Slavers of Antar

By DocPaul

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Chapter Thirteen: Impetus

“Where is my delivery?”

“They were tracked to the western region. Their ship went down.”

Thoth paced in anger. “I wanted them—needed them alive!”

“I dispatched recovery teams.” The slaver stood tall with his hands behind his back. “They followed too closely. I was going to have you turn off the cloaking field, but they exited the jump window too quickly and too close. Their ship is faster than mine. They almost overtook me.”

“Excuses? Excuses only mean something to those that use them! I want results.” Thoth quickly sat in his throne, his body suddenly weak. Running a hand over his face, he scowled at the scene beyond the window. “The Royals have taken the city of Chulak , and Celzia is theirs. We cannot lose any more cities in the providence. They almost have captured all of the north.  Only Larek’s world and parts of Antar remains in our control.”

“What would you have me do, my Lord?”

“Recover my Princess and her mate. Have them send Nikolas to the north. He is to recapture the city of Chulak , or burn it out of existence.”

The slaver bowed and quickly ran to do his master’s bidding.

Thoth ran a weak hand over his face. The Princess—she had to be the solution.

~~~

Antar, the main planet in a solar system that was once composed of five stars, was bleak and hot as the native suns moved too close to its orbital path. The red hills of Dinar rose off the bed of a large ocean long since dead.

Michael moved his head in pain, his vision clouded and blurred. It took a moment for him to realize he was trying to see through blood. Moaning, he moved slowly pushing the capsular module unit off, as the open hatch expelled.

The Zephyr had hit the dried sea bottom hard, her internal inertia field and shielding protecting the main structure and her passengers from full impact, but the ship was broken. She would not fly, definitely not until repaired, but more likely never again.

Looking behind him, all he could see of Maria was the top of her head. She wasn’t moving. Scrambling from the craft, Michael reached in tossing out his gear and anything obstructing his reach. The front command chair had a safety release as part of an ejection system. Pulling the release handle, he lifted the heavy chair out of the command module tossing it to the ground uncaring of where it landed.

“Maria?” Climbing back into the craft so he could get to her. Lifting her head, she was unconscious, her right side bleeding from a cut across her cheek. The wound bled profusely, but it wasn’t too deep. There was a bump on her left temple, her left arm appeared broken. The angle of her arm was too unnatural to be anything else. Michael continued to ascertain the damage to his wife when her eyes fluttered open.

“Maria!” Michael lifted her head forcing her to try to focus on him. “Honey, talk to me.”

Maria licked her lips trying to find moisture to talk. Her vision was split. She could see numerous Michaels, which was not hard on the eyes, but indicative of a full blunt trauma to the head.

“Michael, are you…”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re bleeding.”

“Small cut to my scalp. You know I like to bleed like a stuck pig.” Maria closed her eyes for a moment.

“Maria what hurts?”

“Everything.” Maria tried to see the ship, but her vision wouldn’t clear. “The Zephyr?”

“Scrap metal could fly easier. The ship—I’m sorry, Maria, I think she’s a scrub.”

“You have to blow her then. The command module on the forward command panel has a protocol self-destruct. It will destroy everything.”

“We could fix her…”

Maria grabbed his hand. “No. If the Antarians recover the ship, they will have access to its technology. We have to blow her.”

Michael turned and searched the command panel. He found the self destruct protocol sector. Pushing an arming button, it activated to ready position waiting for authorized command. “We still have power. The self destruct works.”

“Good,” said Maria weakly.

Michael returned his attentions to his wife. “I need to get you out of here. C’mon, take my hand.”

“Michael,” Maria paused in moving forward, “I think you’ll have to leave me here. I can go with the ship.”

“What?” Michael stared at his mate, his astonished confusion moving over his face to quickly be replaced with horror.

“I—I can’t move.” Maria gestured to her side.

Michael moved back a little to see what she was talking about; his sound of distress was loud and ringing.

“Sonnabitch! Oh god!”

Maria weakly rested her head forward on his shoulder. A piece of the Zephyr had penetrated her chair from the back, stabbing through it and into her lower left side. Michael’s hand touched the piece of metal impaling his wife.

“Maria, oh god!”

She grabbed his head. “Leave me.”

“No!”  Wiping an arm across his forehead to clear the blood clouding his vision, he searched the area. “I’ve got to get you out.”

“Michael,” Maria made him listen to her. “Michael, I’m losing too much blood. There’s nothing you can do. You have to leave me and save yourself.”

“No!”

“Michael…”

“No!” Michael put his hands on her torso firmly. “Put your hands on my shoulders, and hold on tight.” Maria nodded doing as he asked. Michael quickly kissed her. “This is going to hurt. I’m sorry.”

Maria looked at him through tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry too.”

“Be sorry later. You ready?” Maria nodded. Michael counted mentally to three taking a large deep breath on the third count. He pulled her off the piece of metal, her scream of pain echoing in his ears as he pulled her into his arms. She felt like a rag doll, limp and lifeless in his arms. Swearing, he quickly hauled her out of the Zephyr, clearing it by a few yards.

Kissing her, he checked her pulse. Alive. Barely. She was bleeding out. Michael returned to the Zephyr for the medical kit. Ripping open her clothing, he surveyed the damage.

“Oh god, baby!” Working fast, he plugged the wounds, front and back, swearing as the bandage quickly saturated with blood. Replacing them twice, he wrapped her middle with supportive bandage keeping it tight.

Michael rushed back to the Zephyr. Recovering all he could of emergency supplies and water, he replaced all the pieces of the craft including his command chair into the command module. Jumping down, he returned to Maria.

“Maria? Honey, I need you.”

Maria opened her eyes reluctantly. Michael kissed her, holding her close for a moment.

“How do I activate the destruct sequence?”

Maria lifted a frail hand to the amulet he wore, the one that matched hers. “Touch the stone to the special device mechanism. The touch pad. The amulet is a key. Once it touches, it will activate.”

“How long?”

“Five minutes.”

Michael left her again to activate the device. Rushing back to her, he lifted her in his arms, shielding her body with his. They watched as the Zephyr exploded, Michael’s hand tightening on her.

Looking down at her in concern, Michael swore. They were in the middle of a large open expanse. The heat was barely tolerable.

“Michael, you’ve got to go. Leave me.”

“Shut up!” Michael stood searching the distance. Maria watched him. He was struggling, the expressions rushing across his face hurt.

“Michael, I can’t…”

He put the pack on his back and leaned down to pick her up. “Yes, you can! You’re not dead yet, and I am so fucking sick of you standing on the verge of leaving me! You are not done. We are not done! Do you hear me?”

“Hard not to,” said Maria wincing in pain as he picked her up.

Michael walked off across the red expanse, the Zephyr burning behind him, with his life in his arms.

~~~

“Why am I am here?” Liam walked around the room, kicking at the padding.

Thoth smiled at the youth’s irritation. “Obviously this is a protected room created for your comfort. I imagine all the voices in your head can become tedious.”

“I have shields.”

“I am sure you do. I imagine on your homeworld they teach you to create them at an early age.” Thoth stared at the boy with interest. He held the anomalous chromosome. His genetics were highly desirable.

“Where are my friends? Liz and Julia?”

“They are fine—for now.”

Liam stood defiantly. “I want to see them!”

Thoth laughed. “You tell me what you want, boy? How about I tell you what I want?” He came closer to Liam touching his skin. “You are young and fresh. I wish that I ever felt that. I was ripped from an existence waking as I am. There was no youth for me, no parents, just memories spanning endless time before time was time. I carry in my memories over a hundred other copies of myself. You think the voices in your head can be overwhelming? You are a child!”

“I want…”

Thoth backhanded Liam smirking as the boy hit the floor. “I tell you what you want, slave. I tell you what you are, and who you will be. There is not a breath that you breathe that does not belong to me.” Thoth crouched down to Liam, his hands framing the youth’s face. “I will make of you, what I wish.”

Thoth kissed him, hard, biting his lip until it bled. Laughing, the man left the room. “Can you feel me now?”

Liam lay on the floor, his hand slowly coming up to wipe away the disgusting taste in his mouth and the blood. Fear crept into his gut. Yes. He could feel Thoth. More than that, he could see the endless raping of his own body at Thoth’s hands.

Standing slowly, Liam went to the protected walls, his hands resting on them. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on spanning the protective coverings to reach beyond. His body broke into a sweat, as he reached beyond his own limits.

Rape was a physical atrocity.

Mind rape was equally the same, insidious and clandestine.

Liam reached out to do what was forbidden. He worked the seeds of sedition using his mind and disgust to implant a thought.

Across the Royal compound a guard stood at attention, staring forward as Thoth, his ruler and Lord, passed him. As the King walked beyond him, the guard slowly turned his head as a thin stream of sweat moved down his face, and hate torn into his stomach. Kill the King. Kill.

~~~

“Captain, the High Council has sent a communiqué. The Darcon system is under attack from raiders.”

Max moved in his seat. “Seth, what is the timeframe to get to the system?”

“We can travel there in a space corridor, but our engines’ reserves will be dangerously low. We couldn’t transverse the corridor for another fifteen periods, not until the subfield regenerates.” The ship’s warp manifold couldn’t take the stress of shifting at high velocities, not without them retaining a normal state.

Max sat back. Michael and Maria had never checked in. They had the coordinates of the planet of Antar.

“Darcon is in the Praximus Fold. That is physically directly opposite of this planet Antar.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Max stood. Sighing he nodded to Caleb. “Set a course for the Darcon system, Antar will have to wait.”

It was a diversion. The Antarians had what they wanted, and they were sending out slavers to keep the Shiva occupied and unable to find her missing crew members.

“Tell Sean I want to see him in my room immediately!”

Max went into his office. Standing with his back to the closed door, he looked out across the expanse of stars as he watched the space bend to open the space corridor. Feeling his body rush to meet the impact of shifting as the space subfield bubbled the Shiva into the corridor, pushing her to the other end.

The seam was split. The cold cracked the façade as the line elongated. Michael. Max shut his eyes. I can’t live without you.

Max turned quickly to the room his hand coming out as he pushed energy across the room exploding all in its path.

~~~

Alex materialized through the halls, his hands moving in front of guards. They blinked, frowned, but did not move or acknowledge his presence.

“Alex, come away. You cannot interfere.”

Alex paused, looking back, he smiled at Lena . “Is that what I am doing?”

“It is what we both have been doing.

“They are children. They need us.”

Lena moved through the shadows easily as a specter, touching nothing of the real world in her wake. “Yes, they do. They need us to not interfere, not to infringe upon their lives.”

“They are…”

“I know. I love them too, but we cannot be part of both worlds. You must choose my husband. Come or stay, but their destiny is a shell, spiraling in their own palms. Only they can choose the path.”

“There is so much they cannot understand.” Alex stood staring at the chamber of captives, his eyes finding Liz, Ava and finally Julia. Liam was missing. “I cannot stand idle.”

Julia suddenly turned. She slowly stood to her feet, her eyes staring into Alex’s flitting to Lena .

Alex smiled. “Perhaps, I am wrong. This universe might be evolving faster than I first imagined. A door has opened. The little one can see us.”

Lena glanced over to Julia, a smile slowly moving over her face. “Yes, she can.” Lena reached over and took Alex’s hand. “The eyes see what the mind already understands.”

Alex lifted Lena ’s hand to his mouth, his eyes never leaving hers. “The journey is but a step in understanding, seeing into shadows.”

“I love you.” Lena ’s hand cupped his cheek. “Come. They can see the patterns, but only time will teach them to read the lines that create the fabric. The weave is set.”

Alex looked back once more, before he turned and stepped into a shadow.

Julia blinked.

Liz looked up from where she was hugging her knees. Frowning at the doctor, she looked at where Julia was staring. There was no one there.

“Julia?”

Julia looked down at Liz, crouching down, she held Liz’s head between her hands. “I can see. I hear Liam in my head. He’s talking. Can you hear him?”

Liz sat still for a moment. She shook her head.

“Liz, clear your mind. Concentrate.”

Liz breathed in deeply. Clearing her thoughts of Jonesy and worry for her unborn child, she let her upper body relax. Smiling slowly, her face brightened. “He’s alive!”

Julia nodded. She stood as did Liz, they slowly moved towards the door. Ava lifted her head, she tilted it to the side, and then she too stood moving with the other two towards the door. Other people in the room joined them without awareness what was happening the room stood waiting, waiting for liberation.

~~~

Kyle sat up in bed, his hand automatically going for his chest. The pain...

Bending over, he clutched the bedding, as he struggled to hit a COM badge to call for assistance. His hand missed the table, as he spilled from the bed, hitting the floor hard.

Gasping for breath, he laid there, his chest burning as his heart pounded, ripping the air from his lungs. Struggling, he moved to his hands and knees, breathing hard to maintain consciousness.

Sweat prickled on his skin, as he looked up at the communicator so close, but too far. His eyes rolled back in his head, as a vice gripping pain twisted his hearts. Collapsing, his eyes struggled to stay open. He saw Alex standing beside the door.

“Alex…” Kyle gulped through the pain. “Help me.”

“Live, Kyle. To live, all you have to do is die.”

“Alex…” Kyle’s hand struggled with a drawer just in his reach. Retrieving a loaded medical injector, Kyle stared at his lifelong friend, Alex as he plunged the autojet needle directly into his heart. Kyle’s eyes shut as the pain killed his hearts.

Alex watched, the sorrow on his face etched lines deep and exact. He gazed at his son, Eoin sitting beside Kyle, holding Kyle’s head in his little lap, his small hands moving over Kyle’s face in comfort.

~~~

Isabel stood in the observatory deck, her hands low on her womb as she rested her head against the coolness of the glass shielding the outer force fields. She. The baby was a girl. One.