FreedomofThree

by Liberty Stafford

  Their kissing became stronger, their bodies pressed against one another, writhing, pushing, eager. Raniko kissed Brandana’s neck lovingly and released the bow of her halter. The red dress slipped to the floor, eased down by Raniko’s soft hand. Brandana felt her skin enveloped by the hot steam of the laundry. She never wore knickers with that dress and was now completely naked, occasionally glancing around the lines of airing clothes which were her only modesty to check that they were not being watched.

  Kissing again, Raniko opened Brandana with her fingers and tenderly sought out her clitoris which she softly rubbed with a perfect rhythm that only a woman, or a trained bipene, would know.

  Brandana knew there was no turning back now. She didn’t want there to be any reason to go back. She hardly cared any longer if they were caught. It was worth it.

  She carefully lifted Raniko’s top, softly peeling it from her.

  Raniko took it from her and threw it to the floor, a sign that she no longer cared about the state of her clothing. She was forgiven.

  In a tight embrace, their breasts spread against one another, warm and silken soft. Brandana licked Raniko’s round, brown nipple with a smile and fell to her knees to take her first taste of a woman. Through her soft downy covering, peeling back the lips slowly, she protruded her wet tongue and sought out the small round clitoris which had begun to engorge. Brandana had often fantasised about this moment and tried to imagine how she liked her own clitoral stimulation; a little more than soft, very rhythmic and persistent.

  A waiter walked into the laundry room with a pen between his lips and the girls froze, Brandana still on her knees buried deep between Raniko’s thighs as Raniko covered her breasts with her arms. He was so busy, however, that he simply collected a pile of napkins and left without noticing them. With their pulses racing even faster, they continued their escapade.

  Raniko urged Brandana to sit upon the washing machine that appeared to be approaching final spin, its drum wrathfully spinning, the whole white box shaking as though full of angry bees.

  As Brandana hitched herself up, Raniko took her own tongue to her, keeping eye contact, lapping away just enough to tease. Brandana itched for more and Raniko sensed this, mounting her after kissing her body all the way up. She locked lips with her once more and ran her elegant hands through Brandana’s hair, taking out the fastener and shaking the white tresses free and wild. Brandana reached around and squeezed Raniko’s buttocks, each of them desperately using the other to build their passion, sighing and breathing warmly into one another’s neck and hair until they came.

  Although their own cycles had finished, the machines continued to whir and moan long after they had finished and dressed, Raniko taking a new, plainer outfit from the dryer. They giggled and caressed one another as though they were drunk, both in extremely high spirits.

  “Well, this is it, I suppose,” Brandana said outside the laundry room door.

  “I suppose so.”

  For some special moments, they gazed into one another’s eyes, eager to say something, to stay together, to do it all again and again. However, life seemed too hard. Both of them had a job to do. Other things on their mind. Devon. Hans. Hudson Brody. The bounty. Kirslar. Populus. Surely it was impossible?

  Brandana said, “I think we’ll see each other again.”

  “You know, so do I,” Raniko agreed. “You’ve got me believing all this cosmic bullshit. Until then?”

  “Until then.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Success Soured

  Raniko enjoyed feeling naughty and walking out of such a fine hotel in somebody else’s clothes after a wonderful sexual encounter fitted the bill quite nicely. A couple of times, Raniko almost turned back. Brandana had gotten under her skin. Raniko had not only found the sex stimulating, she had enjoyed the conversation and the company very much. Yet it was time to be alone again. On the hunt. Her way.

  Before she turned for the parking area, something made her hunter senses tingle. Her gaze was drawn towards the beach. Sitting there alone, quite still while others jogged past or flew kites, was a man with loose, dark curls. Could it be, she wondered? There was only one way to find out.

  The closer she got, the more certain Raniko became. She checked that her handcuffs were to hand, pulling them to the top of her Fendi handbag.

  “Hello. Mind some company?” she asked innocently.

  Devon was startled. “I don’t mind.”

  “My name’s Raniko. You?”

  “Devon.”

  “Nice name.”

  “Thanks.”

  “So, been here long?”

  Raniko could not help but chat to the bounty. Prettier than she imagined, Devon held her interest and she looked at him like a curious cat. His hair was a beautiful chocolate brown and flecks of sand had blown up and got caught on his skin. Raniko wanted to pick them off and put them in her pocket. After meeting Brandana, after their wanton encounter, she was feeling very relaxed, very at peace with the world. Now, on the beach with Devon, she wished that they could stay there together. Something told her that they would get along under different circumstances.

  “I don’t know how long I’ve been here,” he smiled.

  “And you don’t care, right?”

  “Right,” Devon grinned, feeling he could tell this strikingly beautiful woman anything. “How about you? How long have you been in Botanica?”

  “Just arrived.”

  “Do you like it so far?”

  “Oh yeah.” Raniko nodded seriously. “I like it very much.” In a thrice, she had snapped handcuffs tightly around his pretty wrists.

  “Wait a minute. What are you doing? Why have you handcuffed me?” Devon could not believe his eyes.

  “I’m a bounty hunter, my sweet friend. I’ve been paid to bring you in.”

  Devon grimaced. “Queen Uno.”

  “Afraid so, baby. I am sorry about this, believe me. Well now, there’s my way or the highway. Are you the type to go quietly or am I going to have to rough you up a little?”

  “I don’t have a choice.” He sighed. “I never have.”

  His answer was so pitiful, Raniko queried, “What do you mean?”

  “I hope you know that you’re taking me back to slavery, Raniko, if that’s even your real name. I had a huge stroke of luck to get off that planet alive. By handing me over to them, you’re as good as signing my death warrant. If you can live with that, go ahead. Take me back there.”

  “Another sob story,” she said coldly when inside, she was cracking like a mirror struck with a stone. “You wouldn’t believe the crap that I hear on a daily basis.”

  “Fine. Point me in the direction of your ship. I’ve enjoyed my few weeks of freedom. Nothing else matters now. Do what you will.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  A Crazy Idea

  Brandana of course had no luck in finding Devon as Raniko had beaten her to the prize. As she paced the lengthy corridors of Botanica checking every single room just on the off chance he might be there, Raniko was cuffing the man Brandana loved to a gold plated bar on one of her many suede settees.

  Brandana shed a quiet tear. She was not usually the crying type but she had experienced a very hard couple of days. It seemed that Devon had disappeared from the face of the planet when she was so desperate to be held in his arms. She had indulged in her first same sex relationship and she had disappeared too and only yesterday she was flying through the air bombing vicious Ratt Pirates. Life suddenly took its toll and she rested against the hotel wall, utterly exhausted.

  Back in Hans’ ship, Brandana collapsed into the co-pilot seat.

  “You alright, sis?”

  “Fine. Just get me off this planet and quickly.”

  “No Devon?”

  “I can’t find him anywhere.”

  “Sorry.” Hans shrugged.

  “Give it up. You didn’t want me to find him anyway.”

  “I know, but I didn’t think you’d be th
is upset about it. Tell you what,” a mischievous look spread across Hans’ face. “I know what might cheer you up.”

  “What?” she sulked.

  “I’ve been thinking about it for a while. What do you say to a bit of good, old fashioned revenge?”

  Brandana blinked. “Go on.”

  “On Queen Uno. How about making yourself feel better by dropping a bomb on her palace or ripping the place apart with some lasers and missiles? I’ve heard she secretly supports the Ratt Pirates.”

  “Really, or are you just saying that?”

  “You decide.” Hans winked.

  “I tell you what, even though your idea does sound fun, how about we make a real change on Irella? We could kidnap her, yeah, and make her change her planet’s stupid, outdated, cruel traditions.”

  Hans’ face fell. “Boom, boom! Crash, crash! Come on, it would be so much fun!”

  “No. We will kidnap her, with a purpose.”

  “You’re getting old and boring,” Hans moaned but still wasted no time in plotting their new course back to Irella.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Brody Feels The Pressure

  As if he was not busy and stressed out enough, Hudson Brody’s planning of his next urgent mission was interrupted by an urgent call from the interplanetary police hot line, a direct line which was never used except in emergencies. Calls came straight through and were not even vetted by his secretary.

  “Brody? Inspector Carter. Is this a good time?”

  Hudson inwardly groaned. A call from him meant that something had gone badly wrong, or was about to. He felt a lot of dirty work about to fall into his lap. Stuff that he was not allowed to talk about. Nevertheless, the police force put a lot of money into Star Fighters every financial year, some of it dubious, all of it lucrative.

  “Carter, good to hear from you,” he lied through his teeth, automatically switching to his best business voice. “How can I be of service?”

  “I hear you recently took a job from the ruler of Irella.”

  “Queen Uno.” Hudson knew she would be trouble.

  “Yes. Thing is, she’s been kidnapped.”

  Hudson felt genuine shock and a wave of uncertainty. The bad thing had already happened. “Really? When?”

  “An hour ago.”

  “Any idea who or why?”

  “They left a note. Check your email, I’m sending it to you now.”

  Hudson did so. The note read, ‘On behalf of all servants of this tyrannical Irellan rule, your Queen has been kidnapped. For the while she will remain safe. Until our demands are met. We demand the following things:

  1. Set sensible and fair hours for all servants, in keeping with universal rules governing maximum hours allowable.

  2. Fair pay for all servants, in keeping with universal rules governing minimum wage.

  3. Better living conditions for servants.

  4. More holidays for servants.

  5. The complete abandonment of the keeping of bipenes for royal marriages and any other slave duty.

  Our ship is in Irellan orbit awaiting your decision. If our demands are not met, your Queen will suffer. You have been warned and have twenty-four hours to resolve these matters.’

  “Any clues on the handwriting?” Hudson asked.

  “Not so far. There is a ship orbiting above the palace and we believe the queen is onboard. Brody, we need a hunter to get her back immediately. Can you supply?”

  “Of course.” Hudson began to check availability on screen. “I have a hunter nearby right now. I’ll get in touch.”

  “The queen’s safety is utmost, Brody. If she’s damaged, I’m holding Star Fighters completely responsible. I’ll be waiting for your call.”

  With that, Carter was gone. Hudson shook his head and wondered how in the galaxy he managed to get himself into scrapes like this. With the head of a queen no less as his responsibility, and possibly the start of a great war if it all goes pear shaped, his stress levels soared. Hudson took a throat hogging tablet with a slug of Scotch and waited for his stomach to settle before he got in touch with the nearest hunter; Raniko on The Opulence.

  “Good to hear from you so soon,” Raniko teased for she had only recently contacted Hudson to tell him she was bringing back Devon safe and sound.

  “We have a problem, my dear.”

  “You mean you do,” she teased. “I don’t have problems, only the solutions.”

  “I love my team,” Hudson growled. “Remember our favourite queen?”

  “The bitch from Irella?”

  “The very same. Well, this should please you, it seems she has been kidnapped.”

  “Shame.” Raniko did not sound convinced. “What’s that got to do with me? Do you want me to take him back now or not?”

  “No, no, don’t do that. I want you to divert. Lucky old you, Raniko, you are the closest hunter to the kidnapper’s ship. You told me the bounty was no problem so leave him safely locked up. I want you to board the ship and release the queen.”

  “You are joking?”

  “Afraid not. I’ve just had Carter on the phone. This is an emergency operation, Raniko. We need that queen back asap.”

  Of course, Raniko had little choice but to agree. Failing to respond to a police emergency would result in all sorts of carnage. As she had said, Devon was no problem. He would stay put, she was sure.

  Yet as she began to chart her course for Irella, Raniko could not help but feel a terrible sadness, so terrible that acid began to burn her larynx. Back in her ship, Devon lay fast asleep on the sofa, stretched out like a proud lion, looking sorrowful even in his somnolence. When she had first found him on the beach, there had been a dignity in his face that was lost now. Lost to despondency and she had caused it.

  Raniko rubbed her chest but the burn of guilt would not abate. Several times she had found herself watching Devon as he slept, drawn to him, to his peaceful demeanour and his inner glow which was cooling now almost perceptibly before her eyes. She knelt before him and listened to his deep, calm breathing.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Boarding The Pirates

  Out of the blue, Hans’ ship was rocked by an almighty explosion. Unfortunately, he was standing over the toilet at the time and missed his aim. Hans zipped up quickly and ran to the cockpit. Brandana was urgently contacting him on the intercom from one of the dorm rooms where she had been questioning Queen Uno, trying to make her see the errors of her Irellan ways.

  “Hans! Are you there?”

  “I’m here. What on Jupiter’s going on?”

  “I don’t know. There was no communication before they fired. What can you see on screen?”

  “One ship, fairly large, cruiser class.” Hans continued to scan their nemesis. “There’s two on board; one Earthling, one Irellan.”

  “Irellan?” Brandana repeated incredulously. “Who could that be?”

  “No idea.” Hans furiously checked his ship’s diagnostics. “Certainly not the king, the coward. Perhaps a palace guard. Although why there’s an Earthling involved, I’m not too sure.”

  “Are we damaged?”

  “No. Just a warning shot. Deflector shields are up now.”

  Brandana turned to the queen who had not lost one ounce of her haughty air all through her ordeal. Such actions had only served to strengthen the hatred she had always felt towards Brandana and what stung the most was being told what to do by a former servant. That hurt more than being away from her family.

  “Who’s the Irellan on that ship? Any ideas, queen?” Brandana asked spitefully.

  “My lips are sealed.” Uno feigned knowledge she did not have purely in order to anger her kidnapper.

  Brandana slapped her sharply across her cheek. “Who is it, I said?”

  Uno gathered herself together coolly. “Treasonous slave. When I am freed, you are coming back to Irella and I will have your head on a platter.”

  “Tell me one thi
ng, Uno, have you even heard a word I’ve said to you?”

  “What makes you think I should listen to you, a mere servant girl?”

  “Because I have something very important to say. Yes, you are a royal but there are so few of you and so many of us. None of us are happy! You work us all hours for your every whim, without even a word of thanks, and pay us a pittance. Our rooms are sparse, our food is little better than scraps. How can you even think that is a fair life? A decent life?”

  Before Uno could answer, Hans spoke again. “Better get up here, Brandy. They’re trying to board us.”

  “We’ll speak again,” Brandana warned Uno and left to be with her brother, locking Uno safely away.

  As she arrived in the cockpit, Hans said, “I told you we shouldn’t have done this.”

  “What? You wanted us to commit mass murder.”

  “Not murder,” Hans defended himself. “Just harmless destruction of buildings. It’s no use. The shield’s won’t stop them. They are on board.”

  Silence descended. Hans and Brandana pulled out their pistols.

  “Set to stun, Hans.”

  Together they crept from the cockpit into the belly of the ship’s corridors. An eerie darkness had fallen as the ship went into auto alert, the safety being breached. Slowly and stealthily, they stole with their backs to the walls, curving along the shape of each passage, listening for any sound that might give their enemy or themselves away.

  All together, three weapons clicked. Brandana took a huge intake of breath. A cold, sharp, stabbing breath.

  “Raniko?” she whispered in amazement.

  Raniko frowned in disbelief. “Brandana?”

  Automatically the women put their weapons down and stared at one another, endeavouring to compute their emotions; surprise, lust, hypersensitivity, happiness, doubt.

  “What’s going on?” Hans demanded to know, his pistol still trained on Raniko’s forehead.