by K. L. Bone
“Everything is fine, my Lady,” Sectra 49 assured me. “He is expelling the chemical from his previous host. It is working.”
With his words, I turned back to Kavra’s host. I ran inside the ship into the emergency medical supply room and searched through the various liquids sitting on the shelves. Finally, I found what I was looking for, Vlosnof. Vlosnof was a chemical which would shut down brain function for a period of several hours, trapping the injected body into a type of stasis, preventing further deterioration. The problem with the chemical was, of course, that if you stop all brain function, the Setian inside the host will not survive.
I grabbed two syringes, the chemical, and a bag of o-negative blood. I ran outside and hit my knees beside the host body. He was shaking from the injuries and I assume the shock of regaining control of his body for the first time in years.
I took his left arm and tied a strip of cloth tightly around it. Then with practiced hands, I inserted the first needle into his vein and began transferring the red blood from the bag to his arm. I covered his body with the grey blanket and helped him into a more comfortable position against the ship. I then filled the syringe with Vlosnof. “This will put you to sleep,” I told the shaking man. “It should give us enough time to save your life.”
I moved the syringe to his right arm which I took gently in my hand. As the needle approached his arm, he jerked his hand out of my grasp. I looked up at him. “It won’t kill you,” I said softly. I reached for his hand, but he once again refused to comply. “Is it the needle you don’t like?” I asked.
He shook his head slightly. “Then what?”
“No,” he whispered.
I was confused. “No, what? I don’t understand.”
“No, please no.”
“It won’t hurt you,” I said. “You will just close your eyes and when you wake up you will be back on the ship.” I glanced back at Sectra 49, Kavra’s body was once again a clear color, which meant the decontamination process had worked. However he could only survive a limited amount of time outside of a pool or body and I was running out of time.
“No,” the host said again. “Please, no more.”
“It will make the pain go away,” I assured him. I grabbed his arm again.
“No!” his voice sounded panicked. “Let me die! Please, no more. No more!”
I looked at the man before me as realization finally dawned. It wasn’t the pain he was trying to escape, it was the slavery. I gazed down at the man dying before me. “Please,” he said again. “You’re a good, sweet girl. Please do not do this to me. I have lived this way long enough. Please, Chrissalynn please let me die.”
I felt sick to my stomach as I gazed down into Kavra’s pale blue eyes… No wait! I had to correct myself, not Kavra; his host. Kavra was sitting in the hands of Sectra 49, this man was just the body he used. With this realization, I motioned to the slith on my right. “You,” I motioned for him to step forward. “Hold his arm.”
The guard did as ordered, stepping forward and grabbing the man’s arm. The host began to scream. “No! No, god please, no! Chrissa, please. I am your friend, you love me. Please, Chrissa, stop this. Please let me go. Please,” he sobbed, then fell into yet another fit of coughing. “You love me.”
“No,” I said firmly. “I love Kavra, and you are not him.” I lined up the needle to his upper arm. The needle sank into his flesh and I pressed down on the syringe inserting the clear liquid directly into the screaming man’s bloodstream. Within moments his voice faded and his eyes began to close. I put the needle down and cupped his cheek in my left hand. “It’s okay,” I whispered. “You just rest now, when you wake up it won’t hurt anymore.” His eyes closed completely, his heartbeat slowed and his breathing was reduced to as minimal level as possible. “That should buy us some time,” I told the men beside me. “Now,” I turned back to Sectra 49. How does this work?”
“The best way,” Sectra replied, “is for you to lie down. I will place Lord Kavra by your left ear and he will...”
“Infest me,” I finished for him. Sectra nodded. “Okay. Should someone hold me down?”
“I will,” one of my personal guard volunteered. I nodded to the horde. The metal was cold as I laid down, moving my hair away from my ears. The horde, sub-harars 18, pressed me firmly to the ground, preventing me from moving. I closed my eyes and said, “I’m ready.”
Sectra moved to my side. “Okay, my Lady, it will begin now.” I closed my eyes tighter as I felt something cold touch my left ear. I fought to remain still, but it was difficult as the liquid body began to slide into my ear canal. Then there was a sharp, stinging pain that caused me to cry out. It was followed by a burning sensation that grew steadily worse as the Setian slid deeper. Another jabbing pain and I jerked, trying to escape the torment. More hands grabbed me.
“Chrissa,” a voice cut through my panic. “My Lady, it’s okay. You’re saving Kavra’s life, remember? Hold on, just a few more seconds.”
I fought to calm my body. The sensations in my ear began to fade. I drew deep breaths and exhaled slowly several times. My heart slowed and my breathing became more regular. My eyes opened; I did not open them.
Chapter XVIII
I jerked in surprise, but my body did not move. I started to panic, my mind not comprehending what I knew was happening. I tried to move, but instead remained motionless on the floor. “Chrissa,” the voice was silky and deep. It was a voice I had never heard before. I turned my head to the left and this time it moved. I searched for who was speaking. “Chrissa,” the voice said again, “It’s Kavra, it’s me. The transfer worked.”
“Kavra,” I said, but the voice echoed only in my mind.
“It’s okay, Chrissa,” the voice whispered. “I am sorry I scared you. I would never purposefully scare you.”
“I know,” I told him. “So, this is what it’s like.”
“Yes,” his voice seemed to hiss through my mind. Then with my voice Kavra said, “The transfer worked. Everyone should be stable enough to rejoin the main fleet now.” It was a startling moment and sent a new wave of panic through me.
“Chrissa,” Kavra said again. “I need you to relax. I know this is scary, but please listen to me. It is me, Chrissa. It’s Kavra. It is just me and you, just us.”
“Okay,” I said.
My body stood up and began to walk. It was the strangest sensation, moving without meaning to, trying to move and being unable to. “Stop fighting me,” Kavra cautioned.
“Sorry. I think I am a little dizzy.”
“It is natural,” Kavra said back. We walked into the ship and sat down on a chair.
“My Lady,” a guard said. My head snapped to the left. “Or rather, my Lord. Or, well, my Lord and Lady…”
“Yes,” my voice interrupted, “what is it?”
“The fleet called, they should be here within the next few minutes.”
“Thank you,” my voice replied.
I sat in the chair gazing through eyes that were beyond my control. “Is it really?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“You don’t even know what I was going to ask.”
“Actually, I do. I know your thoughts as clearly as though they were my own. The answer is, yes, it is true that no amount of resistance can give a host back control of their own body and yes, you are free to try.”
“You want me to try to stop you?”
“I want you to learn what it is you are a part of. Try, if you wish.”
I tried to move my left arm off of the table it was lying on. It did not move. I tried harder. Still nothing. Several moments passed. It was exhausting. “I can’t,” I finally admitted.
Suddenly, Lord Kasar appeared before me. “Congratulations, Harars 3,” his familiar voice said.
“What? How?” I did not understand what was going on.
“Your success in the battle of Getrad was worthy of the highest of honors. You are aware that this success has earned you a reward?”
&n
bsp; “Yes, my Lord,” Kavra replied.
“What is happening?”
“You are seeing my memories.” It was like watching a movie. Only I was in the movie, seeing the film through Lord Kavra’s eyes.
“The reward, Harars 3, is that you are hereby promoted to the rank of Setian Lord and placed ninth in command of the Setian military. As is custom, you are allowed to choose a title to accompany your rank.”
“I would ask,” I…no, Kavra, replied. “That Lord Kasar chose the title for me.”
A moment of silence followed before Lord Kasar gave a nod of consent. “I would be honored to do so and as such, bestow upon you the title of Kavra, Lord of the Setian Empire.”
“Thank you, my fellow Lords, Councilors and Emperor. I only hope to live up to this great honor.”
“Live to serve,” Lord Kasar informed Kavra, “Die for honor.”
Lord Kasar suddenly disappeared and I was standing aboard the bridge of a ship. I stared out of the open window. Outside lay a pool complex. I turned left and faced two guards who held a young horde between them. “My Lord Kavra,” the guard on the left said. “This horde would like to speak with you, I think you will find what he has to say most interesting.”
I took a few steps closer to the captive and nodded for him to speak. “My Lord,” the prisoner said, “I am from those still in hiding. I know that you cannot find us due to those being captured taking their lives before submitting to infestation.”
“Yes,” I said.
“My Lord, what if I told you that I could take you to their hidden location? Would that be worth something to you? I will take you there.”
“In exchange for what?” Kavra asked.
“Freedom for myself and my Lady. Transport us to whatever location you deem appropriate, away from the Empire and I will show you where the last horde threat still hides.”
“For freedom?” Kavra asked.
“Yes,” the horde answered.
“Computer,” Kavra commanded. “We need a map.” A three dimensional map of the planet appeared in front of me. I studied the map through Kavra’s eyes and recognized it as the horde home planet. I had never been there, but had learned much about it throughout my studies.
“Here,” the prisoner stepped forward, pointing to a specific place on the map which was magnified by the touch.
“Are you sure?” Kavra questioned.
“Yes,” the horde replied. The scene once again faded, but this time instead of moving to a new memory, images flashed throughout my mind. The troops moving in on the location. The fire that was lit to drive out the rebels. The screams of those who died in the flames. Lasers flew past my body, deafening my hearing and warming my skin. The stench of burning flesh filled the air. It was horrific and yet, I could not stop a feeling of immense satisfaction which seemed to flow through my head. It took several moments for me to realize that these were not my emotions. “Yes,” Kavra whispered. “The feelings were mine.”
“Wow,” I whispered.
The images faded as quickly as they had begun and I was suddenly standing on that long forgotten beach, my handsome father smiling down at me as I began to build my castle. Through my eyes, Kavra saw my beautiful sunset and felt the tears run down my cheeks as I learned of his death just weeks later. “You loved him very much,” Kavra whispered.
“Yes,” fresh tears were running down my cheeks as I gazed into my father’s deep eyes and felt the firm grip of his hand. These tears were Kavra’s, crying because I could not. “I never knew.”
“He died. Please don’t make me relive it.” We skipped ahead to the night of my abduction. “You had a brother?” Kavra asked, surprised. “What happened to him?”
“I don’t know. I have not seen him since that night.”
A new image slid before my eyes, Kavra running around with two little girls close behind me playing in the waters of Setianta. “My two sisters. They were both younger than I.”
“Where are they?”
“Dead,” came the short reply. “They died in a battle many years ago, achieving the glory they deserved.”
“Eternal Glory,” I whispered. “You must be proud.”
“Yes,” he lied. “One of them, the younger of the two, made it to the rank of Harars five and died in service to Lord Kasar.”
I saw him standing over a beautiful young Lady lying peacefully in death. She wore a deep blue gown and her blond hair had been arranged in curls around her face. Kavra leaned down and kissed her cold hands clasped together slightly under her breasts. “With your death,” Kavra breathed the ancient words, “we forgive you for your sins. Go to glory and to peace, my sister.”
“She was beautiful.”
“Yes,” Kavra replied bitterly. “She was fearless, not unlike you.”
“This is…”
“Amazing,” he finished for me.
“Yes. I have never felt more connected to anyone as I do to you right now.”
“It can be a beautiful thing,” Kavra stated. “When the host and Setian come to an understanding, the relationship is incredible. We like to encourage both to work towards such a relationship and hosts born within the Empire are taught from birth that such a relationship is the only way of life and to officially be chosen to serve is the greatest of honors.”
Eventually, a species comes to believe that this is the only way of life their cultures have ever known. We like to pair hosts who are raised this way with the youngest of the Setians, that way they can grow together to hopefully form a binding friendship that will last for many years of the hosts life.”
Suddenly I could see it; millions of hosts taken by force and bred in captivity. Their children taken at infancy and raised to believe that their sole purpose in life was to serve the Empire. The stories of how perfect the symbiotic relationship would one day be between themselves and their Setian superiors. It would be a world where they were taught that their history had never been separate from that of the Setians. It was an idea that perhaps would not work on the first or second generation, but by the third or the fourth, children would be born with no hope of ever knowing that the world in which they lived had ever been different. Seeing through Kavra’s eyes, I stood and marveled at the pure simplicity of the plan. The perfection took my breath away.
“Let me show you what it can be like,” Lord Kavra offered. Before I could respond, I found myself back on that beach but this time, I was overwhelmed with a profound feeling of pure happiness the kind which I had not experienced since that day. Then I was running on another beach, his sisters close behind me. We splashed in the blue water, the waves cooling our feet warmed by the hot sand. “I will keep you safe,” Kavra whispered. Then I found myself lying in a pool on Setianta laughing at whatever joke Kavra had just thrown my way. Memory after memory flashed before me, each filled with happiness and fleeting joy. It was as though joy had become something physical that could be touched. It was a blanket wrapped around my mind, suffocating me with happiness. I was warm and safe and loved inside the power of Kavra’s mind.
Chapter XIX
The scene changed. I found myself standing inside the medieval mansion on Setianta. Kasar stood in front of me. We were engaged in a conversation, I had never been a part of.
“But my Lord,” Kavra addressed him. “She was born human and a part of her is human yet. Their ways are not ours. To do this to her.” Kavra shook his head.
“She will learn,” Kasar informed him. “You will help her to understand.”
“Kasar, you can’t do this to…”
“Careful, Kavra. I can and I will.” He paused, glanced down and then turned his eyes back to Kavra’s.
“I love her,” Kavra’s voice spoke with as much intensity as I had ever heard. “I will not watch you do this to her.”
“Then don’t!” came Kasar’s brisk response. “I will send you to the Seltas system.”
“My Lord,” Kavra tried again. “Please, if you would just hear me.”
; “No,” Kasar cut him off, narrowing his dark eyes. “You may hold her heart, Kavra. But never forget…she belongs to me.” He paused and cleared his throat. “You will leave for Seltas immediately.”
I turned left and was back in Lord Kasar’s private chambers, his arms holding me tightly as we swayed to soft music across the dance floor. “You are mine,” his words echoed across my memories.
“I’m sorry,” Kavra whispered, “I am so sorry, my love.”
The scene faded. I opened my eyes to find myself lying on a large bed between a set of clean, white sheets. I sat up startled. My head began to spin. My vision exploded. I turned my head just in time to find the small silver basket that had been left by the bed and began to vomit. Lord Kasar, who had been standing by the bed, moved forward and held back my hair. It took several minutes before I could once again lie back down on the bed. A maid appeared and placed a cool cloth on my head. I closed my eyes and spoke softly.
“Is this another memory?” I asked.
“No,” Lord Kasar replied.
I cleared my throat. “Kavra, where is he? How did I get here? What is wrong with me?”
“It is a natural reaction,” Kasar replied. “Many people find themselves sickened by infestation. Especially considering how deeply the two of you were wrapped into each other’s minds.
“Where is Kavra?” I asked again.
“Kavra kept you in rephta, a Setian term for the memory wrap in which he held you, while the rescue ships picked you up and brought you back to the main fleet. Kavra’s host survived, thanks to you. Kavra has been,” he had to pause as I vomited once again. When I was lying back down, he continued. “Kavra has returned to his usual host. What you did was very brave, Chrissalynn. I am very proud of you.”
“Where is he?”
“Here,” a voice replied. I moved my head slowly and turned to the left. Across the room was another bed on which Lord Kavra was lying.