“I was a pirate and criminal long before this war started and will be one long after. He on the other hand sold out for a better deal, betraying those around him. Anyway he annoys me,” he said trying to explain his dislike of the traitor.
Mike just shook his head and didn’t say anything. He was pretty sure that Peter Alexander would sell anyone down the road for a better deal, for freedom or even for just a mouthful of food. He probably saw something of himself in the weasel and didn’t like what he saw.
Darden quickly walked over to them and activated the lift which had been security locked.
“Follow me,” he said and then added a reluctant “please.”
They entered the lift behind them and went down a dozen decks to the widest part of the station at the center ring of ship spurs. The lift opened onto a large open area that had potted plants and small trees positioned along its circular perimeter. The common area was empty at this time of day as the human slaves and Blue male servants were busy working or were locked up to rest and wait for their next duty shift to begin.
The only two people in the entire area were the two humans locked in the pillory. It was right where the traitor and his guests were headed to as they crossed the courtyard.
Mike saw the men’s raised feet trapped in the metal stocks and frowned. He knew that the torture was called Bastinado and many ancient Earth cultures used it as a highly effective form of corporal punishment. It was a form of physical subjection and public humiliation. He had read about it in his Morality of War class at Harpers Academy. It was mostly used by Middle Eastern cultures extending to the Far East as well as the by the Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich.
A bastinado was used to inflict pain yet leave the subject able to work and usually unblemished. Whoever was doing it here on the Karduan station had taken the torture to a new level, whipping their feet so badly that they bled and were unable to walk.
Collins wanted to tell the two men to hold on but held his tongue. Instead he gripped the box he carried a little tighter and simply walked by them as he followed the traitor and the pirate.
Darden took them down a hallway and then stopped at a door to his left. Standing there for a minute the door then opened but he didn’t enter and instead stood there blocking the doorway keeping them from entering.
Looking past his shoulder they could see that the station mistress was currently busy with other matters.
After her servant had left to greet the pirate, Bie-Tor had occupied herself by checking the station updates and messages. It was while she was doing this that her communication unit alerted. The sender was her watch officer on duty at the station command and control center.
“What is it?” she asked hoping that this wasn’t about the pirates.
“Mistress, three of our ships have entered the system and are requesting repairs,” the duty officer reported.
“What house?” she asked
“Win, my lady,” was the reply.
“Very well, what type of ships?” Bie-Tor inquired tired of this posting and anxious to be done with it. Once she had been a fleet mistress but since her House’s defeat in the Internal War she was now reduced to playing this role of a mechanic.
“Their group compromises of a standard destroy, a destroyer escort and a freighter,” the duty mistress reported and then added “All three show signs of heavy damage.”
“Put their ship mistress through,” Bie-Tor ordered with a sigh.
A moment later the damaged bridge of a Karduan destroyer appeared on her vid screen. The Karduan crew working their stations didn’t dare look up from them. The ship mistress looked a little young but it was clear to the old fleet mistress that she ran a tight ship.
“I’m Cia-Ta of the House of Win,” she announced as way of greeting and informing her of the importance of her House.
The station mistress smiled as she did love this part of her job.
“And what can I do for the mighty House of Win?” she asked.
The ship mistress looked confused for a moment, “You can repair our ships as is per your House’s agreement with the House of Win.”
“Yes, that is all true but as you can see my station is filled to capacity and it could be several weeks before we can get around to working on your ships,” Bie-Tor informed waiting for her response. It was always fun to see them erupt in anger and outrage. It even made them easier to manipulate.
The ship mistress pressed her pale blue lips together.
“We have just come from battle and have lost several ships to the enemy and we need to get back to our squadron as quickly as possible,” she replied.
This made the old station mistress pause, “And where was this battle and with whom?”
“It was with that accursed human attack cruiser along with several support ships. We had entered the gravity well and ran right into them on the other side. It was a chaotic battle and we just managed to escape but we lost four of our supply ships and a destroyer escort,” she reported.
Bie-Tor repressed a smile, “Where were you headed and what was your mission?”
“We were meeting with Grand Fleet Mistress Pir-Ly of the House of Win and her squadron. We are a resupply convoy but now we have only one transport ship of supplies remaining to deliver to her. That is if we can get our transport’s engines repaired.”
The station mistress now smiled, “I’m sorry but other ships are ahead of you.”
The destroyer mistress looked at her with a mixture of shock and disbelief until it dawned on her how this station worked. She was like many other functionaries of the government and was someone who always wanted something for doing her job. Though such bribery was usually subtle and less costly.
“What do you want?” Cai-Ta asked, “Mind you, I can not and will not give up my supplies for the squadron.”
“Do you have any human captives?” Bie-Tor inquired always needing more workers to repair her ships. More workers meant faster repairs and that meant her leaving this horrid posting, returning to her House and hopefully to a fleet command.
“I have forty-one human prisoners but they have not yet been broken to our discipline,” she answered.
“They will do,” Bie-Tor answered knowing that even the destroyer’s ship mistress had to know that this was at a very low cost.
“Agreed, but I want my transport ship fixed first as I must get these remaining supplies to our squadron as soon as possible,” she stipulated being ever dutiful to her orders and her mission.
“That’s fine, I’ll have one of the other ships moved and you can dock your transport in an hour.” The station mistress replied and added. “I’ll want those slaves at that time.”
“They are already being held on the transport and will be delivered to you at the time of our docking,” Cai-Ta replied already tired of this conversation.
It was at that moment the door to her office signaled that she had visitors.
Bie-Tor glance at her security screen and saw that it was her human servant and the two pirates. Activating the office’s door, she quickly ended her transmission with the destroyer mistress and turned her attention to her new guests.
Ignoring her servant Darden, she focused on the two pirates. Peter Alexander looked much like he did the last time he came here to sell slaves and beg for upgrades to his ships. Their relationship had been since before the war and though she found him disgusting their business partnership had been profitable for both. Though in the last few months he seemed to be bringing her only handfuls of slaves and old starships that mostly went out into the junkyard. She finally told him not to come back unless he had something good. He did look well rested and maybe a little heavier than his normal gauntly thin.
The second pirate was even younger being taller than the pirate with brownish blond hair, pale skin and blue eyes. He walked like someone who knew he was capable and this made her wonder about him enough to scan him. To her shock she found that he wasn’t there. This was the secon
d time in her life that she met with what her servant Darden said the human’s called a Psi-Void that is someone who was closed to the power of a Prendere.
The young pirate carried a long box and she didn’t know what made her more curious - the thought of another Psi Void or the box he was carrying. Pulling herself away from looking at him she turned back to the pirate captain.
“Do tell, what happened to those ships of yours?” she asked unable to remember their strange names.
“The Anarchy and the Henderson, mistress,” Darden injected earning him a warning glance from her.
“They are safe enough having escaped when the enemy entered the system. My pilot and I had gone over to an abandoned Vanguard sloop when that attack cruiser and a few other ships entered the system. They ignored the wrecked ships and left us alone until they bended out. We just hid until the Confederation ships left. While hiding we made repairs and eventually limped her here for further repairs,” he explained smiling the whole time.
Bie-Tor was a Prendere and had often read his mind to check on him to see if he was lying. She hated to do it as his mind was so full of disgusting images that she was ever reluctant to enter his thoughts. Yet she opened her mind and took a peek and found that he seemed to be remembering what had happened in his mind like a picture from a story. When he finished the story in his head he then seemed to think of subjects far from those she wished to know about.
Leaving his mind, she realized that he had changed a little.
“You have much better control of your thoughts than you use to have,” she said as a sort of a statement
“Just clean living,” he quipped with a smirk.
“Well don’t think you can barter here as I don’t need you or the location of the human attack cruiser. Several Karduan ships have just arrived and they gave me the last and most recent location of the human forces,” the Blue mistress revealed knowing that she once more had the advantage.
“So no repairs,” he said sounding like a child.
“No, that is unless you have something better to give me,” she suggested as she walked around her desk and then circled around Collins. She found herself inadvertently take deep breathes through her nose. This human smelled good to her. It was an odd sensation and though this was the second time she had experienced such a pleasant and unique smell she still took a moment to enjoy his scent.
Mike turned his head and watched her being reminded of the reaction that Seil-Ca had to him after prolonged exposure.
Peter frowned and shook his head at her behavior but then smiled.
“Of course I have something else for you and it is worth even more than a mere attack cruiser,” he stated with all the showmanship he could muster.
This perked her interest as she circled back to her side of her desk. As she walked by she reached out and touched Collins’ forearm running a finger down it length. Mike just gripped his box a little tighter waiting for her to move on.
“What could you have that is even more valuable than an attack cruiser?” she said, the disbelief and scorn easily heard in her words.
Alexander nodded to his human companion.
Mike placed the long box on the desk and unfastened the two clasps freeing the lid. He stepped back as they both looked to the station mistress.
Her curiosity was peaked but not so much that she’d rushed over to open it. Reaching out with her mind she looked to the pirate but his thoughts only exposed his confidence that she would want the sword that was held within the box. The younger human’s mind was well - unfindable as she could not even sense his presence.
“You open it,” she commanded looking to the Psi-Void.
He nodded and smiled recognizing her caution. Grabbing the lid, he flipped it back revealing the box’s contents for all to see.
She had already knew that it was sword but the ignorant pirate hadn’t given her a clue that it was such a sword. Inside the case was a white tritanium patar. Made by the diminutive Kazads during their time as slaves to Voroosh. The Red Patar masters would have owned such blades during the height of the Vorooshian rule. They would have used them in their death matches and in the Great Arena to face not only each other but swordsmen and soldiers of other races. This was done for status as well as their own amusement. It was during this hundred-year enslavement of the Karduan people that they had changed and became not only the willing servants of the reptile men but also joined them in their love of the patar and blood.
These swords were highly sought after and to have one would be to show to the world your great wealth and prestige. The word sharp wished it was as sharp as a tritanium blade. Almost indestructible, light and when coupled with a strong enough arm it was able to cut through almost anything.
Bie-Tor had once been a noted duelist as any ship mistress had to be if they wanted to move up in society. She owned a modest collection of patars and even some human swords. A clay composite patar made from the red sands of Voroosh Prime was the prized center piece of her collection. That is until now. A white tritanium patar trumped everything. To wear such a blade to council would add power to whatever the speaker had to say.
Picking up the blade from its case, she stood there gazing upon it being enthralled by its beauty and fascinated by its lightness. She could feel her chest pounding and her breathing increase with her excitement.
“By the Bright Lady, where did you find such a blade?” she asked never taking her eyes from the white sword.
“It was left behind on one of the Karduan wrecks,” Peter answered.
“Do you know the ship’s identification number or the name of the ship mistress?” she inquired only slightly concerned that its owner may want it back.
“No, the ship was just a floating hulk when we found her,” Mike chimed in.
The old mistress stepped back from the duo of pirates as she slipped her hand into the wrist guard and grasped the sword’s pommel. Taking a few tentative thrusts, she performed a sequence from a Vorooshin fighting form called, “Eluding the Springing Kog.”
The movement was wasted on her illiterate audience - of this she was sure. Yet the magnificent blade felt so good that she found it hard to put it down and was even tempted to try it out on one of her pirate friends. Thinking better of this she placed the white tritanium sword on a shelf behind her desk near to where her pain stick lay. When she turned back she noticed that the young Psi-Void had let his hand drift to the holstered pistol at his hip.
She sneered a little and tried to read him again but once more she was unable to even register that he was there.
“You know that you are not the first Psi-Void that I have encountered,” she said as she casually picked up her crook of office.
“And that isn’t the first pain stick I’ve ever seen,” Mike countered moving his hand away from his Starburst automatic.
Alexander kept quiet watching the two while being partly fascinated at their encounter. To him it was like a mongoose and cobra sizing each other up as they tried to decide if the fight was worth the risk.
Bie-Tor laughed making a crackling noise.
“Alexander, your friend is very amusing,” she said not looking away from Collins. “Pain sticks as you call them are to help redirect our males as well as human males to conform and obey.”
“They seem very effective,” he remarked.
“Yes - very effective,” she replied and continued, “In fact that other Psi-Void I was telling you about finds them most rewarding.”
Mike looked at her questioningly. “He is still on this station?”
The station mistress looked to her human servant Darden.
“What is that human name for him?” she asked always forgetting how it was pronounced.
“Dog, mistress,” Scotty replied, “He is a dog.”
“Yes that’s it!” she said and laughed again.
Looking to the open and arched side doorway as Mike followed her gaze staring into the adjacent garden.
“Here Dog!” sh
e cried still laughing to herself.
Mike could see a figure’s shadow approach the doorway to the garden. A moment later a man walked into the doorway. He was hunched over but still seemed tall. If he had been standing erect he probably would have been at least an inch or two taller than Collins.
The man wore the tattered and ripped remains of a Confederation navy duty uniform. His rank was just barely discernable identifying him as a full navy commander or O-5. He was white with non-regulation long hair that was ragged and reddish brown in color. His face was downcast and looking to the floor as he hurried across the room.
As he approached the station mistress she snapped her fingers and pointed to the floor. He in response dropped to his knees next to her leg. His head was still downcast as she reached down and stoked his hair.
“Good dog,” she commented and looked to Collins, “and here is the other Psi-Void I was telling you about.”
Mike fought to hold it together and play the part of a heartless pirate.
“He seems well trained,” he commented.
“Yes he is!” she replied “though now he is not the man he once was. Oh he resisted for many days of both torture and mind probes. In fact, I had to bring in two other Prenderes to aid me to final break him.”
“And what did you learn?” Mike asked.
“Nothing, absolutely nothing,” Bie-Tor revealed “his mind was destroyed in the process and he was rendered into this thing you see before you.”
“Why did you let him live?” Alexander inquired having remained silent for most of their conversation.
“Why? He makes such a good pet and it shows the rest of the human prisoners what could happen to them if they misbehave,” she explained and then added in a lower voice, “And I like the way he smells.”
Mike had heard that last part before. Lady Seil-Ca had said it to him several times when they had first captured her.
“I’m sure it teaches a strong lesson about what you are capable of,” Collins commented sounding sarcastic to all of the humans that were present.
“Don’t you question the Mistress, you pirate scum!” Darden scolded and rushed over towards him.
Wolf's Run: The Chase of War (Star Wolf Sqaudron Book 2) Page 44