Chaos Quarter: Imperial Ambitions

by David Welch

  “Well? Do you understand?” Vermella seethed.

  Second looked confused once more.

  “How can I answer? You said not to say another word?” asked Second.

  “Unbelievable!” Vermella turned her attention to the door and readied herself for the confrontation to come.

  ***

  Rex walked into the bridge, a parade of people following. He moved to his pilot’s chair, Lucius taking up his spot as gunner. Behind him Keith, Cindy, Rick, and Ken filed in, standing nervously on the highest level of the bridge.

  “Jake, you in?” Rex asked, the computer relaying his words.

  “Yeah, I’m in. Got Lord Vasa too,” Jake said. “He’s a foul-mouthed little bastard.”

  “Well, tie him up somewhere, and keep a close eye,” said Rex.

  He stretched back in his chair, the image from the ship’s rear cameras filling the viewscreen. The mob had assembled there, milling about angrily. The great bulk of the ship dwarfed them, but they didn’t seem to notice. They moved around it, pounding on the hull. Many had their pistols out. Angry shouts filled the air, forming a continuous clamor.

  “Quite the gathering,” said Rex with a frown.

  “You don’t seem to be taking this very seriously,” said Cindy.

  “With those doors up, they’re not getting in,” Rex remarked. “And those pistols aren’t gonna do much against the ship’s armor.”

  As if to confirm this though, one from the mob shot at the ship’s rear. The small pistol rounds bounced harmlessly off the DU-steel that wrapped the whole of Longshot. Several more shots followed, with no greater effect.

  “But I suppose I should say something all the same,” Rex said with a shrug. “It’s the principle of the—”

  “Vermella has escaped the Isolation Bay,” the ship computer announced.

  “—thing,” Rex concluded. “What do you mean she’s escaped?”

  “She has forced her way into the surgery bay. She has a weapon of some sort against Second’s neck, and Liam has arisen from the ASU,” the computer continued.

  “Damn,” Rex grumbled, thinking for a moment. “All right, Lucius, go watch our new Europan ‘friend.’ Tell Jake to get up to the sick bay and keep an eye on Pheromone Bitch until I can get down there.”

  Lucius nodded and jumped out, darting from the bridge.

  “You’re going to trust him to watch the prisoner? One of his own kind?” Rick steamed.

  “Yes,” said Rex. “Cindy, I might need you to do some talking to your people. Once I’m done.”

  “Done? You’re going out to talk to them?” she asked, incredulous.

  “No way in hell I’m going out there,” Rex declared. “Computer, turn on the external speakers.”

  The ship chirped.

  “They are on.”

  “Excellent,” said Rex. He cleared his throat, and gazed at the image of the mob, as if on a rostrum addressing an auditorium.

  “Attention all freed men and women of Valley Town currently trying to break into my ship,” he began. “My name is Rex, and I am the commander of the vessel you’ve been shooting at. Before we get this started, I just wanted to take a moment to tell you that I bear none of you any ill will. I bear this town no ill will. In fact, despite certain events that have happened since getting here, I really want nothing more than to see Valley Town prosper and grow for decades to come.”

  He paused, letting it sink in. Outside the mob’s clamor had stopped, the anger replaced by confused looks and hushed murmurs. No doubt, they were trying to figure out why he was being so nice to them.

  “I am serious; I’m not kidding. I’m a Terran. I hate the empire. A Europan noble enslaved one of my aunts during the war. Like you I wish they could all just die horribly and save the universe a whole lot of trouble. I really do. Seeing a place like Valley Town, seeing all you fine people living freely, proving wrong the ideology of the empire…it warms my heart—really, deep down. I’d love the opportunity to get to know all of you better, to learn of how this place came to be and how you make it work.”

  He paused again. Risking a glance behind him, he saw befuddled looks on the faces of his guests.

  “Buuuut…” he began,” there is a problem. This is my ship; and I cannot turn a blind eye to armed folk trying to break in, can’t do it. So as much as I sympathize with you and your cause, I must tell you that if you continue trying to get into my ship I will blast you all to hell.”

  He heard a gasp behind him but did not turn. Tapping the screen before him, he brought up a targeting reticule on the viewscreen. It was for the rear defensive autoturret, which sat just above the cargo bay doors, directly above the mob.

  He swept the barrel of the gun back and forth, just to show the mob that he had the whole of them in his range of fire. The murmurs of the mob grew louder, the crowd inching back.

  “What you are looking at is a thirty-millimeter rail-gun, designed for destroying missiles and fighters. Your pistols barely scratch the paint of my ship. One round from this gun will not only cut you in half, it’ll pretty much explode your body into an ugly, red pulp. And I assure you, I have enough rounds to kill you all and then some.”

  “What the hell are you doing?” seethed Rick, stepping forward. Outside the crowd shifted back further. A few people near the rear broke and ran for the town.

  “But this does not have to happen,” Rex proclaimed. “I am not leaving this place, not while the Europan spy is on my ship. I am, in fact, putting the use of this ship at the disposal of your town council. When they are done learning what Vasa has hidden in that twisted little mind of his, I will open the doors and turn the bastard over to you to face justice. That was what Councilor Cindy asked of you, yes? In fact I have Miss Cindy right here, just in case my word isn’t good enough.”

  He motioned Cindy forward. She hesitated for a second, not sure what to do and then stepped up.

  “Just talk, the computer will hear you and amplify it,” said Rex.

  “Uh, okay. It’s me, Cindy,” she said. She paused for a moment and took a deep breath, her composure growing. “Look, I asked all of you yesterday to postpone your revenge until we could interrogate the prisoner. It seems I underestimated your anger.”

  She turned, staring at Rex with a determined glare. She nodded, clearly coming to some sort of a decision.

  “And you have all underestimated my resolve. The security of this town and valley are on the line. I will know what the Europan prisoner knows, so that we can take whatever steps are needed to assure our continued freedom. Since the ‘passions’ of our people are so great, it is clear our town jail is not sufficient for holding the prisoner. So I will be accepting the Terran’s offer. The prisoner will remain on this ship.”

  Outside the mood changed instantly, from fear to outrage. The mob surged forward a half-dozen feet, roaring their disapproval. Pistols waved above their heads, but none were fired. Just to make sure things stayed quiet, Rex moved the rear turret back and forth again.

  “And I will remain with him,” said Cindy.

  This caught the crowd by surprised. Heads swiveled, and the shouts turned back to murmurs.

  “To ensure that the Terran keeps his word, I will remain on this ship or in his company until such time as we are finished with the Europan spy,” Cindy declared.

  For a long moment, it was quiet, the words sinking in. The murmuring grew, the mob hashing out what they’d just heard. A few near the edge began to disperse, and that was enough for Rex. The momentum was broken. Whether they liked it or not, Cindy’s words would have them debating and bickering for a while. Rex whispered a quiet prayer of thanks for this. He had no idea what he would’ve done had the locals called his bluff. Granted, they still wouldn’t have been able to get into the ship without an extreme effort, but if they knew that he wouldn’t actually open fire on them, they might have felt more inclined to make such an effort. He wondered if Cindy had realized that, if that’s what had prompted her to say wha
t she did.

  But he’d have to ponder that later. Rex got to his feet, moving to the door.

  “Computer, cut the line,” he ordered. “I’m heading for the medical bay. Under no circumstances are you to open the sick bay door to Vermella, understand? No matter what happens, she does not get out. Got it?”

  “Understood.”

  He departed the bridge. Hearing the rush of footsteps behind him, he glanced back, seeing Cindy.

  “You heard what I said,” Cindy said.

  “You may regret it by the end of this,” said Rex, turning the corner in front of the common room. He found the door to the sick bay and walked in, Cindy following. The door shut behind him.

  In front of him was Jake, standing near the door to the surgery bay.

  “Where the fuck is that bastard? I swear to the Goddess, I’ll cut this whore’s throat!” Vermella roared from the next room.

  “He’s here,” Jake announced. Rex removed a gas mask from a side compartment, pulling it over his head. Cindy looked at him quizzically.

  “Don’t worry. Her pheromones only affect men. You’re fine,” he explained.

  He turned to Jake and gave him a nod. Jake grabbed a hold of the door and pulled it open, revealing Liam. The old man stood on rubbery legs, his body hunched and weak. His chest was streaked with blood that dripped from a crimson-soaked bandage, where the surgery unit had mended his gunshot wound. His eyes, however, were alive with energy. They stared at Rex, wide and wild. He was clearly under Vermella’s influence, his mind screwed up by a flush of synthetic pheromones.

  Rex craned his head, seeing behind the old man. There he could make out Vermella and Second. Vermella crouched low, hiding as much of herself as she could behind the taller Second. Splashes of her red hair stuck out behind Second’s straight, platinum tresses. Half of Vermella’s face was visible. She held her right hand against Second’s neck, a nasty looking plastic shiv pressing against the skin. It had already drawn a small amount of blood, and the tip hovered just above Second’s jugular.

  “This seems a little desperate, Red, even for you,” said Rex.

  “She is trying to use me as a hostage,” said Second.

  Rex rolled his eyes, so did Vermella.

  “You keep a woman this stupid around? How good must she be at pleasuring you?” Vermella sneered.

  “She’s weird, not stupid,” said Jake.

  “And I have never sexually pleasured—” Second began.

  “Enough! I don’t care! All I care about is walking off this ship,” Vermella roared. “So you’re gonna lead me out nice and easy, or the idiot paints the floor with her blood. You understand?”

  Rex stared at her for a long moment, fighting the urge to leap forward and rip Second from her clutches. Every ounce of him wanted to do it. He was actually surprised how strong the urge was. If he let go of his control for even the briefest of moments, he knew the urge would take over. But he didn’t let go, couldn’t. Not if he wanted Second to live. He had no doubt that Vermella would make good on her threats. And the thought of Second on the ground, clutching helplessly at her throat as she bled out…no, that couldn’t be allowed to happen.

  “Counteroffer,” said Rex.

  “There are no counteroffers,” said Vermella. “We are not negotiating. I am telling you what you’re going to do if you want Blondie here to live long enough to warm your sheets again.”

  “Rex and I have never shared a—” Second started, only to choke off her words when the shiv pressed tight. A new trickle of blood ran down her neck.

  “I think you want to hear my counteroffer,” said Rex. “There is really no alternative to you listening. You’re not leaving this sick bay. And if you do anything to hurt Second, I swear to your fucking Goddess that I will kill you where you stand.”

  Vermella’s head shrank back a little behind Second’s. Rex figured that she probably hadn’t expected to hear that.

  “She’ll die before you can kill me,” Vermella challenged.

  The image of a dying Second filled his mind again, and he bit back a flush of rage.

  “Yes, she’ll die, and then you’ll die. And then I’ll do terrible things to your body. Maybe strap it onto the front of the ship as a warning to let the universe know what happens to people who fuck with my friends. That how you wanna go out? One of the last of your kind, great, man-conquering Sirizon, tied up on the hood like a deer carcass, for all the universe to see?” said Rex. He paused, letting the vitriol of his words sink in. “Or you can listen to what I have to say. Play this smart, and we can walk away without anybody dying.”

  “And why should I think whatever you have in mind is ‘smart’?” Vermella replied.

  Rex shrugged, saying, “You shouldn’t. But I didn’t think this plan up; Lucius did. I wasn’t totally onboard at first, but now…honestly, Vermella I am just so fucking tired of this shit. Mercenaries, bounty hunters, mind-controlling pheromones…and now you’re trying to stab my friend. And poor Liam is bleeding to death. I got enough to worry about without wondering what bullshit you’ll pull out of your ass next. So here’s my offer. You drop the shiv, put the cuffs back on, and lock yourself in isolation for the remainder of the trip.”

  Vermella guffawed loudly.

  “Doesn’t sound much like an offer to me,” she snarled. “Guess I wasn’t wrong about your ‘smarts.’”

  “In exchange…” began Rex slowly, “I will set you free at the conclusion of my mission. And I will double your life span.”

  Vermella’s laughter stopped, her jaw snapping shut. She started intently at Rex.

  “You’re lying to me. You Terrans always lie about your little miracle bots,” she challenged. The words were meant to be harsh, but there was a hesitance to them.

  “I’m not lying. I’ll give you the first year’s treatment myself, right here on this ship. All you have to do is go back into that closet and not cause any more trouble,” said Rex.

  Vermella shook her head, though from the forcefulness of it, Rex figured she was trying to convince herself what he was saying as impossible. Rex took it as an invitation to press the issue.

  “Since the treatments are yearly, you’ll have to make the trip to Boundary at least once ever standard year. I’ll register you as an intelligence asset; tell them I hired you to ferry me information about the Quarter; and that a yearly, longevity treatment was the price you requested.”

  “No…” said Vermella, the shaking of her head slowing.

  “It’s not unheard of—a situation like this. Other assets have asked for the same things in the past. Now there are some side effects you might not like,” said Rex, motioning casually with his hands like a salesman making a pitch. “See life-extending nanobots are only one part; you need the disease killers too. This will destroy your little imprinting virus…”

  “How convenient,” Vermella said. “Even if what you say was possible, I’d have to be neutered to benefit from it.”

  “Somewhat true. But, unfortunately, the bots will do nothing to the pheromone gland in your neck. You won’t be able to addict and enslave men over the long term, but your pheromones will lose none of their potency,” said Rex. “It’s the best I can offer. You get to live to one hundred fifty, or you get to enslave men. You don’t get both.”

  Rex shrugged again and took a step back.

  “That’s what I can do. I’ll give you thirty seconds to think it over,” said Rex. “Then the offer is off the table.”

  Vermella scowled and pressed the shiv a little harder against Second’s neck.

  “I’ll take as much time as I want,” Vermella snapped.

  “Twenty-seven seconds,” Rex replied with an evil smirk.

  Their eyes locked, Vermella giving him a death glare. Rex didn’t bother trying to return one; the gas mask covered his eyes. He just let her stew, counting down in his head.

  “And why should I trust you to keep your word on all of this?” asked Vermella. “Even if I agree, and let the wh
ore go, you could just double cross me—put a bullet in me as soon as you get a clear shot.”

  “Yeah, I could,” said Rex. He grabbed the corner of his gas mask and pulled it from his face. Instantly he felt a fuzzy sense of attraction coming over him. The evil woman crouching behind his friend suddenly seemed easier on the eyes than she had a moment ago.

  “So make me be honest,” he said. Jake roused from his position by the door. Rex motioned him to stop.

  “Come on Vermella. You know you can do it. Jake won’t stop you. He’ll stop you from leaving the sick bay,” said Rex, another wave of fuzziness washing through his brain. “B…but he won’t stop you from making me d…do what I…what I promised.”

  Rex blinked, fighting to ignore the tingling feelings of lust running through him. He recognized it now, having suffered it once before. But that recognition did nothing to stop the effects. Vermella had pumped the room full of her synthetic pheromones, and he knew it wouldn’t be long. He hoped it wouldn’t be long. Just catching a glimpse of that fiery hair set his mind aflutter. He bet it smelled wonderful.

  Vermella inched out from behind Second.

  “Tell me truthfully,” she said, her voice confident now. She knew she had him, and he didn’t really mind that. How could you mind a pretty woman talking to you?

  “Any…anything…” he said.

  “You’ll give me your injections? Right now?” she demanded.

  “I will. Of course I will,” he said. “Wh…what wouldn’t I do for you?”

  “What the hell is happening to him?” Cindy asked from behind him. Her voice sounded cold and distant.

  “She’s intoxicated him with lust,” said Jake disgustedly. “Just like she did to your friend Liam. Right now Rex would do anything for her.”

  “Yes…anything,” said Rex dreamily.

  Vermella stared at him again, for a long time. He wished she wouldn’t. Didn’t she see he was being truthful? Didn’t she understand that she was the only woman he would see when he dreamed at night? How could she be looking at him like this, with so much doubt in her eyes? It hurt him to think she trusted him so little. It hurt him to remember all the things he’d done to hurt her, to give her reason to distrust him. By God he’d been stupid, too stupid to realize what he had. He wouldn’t blame her if she never gave him a second chance. It wasn’t like he deserved it. But how he prayed she did. How he longed to feel her warmth rocking against him as she rode him, blessed him with the feel of her against him. If a little nanobot injection was what it took to get back to that, then he would do it. He’d do it gladly.