The Mercenary's Dawn

by L P Peace

  Picking up his chair, Thanesh sat and turned to his screen, trying to force himself back to work. After a minute, he gave up, it was no good; he was either wondering about the face or thinking about Alethia.

  Alethia was as protective of her people, as he was of her. It was something he’d never be able to change about her, not that he wanted to. However, in taking care of strangers, she had lost a piece of herself, and Thanesh wanted to be the one to help her find it again. He wanted to be who she turned to when she needed someone. He admired her strength and courage, but he wanted to be the place where she didn’t need to be strong. He wanted to build a world where she didn’t need to survive but could thrive.

  He wanted to be near her; it was all he could think about. But right now, he needed to be High-Protector Thanesh.

  Pushing all other thoughts aside, Thanesh got back to his reports.

  Calaia, Thanesh’s ship, was decorated in black and grey, with an occasional small accent of turquoise. Alethia’s mother had often used a word ‘spartan’ to describe austere things, and Alethia believed her mother would use this word to describe the ship. Medbay was mostly grey. There were several beds, each of which could be adjusted in height to accommodate different races, human didn’t seem to be among them. A workstation sat beside each bed, with screens where staff could monitor their patients. Tevin, the chief medic, attended Alethia while a Kuyon crewmember stood over her, projecting an air of disapproval. Thanesh had gone off to be the High-Protector. Despite the Kuyon’s glare, his presence reminded her of her fathers and brother and was comforting for her.

  ‘I can repair the immediate damage to your skin now,’ Tevin said, walking to her. ‘That will soothe the burn and take care of the pain. Though it will be a rote or two before you notice any lessening to the redness of your skin. I will take that time to design a course of treatment that will take care of the genetic damage.’

  ‘Can you do that?’

  Tevin’s face was earnest when he looked at her. ‘I have never treated this kind of damage on one of your race before,’ he admitted. ‘It may take some time to get the treatment right, but we will get there.’

  Alethia swallowed. ‘There’s a woman on my colony, her previous owner forced her to take Kuldesa.’

  Tevin pulled in a sharp breath. ‘How bad?’

  ‘She needs help to walk, eat, do other basic functions.’ She glanced at the Kuyon, a troubled look appeared on his face.

  ‘If I could be allowed to examine her, I am sure I can design a course of treatment that would help her.’

  After leaving the ship’s Medbay, the Kuyon brought Alethia to a guest suite.

  ‘What does Kuldesa do?’ He stood at the door, waiting to leave.

  ‘It makes human brains produce a hormone that makes sex very pleasurable to the male, but it also rearranges the brain and causes severe brain damage.’

  ‘He did that to her on purpose?’ The Kuyon shook his head, denial in his eyes. ‘He couldn’t have known.’

  Alethia sighed. ‘She was the third human he’d done it too. The others died. He wanted to reclaim some of his money when he sold Ann to me. He knew exactly what it did.’

  The horrified look on the Kuyon’s face was still there when he left a few moments later. As the door closed, she turned her thoughts to the small room. This room was exactly the same as the rest of the ship. There was a large double bed with Black and Turquoise bedding lay in a neat bundle at the end, a desk with a chair and a viewscreen. She went through the door that led to the facilities. They were an upgrade from the ones on Invictus, but pretty standard across ships.

  The whole thing was that word again. Spartan.

  After making the bed, Alethia took the time to examine her face in the mirror. Already it was looking and feeling better. Tevin had done an excellent job and listened attentively while she explained what little she knew of her condition. Unfortunately, her mother hadn’t known she was carrying an albino when she was kidnapped from Earth space.

  Alethia walked over to the bed and sat down, crossing her legs under her. Despite what Thanesh said on the planet, she still couldn’t figure out if she was a prisoner or not. She wasn’t in the brig, and they had one; she’d asked. But her movements were restricted. Moreover, she’d seen no sign of Thanesh since he’d left her at Medbay so she couldn’t even ask him what was going on.

  The doors slid open, and the second tallest male she had ever seen walked in. He looked Protectorate, but his skin was a mottled tapestry of black and white. His hair and horns were white and his eyes Turquoise, but they held a luminosity to them that Alethia recognised instantly. That, along with the black patches of skin, identified him as part-Inadiine.

  The Inadiine were known for their black skin, white hair and luminous eyes. They were tall, like the Protectorate. He had the familiar Inadiine V-shaped bone ridge on his forehead that drew the eye up towards his horns, which gave him the impression of even greater height. The brow ridges and his high cheekbones framed his wide eyes and slender nose, which sat atop his lips. Despite his unusual colouring, he was very handsome.

  Inadiine were also known for their weapons and armour technology, which Alethia realised that Thanesh was carrying a variant of it. The Inadiine were early signatories to the Protectorate. She wondered if access to their technology was the entry price. If that were the case, what did her little colony have to offer that the Protectorate couldn’t just take? It was, after all, their world.

  He strode into the room with his big eyes and a big grin.

  ‘I am Dak. I have been assigned to take care of you during your stay with us.’ He was carrying a tray of food.

  ‘You’re half-Inadiine.’ It wasn’t a question.

  He nodded in acknowledgement.

  ‘Are you one of the hybrids?’

  Dak smiled and nodded.

  ‘Are there really only twelve of you?’ Alethia shook her head. ‘Sorry, I’m not doubting Thanesh. It’s just that I’m curious.’

  ‘I understand. Here or at the desk?’ Dak smiled. He lowered the tray in front of her

  Alethia looked at the contents of the tray. It seemed to be mostly a tasting platter of some kind, meaning finger food.

  ‘Here, please,’ she said, taking the cup and smelling at the contents. It was some kind of tea. A sip confirmed that it was sweet tai and something spicy. Though it wasn’t as nice as her homemade tabin and sweet tai tea, it was decent.

  ‘So, what are the rules? Are you allowed to talk to the prisoner?’

  ‘Are you a prisoner?’ Dak asked. His head tilted to the side like he was genuinely interested in hearing her answer. Alethia shrugged, denying him the pleasure.

  ‘My instructions are to make sure you’re comfortable. Make sure you’re fed and watered. Make sure you get to all of your medic appointments on time.’ He had an assessing look on his face. ‘I do not remember anyone giving me restrictions on my interactions with you. I believe that means I can talk.’ Dak grabbed the seat at the desk behind him and without looking, spun it around and, sat down. He placed one ankle placed over the knee of the other leg and looked at her expectantly.

  Alethia ate her food in silence while the two of them watched each other. When she was done, she took another drink of the tea and placed it down on the tray.

  His legs were so long that his knees poked up into the air. Alethia had tried sitting in the chair when she first entered the room. She had difficulty climbing on it and her legs were nowhere near the floor.

  ‘How tall are you?’

  ‘Ah, I am half a fenth taller than Thanesh,’ he grinned. ‘Though Korren, my brother, is taller than me and bigger.’ He moved his arms out to the side of him to suggest bulk. ‘I inherited the height and built of our mother. He inherited the height, but the build of our father.’

  Alethia nodded. She had met Korren down on the planet when they had been rescued.

  ‘So how old are you?’

  ‘I am twenty-five.’

 
‘Oh,’ she said, surprised. ‘I thought you’d be a hundred at least.’

  Dak shook his head, smiling.

  ‘Well, Thanesh is three hundred solars old.,’ she pointed out for context. ‘So, what do you do here?’

  ‘Con officer. Run-around. Personal assistant for the mighty-and-High-Protector Thanesh.’ As he spoke, the door opened.

  ‘The-mighty-and-High-Protector Thanesh,’ Thanesh said as he entered the room. ‘I like that title. I should make it formal.’

  Dak stood to attention. With a small nod, Thanesh allowed him to relax.

  Spinning the seat to its original position, Dak showed no embarrassment or distress at Thanesh having heard him.

  ‘You are mistaken, Alethia. He is not arrogant.’

  Alethia closed her eyes and shook her head. She looked at Thanesh, who had an indulgent smile on his face as he looked at the hybrid.

  ‘Is this what you put up with all the time?’

  ‘Yes,’ Thanesh replied.

  ‘My deepest sympathies.’

  ‘Bridge.’ He indicated the door with a nod of his head.

  ‘Yes, sir,’ Dak saluted. He bowed at Alethia.

  ‘A pleasure.’ He smiled and walked away with the dignity of a bridge officer.

  Thanesh and Alethia stared after him for a moment, then looked at each other smiling.

  ‘He’s interesting,’ she said, indicating the door Dak had just exited through.

  ‘That is an understatement.’ Thanesh pushed off the wall and approached her. Stalking across the room like a large predator. He stopped at the end of the bed and looked at the tray of food.

  ‘I asked for a tasting platter so we can find out the sort of foods you like. I hope you like it.’

  Alethia nodded, unsure what to say.

  ‘Just let Dak know what you like and do not like,’ he said when the silence continued on. ‘He will be able to start coordinating proper meals that way.’

  Alethia nodded again.

  ‘Why do you not talk?’ He seemed nervous.

  ‘I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.’

  Thanesh looked confused for a moment before he seemed to realise what she meant. ‘There are some questions that will need to be answered—‘

  ‘I’m not telling you where Tessa is,’ she declared. Though Tevin’s words about treating Ann haunted her since Medbay. If Alethia could trust Thanesh, if he did what he claimed he wanted to do, there would be help for Ann. There would be help for everyone carrying the consequences of their previous owner’s actions. But Ann, she was so young. She didn’t deserve what the Nemari did to her.

  ‘Alethia, I am not lying to you. I understand your position, your history. You do not trust me. I know the time will come when you will. There must come a time when you start to make concessions.’

  She opened her mouth.

  ‘I know you will not give me Tessa’s location now. I will wait for your trust. I am very old, Alethia. I have a lot of patience.’

  ‘So, what do you want to know then?’

  ‘I want you to tell me everything you know about The Violation.’

  Alethia shook her head. ‘I’ve already told you everything I know.’

  ‘There must be more,’ he said. There was a desperate edge to his voice.

  ‘There must be,’ she agreed. ‘But I was born out here. On a slave ship in space. My mum told me some stuff but talking about Earth was painful for her. She told me things, explained some things, but I’ve had no context or reference for my whole life. I’ve forgotten a lot of it because it wasn’t relevant to living out here.’

  Thanesh nodded his understanding, disappointment on his face. ‘What about the exact timeline?’

  ‘Three hundred years. But it’s been three hundred years since I was a child.’

  ‘How does that translate to galactic standard?’

  Alethia shrugged. ‘You’d be better off talking to a human with experience about that.’

  ‘Very well.’ Thanesh licked his lips, he looked at the floor before finding her again. ‘What can you tell me about Makios Desares’s operation?’

  ‘Erm.’ Alethia looked around the room, feeling a spark of mischief. ‘It was painful. It was on his knee. It took him out of the fight pits.’

  ‘You know what I mean, Alethia,’ Thanesh snapped, though there was a smile on his face. ‘I mean his smuggling operation.’

  Alethia shrugged again. ‘You’ll have to ask him.’

  ‘You are loyal.’ He looked pleased by this.

  ‘To those who are loyal to me, or who I protect, yes.’ His pleasure annoyed her, though her answer made him grin wider.

  ‘You will see my loyalty,’ he promised. ‘It is good to know I will receive yours in return.’

  His confidence that she would be his annoyed her; it also drew her to him. She could feel it happening, one confident sentence, one maddening smile at a time.

  ‘Is your brother involved in any illegal activity?’

  Alethia’s eyes opened wide in shock and anger. ‘None,’ she gasped. ‘Dairon buys supplies for the colony. Transports legally bought slaves to Tessa and orbits the planet watching for ships entering the system.’

  ‘I apologise. I had to ask.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Alethia, I intend on taking Tessa as my homeworld, with your people as my citizens. I believe I can make it a safe world for humans. For ex-slaves.’ He licked his lips. ‘I intend on developing that world to the minimum standards the IGC will accept for membership and then applying to them. But the IGC will demand all escaped slaves are returned to their owners and all criminals are turned over to the custody of the IGC member state after them. I need to know the legal status of each of my citizens before I apply.’ Thanesh stood, crossed the space and sat on the bed at her side. She backed away a little as he turned to face her.

  ‘Are there any of your people who are wanted, or who are still slaves?’

  Alethia was shaking. ‘There’s only Makios and his crew who are wanted,’ she said. Thanesh nodded. That was the answer he expected. ‘And only one escaped slave.’

  ‘You,’ Thanesh said.

  Alethia nodded. ‘Are you going to turn me in?’ she whispered.

  Thanesh pulled her into his arms. Alethia relented, allowing him to swallow her into his embrace. Her head was tucked under his chin and he rested it there.

  ‘Never.’ His voice was low, hoarse, full of emotion and promise. ‘I will find a way, and if it is not possible, then vrok the IGC.’

  Alethia relaxed a little. After a moment, her eyes closed. She could feel the heat of him. Smell the earthy, musky scent that, somehow, reminded her of home. She nestled a little more into his arms, then caught herself. She heard Thanesh chuckle and tensed. Thanesh relaxed his arms and she almost drew away.

  On impulse, she angled her head up and when he bent down to look at her, she caught his lips in a kiss. Thanesh was still for a moment before his lips parted and his tongue probed into her mouth. Alethia parted her lips, allowing its entry. Thanesh’s arms tightened around her. She reached up to his face, her hand cupping it, feeling his wide cheekbones under her fingers, the hollow of his cheeks against the hollow of her palm. His jaw against the heel of her hand. She reached to his shoulder, pulling him closer and the kiss deepened. She clung onto him to anchor her against a tide that wanted to carry her away.

  It carried her away.

  The more she kissed him, the more she needed to kiss him. The deeper the kiss, the deeper she needed it to be. Without realising it, at some point, Alethia’s hands had begun to wander Thanesh’s torso.

  She felt across the broadness of his shoulders and explored the expanse of his chest. Her other hand, the one that had been caressing his face, moved down to his neck. She could feel his pulse throbbing under her fingers, skipping faster and faster.

  Her fingers slipped down to his top and without instruction began pulling at it. She needed to run her hands over him, to touch his skin. His hands were there for a
moment and gone. His skin warmed her fingers. She felt him groan into her mouth and answered with her own moan as his hands slipped up her leg, under her dress.

  She felt a pulse of excitement in her breast and a quickening throb where her lap met his thighs. His hand reached that throb. He slid fingers in a place where only one other had touched her before. But this felt nothing like that awkward, desperate encounter.

  His fingers slipped inside her. She cried out as a pulse of pleasure swept through her.

  ‘Alethia,’ Thanesh implored, pressing deeper inside her. His other hand enclosed a breast through her clothes. She felt a shiver go through her as her nipple peaked almost painfully.

  ‘Thanesh,’ she moaned in answer.

  It was the sheer lust in her voice that shocked her, panicked her. She broke the kiss and pushed Thanesh back, using that momentum to gain her feet. Thanesh’s eyes were feverish and confused. He watched her back away from him, and realisation dawned on his face.

  ‘Alethia,’ he scraped his hands over his face. ‘I’m sorry.’ He shook his head and fell back onto the bed. Alethia couldn’t help but notice how his pants were tented. For the first time, she saw evidence of a male’s erection and didn’t want to run away. She shook her head, more confused than she had been a moment before.

  Thanesh sat up and looked at her.

  ‘I lost control. I am sorry.’

  ‘You’re sorry?’ Alethia collapsed onto her haunches and covered her face.

  ‘That doesn’t mean I don’t want you.’ Thanesh suddenly sounded panicked. ‘I mean, I am sorry I lost control.’

  ‘I know what you mean, Thanesh,’ she said from behind her hands. ‘It wasn’t you who lost control.’

  For the first time in her life, she was aroused and wanted to do something about it. The ‘something’ she wanted sat several feet across the room from her.

  ‘Sex has always been—‘

  ‘I know, pain, fear. The taking of what they want from females without concern for them.’ His voice was filled with genuine compassion. She looked at him through her fingers and nodded. She dropped her hands, suddenly feeling childish for having them there.