by Heidi Skarie
Erling turned on the radio. “This is Slider, Best Slave Dealer in the Galaxy,” he drawled. “Come any closer and we’ll blast you to pieces. We demand to know why you’re tailing us.”
“This is Commander Cadmus Rochambeau.”
At the sound of his voice, bile rose in Toemeka’s throat.
“Turn around and land so we can search your ship.”
“No!” Toemeka gasped. She put her hand over her mouth, hoping he hadn’t heard her.
“We paid the proper port fees and were given clearance to take off,” Erling said. “What’s the problem?”
“We have intelligence that you’ve stolen one of my women.”
“There aren’t any women aboard.”
“Turn around immediately. We have ground missiles aimed at your ship. We’ll shoot you down if you don’t comply.”
Erling turned off the microphone. “What should we do?”
“They’ll destroy us before we make the jump,” Michio said. He turned and looked at his wife. “I’m not going to risk Toemeka’s life. We’ll have to turn around.”
“I’m not going back!” she exclaimed. “We can stall them long enough to make the jump.” She flipped on the control panel radio. “Cadmus, this is Toemeka. These men abducted me from the party. They’re ruthless slave dealers. Please don’t fire on us.”
“You weren’t abducted. You stole my aircar and flew away. Slider, turn around or we’ll fire on your ship.”
“Cadmus, you have to believe me. They snatched me when I came out of the bathroom and stole your aircar.” She held her breath, waiting to hear his answer.
“Will you sell her?” Cadmus asked.
“For the right price,” Erling said.
“What’s your price?”
“2,000 dockras in international currency.”
A chill went through Toemeka at the unreasonably high price Erling set. Cadmus swore angrily, then exclaimed, “No woman’s worth that much!”
Michio mouthed to Erling. “Lower the price.”
“This one is,” Erling said, ignoring Michio. “If you want her, you’ll have to pay for her,”
“1,500 dockras — that’s the highest I’ll go. Take it or we’ll shoot you down.”
Erling laughed gruffly. “I didn’t become the best slave dealer in the galaxy by compromising. Go ahead and fire.”
A tense moment passed, then Cadmus said, “All right, 2,000 dockras, but she’d better be unharmed or I’ll slice you into small pieces and serve you to the tawkus.”
“We never damage the goods. How do we know you’ll keep your word?” Erling asked.
“On Henotaux, we honor our bargains.”
The ship began to vibrate and a high-pitched hum sounded. Toemeka clutched one fist to her chest. They were entering phase one of a space jump and might yet make it. The hum and gentle movement turned into dangerous, violent shaking. Everything disappeared, merging into the vibrating energy. Sweat dripped from her brow. If the space jump system malfunctioned, they’d be killed.
The shaking finally slowed, then stopped. Moments later she saw deep space with stars and planets streaming by.
“Everyone all right?” Michio asked.
“Where did you get this flying deathtrap?” Toemeka exclaimed.
Michio turned in his seat to look at her. “Traded it for the Blue Lady.”
“You got a bad deal.”
“That’s what I told him,” Erling chimed in. His eyes swept over her and he whistled. “It looks like you just came from a party.”
“I did. You and Michio would’ve fit right in wearing that garb.”
Erling shrugged. “We’re decked out as slave dealers and traded this horror of a ship so we could land on Devil’s Eye.”
“Thank God you were able to. I don’t know how I would’ve escaped if you hadn’t been at the spaceport.” Toemeka turned to Michio. “Where’s Baymond? Is he all right?”
“He’s being well taken care of at the palace. Koriann hired a nursemaid and sends us daily reports. Do you want to see his picture?” Michio took out a hand-held communicator.
Toemeka stood, grimacing when she put weight on her injured foot, then hobbled over.
“Why are you limping?” Michio asked.
“I stepped on something sharp when we ran to the ship.”
“Where are your shoes?”
“I left them at the party. They had stiletto heels and were the worse possible shoes to escape in.” She shuddered remembering when she’d slid them off to dance with Cadmus.
“You’re safe now,” Michio said putting his hand on her arm.
“For the moment.” Her voice came out in barely a whisper. She didn’t feel safe. Cadmus would be hell-bent on recapturing her.
Michio handed his the communicator to Toemeka.
“Koriann and Onolyn are thoroughly spoiling Baymond,” Erling said.
Toemeka’s eyes filled with tears as she scrolled through the photos of Baymond on the communicator. “He’s so precious. I can’t wait to see him again. Being torn away from him was terrible.” She glanced from a photo of the baby to Michio. “I didn’t want to leave you either, but I knew you didn’t need me the way he did.”
“We both need you.”
She nodded, feeling ill at ease. Michio must have questions about her appearance, among other things. “I’d like to change out of this dress. Did you bring clothes for me?”
“Koriann packed a travel bag,” Michio said. “I’ll show you where our cabin is.”
She followed him down a short hallway to the cabin. The mural depicting a harem greeted her when she entered. She glanced around the unusually large cabin, taking in the double-sized berth and adjoining bathroom. “It looks like the bedroom of a slave-ship captain.”
“Slavery was one of the many illegal activities the previous owner was engaged in.”
She felt dark vibrations of human suffering still clinging to the ship and could only imagine the terrible things that must have occurred. Had Amaretta been brought to Devil’s Eye on a ship like this? She frowned, wishing she’d been able to free the girl.
“Couldn’t you find a different profession to pose as?” she asked. “This place gives me the creeps.” She unfastened her ruby earrings and necklace, placing them on a shelf, anxious to be rid of anything that reminded her of Cadmus.
“We needed a smugglers’ ship as a disguise, so we could safely land on Devil’s Eye. I’m sorry it makes you uncomfortable.”
She tugged at her ruby ring, but couldn’t remove it. “This ring’s stuck. Help me get this hateful thing off.”
Michio clasped the band and twisted it off with surprising ease. “It’s an expensive ring.” As he examined the stone, his face darkened. “I suppose a man who would pay 2,000 dockras for a woman would think little of buying such a gift. Where’s your wedding band?”
She felt the sting behind his words. Did he think she’d done something to make Cadmus desire her? “In my evening bag. That’s why I stopped to pick it up on the airfield.” She took out her wedding band and slid it on. “You act like I did something wrong. You do realize I was his captive and had no choice about wearing the ring.”
His shoulders stiffened. “I didn’t accuse you of anything.”
“Maybe not with words.”
He raked his hands through his hair. “Seeing you dressed like that, wearing his ring, is upsetting. I’m mad at myself for not protecting you from him.”
“If you were there when he abducted me, he and his men would have killed you. Would you unzip my dress?” She turned around so her back was to him.
He slid down the zipper, then lightly touched the welts on her back. “How did you get these?”
“Cadmus hit me with a belt.”
“He’ll never touch you again!” Michio’s voice was raw. He pushed the ruffled strap off her shoulder. The dress slid to the floor, leaving her in nothing but a black thong. “Your side’s bruised as well.”
She lifte
d a throw off the bed and wrapped herself in it. Feeling less exposed, she turned to face him. “When Cadmus abducted me, he threw me against the bedside table. I fractured four ribs and was bedridden most of the time we’ve been separated.”
He drew her into his arms and kissed her. “Why weren’t your ribs treated medically so they’d heal more quickly?”
She stepped away from him, afraid she’d start crying. “I suppose he wanted to teach me a lesson about the price of defying him.”
“I’m sorry you went through so much.” His voice was thick with emotion. “How did you escape?”
After she briefly described how she got away, Michio said, “Cadmus underestimated you.”
“And you.”
“Let me help you with your hair.” He pulled out her hairpins and started removing the golden chains woven through her thick tresses. “You’ve lost weight. You’re even thinner than before you got pregnant.”
“I realized my food was drugged, so I started eating only raw fruit and vegetables. They were the only things I could be sure weren’t tampered with.”
“Why did he drug your food?”
“He didn’t. Seetva did.”
“Seetva was there!” he gasped.
Toemeka nodded. “She tried to control me.” A lump formed in her throat. “I’m not ready to talk about what happened. Do you mind giving me some time to myself? I’d like to shower and get dressed.”
Michio took a travel bag out of a locker and set it on the bed. “I’ll be in the cockpit.” He started to leave.
“Michio.”
He stopped and turned to look at her.
“Some things can’t be undone. We just have to live with them.”
“I know.”
She studied his rigid pose. Did he think she was damaged goods? She couldn’t deal with another touchy man right now. In the bathroom, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She didn’t look anything like herself with the heavy makeup and gold flecks on her face and hair—no wonder Michio was acting edgy. She removed the false eyelashes, then stepped into the reclaimer—the most common shower on spacecraft where all water was processed and reused. Water was always limited on spaceships, but she didn’t care to conserve it. She let it pour over her as she scrubbed her hair and skin, trying to get rid of the smell of smoke and perfume and remove the makeup. She still felt dirty when the water ran out.
She wrapped herself in a towel and limped over to the travel bag. Everything in it was new—nothing comforting from home to remind her of who she was before the abduction. Exhausted, she slid on a flowered nightgown and climbed into the double berth.
***
Michio leaned back in his chair. He was so tired he couldn’t think straight any more. He’d hardly slept since Toemeka was abducted.
“Go lie down before you fall asleep in your chair,” Erling said. “I can handle things here.”
“Toemeka wants some time to herself.”
“You’re a little dense for a smart guy. You gave her time to herself; now you need to get in there and hold her and tell her how much you love her.”
“She doesn’t want me to hold her. I tried.” His chest tightened as he remembered her pulling away from him. “She thinks I’m upset with her.”
“Are you?”
“No, of course not, but it threw me off to see her like that.”
“Like what?” Erling asked.
“You know… wearing that dress… and, well, smelling of strong perfume, smoke and tasting of alcohol.”
“And? You’re leaving out what bothers you most.”
Michio flashed him an annoyed scowl. “I know he took her against her will. Still, it bothers me…”
“And she picked up on it, even though you didn’t say anything.”
He winced. “I suppose she did.”
“Did you expect her to be helpless, huddled in a cell instead of escaping on her own and meeting us at the spaceport? She’s a capable undercover operative. She knew it was too dangerous for us to break into Cadmus’ compound, so she used the party as a chance to escape.”
Michio rubbed his forehead. “You’re right. I’m an ass. I’ve failed her miserably.”
“You didn’t fail Toemeka. You found her and rescued her against all odds. Go to her. Tell her how much she means to you. She’s been through enough without having to deal with your emotions.”
“Thanks, I needed to hear that.” Michio went to his cabin and paused outside the door, wondering if he should knock. It was quiet in the room and knocking might awaken her, if she’d gone to sleep.
He opened the door and saw her lying on the berth. She’d dimmed the lights instead of turning them off. She looked young and innocent as she opened her eyes and looked at him. She’d scrubbed her face clean of makeup and her long black hair was lush and shining.
“You’re not asleep yet,” he said closing the door.
“I can’t sleep.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I’m sure you’re exhausted. Erling’s taking the first shift. Can I share the berth with you?”
“Of course, you’re my husband.” She moved toward the wall to make room for him.
He stripped down to his undershorts and climbed in next to her.
“Do you mind keeping the light on?” she asked.
“I rather like it because I can see you. Can I hold you?”
She nodded and he drew her into his arms so they were facing each other. When she snuggled closer something deep inside him seemed to let go. A lump formed in his throat. They were together again. Somehow, they’d work through this latest trauma.
Her eyes filled with tears.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know… I just feel broken… damaged.”
“You’re not damaged. No one can destroy the beauty inside you.” He held her close. “I love you so much.”
“I was so scared. Cadmus used me to lure you to Devil’s Eye so he could kill you and Erling.” She shuddered in his arms as tears started rolling down her cheeks. “I had to escape tonight. He’d grown tired of waiting for me to heal. If I hadn’t gotten away, he would have taken me to his bed.”
He went rigid. Had he understood her correctly? “You mean he never touch you?”
“Not in that way.”
“Thank God! What you suffered is bad enough. I’m sorry if I hurt you. It wasn’t my intent. It felt like my heart was ripped out when I received your inner message and arrived home to find you gone and the baby crying.”
He kissed her tear-stained cheeks, tasting the salt. His lips traveled to her mouth and she returned the kiss. A flood of warm love enveloped him as he kissed her tenderly, expressing his deep love for her. It felt like a profound reaffirmation of their commitment to one another.
“I love you, Michio,” she said between kisses. “My love for you was what kept me from giving in to despair and gave me the strength to run away from him tonight.”
“And my love for you kept me searching for you, my love, my friend, my wife and the mother of my child. Life has given back to us what’s most precious.”
He lifted his head and gazed down at her. The joy of being with her again touched his soul.
***
Hours later, Michio dressed in a flight suit and took over flying the ship. He settled back in his seat, enjoying the tranquility of deep space.
Toward the end of his shift, Erling returned to the cockpit. “Toemeka still sleeping?” he asked, sitting down in the co-pilot seat.
“I assume so. I’ve been thinking — if Cadmus’s so obsessed with Toemeka that he’d travel to another solar system to kidnap her, he’ll try it again. After we get Toemeka safely to the palace, I’m going back to Devil’s Eye to kill him. I’m not spending the rest of my life wondering when he’s going to steal my wife again.”
“We can take a fleet of military spaceships.”
Michio heard a soft shuffle and turned to see Toemeka enter the cockpit.
“You can’t
go back,” she said. “It’s too dangerous. The dome was built by criminals. It’s heavily defended with a massive shield and missile bases.”
“I didn’t hear you come in. How did you sleep?” Michio asked. She didn’t look quite awake. Her hair was tousled and she wore a knit top and slacks.
“I slept all right.” She put a hand over her mouth as she yawned. “But don’t try to evade the issue. It’s too dangerous for you to attack Devil’s Eye, even with a space fleet.”
Erling and Michio exchanged a quick look, then Michio said, “We don’t have to decide anything right now.”
“If anyone should want revenge, it’s me, and I don’t,” Toemeka said. “I learned years ago revenge doesn’t bring healing. It’s a negative emotion; it’s better to move on.”
“Let’s not talk about it now,” Michio said, standing up. “You must be starving. I’ll make you something to eat.”
“Don’t try and weasel your way out of this conversation. If you dare go to Devil’s Eye, I’m coming with you. I’m a trained professional and I have every reason and right to go.”
Michio cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. “Nothing’s been decided.” He pulled out his communicator. “Koriann sent a new photo of the baby last night after she heard we’d rescued you.” He handed it to her.
She gazed at the photo for a moment, then back at him. “You think you can dissuade me so easily, but I’m serious. If you’re going, I’m going, too. If you risk your life, I’m risking mine.” She looked back at the photo and a smile spread across her face. “He’s so precious.”
“Yes, he is. You must be starving. I’ll get you something to eat.” Michio headed to the galley. When he got there, he realized all they had were space wafers and enhanced water. Food hadn’t been a priority. He returned to the cockpit with the limited provisions.
Toemeka was sitting in the co-pilot chair and he overheard her say, “Thank you for joining Michio in the search for me. I know it took you away from important duties.” She leaned over and kissed Erling on the cheek.
“I didn’t have a choice. Mich has been unbearable to be around ever since you were abducted.”
“I have not.” Michio handed each of them a bottle of water and set the wafers on the console between them.