The Mercenary's Dawn

by L P Peace

  He wanted to get this done in a handful of solars.

  How had she done this? How had she managed to make him care about an issue he had ignored his entire life?

  He would have to talk to his men, though he believed they would support him. What he was thinking of doing would change their way of life. He would have to speak with Dahnus, though he was sure the Amaran Ilan would be eager to help.

  It was the planets under his protection that Thanesh worried about the most. How many would he lose? How many would rebel? It didn’t matter. They needed him more than he needed them. There were plenty of planets out there that would quickly sign up if it meant better protections against slavery.

  Thanesh stepped up his pace as he got closer to the cave, eager to get back to Alethia, who had called him sexy. He smiled at the memory of her embarrassment, whatever she pretended to feel. She was falling for him as quickly as he was falling for her. The thought comforted him. He wasn’t alone in this craziness.

  There were a lot of planets in Protectorate space. He had dismissed many that might be suitable, and there were many more he simply hadn’t discovered yet. He would go through the lists when he returned to the Calaia.

  When he broke into the clearing before the cave. He found Alethia sprawled on the ground, her face exposed to the sun.

  Dropping the animal in the mouth of the cave, Thanesh ran to Alethia, desperately searching for some sign of life. When her chest rose and fell a breath of relief burst from him. But she was hot, her whole body burned under his touch. Picking her up, he carried her into the cave and placed her next to the bag he had dropped earlier. He saw signs of her falling, dragging herself along the ground. Thanesh cursed at himself for leaving her alone.

  Rooting through the bag, he grabbed the med kit and quickly scanned her. Her body was dangerously hot. He looked at the stream. Throwing bag and kit to the edge, he carried her into the water. Sitting, he cradled her in his arms and turned her face to study it. Her lips looked dry, unsure what to do, he grabbed his filter canister and held it to her mouth.

  ‘Alethia.’ His voice was low but firm. ‘Alethia, wake up.’

  After he had called her a few times, her eyes fluttered open. Thanesh poured water down her throat, trusting her body's reflex to swallow. He watched her throat work until she coughed, spluttering, her head lolling, and prayed he wasn’t doing her harm.

  ‘Alethia,’ he called again before she could fall asleep. He poured more water down her throat, repeating the action until the canister was empty, then refilled it.

  He stayed with her, keeping her secure above the water, bathing her peeling face and occasionally waking her to pour water down her throat. They’d been in the water a while when she began shaking. Thanesh realised her body was trying to counter the cooling effect of the water. He pulled the bag a little closer and looked through the med kit. There was one vial of muscle relaxant. Fervently praying he wasn’t seriously vrokking up, Thanesh injected her with a dose and felt her body become even limper than before. He took a deep, shaky breath. The gravity of the planet seemed to have shifted. It was heavier than it had been moments before, making it hard for him to breathe through the crushing force in his chest, which was causing his breathing to come in short, shallow bursts. He realised he was shaking, but it couldn’t be the effort of holding Alethia’s tiny, delicate body; he barely noticed her weight. He tried to pull in a deep breath, but his chest resisted him. He took several long breaths before he began to feel normal.

  Thanesh buried his nose in her hair and consoled himself with the smell of her. He kissed her hair, her head, face and hands. He waited with her in the water for a long time talking to her, whispering his plans to her. He promised her safety and security; medicine and doctors for her people; a future, with him, without him, anything if she would just wake up.

  It was like the night-shadow all over again, except this time he couldn’t tackle it, couldn’t stab it; he couldn’t do anything but wait. Thanesh squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to be patient. Finally, when he was sure it was more counterproductive than helpful, he stood, pulling her from the water and laid her gently on the soft bank.

  Somehow, the body of the animal was still lying in the mouth of the cave. He pulled it frther into the cave, then went outside, finding enough dry moss to make some kind of padding for Alethia to lie on. Roughly, he constructed a bed with the moss and the Thermal blankets.

  He knew to lay her down; he would need to undress and dry her. Kneeling by her side, he looked into her red face and began to carefully undress her.

  ‘I am going to get you through this,’ he promised her. She was dressed in layers. How were humans so valuable if their skin was this delicate and their constitutions this easily overwhelmed? He pulled open the front of her dress, which was asymmetric, like his uniform, noticing the green sheen of the fabric for the first time and smiling at her resourcefulness and ingenuity. The dress reached down to her feet, covering every inith of skin from her neck to her ankles. Thanesh quickly whipped off her shoes and another covering she had underneath. Long, tube-like coverings specifically for the feet and lower legs, they looked homemade. He dropped them in a pile on the floor along with the overcoat and quickly added by the dress. Beneath them, she wore a small covering over her sex. Her small breasts were covered by a vest. Thanesh wanted to leave these on to preserve her modesty, knowing how much it meant to her. He also knew that while they were as wet as they were, they would be sapping what little heat her body was making. He removed them, keeping his eyes firmly on her face. The colour difference between the skin that had been covered, and the burnt skin was startling.

  He grabbed the vest they had been using to cool her face, which was the only piece of material in the cave that was dry. He quickly wiped up the excess water, keeping his eyes, again, firmly on her face, ensuring his skin didn’t touch hers.

  When most of the moisture was gone, he picked her up and carried her over to the makeshift bed. He laid her inside and covered her, using the vest as a pillow.

  That done, he found some sticks and set up a makeshift frame. He built and lit the fire Alethia had begun and placed a smooth rock he found next to the stream in the middle. He hung Alethia’s clothes on the frame, then removed most of his own, leaving only his pants.

  The entire time, he returned to her frequently, checking her temperature, pulse, heart rate. Touching her face and hair to reassure himself she was still with him.

  Standing, Thanesh surveyed the cave. All he had done, all he had to do. Looking at the animal, he realised everything else was done; they just needed food. The animal and the root vegetables. Getting out his knife, Thanesh looked at the animal.

  This was one way to learn survival.

  The voice kept disturbing Alethia, insistent that she drink. As soon as she felt the cold, crisp water hit her lips, she swallowed as much as she could.

  Heat burned her skin. She complained and was moved farther away. Deeper into the black of the cave.

  Woken again, this time for meat and vegetables cut into small, single bites. Alethia chewed a little of the food. Her stomach revolted, but she managed to keep it down. More water. When more meat was held up to her, she protested and was allowed to return to sleep.

  She dreamt of Tessa. The yellow-pink sun rose in a lavender-blue sky. Red and purple forests covered the planet. When the first winter came, snow covered the ground creating a red, purple and white winter land. Her mother cried in the bedroom, her fathers consoling her. When Teyrin spotted her through the ajar door he gave her a hug, told her to play and shut the door firmly behind him. It was only years later Alethia learned her mother lost a half-Huan child. The damage they had wrought on her mother. Alethia hated the Huan.

  She woke in the night to her mother slipping into bed next to her, to hold her. Her mother awoke from nightmares where no Kuyon came and Alethia died at the hands of a monster. Alethia’s dark dreams started shortly after.

  She had a Ualh
a prostitute visit her on Makios’s ship. Dairon would be furious if he found she’d gone to Caras, a space station full of criminals and slavers. Sex was a nightmare that brought pain and death; being a virgin brought out the worst clients. Fearful she would be caught and sold, Alethia divested herself of her virginity with the Ualha. He was kind and attentive. If she hadn’t felt so sick, she might have enjoyed herself. On the colony, she was an anomaly, but how could she be anything else when she heard their stories? All of their stories. They exorcised their past unto her; they carried the physical scars and she helped them bear the emotional scars, but it came with a price. Most things in the galaxy did. Alethia’s virginity wouldn’t be one of them.

  She dreamt she was Sarah, a prostitute at Caras for twelve years. Forced to have sex with clients who weren’t compatible with humans. Raped and butchered by the ‘doctor’ who was treating her. A mixed-daughter sold and no idea where she was.

  She dreamt she was Ann. Forced to take a drug that made her produce a hormone that made sex more pleasurable for her owner. It rearranged her brain but caused a neurological disorder until it caused permanent brain damage. Her master watched her lose herself one memory at a time. Watched her lose her ability to coordinate, to control her muscles and sold her to Alethia in disgust when she couldn’t take the drug anymore.

  She dreamt she was Pete. Forced to work in a mine until his lung damage was so bad he didn’t have the strength to lift even small equipment anymore.

  She dreamt she was Kyle. Worked almost to death in a Tinar workshop.

  She dreamt two Kuyon never made it to the Huan’s home on Veda, and she was shipped to the Ledaan as promised. She dreamt she was her mother, never knowing what her daughter’s fate was. Sold to clients night after night, bearing the children of her owners and their friends.

  She woke crying. Thanesh held her, stroking her back, soothing her. She continued crying until she fell to sleep.

  Thanesh stared into the fire listening to Alethia’s rhythmical breathing. His stomach churned. He wondered if she would remember telling him any of that. He wondered if she would remember crying because she couldn’t get treatment for her people without attracting attention. The names she had spoken were burned into his memory.

  She carried so much guilt for what she couldn’t do. Thanesh had been capable of helping these people for centuries and done nothing.

  He felt numb. Ashamed. He knew he would never be able to go back.

  ‘Alethia, wake up.’ She took a deep breath. By now, she knew the routine. Thanesh would wake her, she would eat, drink and fall back to sleep. Only this time, it felt different. When she opened her eyes, she felt a little better; she felt awake.

  The cave was dimly lit, the figure of Thanesh silhouetted between her and the fire. He moved so that his face became visible in the half-light. He smiled. ’There you are. I worried about you.’

  Alethia croaked a mock gasp. ‘The great High-Protector Thanesh was worried about the little slave girl?’ she joked. His face fell; she immediately regretted her words. ‘I mean—‘

  ‘I worried about you,’ he said again, his face softening.

  ‘Then I’ll shut up and not ruin it.’ Her voice was thin, and her throat felt dry.

  ‘You look better. How do you feel.’

  ‘Naked,’ she said, horror dawning on her.

  ‘I did not look.’ His voice was so solemn that she believed him. ‘Once again. How do you feel?’

  ‘Better.’ She yawned and stretched. Her stomach rumbled in response to her movement. The thermal blanket tried to fall, almost exposing her breasts. Thanesh turned his head away like he’d been slapped. Alethia grabbed the cover, feeling more reassured that he had allowed her some modesty when he undressed her.

  ‘Here.’ Thanesh handed her clothes. She took them from him and he walked away, standing with his back firmly to her; a wall against her and the outside world. She dressed and went to the toilet outside. The sun was rising, so she stayed close to the cave. When she was done, she joined him by the fire.

  ‘It’s so hot,’ she said, holding her hands to her face. ‘But it feels better.’

  ‘I found a topical cream for sunburn in the med kit,’ he said. ‘I am sorry I did not notice it earlier.’

  Alethia nodded. ‘We should have inventoried the med kit when we landed.’ Teyrin would be ashamed of her.

  ‘If I knew human skin was so easily damaged, I would have programmed us to go to another planet.’ He looked genuinely contrite; his eyes were fixed on the fire.

  ‘It’s not a human thing.’ Alethia shook her head. Thanesh looked up at her. ‘Not many humans are born looking like me.’ She held out a strand of white hair, then pulled back the sleeve of her dress to reveal her white skin. ‘It’s an advantage, looking like you for the slave markets. But humans have pigment in their skin, hair and eyes. I have pigment in my eyes, but none in my hair and skin. Pigment reacts to UV to protect the skin.’

  ‘You do not have basic protection for your skin? How do you even get through a rote?’ Alethia laughed. Thanesh didn’t.

  ‘Well.’ She cleared her throat. ‘My fathers found a planet,’ she glanced at him, ‘where the atmosphere filters out more of the UV than is usual.’ He was watching her, but not asking, so she continued. ‘But I still have to wear clothes to cover my whole body and a hat, to protect my face.’

  ‘Where is your hat?’

  ‘With Makios on Esra,’ she pouted. ‘The Huan left it behind when they kidnapped me.’

  ‘Makios? Not Makios Desares, the Kathen smuggler?’ Thanesh’s voice was filled with disbelief.

  Alethia closed her eyes. What the hell was wrong with her? She’d never been so loose-tongued in all her life. ‘Goddammit.’

  ‘You trust that smuggler? You visit slave auctions with that smuggler?’

  ‘Makios is kind, honourable.’ She was stuttering in her anger. ‘He buys half the slaves on the colony and refuses payment for it. He brings us supplies, and a portion of his finds go to us if we can use them.’ She was so angry her brain was refusing to work. ‘I was eight when I met him. He was twelve. I have trusted him with my life since I was sixteen years old,’ she snarled. ‘He’s my oldest, truest friend.’

  ‘He is wanted in multiple systems for smuggling.’

  ‘Because he’s a smuggler,’ Alethia glared at Thanesh. ‘He didn’t want to be a smuggler. His father was a pit fighter who pissed off the wrong people and had trumped-up charges levelled at him. They were going to sell him and his whole family into slavery. Going back to Kathen was out of the question because they’re in the IGC and it was someone at the IGC they’d pissed off, so they went on the run. People do what they have to do to survive, or would you rather every person just gave up and died for your convenience?’

  ‘I have contacts on the IGC. Who did he ‘pissed off’?’

  ‘Piss off,’ Alethia corrected him. She swallowed. It’s not as if he wouldn’t be able to find out on his own. ‘You know the Alidai fighting pit?’

  Thanesh nodded. ‘On Vasa, the Raqhan colony?’

  ‘Yes. The owner at the time sold his slave fighters to people for sex. Makios’s dad was there as a voluntary champion, so he avoided all that.’ Alethia licked her lips. ‘Obviously, they knew about the other side, but Makios’s dad was manoeuvring himself to get enough money and support to buy the place. He was planning on stopping it.’ Alethia shivered. ‘A secret Aavani colony was found. They were raided, enslaved. They tore families apart. Killed some of them. One of them, he was a good fighter. He became friends with Danva, Makios’s dad. A Bentari, their representative to the IGC—’

  ‘Hekalion Dar,’ Thanesh supplied.

  ‘He wanted a big party night with several of the pit fighters there and prostitutes. You can guess the kind of night they had planned.’ Thanesh nodded his understanding.

  ‘Danva was there, working security for the extra coin. They almost killed the Aavani. Danva punched Hekalion and got his friend o
ut of there.’ Alethia grimaced. ‘The next day the Bentari accused Danva of stealing.’

  ‘They escaped,’ Thanesh said.

  Alethia nodded. ‘Danva used the money to buy a ship instead.’ She shrugged. ‘Hekalion had charges brought against him, which meant Danva and Nedya couldn’t return home. They couldn’t get proper jobs, so they resorted to smuggling.’ Alethia shook her head. She couldn’t make it sound good, so why try? ‘I know what he is. Makios is under no illusions as to what he is. But he doesn’t deal in stuff that can harm people. He doesn’t deal in people except to bring them to me or Alidai where they can earn their freedom. Despite what’s happened to him, he’s a good, kind person.’

  Thanesh watched her for a while.

  ‘Oh, why do I even care what you think?’ she said finally. ‘You’ll do whatever you want, believe whatever you want anyway.’

  ‘We do not need to agree,’ he said, ‘or talk about it. I am more concerned about what the sunburn is going to do to your skin.’

  Alethia almost sighed with relief. Then the subject sank in.

  ‘I’ve been so careful my whole life,’ she smiled. ‘It’s all undone on this planet.’

  ‘Tell me,’ he said. He looked intense.

  ‘Cancer. I’ll get skin cancer.’ She swallowed on a dry throat. ‘It means scars. At least it’ll make me less attractive on the slave market,’ she whispered.

  ‘When my people arrive, we will treat you,’ he reassured her. ‘We will prevent it. We will heal the burn to your skin as well.’ The damage would be down to the genetic level. How could they heal that?

  He got out a couple of the root vegetables from the bag and put them on the stone in the centre of the fire. They sat in silence, while Thanesh cooked.