were screaming and yelling, running to all corners of the room. The object was moving; its feet could be heard moving through the rubble.
“Pela Oina, Practical Engineer graduate Malazar Skill School with specialization in EVA space maintenance?” The woman’s voice cut through the hall.
Pela tried to make a noise.
“Who the fuck are you? Do you know—” Orel’s voice was cut off by a choking noise.
Pela felt the gravity in the room increase. She pushed herself over, looking at the room.
People were all looking at horror at the Vanguard merger who was holding Orel.
With a flick of her hand, she tossed him to the side. “Wasn’t talking to you, was I, rapist?”
Orel hit the wall with a scream. His legs shattered as he dropped to the floor.
The woman moved to Pela and took a knee.
“This is the Oina clan! How dare you come in here unannounced!” a grand elder yelled as guards started to enter the room.
“Hello. Just going to give you some nanites,” the Vanguard lady said. Nanites appeared on her hand. As she pressed them to the base of Pela’s neck, they ran through her system, clearing her mind.
“Thank you,” she said shakily.
“Who are you!?” The grand elder’s veins popped out as he challenged Rachel.
“Rachel Donark, company warrant officer of the Vanguard, merger, part of the military branch of the Victor Corporation.”
The man seemed as if he were making some connections as Rachel stood.
“Under the Council of Tricticus, all of you here will be charged as an accessory to forced bondage and rape. Also charged with endangering another’s life.” The merger’s words were sharp and perfunctory. “Don’t worry—I’ve already recorded all of your identities. Don’t try running. We’ll find you. We control the heavens, after all. Now, Pela, shall we get out of here?” Rachel yelled.
“We are one of the governing clans of Fornau!” a grand elder yelled. It seemed like to all of them that Pela’s connections were much more than what they had thought. Many showed regret. If they had remained amicable, then what benefits might they have gained?
Rachel chuckled. “Not for long.” Her voice made those in the room shiver as Rachel helped Pela to her feet.
“Guards!” The elder’s voice had an almost cocky tone to it. The guards pointed their weapons at Pela and Rachel.
Rachel paused her steps.
“This is the clan of Oina. What we do is not the business of outsiders.” He sneered.
“Well, fucker, she’s Victor Corporation.” Rachel’s M20s snapped up along her arms. As she waved them from her back to her front, they fired so fast they seemed to be one.
“Ah shit, looks like you don’t have any more guards. My bad.” Rachel’s tone was still playful as the elder’s face paled. All the guards had been hit by the rounds with so much force that the water in their bodies had turned to gas and caused them to explode.
Pela was alarmed. She had heard of the mergers’ ability to fight and the Vanguard were reapers on the battlefield. Now that she saw this woman kill thirty people in less than a split second, her aiming and control so precise that she only hit the guards and nothing else, it made her mind go numb. Death was normal to someone from the clans and those who had lived through the Maraukians.
“Shall we, Pela?” Rachel asked.
“Please.” Pela walked out with Rachel into the darkness of the night.
“Let’s get your gear back,” Rachel said.
With Rachel leading the way, no one got in their way. Pela heard the sound of ships whistling through the air just a few minutes later as no less than five drop-ships cordoned off the Oina clan compound. Troopers and people from the Tricticus council dropped on cables, and moved to seal off the compound.
Pela grabbed her clothes in numb shock at what had happened. She found her mother, with most of the items littered about.
“Pela—” her mother said.
“You’re no mother of mine,” Pela said.
“Don’t say—”
“Fuck you. My life is my own. I’m no Oina, anymore. I’m a Nault,” Pela said. Nault was the last name given to those raised in Fornau by the orphanages.
Pela ripped away her gear and stuffed it into the duffel bag.
Her mother tried to step close to her when Rachel directly walked through the wall.
“Stand back. Hasn’t she made it clear she doesn’t want anything to do with someone as twisted as you?” Rachel’s disgust was clear as Pela cleared up the last of her gear and left the room.
“Pela!” her mother yelled out. It seemed as though she were crying, but Pela didn’t care. Toward her family, she felt nothing but anger.
They exited the compound, meeting with the representatives of the council and the troopers who had been on quick reaction from the station.
Rachel talked to them as the city guard arrived, coming under the command of the council members.
The troopers were backup as the council members grimly marched in to dole out arrests.
Rachel turned to Pela and pulled off her helmet. “Want some food? My mother makes some mean soup.” Rachel smiled.
“Thanks.” Pela was struck by how different Rachel was compared to the warrior princess inside the hall.
“No worries!” Rachel grabbed Pela’s bag. “Bit of a walk from here. What do you do? Other than all of the titles?”
“I, uh, don’t know,” Pela said, a bit caught off by the question as they walked away. Rachel was a calming presence, like an older sister who didn’t seemed to worry about the world around her.
“Well, isn’t that something you should know?” Rachel joked, looking at Pela.
“I just graduated. I was coming here for a celebration. I thought that they wanted to congratulate me, not marry me off to that pig.” Pela’s fists balled together, wishing that she could get a few hits in on Orel.
“So what do you want
to do?” Rachel led them farther from the center of the city and toward the outside.
“Something far from here, something where people need me and I can rely on others. Something near my friend working in the refinery station,” Pela said.
“Well, you want to work in the refinery?”
“Nah.” Pela shook her head.
“What about with the miners?”
Pela was silent for a long time as she thought it over. Rachel looked back but continued going, letting her mull it over.
It seemed to have struck a chord with Pela.
“Are you related to the Donark family?” Pela asked finally. She had heard of the Donark family, who had become a bulwark and wall for Fornau.
“Yeah, that’s my bunch,” Rachel said with a laugh and smile.
Pela’s heart dropped, wishing she would look like that when thinking of her family.
“Just wait till you meet Momma Donark.” Rachel patted her shoulders.
It was kind of awkward with how tall Rachel was.
Pela smiled up at Rachel.
As they walked, Pela found that being a miner sounded like a good idea. She used Gondi, and applied to be a maintenance engineer on one of the mining teams.
She would need to go through a time of adjustment with the teams to make sure that she fit and then time to adjust to the job; then she could be working by herself.
It was a new adventure and it made her feel good to be as far from her family as possible.
They entered a square where there were kids playing around a tree. There was a fire in the middle of the area with some people making food, others watching a movie projected on a wall and others drinking wine around the fire.
“Where’d you go?” a man’s voice called out.
“Brought a guest. Pela, meet my family.” Rachel looked to an older-looking lady.
“Momma, this is Pela. Pela, Momma,” Rachel said, doing the introductions.
“It’s good to meet you, Pela.” Momma Donark’s smile brought crinkles out near her eyes.
“If you want, you can stay here. You’ll be safe. I don’t need that much sleep, after all. Otherwise, I can get you on a ride back to the station with the troopers,” Rachel said.
Enemies on All Sides (Maraukian War Book 4) Page 25