The Mercenary's Dawn

by L P Peace

  Letting out a heavy sigh, Thanesh looked out at the environment around the city. Darkness swallowed the land, the mountains were silhouetted against the dark navy sky and the white sand stood out against the darkness, lit by the city. The air was dry and the scent of food from eating establishments drifted towards him, reminding him he'd neglected to eat while searching for this female. Once again, Thanesh forced himself to put her out of his mind.

  Not all of Esra was desert. There were lush rainforests south of here. Up north, forests covered much of the thin band of temperate climate before the frigid wastes became inhospitable poles. Tinar, as a species, preferred the heat, so tended towards the deserts. The fact was, there was nothing on this world that made it worth coming here. If they hadn't made themselves a central location for slavery, no one would visit; it was too inhospitable. He wondered how the human handled the heat, then growled at himself for bringing her up yet again.

  The only reason he was here was to secure Vidan. Damn the Tinar, though they were relatively wealthy and had resources Thanesh was interested in, he didn't give a vrok about this place or them. It was Vidan. If he could get that planet under his control, he could develop it and apply for IGC membership within twenty solars, sooner if he pushed it. He just needed to establish a home before their itinerant way of life became so deeply ingrained it would be irreversible. With no females and little success in creating off-spring, they needed something to hold them together. They needed an anchor, somewhere to pull them back to during their wanderings.

  Once again, the female's pale face and pink lips swam into his memory. Thanesh sighed and gave in to the inevitable.

  His people had no females.

  The Protectorate were an independent military force. Their personnel were made up of many of the inhabitants of the worlds they protected. But the core of his people was a race without a name, without a home, without females and children, without a future.

  Three hundred solars ago, Thanesh woke up in a military facility on Teralis, the result of experiments. The first hours were a haze of panic, rage and blood which led to a killing spree he still shuddered to think about. He wandered the facility before finding more of his kind. Like recognised like, and even though this time was a blur of imagery, he set his brothers free and together they executed everyone they met.

  Teralis was a scientific facility in Cealin space. The Cealin scientists had made them for a purpose, but neither Thanesh nor his people knew or cared what that purpose was. He only thought of it now because of her. The look of her brought up old anger and long regrets. It brought to mind the oldest problem for Thanesh and his people: the Cealin created no females in their experiments. The males were alone, and though they had been in relationships, there had been only a dozen offspring born in the intervening centuries.

  Thanesh carefully breathed out the sigh that had been building in his chest. The heaviness of it refused to leave him. He needed to find his missing people, he needed to find them a home and somehow, he needed to find them a future. The first was his immediate priority; the second might help bring about the third.

  The Protectorate were warriors. He was proud to call them fearless. They’d fought wars, both in space and on the ground on a hundred hostile worlds. They took mercenary jobs across all sectors of space and faced dangers most races made entertainment vids of but never experienced for themselves. The fact that they were going missing like this, cleanly, without any kind of evidence left behind, disturbed him. He could see it was bothering the males aboard his ship; this is why he had come to Esra on his own. He needed a lead; something that would give them an idea as to who was behind this.

  Thanesh swallowed his frustration before it could grow further. He had to be in control; of himself and of the situation he faced now. The Huan were incompetent, but he couldn’t allow himself to be preoccupied. He couldn’t give them any kind of opening. If their species was good at anything, it was exploiting an opportunity.

  Voices drifted towards him. Thanesh zeroed in on the sound and saw the Huan entering the container yard with his target. One of them was holding onto her, talking to her. As they got closer, his voice drifted towards him. The male complained that she wouldn’t admit her species to him. He was trying to convince her to admit she wasn’t Protectorate, promising to take her away. Thanesh shook his head, his lip curling into a snarl. For a moment, he wanted to reach across the yard and rip the Huan’s hands off her, then crush the male’s windpipe to stop him from ever speaking to her again. Snarling, Thanesh lowered himself to the container roof and consoled himself with the knowledge that the alien would be dead soon. He watched as they approached his position. The one holding her had her gripped by the back of the neck. His long fingers connected at the front of her throat, which forced her head up at an awkward angle as she was forced to walk ahead of him. Her eyelids were hooded over her eyes, and her mouth was pulled into a grimace.

  Lightning coursed through Thanesh’s nerves and thunder rolled in his stomach. He would make him pay for hurting her like this. Not because she was small and delicate and beautiful. No. Because he thought he was holding a female of the Protectorate and this is how he was treating her.

  The other one surged ahead of his brother. His foot triggered the light pulse at the same time as the one holding the human, triggered the stun blast.

  The blind alley filled with bright light and stunning sound. Over the din, he heard her cry out. His first instinct was to open his eyes to ensure she wasn’t hurt. Gritting his teeth, he dismissed the urge and kept his eyes closed against the flash that lit red through his eyelids. The blast and her cries were dimmed by the suppressors he wore to protect his hearing.

  Senses preserved, Thanesh removed the suppressors and, standing, he stepped over the edge of the container and dropped to the ground thirty fenth beneath him.

  The female was lying on her side, moaning. Thanesh picked her up and removed her from the coming fight. Scanning her quickly, he saw a trickle of blood coming from one ear. The tangy smell of it filled his senses, and his cock twitched at the same time as guilt filled him. Setting aside the confusing reactions, he grabbed the chain he’d already secured to the side of the container. He locked the cuff around one delicate wrist and forced himself to turn away from her.

  They were attempting to get back up.

  The one with the pink eyes turned towards Thanesh, recovering faster than he’d anticipated. He saw a nictitating eyelid disappear. It must have closed instinctively and protected him from the worst of the effect. Thanesh growled. Now he knew something about them he hadn’t known before. He would adapt his strategies if he ever found himself up against them again.

  Thanesh pulled out his Adunis sticks, held them to his side and launched.

  The Huan dodged away on unsteady feet allowing Thanesh to catch him on the side of the face with a swing of one stick and crack him around the back of the head with another.

  The Huan fell hard as his brother rose, a snarl erupting from his mouth. Thanesh smiled.

  This was going to be fun.

  Alethia’s sight returned almost immediately. Though for a few moments, all she could see was bright light fading through a spectrum of red until the darkness of the container yard surrounded her. Slowly, her eyes adjusted to the limited light. Her hearing was another matter.

  A loud ringing filled her head and she was sure she could feel a small trickle of blood from her left ear, which had been closest to the source of the sound.

  She was still trying to figure out what was happening when she was lifted by strong arms and carried away. For a moment she thought Makios had found her, then the cuff clicked around her wrist at the same time as the massive figure of Thanesh came into view and turned away from her.

  Alethia looked at the cuff around her wrist and growled with frustration. She pulled on it, examining it as best she could in the shadow of the container.

  The available light framed Thanesh as he moved towards her kidnappers. Fo
r a moment, she was mesmerised by him as he moved across ground, avoiding attacks while the brothers fell to him time and again. He was smooth, fluid, flowing over the ground like water over a rocky stream as he slipped through and around the Huan, to strike and evade at will.

  The Huan were not long for this galaxy.

  That thought spurred Alethia on. Feeling at the collar of her dress, she worked the chip Makios had acquired for her through a small hole. She brought it up to her eye with her left—weaker—hand and willed herself not to drop it. She focused hard on the chip, seeing the small button on the side, which she activated before dropping it onto the electric cuff. The chip flashed red three times before a green, steady light appeared. Smoke rose from the device and, with a crack of light, it went dark.

  The cuff fell open, and Alethia was on her feet a moment later. Her very unsteady feet.

  The containers were arranged in a U-shape with no gap big enough for her to slip through. There was only one way out. She had to avoid Thanesh and the brothers to escape. Hoping they were too preoccupied with each other to notice her, she broke into a run and veered to the left of the fight, steering for a clear area away from swinging sticks and falling Huan.

  As she passed, Thanesh struck out at Venthen. Alethia took no small pleasure in seeing him knocked on his back.

  A moment later, Thanesh grabbed the back of her neck and threw her next to the Huan. She landed on her ass.

  Alethia looked up, confused. Thanesh glanced at her, a satisfied look on his face.

  That fucker!

  She got up. This time when Thanesh reached out for her, she ducked, only to find another hand snake around her waist. He threw her at one of the brothers, using her as an improvised weapon, and knocked the wind from her. The Huan caught her and together they hit the tarmac. Growling, he pushed her off before jumping back up to re-join the fight. Alethia followed him a half-second later and made another dash for the open end of the corridor.

  A hand grabbed her wrist. She yelped, but Thanesh held on, pulling her back into his front. She felt his body jolted three times from strikes before he turned. She saw a stick, A STICK, in his hand. Thanesh swung it in a wide arc until it connected with the Haron’s cheekbone. His pink eyes closed as he hit the ground, hard.

  Venthen ran at them. Using the same stick, Thanesh prodded it into Venthen’s stomach. The Huan shuddered like he was being electrocuted then landed next to his brother.

  Alethia struggled against Thanesh, trying to break away. She could already see what was coming. He had been playing with the brothers; the moment she got loose, he decided to end the fight to prevent her from getting away. Her chance at freedom was slipping. A blade protruded from the top of his stick, doubling its length. Thanesh brought it down on Venthen, piercing his left chest. Then again, a few inches to the right.

  He walked over to Haron, tucking Alethia into his side with a rough pull meant to subdue her and repeated the action. He wiped the blade clean on Haron’s lifeless body. The blade retracted before Thanesh placed the stick back in its clip on his belt.

  His hand slipped to the back of her neck and squeezed her tightly. He moved her until they were facing. They took a long look, each evaluating the other.

  ‘I am impressed. You look like us. No horns and far too small, yet you managed to convince people you are one of us.’

  ‘No one’s ever seen your females,’ Alethia said with far more bravado than she felt. ‘It wasn’t hard.’ Thanesh’s answering huff came with a tight-lipped smile and appraising look.

  ‘Look.’ She licked her lips, his eyes tracking her tongue before it disappeared back into her mouth, making her self-conscious. Her mouth went dry. She licked her lips again, trying to spread what little saliva was in her mouth so that she could make her case. His eyes tracked the path of her tongue once again; he wasn’t making this easy.

  ‘Look,’ she tried again. ‘I haven’t broken any laws. I haven’t hurt you or your people. We’re not even in Protectorate space.’ His piercing pale amber eyes were on hers now. ‘Please let me go. I have people. I have to get back. They’ll be worried for me.’

  ‘Would these people also be profiting from your impersonation of a representative of the Protectorate?’

  Whatever little saliva had been left in Alethia’s mouth fled at the statement.

  ‘What?’ She reached over her shoulder and tried to prise his hand off her neck. ‘That’s what you think? We’re using your people to make money…’ She pulled on his grasp, but it was immovable. ‘Let me go.’

  ‘I do not care the reasons,’ he said, tightening his grip even further and pulling her towards him. ‘You did it. That is all that matters.’

  In one move Thanesh turned her and pushed her in front of him. Panic gripped Alethia. Wherever they were going, she had a feeling she wasn’t going to like it.

  The Huan had chosen an excellent time to make the exchange. There was no one at the port as the High-Protector led her to his ship. It was parked at a different part of the port from where Makios and Deyuul would be.

  ‘Deyuul,’ she whispered, trying to reach out to the powerful telepath yet again.

  ‘What are you saying?’

  ‘You’re hurting me.’ Alethia pulled at her arm, trying to loosen the Protectorate’s grip. He wasn’t hurting her, but she wasn’t about to explain that she was calling out to an Uunda telepath.

  The ship was huge. It must have a crew of twenty, so why had Thanesh come to the container yard alone? It appeared black against the dark tarmac of the spaceport floor. As the platform lowered from the side of the ship, lights came on inside. The airlock hissed open as they approached. The Protectorate pushed her inside and through the hold into the vessel itself. Behind them, she heard the airlock close.

  Though he was guiding her by the back of the neck, he seemed to be avoiding hurting her.

  ‘I’m on the ship now,’ she said. ‘I’m not going anywhere. How about we drop the death grip to my neck?’

  ‘Hmmm.’ When he said nothing else, she figured it was the only answer he was going to offer her and surrendered to the manhandling.

  From the hold, they went down a hall and up some steps. The ship was grey, nondescript and utilitarian. A minute later, they entered a room. Instead of the cell she was expecting, she found herself marched into a Medbay.

  ‘What’s this for?’ She frowned; her body tensed. There was any number of reasons Thanesh could be bringing her in here. Not all of them were good. The worst she could think of was injecting a tracker into her, or worse, medical branding.

  ‘Up.’ He indicated a medical bed, then walked to the side of the room. He opened a cabinet and grabbed something from inside; then turning, he picked up a medspray and inserted it.

  ‘What’s that for?’ She hated that her voice betrayed her nerves.

  The Protectorate looked at her with cold amber eyes.

  ‘Up,’ he instructed.

  Alethia shook her head. ‘Not until you tell me what that’s for.’

  Finishing his task, Thanesh walked towards her until he filled her vision. He reached out to touch her, and Alethia flinched away. He grabbed her upper arm and touched her ear. He showed her his fingers.

  Ah, she thought she’d felt blood.

  ‘This will help,’ he said, holding up the spray.

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘Something for the pain. Something to repair the damage.’

  The Protectorate’s eyes betrayed no hint of emotion. The humour and anger that had been on the screen earlier, while speaking to the Huan, were gone. There was nothing in its place, just a void. She couldn’t tell if she could trust him or not. Making up her mind, Alethia took a step back, shaking her head.

  ‘I’ll live with it.’

  Before she could react, High-Protector Thanesh grabbed her and applied the medspray. She felt it sting through her skin, into her bloodstream.

  ‘Bastard,’ she hissed, trying to break his grip on her.

&nb
sp; When the spray was fully applied, Thanesh let her go.

  ‘Relax, it is as I said.’

  ‘I don’t give a damn.’ Alethia backed away from him, glaring. ‘What is it with aliens and consent? Do you guys even fucking know what that word means?’

  ‘What about being my prisoner makes you think I give a vrok about consent?’

  Alethia felt the blood rush from her face. She took several steps back and looked around the room for something to defend herself with.

  The Protectorate watched her through narrowed eyes for a few moments before understanding dawned on his face.

  ‘I do not mean that,’ he growled.

  Some combination of the way he said it and the way he carried himself; uncomfortable, angry, even disgusted, convinced Alethia he was telling the truth.

  ‘You really should consider the way you phrase things before you talk,’ she snapped.

  He nodded towards a door. ‘Clean yourself up,’ he growled.

  Thanesh marched her to the back of the ship, into his brig. He pushed her inside a cell and closed the door behind her.

  She turned and looked at him through the bars.

  ‘What are you going to do with me?’ Her voice was small, unsure.

  ‘I guess we will both find out,’ Thanesh answered, turning away.

  ‘The Huan told me you’d sell me at tomorrow’s slave market.’ He turned back to the pale human and stared at her for a moment before leaving.

  She’d licked her lips twice. Thanesh cleared his throat to cancel out the groan his body wanted to release every time he thought about it.

  For three centuries, he’d fantasised about the females his creators should have made for them. They all looked like Alethia. The galaxy seemed to have plucked her from his mind, shrunk her to human-size, then manipulated their paths to cross in this time, in this place.

  Thanesh cleared his throat again.