Reaper Inc.

by Thomas Wright

  Queen Tazleaha spoke softly. "You should be able to understand me quite clearly." Ben looked at her and nodded. "I have had you injected with translator nanites that should allow you to understand all of the many species in our universe. They will copy the data from your nanites along with all of their programming then your old nanites will die and be evacuated from your body. There will be species you will understand but may not be able to communicate with because your human vocal design would not be able to reproduce the proper sounds and pronunciations."

  Ben squeezed her hand indicating his understanding. He closed his eyes and heard her voice but it didn’t register as he drifted off to sleep. The queen walked out to talk to Grubb and tell him about the treatment they started.

  Grubb felt a little anxious with the queen standing so close. She was very polite and made sure he understood what she was telling him. He had been around her a couple of times but never one-on-one and though she tried not to be, she was intimidating.

  "He should rest for a couple of days minimum but if he wants to get up and walk tomorrow, that’s ok, just nothing physical. He needs to eat as much as he can and drink plenty of fluids."

  "Yes Ma'am, I mean your Queenness, I mean your Highness." Grubb stuttered.

  "Be at ease, Mr. Grubb. I hope that soon you feel you are among friends. Call me Tazleaha."

  Grubb nodded and said, "All the time or just when we are alone?"

  The queen smiled. "Yes, using my name all the time would be very intimate. Our people would think us lovers." Grubb turned red. The queen put her hand on his arm. "You are too easy, Mr. Grubb. Your Highness would be fine when it is a formal gathering."

  Grubb said, "I should ask about visitors. There are a few who will want to come right away," wanting to change the subject.

  "Provide me with their names and I will contact them and make arrangements. Are you planning on staying or should I make arrangements for you to return to your ship?"

  "I will stay if that is ok."

  "It is. I am sure he will appreciate having a friendly face around after what he went through."

  "He is tough. Whoever they are would have had to put him through a lot more to break him down."

  "It is not the opponents he can see that would have killed him. One of them might have made the killing stroke once he was too weak to properly defend himself, but he was already dying so it may have been a mercy to end by an opponent’s hand. The microscopic world of our universe, the open wounds, filthy conditions, contaminated water and rotten food were all attacking his body. He had no antibodies to protect him from what he was exposed to in such large quantities. The tank we put him in should have killed the majority of them on contact. He will receive some additional treatments in the future. You should get them also."

  "That would not have been the way he would want to die, fever and disease."

  "I do not believe so either. I will contact Princess Aok and let her know that he is resting. The doctor is about to give him something to keep him asleep while he tends to his wounds and broken bones. I will have one of my people take you to your room."

  Chapter 31

  Gormazan cut away the cloak his uncle wore to examine his body. The tan leather shirt and pants were finely tailored and he wore a number of fine jewels in the form of rings and a necklace. There was a dagger with ornate carving and a number of stones on his belt. He placed everything in order on the floor. A thorough search produced nothing else on the body; he would search his quarters next.

  He picked up everything and walked towards the group who were listening to the colonel recount her and that human's experience aboard the ark. He knew the human's name but he didn’t like him much and saw no need to use it.

  The colonel finished and before another question could be asked of her, he interrupted. "Colonel, may I speak with you for a moment please?"

  Tawniz excused herself and walked over to him. "Gormazan, isn’t it?"

  "Yes, colonel, it is. I was hoping you would speak to some of the crew and prisoners and see if they would consider staying on to help get the queen’s property returned to Cjittan. I believe it will take a number of weeks to clean and stock the ship before departure. We will compensate everyone who stays as well as provide new clothing, proper food, and clean water."

  "You will understand if you do not get many to take your offer. I believe you may get a small group, though if you ask Benjamin to ask them there may be more. I will do it then give them some time to think about it."

  When the crew realized the master was leaving the ship and it was surrounded, they surrendered very quickly. The current problem was keeping the former prisoners from killing the former crew.

  Gormazan asked, "Did they capture the ship that departed just before we arrived?"

  "No, it was able to get past the Trillond starships. In their defense, it was able to cloak itself. This ship is so large, the distortion was easy to locate if you knew what to look for but that small vessel was undetectable."

  "She will surface somewhere to find there is a bounty just put on her head large enough so that every bounty hunter will try to collect it. There is an additional bounty for the ship so even if she eludes them, they can collect if the ship is returned to us. It is much more valuable."

  Tawniz said, "I am going to speak with the prisoners who I feel can talk to the others and possibly persuade them. I was not here long enough to be much of an influence. Then I am leaving this ship and hopefully never setting foot on it again."

  "Thank you, colonel."

  Tawniz found everyone she wanted to speak with and didn’t end up leaving the ship for a couple more hours. They were skeptical and suspicious and she didn’t blame them. She had no intention of exerting any pressure on any of them to stay. She only passed on the information of paid employment and the rest of the benefits. She did encourage them to help clean the ship for pay so even if they chose to move on they would have credits in their pocket.

  She arrived on the flagship amid a huge gathering in her honor. She had survived and saved the human and many others while she and her team battled the crew and mechanical monsters. She was too tired to correct them and would tell the truthful versions later.

  It was good to eat clean, proper food meant for an Allond. She would set aside some time for meditation and cleansing the inside of her body but first she needed to build strength and stamina. With her meal eaten, she excused herself from the crowd so she could bathe and put on fresh clothing. She felt so much better just being clean. She lay down to rest knowing that later, she would have to give a private report to her brothers. There were a number of questions and it would take some time for the answers to be found. She wondered how Ben was doing on the Cjittan ship before she fell asleep.

  ****

  The Cjittan doctor and his assistant were working on Ben's wounds and broken collar bone. The doctor noticed his assistant was continually staring and frowning at their patient. The doctor didn’t pay much attention to it. His young male assistant had not had a lot of experience with other life forms. He had the assistant position mainly due to political status and was not exceptional in the field of medicine. His older brother was a suitor, and of all the suitors, stood the best chance of securing the position as the queen's husband. Tradition dictated that the husband of the queen be granted an inhabited solar system to manage. In the event of the husband's death, which happened often throughout their history, it reverted back to the crown.

  The nanites Ben had been injected with in the tank began working on closing his wound from the inside out. The leg wound was caused by claws that ripped the flesh. It was jagged and there was skin missing. The doctor applied a form of synth-skin that he made from a tissue sample taken from Ben. Because of that, it would match perfectly in color and texture.

  His lower abdomen would heal up even better. The wound was much cleaner due to the nature of it. The doctor placed the scanner over his shoulder and collar bone. There was a bit of trial and error
as he moved Ben’s arm and shoulder. Using a thin elastic type wrap that would stick to itself, he sat Ben up and pulled and wrapped until the bone was back together. This would make less work for the nanites trying to mend it.

  The queen returned to check on Ben’s progress and was pleased with the results. She walked around the table sliding her hands over his body, mostly admiring the doctor’s work and some of nature’s work also. The assistant seethed on the inside. He believed that she should not be touching and admiring the alien when his brother was her chief suitor.

  They left Ben to rest; sleep and being immobile would help him heal. The doctor would wake him after twelve hours if he didn’t wake on his own before then. He would be hungry and thirsty but he wouldn’t be allowed to leave his bed. Not for a few days.

  The queen had a collection of requests from quite a number of individuals to visit Ben. She answered the ones she knew with a personal note while the others were given a more cursory reply just stating they would be notified when he is available.

  Grubb was allowed to talk to E'Aria and told her that Ben was being well taken care of. He felt with a few weeks rest and some good food he would be back to his old self giving everyone a hard time. E'Aria had sent a message to Allond to inform Alona, Emily, and Natalia that Ben had been found alive. She was somewhat vague about his injuries not wanting Natalia to worry. Grubb agreed with E'Aria that the girl had just lost one adopted parent and didn’t need to be worried sick for the other one. He returned to his quarters and settled in to sleep. Tomorrow would be a better day.

  Two Trillond supply ships arrived the next day; one to resupply the three Trillond Navy ships and the other to sell supplies to whoever needed any.

  Gormazan had been able to negotiate with Aisling for personnel that were required to repair the damage to the bridge of the ark. They stripped some flooring from an area where the prisoners had been kept and placed empty cages over the hole they left behind. After a day of testing using equipment from the ark and their own, they had worked out a process to weld the new panels in place.

  Tawniz had chosen wisely in her selection of spokesmen and logic about helping with the cleaning and earning credits for travel expenses. Gormazan had three teams cleaning areas he had access to while he continued to work on breaking the codes to access the lab and ship’s controls. The Trillond donated empty and worthy cargo containers to help with the disposal. When they were full, the containers would be pulled then released on a course for the system's star. The inertia would move them along then the gravity of the star would take hold pulling them in to be incinerated.

  The doctor who had treated Ben along with three Allond doctors worked on treating the wounded and sick. He would have to return to his ship soon to wake Ben if he was not already awake and arrange for foods to be prepared that would aid in his healing. Grubb had suggested he talk to Captain O'Shaughnessy and Captain Aok about supplies and having the doctor from the Alliance to take a look at Ben.

  Grubb waited for the shuttle carrying Dr. Mathews and Nurse Tanaka. The queen gave permission for the two of them to meet with her ship's doctor and look Ben over. She knew word would spread and it would put Ben’s friends more at ease hearing it from one of their own. The queen's doctor was waking him at that moment so he could eat and receive visitors.

  Ben was listening to the doctor explain how he was progressing and watched as the doctor pointed out his new skin and the fading of the bruises. The doctor stopped and made a motion towards the door. He was surprised and happy to see Grubb, Dr. Mathews and Nurse Tanaka walking in. Grubb made introductions and the doctor took his data pad and put Ben's records up on a screen. He moved the scanner in place and started it while he explained to the guests Ben’s condition when he arrived.

  Grubb wasn’t really listening; he knew what Ben looked like when he arrived. Nurse Tanaka eased away from the two doctors and walked to Ben's side. He motioned for her to come around to the other side of the bed to his good arm. He grabbed her elbow and pulled her down gently, kissing her on the check and holding her in place. "It’s good to see you Win," he said then kissed her cheek once more letting go of her arm.

  "It’s good to see you too, but I only get to see you when you're beat all to hell."

  "Anytime you want to get kidnapped, drugged, stunned multiple times, fed rotten food, have shit thrown at you, attacked by starving tortured beasts, then attacked by starving tortured aliens, shot by the clone of your dead lover and. . . become a breeding ground for nasty germs and microbes your body has never heard of and can't fight. . . you just come along with me."

  "Holy shit Ben, all of that? Really?"

  "Yes! And I didn’t even get kissed."

  "It looks like your doctor did a great job on you," Win said looking at his new skin covering the wounds.

  "Yes, he isn’t like those Alliance hacks."

  Dr. Mathews said, "I heard that, Jamison."

  "Just kidding, Doc," Ben answered. "Win, do you know when the Warhammer is going to leave? I am hoping to get to see everyone."

  "I don’t think the captain has made a decision yet. I think she would like to see you also."

  "I hope to be up and around in another day, two at the most." Ben looked over at the doctors. "What do you think Doc? When can I get out of bed?"

  Both doctors looked at him. His Cjittan doctor answered. "You could tomorrow but I would rather you stay in bed for five to seven days. The longer you remain right where you are, the better you will heal. The nanites have repaired the worst of it and will continue along with your body's natural healing process."

  "Could I at least petition for my own quarters with something more comfortable to sleep on? Actually, this isn’t bad. I just feel like I am on display."

  "Hmmm yes, I will talk Queen Tazleaha, I am sure arrangements can be made." Almost as if she knew her name was being mentioned, she walked in.

  The queen came into the room noticing first the small female smiling with a hint of red mixed in tan skin on her face. Grubb stood on the other side of the table listening to them talk of the past. She could see the female was interested in Ben but his interest in her was different. She could tell it was friendship. There were a number of other things the doctor had injected Ben with on the order of his queen and she would tell him about those at a later date.

  Grubb found his tongue and spoke. "Queen Tazleaha, let me introduce you to Doctor Mathews and Nurse Tanaka of the Colonial Alliance Starship Warhammer, Queen Tazleaha of the Cjittan Empire."

  "Thank you Grubb, that was very good. Much more polite and eloquent than some of the things your friend on the table has said to me. I have had time to look up the use and meaning of some of the words I have heard him use, some directed at me." The guests could only imagine when the queen did not go on and repeat or explain.

  Nurse Tanaka gave Ben a hard look. "You didn’t, tell me you didn't swear at the Queen of the Empire we are hoping to make peace with."

  "I don’t remember. I had a little too much to drink before I was taken. You can't hold that against me."

  Tazleaha said, "No not then, I had forgotten about the night of the dinner. I think he tried to kiss me, that is where you press your mouths together yes? This was after we rescued him yesterday."

  Win just shook her head in amazement giving Ben the eye. "You are a menace. You are lucky she hasn’t spaced you. On behalf of my people, Queen Tazleaha, please accept our apology. I think his heart is usually in the right place, he is just a very rough around the edges. Our warriors are taught honor, to fight and survive, take the fight to the enemy, fight to win, diplomacy is not exactly in their list of skill sets."

  Ben looked from Win to the queen. "I am a hand's on kind of operator and very diplomatic. My method of solving an issue uses a lot less words, takes less time and is very effective. Who wants to sit around and listen to a bunch of stuffed shirts with sticks up their asses sit around and talk just to listen to the sound of their own voices?"

  "He i
nsulted our captain within the first thirty seconds of meeting her. They eventually made up and are friends so I hope you give him a day or two to get his act together and apologize."

  Tazleaha thought for a second. "So you believe I should wait before I chain him naked to the floor in front of my throne?"

  Win smiled at the queen. "I didn’t say that! I do like the way you think, Queen Tazleaha.

  Ben looked to Grubb for help, his eyes pleading. "Grubb, go get my ship and get me out of here pronto."

  "Sorry boss, Tazleaha is taking good care of you and me and I see no reason to hurry back. I am sure the floor won't be too cold if you lay in one place long enough."

  "What the hell Grubb? You on a first name basis with her?"

  "Yep."

  "How many of my friends are you planning on stealing away from me?"

  "All of them Benjamin. We will all be very good friends. Now I should see what the doctors think. If you will excuse me, please."

  A member of the crew arrived and explained she was to see Ben to his new room. She brought some lightweight clothing that was far too stylish for his tastes but decided to keep his mouth shut just to get moving. Dressed, he said good bye to everyone except Grubb who he ordered to come with him.

  Chapter 32

  The quarters he was provided were as nice as the huge apartment the Allond had given him, only smaller. Grubb sat in a chair while Ben propped himself up on the bed.

  "So what have you heard? What is going on with the ship I was held captive on? What are the other races doing now that all the excitement is over?

  "There is not a lot going on. There has been a round the clock workforce cleaning the ark, that is what they call it. That is going to take weeks to months. The controls and some of the rooms were locked out and a group of engineers from all four races are trying to break the codes. They will be able to get underway once they have access. There is a good sized group looking to come visit you from our ship and the Alliance ship. The queen has the hots for you, and you and I know there is a whole group in that category."