The Luxorian Fugitive

by J. Alan Veerkamp

  “Mrs. Claus. Secure Subspace Link. Identify the man in this hologram. Luxorian database.”

  “Facial recognition identifies the man in the holo device as Leo Noble. Head of Magnate Tech Corporation. Deceased.”

  Leo Noble? Why would Hadrian have a holo from the man he murdered? That made no sense.

  The fifteen-centimeter-high man shimmered, a yellow arrow icon floating before his image. Liam touched the icon and Leo Noble came to life.

  “Hadrian. I’m sorry it’s come to this, but you have to act quickly. There wasn’t time to prepare you better. Phillip has his eyes everywhere, pet. The virus that shut down the security feeds and removed you from his database only allowed a two-hour window, but it’s enough. The cloak I gave you is filled with tech to keep him from tracing you. Don’t take it off until you’re off planet.

  “No. I will not call him Father. He is possessive and dictatorial. It’s a miracle that you didn’t turn out like your brother, Donovan. I still cannot fathom how you became such a decent human being in spite of your upbringing.

  “I’ve provided you with an anonymous Luxorian bank account to pay for your expenses. It can’t be traced and doesn’t require a DNA scan to use. It has more than enough to keep you comfortable for a lifetime. And before you say anything, yes, it’s a lot of currency, but it’s mine to do with as I please, and I won’t be needing it anymore.

  “A few things you need to know: I have made arrangements for you to meet with a Dr. Hajimi Totoyo in the Beta sector on Alpha Centauri Prime. He is the only cybernetic specialist I trust with the skills to remove the subdermal tech that enslaves you to Phillip. Once that is complete, he has no hold on you. It’s the only proof of your Adonirati status.

  “The reason it’s the only proof is that you are not a clone, pet. I couldn’t obtain a medical scan without raising Phillip’s suspicions. All information regarding you is synced to his com at all times. But Dr. Saarken told me everything. You are not true Adonirati. You never were.

  “Don’t feel guilty, Hadrian. It was a mercy killing I demanded of you. I know it was quick and painless. You are far too compassionate to do otherwise. Dr. Saarken identified the Arkarian Syndrome that would slowly end my life, and I will not spend those final days rotting in prison. With his help, we are setting you free, pet. Phillip will discover my involvement in this, and if you hadn’t ended me, he would have punished me for sure. I had no intention of dying slowly, incarcerated, with minimal medical intervention, under his vengeful eye. I also had no intention of being able to betray your whereabouts.

  “Before you pine for my loss, don’t. I’m not a decent man, Hadrian. If I were, I would have intervened many years ago on your behalf. But I didn’t. I’ve led a life of decadence that came to an end due to my own excesses. You are my only ticket to a gentle afterlife. I hope it’s enough.”

  Liam touched the image and it paused. There was more, but it wasn’t important right then. His head swam with the gravity of this revelation. He gathered Hadrian’s few possessions, dropped the holo device in his pocket, and turned out the lights before walking out the door.

  LIAM HAD NEVER woken up screaming like this before. Sad noises accompanied his erratic, half-smothered gasps as he awoke facedown in his bed. In the darkness, Liam was twisted in the sheets, wet with a dense, cold sweat. In his blind attempt to crawl forward, he fell off the end of the bed, crashing to the floor in a painful heap. He lay unmoving as tears ran unbidden onto the thick rug. It was something of a consolation no one was with him to witness his misery.

  Long minutes passed before he found the strength to lift himself up. He untangled his legs from the damp sheets and made his way to the refrigerated storage. The door slid open under his shaky touch, exposing the foodstuffs inside. Bathed in the light from the open door, he could see his T-shirt and jock clinging to his sticky skin. The sight only enhanced the sensation. He poured himself some water and closed the door so he might pretend it wasn’t happening.

  It was 06:14 hours. Hadrian had only been gone for eight hours, and the room’s inky blackness refused to whisper any comfort. The sole light in the room was the time clock’s dim glow, which was insufficient for much of anything. Liam was fine with that at the moment. The real world offered little respite from the horror of his dreams. He took a long drink in the dark and then took deep, slow breaths in a futile attempt to center himself.

  He would not go to Danverse. He only wanted to be touched by Hadrian and wouldn’t survive the guilt if he submitted tonight. It would be too much of a betrayal. Carefully, he stepped to where he knew the bed to be and took a seat on the mattress. He rubbed his hand over his face and fought to hold back the fresh flow of tears. Every nerve was so raw and overloaded.

  Liam had always heard how a bad dream faded once the dreamer was awake. What a load of crap that was. Every moment was burned in graphic detail across his memory. The nightmare had even been different this time. It wasn’t enough to relive Belathius Pointe yet again. This time, the dream had one important difference. The boy in his rifle’s scope had beautiful ice-blue eyes pleading for help. Even with that change, it still came to an end with the sickening report of gunfire.

  Liam couldn’t stop thinking about Hadrian. Hadrian’s history had a number of holes in it, but Liam knew enough to question what he’d been told up to this point. Hadrian’s future was at stake. Ambassador Chien couldn’t be trusted. That much he was sure of.

  “Lights. Low.”

  Even at the lowest level, he winced at the soft illumination from the light panels. Sitting on top of the desk, as if taunting him with the truth, was the holo device he’d confiscated from Hadrian’s quarters. He had logged the inventory and sent it to the captain, minus the holo.

  When he’d arrived in his quarters, he found a message from Danverse with the medical report from Dr. Bosch explaining Hadrian’s genetic profile and Adonirati status. Now with Hadrian gone, there was no reason to keep the information confidential. He still hadn’t spoken to Danverse since Hadrian’s quarters were cataloged. He wasn’t ready to face him yet.

  He watched the rest of Noble’s recording privately after turning in Hadrian’s effects to the Security office. The message continued for another five minutes or so and confirmed the shady nature of Hadrian’s…owner? A nauseous shudder ran down his spine. With this new information, the horror of his own wartime traumas paled in comparison to Hadrian’s history. If Leo Noble could be believed, Hadrian was in serious danger. Liam still had a lot of questions, but he had always trusted his instincts and his gut told him Leo’s digital ghost was telling the truth.

  The thought of Hadrian enslaved again, after coming so close to freedom, twisted his stomach in knots. He couldn’t leave Hadrian to this fate. He wasn’t sure what he could do, but he would come up with something. However, he couldn’t think bathed in this sea of sticky cloth. Sleep was over. Liam pulled on a pair of shorts and shambled off to the showers to rinse away the physical remnants of the nightmare and try to clear his head.

  THE BRIDGE WAS quiet as Danverse looked out the forward viewscreen, leaning against the central command podium. A series of stations lined the hull, with monitors and data displaying the immense vacuum surrounding the ship. Two other officers were on the bridge: Teddy, the communications and navigation officer, and Daveth, the pilot. Both men were kicked back in their chairs, watching the details of a vast area of nothing. Normally, Danverse found the hum of the ship pacifying, and its motley crew with their tattoos and non-military haircuts kept him happy. Currently, the scene before him offered little satisfaction.

  Liam had yet to speak to him since submitting the catalog of Hadrian’s effects yesterday. This was even worse than when he was spending every available moment with the Luxorian fugitive. Would Liam survive this? Would he?

  “Teddy, transfer the com logs to my station.”

  A moment later, he fingered the touchscreen and surveyed the list in front of him. This far into the voyage, messages were i
nfrequent, even personal ones, but the hail from the Luxorian cruiser taunted him like it was scribed in neon. He touched the entry and a text version of the incoming com shifted into a separate window. How many times had he read this message?

  The Luxorian government demanded to board the Santa Claus to retrieve Hadrian Jamison, wanted for murder. They weren’t subtle about threatening the crew’s safety. It was made clear that Danverse would comply or every soul on board would spend the rest of his life in prison under military law. Military, not civilian. The rules were different for the unfortunate people who wound up that way. Most never saw the light of day again.

  The military shouldn’t have been involved in the first place. This far out, the whole scene should have been out of their jurisdiction, but what could he do? An ambassador wielding the power of the wealthiest armed force in the cluster had the power to do whatever he wanted.

  His jaw ached from grinding his teeth so hard. Submitting to Chien, the arrogant bastard, went against his nature, but he did what he had to do to protect his crew; they were his family.

  He knew Hadrian was a victim, but there was little he could do about it. It surprised him he didn’t want Hadrian caged, considering how close he’d come to being killed in the cargo hold. But he’d seen how the ambassador and his consort had treated Hadrian and Liam. They couldn’t be trusted. He found himself not even feeling sorry for the guards Hadrian had killed.

  The Luxorian cruiser seemed to have departed without further incident. Even so, he wanted to be sure there would be nothing they could use to harass him or his ship in the future. He never wanted to see another Luxorian flagship again in his life.

  “Teddy, are you sure that cruiser is gone?”

  Turning around in his chair, Teddy reached back with an ink-patterned arm and adjusted the tie holding his long, brown hair together.

  “They’re gone, Captain. I’ve been sweeping sensors since they left and I haven’t found a trace of them near us. Not even so much as a trash dump.”

  “Any chance of a stealthed craft?”

  “Doubt it.” He shook his head.

  “All right. Keep an eye out until I say otherwise. I’ll be in the day cabin.”

  With a quick swipe, he cleared his screen after sending the data to his private station. He pushed off and turned to the anteroom connected to the bridge. A quick DNA ID scan on the palm plate and the door slid open. The room was simply furnished, like most of the quarters on board, except this one was part lounge and part office. Everything was clean and orderly, just the way he needed it.

  A portion of the surface shifted upright into a display as he slid into the chair behind the desk. The screen came alive with the message he’d transferred from the bridge. Another quick touch and the bio for Hadrian Jamison came up next to it. He studied the outdated picture. Long tresses of black hair half obscured the face of the man on the monitor. How quickly his appearance had changed. If not for the unmistakable eyes, Danverse would swear the man on the screen was a complete stranger.

  “Mrs. Claus. Please compile all security vid data on the whereabouts of passenger Hadrian Jamison since his arrival on board.”

  “Will this include the restricted data as well, Captain?”

  “Yes, everything. Include restricted feeds as well. Captain’s privilege. Send everything to my site here in the day cabin.”

  “Voice print recognized. All data will be transferred in two minutes, twenty-five seconds.”

  He leaned back in his chair until he faced the ceiling, racked with guilt over bringing the Luxorian government to the ship. When he’d contacted them regarding information on the Adonirati and Hadrian Jamison, they never let on a military vessel would appear ready to blow open the hull with guns blazing. They forced his hand with their threats against his crew and made him choose the lesser of two evils. His men were safe, but he’d handed a man off into the clutches of others who would use him to their advantage. He had nothing to feel proud of at that moment.

  Liam would never forgive him. He had no doubt of that. Rubbing his temples, he cursed himself for not having a stash of liquor here in the day cabin.

  Mrs. Claus chimed. “Surveillance data is now available, Captain Danverse.”

  “Begin playback. Mute.”

  The screen’s image displayed Liam escorting Hadrian on board the Santa Claus. Centered on Hadrian, the vid followed his movements as he walked down the hall. Hadrian entered his room and left Liam outside.

  “Fast forward. Eighteen times.” The images passed by at a much greater rate. For the most part, Hadrian didn’t do much. He meditated. He ate. He slept. He browsed the Subspace Link. Nothing of notice. Danverse sped the output to forty times normal. There was still a lot of vid to cover to be sure there wasn’t anything else the Luxorians could use as an excuse to come back. It was tedious, but he didn’t mind. He welcomed the obsessive distraction.

  Danverse wasn’t sure how much time had passed before the door sounded. He was barely past three days of video and had found little of notice.

  “Who is it?”

  “It’s Liam. I need to talk to you.”

  His attention snapped away from the screen. “Pause.” The vid froze with Hadrian in the locker room shaving his head. “Come in.”

  The door shifted open and Liam bounded in. His eyes were frantic and his movements twitchy and impatient. Unshaven, his clothes looked like they had been slept in. The guilt grew in Danverse’s chest again.

  “I need your help, Marc.”

  “Talk to me.”

  It was unnerving to see Liam pace back and forth like a caged animal.

  “I need him back.”

  “I know you do.”

  Liam spun and planted both hands on the desk. “Help me get him back.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “I’ve never asked you for anything like this before.” Liam’s glistening eyes were wide and his jaw was rigid as he spoke through his teeth. He had never looked so desperate before. Not even after the nightmares.

  “You mean nothing this crazy.”

  “They’re going to torture him!” Liam’s volume filled the room. “You saw what happened! He’s going to die.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  Liam pushed off the desk and shook his head. With an outstretched hand, he made an invisible wall between them. “Don’t. Don’t placate me. You know full well what might happen.”

  Danverse sighed. “You’re right. I do. That man, Chien is running around with the Luxorian military as his personal armed force. Do you have any idea what he’d do to you or me, or this crew, if we tried to rescue Hadrian? Those bastards made it very clear they would kill or imprison us all if they didn’t get one hundred percent compliance with their demands.”

  A sick, shaky gasp made Liam’s shoulders tremble. “I can’t lose him, Marc.”

  “I can’t save him, Liam.” He swallowed to fight back the sympathetic tear. He would not lose control in front of Liam right then. “They have us outgunned and have all the power. I can’t risk losing you, too.”

  “I love him.” A single tear escaped Liam’s eye.

  Sadness pressed into Danverse’s shoulders and chest. “I know. I’m so sorry. But I can’t risk the lives and safety of everyone on board for one man. Even for you. You know that.”

  Slumping onto the couch, Liam ran his hands over his face. “I know. I was just hoping you might think of something.” Liam rolled his head along the back of the couch, taking long, deep breaths. “Can’t we expose Chien? We know he’s lying.”

  “I looked into him. He has huge connections throughout Luxoria. His command of the military could have us nuked out here before anything could be proved. We’re lucky they didn’t do it after they took off with Hadrian.”

  “All right, Marc. You can stop now.” Liam’s body sank deeper into the couch. The frantic manner he’d entered with was becoming dull and flat, his resolve melting as Danverse’s words set in.

&nbs
p; A tense silence filled the room. Danverse forced himself to bury the shame sitting in his chest. Heartache was etched across every square millimeter of his best friend. It reminded him of what he’d felt when Mac walked out of the mess hall that night. Liam had been through so much. It wasn’t fair. At some point, the universe would have to balance things out in his favor.

  “I wish there was something I could do. I know I haven’t been thrilled with the thought of you and Hadrian, but I want you to be happy. Even if I haven’t acted like it.” Unsure what else to do, he turned back to his screen. “Continue.” The vid started up again at normal speed.

  “What are you doing?” Liam sniffled as he sat up.

  “Going over Hadrian’s activities on the ship. I need to be sure the Luxorians don’t have any excuses for a return visit.”

  Liam glanced around the edge of the screen. “In the shower? The restricted feeds?” His words had a bit of a rumble to them.

  “Relax, Liam. I’m not perving on him. I’m fast-forwarding through his time here.” Hadrian was shaving his body with a handheld ultraviolet razor while Liam showered nearby. Danverse made a point to hide his reaction as he noticed Liam’s cock hardening in the shower.

  Liam frowned. “I would appreciate you skipping over any…intimate scenes.”

  “Are you afraid I’m going to see you doing something inappropriate?” Danverse laughed. “What exactly do you think I’m going to find?” With an arched brow, he smiled. “Does Hadrian have any kinks I should know about?”

  Liam shook his head and began to smile back, a blush staining his cheeks. He was clearly embarrassed, which was unusual. Liam had never been shy chatting about sexual conquests before. Hadrian had been the real thing.

  “About a week after I got out of sick bay, he found me in the hallway outside of the cargo bay. Skip that.”

  “In the hallway? You dog! That’s not like you, Liam.”