by Greg Dragon
Cloaking and walking around to the front of Marian’s camp, he slid between the two guards that Illi had posted in front of her door.
Once inside he uncloaked, removed his pack, and took a deep breath as he regarded for the first time in weeks, his beautiful wife. She was sleeping peacefully on a dais built of furs and silken sheets. She looked like a prized princess in the company of the war-hardened Ranalos and he looked around to see what she had for protection. Nothing stuck out to him and he felt concerned so he walked around, hoping his silhouette was not visible through the thick Ranalos tent walls.
He stared at her for a long time, scarcely believing that he was back in front of her. He removed his boots and slipped off his gloves and gear, then slid under the sheets to lay next to her, watching her as she slept.
In a quick instant she was on him, her knife free and at his throat as she mounted him and placed her thumb against his eye. He dared not move and didn’t breathe, hoping she would look before acting and not force him to disarm her roughly.
“Rafian?” She whispered the question in disbelief, then blinked her eyes and shook her head before regarding him again.
“I’ve missed you, my hatch kitten,” Rafian said as he reached up and touched her waist, feeling her warmth and strong, slender form for the first time in what felt like ages. He didn’t want to release her so he held her firmly, relaxing his hips to feel her soft posterior against his groin. She tried to object, and ask him how it was he was there, but he took her knife away and dropped it onto the rug beneath the bed.
He reached up and touched the back of her neck and she let him bring her in for a kiss. “Rafian, how are you here?” she managed to whisper, but he suckled her neck and took an earlobe into his mouth and ran his hands through her hair.
“I’m a fool. I’m so sorry, Rhee … I’m sorry that I—”
“Oh shut up, shut up, shut up!” Marian whispered sharply, and placed her hand on his throat as she touched his chest with the other. “You came here. That says everything I need to hear. Now, take this off,” she said, sounding out of breath as she jabbed her finger into his ribs.
Rafian removed the 3B suit and she lifted off her gown, and they were on to one another like starving predators, eager to tear the other apart but wanting to savor every second in case it was all a dream. Rafian took his time and explored every inch of his wife, and she let him have her, pushing aside all of her anger, at least for that moment.
Her eyes closed in a stasis of limitless ecstasy and she sent prayers to the makers to beg them to keep her there eternally. Their lovemaking was gentle, passionate, and lengthy. Their bodies spoke volumes to one another about how they each felt inside, and by the time they were finished they could barely move.
Rafian stared down into the black mass of Marian’s hair and fought back tears of happiness as he felt her flesh against his skin: slick, warm, and familiar. It was a familiarity he had not realized he missed as much as he did until he saw her there beneath the silken sheets.
“I’m glad you came,” Marian said softly, and Rafian leaned down and kissed the top of her head.
“I missed the hell out of you,” he said, but she didn’t seem to be listening to him.
“You know, I told Marika not to call you and here you are, anyway. I told her, ask Tayden, Camille, anyone, but don’t tell Rafian. I—I thought it would make me seem weak, having you here after our fight. But, I don’t know, when I woke up and you were here, I hoped and hoped and hoped that I wasn’t dreaming.”
She twisted herself to lay in front of him, but he kept his arms around her, not wanting her to separate just yet.
“You know what the problem is?” she said after a while.
“What is it, Rhee?” he replied.
“It’s your galaxy, it’s Anstractor. You are not yourself there, not the Rafian I fell in love with. Am I making sense? Here in Luca, I have you. There, I am forced to share you with everyone and they are not okay with allowing me to have the biggest portion of you.”
Rafian slipped his fingers into her hair and kissed her, realizing that he had made a promise to her when he gave her the ring—that she still wore—and then proceeded to break it whenever it was convenient. Any other woman would have left him for good, or done something to sabotage him for breaking her heart. He felt lucky to have her, indebted in a way, and he wanted her to forgive him and allow him to prove himself again.
“It does seem that way, doesn’t it, Rhee? Here in Luca, we are husband and wife first and warriors second. In Anstractor, we are Phasers first, soldiers second and married last. How do we fix that moving forward—especially since it involves so much more than us?”
Marian kissed him gently and then sat up as she whipped her hair out of the way and gave him a warm smile.
“Well, I was thinking. Help me set up with some crystals and you can leave me here to be with my people. Here, I can undo the damage the Felitians have wrought and you can go back to the war against the Geralos. I would visit you—very often—and you can visit me the rest of the time. We would miss each other greatly. That cannot be avoided. But we would stay happily married and on top of that, we could simultaneously tackle the issues of our two worlds.”
“That’s a tough proposition, Marian, but I need to be with you more than you want to believe, and it would kill me to have limited time with you in that way. This cannot be your wish.”
“Of course it isn’t a wish, but I am not happy in Anstractor.”
“You were not happy because you were never given a chance to be happy. I brought you into a war that you have no stock in, forced you to befriend strangers, and I turned into a terrible husband who neglected you.”
Marian thought for a long time and then nodded. “It wasn’t all you, baby, so please don’t take all of the blame. I put up with a lot, yes, but we could have talked it out. I left to punish you more than to come home and check on things, and I am wrong for that.” She looked around, as if she were taking mental notes of their surroundings, then looked at him again as she ran her hands over his chest. “You know, if we could remain this way, I don’t think location would matter at all. I just need to know that despite everything, you are mine, Rafian VCA. Mine and mine alone.”
“You got it, Baroness Rienne. I am yours.”
Their talk took them into the early hours of the morning, and though there was stirring outside from the scouts going out, they continued to talk, making sure that they were okay.
“So, I got some news yesterday from our contacts in Veece,” Marian said as she lay on his chest and stared up at the tent’s ceiling.
“I was just in Veece. What’s going on there?” he asked, and she stopped for a moment to turn and look at him.
“How are things there?” she asked, her eyes reflecting worry.
“Sometimes I forget that Veece is your hometown, you know that Rhee? With all the crap that is going on there, the troopers running amuck, and Marika’s work…well, let’s just say that the place reminded me of an ant nest when you accidentally step in it. So many people milling about, even at night, and it’s under martial law,” Rafian said.
“Did you get into anything while you were there?” Marian asked and he nodded, not wanting to get into the details. “I really hate what the Fels have done to the people here, Rafy, but it can be over soon if you can lend me a hand.”
“What do you need? What’s the plan?” he asked.
“We have a guy in the Fels, a high ranking Crimson Guard. Illi, the warlord here, told me that he spoke with him early yesterday morning. Palus Felitious will be flying in to Veece to pay his respects to Qeran Kyle. There will be defenses all over, and more Crimson Guard than we have ever seen, but that’s nothing for a Phaser to get through,” she said.
“So, while you’re helping to rescue the rebels here, you want me to go down there and take off his head? That would be a pleasure. I just need to know—” Rafian began, but Marian used her hand to cover his mouth.
“It has to be me. I hope you understand. That man is responsible for everything I was and everything I hate about myself. I need to end him, I need to feel him die. It will fill this void, this thyping void that has been eating at me since the day you took me away from the Fels,” Marian said. “You probably don’t understand, but I have a guilt that refuses to leave me, no matter what I do. I left with you to go to Anstractor, and I trained my butt off. I joined the Phasers and lost myself into the missions. You may have thought that I did all of that to be close to you, Raf, but I did it to forget. I did it to wash away the old blood with new, Geralos blood. But it hasn’t been enough, and I can’t get past it. Now, now that I am here, in this galaxy, on Tyhera, and Talula, I’m seeing what is being taken from poor people so that spoiled rich brats like myself can grow up with titles, assuming we’re better.”
She stood up and brushed her hair back, and Rafian reached up and touched her wet cheek.
“I understand Rhee, I get it, and I won’t stand in the way. I know that you will get it done, masterfully. Not just because you’re my wife, but because you’re one of the best Phaser Aces I have ever seen.”
Marian didn’t say anything for a time, but rocked slowly, thinking. Rafian watched her, wondering what it was that she was planning on doing.
“I was going to take a transport down to Tyhera tomorrow, to see if I could board his ship and kill him when he leaves the planet. The timing is tight, and I know it’s a long shot, but it’s worth a try. If I die in the attempt it would sends a message loud and clear that the bastard is not invincible,” she said. She leaned down and kissed Rafian on the lips and then wiggled into his arms. “But then you showed up, and I took it as a sign that I can get really get him this time; I can get him in front of the people where he will feel the safest.”
Rafian kissed her lips and held her there, massaging her gently. “You have a lot to do, so you need your rest. We’ll talk some more when we get up. Come, close your eyes; there’ll be time for revenge talk in a few hours.”
~ * ~
The mid-morning hours brought a light inside the tent that looked like an orange glow through the material. Outside, they could hear the angry shouts of the commanders corralling their troops, and the frustrated grunts of hung-over warriors, answering as best they could. The smell of roasted meats, coffee, and soap permeated the air and then the sound of clanging of metals as they geared up in preparation.
Rafian opened his eyes and saw Marian standing near a bucket of water, running a long, wet rag over her legs as she finished cleaning up.
“How long have you been up?” he asked. He sat up and then lifted the covers to glance down at himself.
“Maybe thirty minutes or so. This place is so humid. I felt nasty and icky the whole time we slept, so I had to get up and wash it all off.”
“You look good enough to eat,” he said.
Marian whipped her wet hair to the side and stared at him through slatted eyes. “Don’t get any ideas; I’m still upset with you,” she said.
“Good, because you need to stay in a state of rage so that you won’t hesitate when it comes to Palus. By the way, I forgot to ask, have you been home to see your parents?”
“Why would I do something as stupid as that?” she asked and shook her head.
“You have parents who love you, Marian, but I understand. I just assumed with your nostalgia and being back here, you’d try to reconnect … it was a stupid question. Don’t worry about it,” he said.
“My parents are loyalists to Palus Felitious, Raf. The second I stepped foot in that house, there’d be troopers on me from all over the place. Thype them. I was merely their meal ticket, and I feel no love or kinship for them despite us sharing blood. Plus, I didn’t get a chance to tell you, but I ran into another family member who called Fels on me as soon as she thought I was comfortable in her house.” She dried herself off and slipped on her 3B suit, then pulled a dress on over it and a pair of boots.
“You’re my only family, Rafian. I’m not just saying that. So keep that in mind when you’re with another woman and are about to sink what’s mine inside of her, okay?” she spat.
“Must you be so disgusting about it? Come over here,” he commanded.
She walked over and sat next to him. He touched the towel that she had on her hair, and then swung her down gently and lay her on her back.
“I didn’t mean to say it like that. I’m just agitated,” she said and closed her eyes and drew in some breath.
Rafian leaned down and kissed her, brushing his lips against hers. He ran his hand up her arm and when their palms finally touched, he deposited a small pouch filled with crystals inside her hand. Marian sat up suddenly and opened the pouch, and the glittering gems brought a light to her eyes that he hadn’t seen in years.
“You will need those in order to get him, my Phaser queen. I thought about what you said to me, and everything you said was important and true. It will not be enough to kill Palus; hell, any of us could bring a sniper from Anstractor and put him down at range. We need to make it known that Luca has protection: not from the resistance that merely annoys him, but from a mysterious place. A place where warriors reside that can vanish at will, kill at 10,000 paces, and drive a knife,”—he gestured to her blade when he said this—“into the heart of an empire.
“That message needs to come from a true daughter of Luca, not an adopted son like me. Rhee, babe, this mission is important, so don’t hesitate to jump whenever you can—we will get more crystals when we get home. No unnecessary risks, okay? I want you to jump down to Veece and cut out his heart and then jump back to me. I will have a crystal ready to receive you inside of a safe place.”
Rafian got up and went to the water basin and began to clean himself while Marian strapped on her knives. Suddenly, she walked over to him and hugged him despite his wetness, and they held each other there for a time.
“Are you going back to Anstractor now?” she asked with sadness in her voice.
He shook his head and looked off to the side. “Are you joking? I’m not leaving without my wife. What I aim to do now is to fly back to Tyhera, set things up for our departure, and then wait for you. Rhee, you do know that once you do this, we cannot easily return?”
Marian stepped back and crossed her arms and then nodded to him with a smirk. “I know, Raf. I’ve thought this through. Just keep your nano-comm open and wait for me. I will let you know once Palus Felitious is gone from this world.”
Memory 20
The one-sided jump. It was the most advanced crystal jump that a Phaser could make without the main black crystal, and Marian had only attempted it once in her career. Now she had to do it when it really counted, and there was no one to talk her through it.
Normally a Phaser used two crystals to open a portal. Two crystals with the same properties would channel one another to perform the transference. The Phaser would only need to be within the portal when it opened in order to teleport from one to the other. A one-sided jump was unnatural: it took one crystal and would tear open an exit in an area of the world that you once visited, or could visualize in your mind’s eye. Miscalculate or lose focus and you could jump into space, or into the sea where you would more than likely die.
Marian held the translucent crystal in her gloved hand and focused her mind. She called on her training to visualize Veece, and reinforced it with thoughts from her troubled childhood. She could see the dusty streets being swept by androids, and the domed rooftop, beautiful in color and simplicity. She focused as hard as she could to see it all, and after a few minutes had passed, she felt herself lighten and the portal tore open in front of her.
Thinking positive thoughts, she stepped through, and as much as she wanted to squeeze her eyes shut in anticipation of her doom, she kept them open. The world shook and became blackness all around her. A second later, she stepped out onto the paved road of the Felitian palace. There were guards everywhere and people milling about aimlessly.
Marian was dressed in a loose-fitting dress with sandals, and her hair was up. She noticed that many of the women in the area were dressed in a similar fashion and she breathed a sigh of relief. She checked the time and saw it was still afternoon. She would have time to prepare, since Palus was expected to show up in the early evening.
Pushing past the crowd in the square, she started running towards the hotel. After the assassination, she would need to escape, and risking another one-sided jump would be beyond foolish—especially when things went bananas.
She slowed her run to a brisk walk after a time, and checked her hair to make sure it was still pinned up. A large, handsome man intercepted her stride and his shorter, pock-faced friend joined him.
“Hello, Sha’an, you seem to be in a hurry. Is there anything we can do to help you?” the short, ugly man said as he touched her lightly on the arm.
Marian bowed slightly with a tiny smile, and then inhaled to calm herself and looked them over. “Well, aren’t the two of you the Tyheran gentlemen. And here I thought that good manners were a thing of the past. I’m in need of a bath to wash my dirty feet. Those confounded androids have been doing a poor job of keeping the streets free of dust and … oh, just look at them,” she remarked and showed her sandaled foot, rocking it side by side.
“Sha’an, you should really wear boots when you travel these days; it is a hectic time. You may need to run if the resistance shows up, or step past a dead—”
“Jodji!” The tall, pale friend shouted to cut off his less handsome friend. “I’m sorry, Sha’an, my friend forgets himself around a lady. We can show you to the hotel, and help you get situated if you like!”
Marian regarded him with a large, grateful smile but beneath it she wondered when it was that they would try to rob her. It was one of the oldest cons and she had been a victim before, back when she was one of the clueless Elite of Tyhera. They took her to the Imperator Hotel, a smaller, more luxurious place than the one Marika had stayed in, and when they entered the building, she noticed the clerk wouldn’t take his eyes off them.