by Livia Bourne
It took a few minutes for Khalil’s tongue to regain enough movement for him to respond with words. That didn’t seem to bother Thrash as he burst into his report.
“The Trakonians are responsible for the breach. We have all been secured and transported to the Trakonian moon’s surface which is, as you know, the headquarters for their galactic military forces.”
Khalil couldn’t comment yet, but he wanted to retort that he didn’t need the logistics lesson on their most hated enemy. They had led multiple offensive attacks on this very moon station in an attempt to check the powerful enemy’s aggression.
He managed to form two audible words. “Who traitor?”
“Don’t know yet,” Thrash answered.
“What magic?” Khalil had to fight to form words.
It was Avincent that answered from across the cell. “It wasn’t magic. It was Fragment.”
He mulled that word over in his still foggy memory. The word felt important, but he just couldn’t remember the significance of it in his disoriented state.
Sensing his superior's confusion, the medical officer continued with his debrief.
“We have known for several solar rotations that the Trakonians had been advancing their technology and medical experimentations. It has been next to impossible to acquire insider information on their progress, but in a recent report put out by the Intergalactic Medical Cooperation Board, there was much discussion about the possibility the Trakonians had achieved several breakthroughs with their Fragment drug.”
Thrash interjected, saving Khalil the trouble of trying to form words. “This was not Fragment. If it were, we would all be unable to remember who we are and most of us would be permanently insane since that is one of the most common side-effects of the drug.”
“I didn’t say it was Memory Fragment. It is the belief of many in the medical field, including myself, that the enemy has been working on creating alternate variations to the powerful drug. I believe they utilized one of the new mutations against us on the Viper.”
Khalil was determined to regain his voice, forcing out his thoughts. “Does not make sense. We did not all eat or drink Fragment just before we blacked out.”
It was Onyx who answered him from his right side. “It was the baubles. I don’t know how they delivered the drug, but they were the root of the humming and eventual sounds that penetrated us and made us all lose control over our physical body.”
It still didn’t make any sense. There was no way the small objects could do so much damage. And if it were true, the fleet was in big trouble. The Trakonian army would not need to invade their enemies. They could simply deliver and hide the small objects and let them do the work of immobilizing their enemies and then swoop in to collect their bodies.
“Captain Onyx is correct. I too believe they have perfected the delivery of their weapon,” the medical officer agreed.
“You mean the weapon that you found onboard? How is it, doctor, that you were not immobilized like the rest of us were onboard the Viper? Are you responsible for this travesty against your people?” Thrash’s hotheaded passion was showing through.
The Alpha doctor was not deterred. “Males in my profession often take many known antidotes to prevent being impacted during our own experiments. I can only assume that one such antidote assisted me from being fully immobilized. This is good news for all of us as it means I just need to figure out which substance will work as a deterrent and then immediately prescribe it for all of the fleet’s fighters to prevent a reoccurrence of the events on the Viper.”
“Malaka! You are responsible!” Thrash shouted.
Avincent taunted the hotheaded fighter. “Oh yes, I am responsible. That is why I find myself in chains alongside you. I betrayed you all and my profession just so I could be taken prisoner on this violent moon by our fiercest enemy.” He paused before adding a final rebuff. “I always knew you were hot-tempered, but I never thought you were stupid, Thrash.”
Onyx’s voice was stronger as he weighed in. “Arguing amongst ourselves will get us nowhere. The traitor will not be present. Who is missing from our Alpha ranks?”
Khalil was glad to see his number one approaching the problem with his normal calm reasoning. The officers looked around the cell, trying to place who might be missing. All of the Alphas were present, which told the commander they had been betrayed by a beta.
“The princess’s entourage. It could have been any of them.” A new urgency took over as Khalil felt a pang of guilt realizing he had failed in his primary mission—protection of the King’s only daughter. “Do we know the whereabouts or status of Princess Audra?”
“The doctor and I were the least impacted by the Fragment. I awoke in time to witness the Trakonian soldiers carrying the princess and most of the other betas off the vessel and loading them onto their own transport. I know not what happened to them once we landed on the moon.”
“Were we not transported on the same vessel?”
“No. They secured us in our own containment hold and flew the Viper into their airspace.”
This was the first piece of good news he’d received since waking. “That is excellent news. That means we have a ship out of here when we figure out our escape plan.”
The scratching, garbled noise that was the Trakonian language interrupted their discussion. Khalil’s translator informed him they’d been joined by none other than Lord Trakon himself.
“I had to see our success with my own eyes. An entire squadron of Gradonian Alpha warriors at my mercy. This is even better than blowing you up with our superior weapons.”
As the ranking officer, the comments had been directed at Khalil.
“There is nothing about you and the scum you call your army that is superior. You are the scourge of the galaxy and I look forward to eradicating you like the vermin you are.”
“Such brave words from a male stripped of everything. You have nothing left but your pathetic life and, soon, even that will be mine. The only reason you are still alive is that I’ve decided to reward my army by having a bit of fun while I dispose of you all.”
Khalil pushed down the fear snaking through him at the warning, choosing to push for answers instead. “Where is Princess Audra? She is of royal blood and to harm her would be a declaration of war.”
The scratching voice translated into laughter. “We are already at war. But I won’t be harming her, at least not yet. I’d like to have my fun with her first before I send her back to her father in pieces. After all, I often enjoy breaking my toys.”
The Alphas in the room were all struggling to escape the chains that bound them. Like Khalil, they all wanted to tear the evil male in their presence into pieces themselves.
“What of her entourage? The innocents on board?” Khalil pressed, thinking of the beautiful Zahara he’d verbally sparred with the night before.
More laughter erupted from the vile leader. “Innocents? There is no such thing!”
There was no reasoning with crazy.
“When did you perfect your new Freeze Fragment?” It was Avincent that pressed with the next question.
Lord Trakon swung to see who had addressed him, his eyes bulging with recognition of the medical officer. “You were an unexpected bonus of our mission, Doctor Avincent. I have followed your series of reports as you’ve worked to dissect our viral weapons. It looks like you have run out of time.”
“On the contrary, I’m moving into high speed mode, learning a great deal in the recent attack.”
“And what is it you believe you have learned?”
“That you have perfected a new delivery mechanism for the weapon. It is no longer required that the victims ingest the poison or even be injected with it. It can now be delivered via airborne means.”
“Very good, but that was rather obvious. What else is it you believe you have discovered, doctor?”
Khalil watched Lord Trakon’s mammoth body move throughout the space with difficulty. Like all Trakonians, he was
tall and wide but Lord Trakon was also full of blubber. He had the body of a glutton, not that of a warrior. It would be easy to overpower him, if he could only lose the chains.
Avincent glanced at Khalil before responding to the evil Lord’s question. “I believe you have expanded the Fragment program and now have two versions of the drug.”
“Wrong!”
Khalil was relieved. One version of the horrific weapon was more than enough. They did not need to worry about two forms of poison.
Lord Trakon turned then, to finish his answer while pinning Khalil with an evil grin. The horns on the male’s head actually throbbed with excitement as he delivered a blow without even touching any of the Alphas. “We have created three versions of Fragment, not two. You are all very lucky. You will get a first-hand glimpse of our newest weapons in just a few turns of the clock. Of course, you may not enjoy the demonstration as much as the rest of the audience since you will be the ones we are experimenting on. I hope you like our newest flavors of Fragment.”
Chapter 4 - Zahara
Zahara wasn’t sure what upset her more—that she’d been moved from the holding cell to a sterile looking medical lab or the fact that she still hadn’t seen Audra anywhere. In the time since she’d awoken, she’d been able to figure out that they were no longer on a ship. Her captors had brought her and the other betas to a Trakonian settlement somewhere. She had no clue where, but she prayed that the Gradonian Alphas were here as well. They really were their only hope of getting out of the mess they were currently in.
One by one, the beta men and women who had been either traveling with the Princess or in service on the Viper were examined by a mammoth Trakonian she assumed was some type of doctor. She didn’t think that because he was helping her fellow Gradonians, but rather because he and his assistants were taking fluid samples and performing basic medical tests on each beta in captivity.
As the last female in the long line being restrained down to metal gurneys, she had the longest time to dread him touching her.
Whimpers of her friends echoed off the walls of the lab as they were poked and prodded with needles, probes, and thick digits of the doctor as an assistant captured his verbal observations on a handheld vid-screen. By the time they got to her side, she knew she was a lab rat, there to be experimented on.
Zahara closed her eyes, trying to shut out the ugly face of the horned aggressor. Like all Trakonians, the doctor’s body was full of tattoos, splayed across their grotesque bodies as advertisements of the horrific acts of violence they’d committed. Per her professor in intergalactic studies, the tattoos served as a resume of sorts with each evil warrior winning the privilege of wearing the most vile tattoos by living out horrors against innocents. Murder. Rape. Mutilation. Theft. Torture. They were attributes to be honored in the Trakonian’s violent society. Branding their ugly skin with the symbols of each atrocity was high achievement.
“Doctor, how are your preparations proceeding?”
There was a new, deeper tone of guttural scratching in the room, but her imbedded translator continued to do its job. Zahara resisted the urge to open her eyes to see who else had joined them. She was barely holding it together as it was, lying chained naked to the table like a sacrifice. She didn’t need to see how many other males had entered the room to gawk at her—or worse.
“I am about to finish taking my preliminary samples. I look forward to the next phase of my analysis. I plan on performing more in-depth testing on the internal organs of these betas to better understand the effect of the Fragment on their bodies.”
“There’s no time for that. Just wrap up the sampling and you can study the data at a later time.”
“But, Lord Trakon, why? What could be more important than the Fragment project?”
Zahara dared sneak a peek at the leader who had joined them and who was presently standing at the foot of her gurney, ogling her naked body with a hungry glare.
“I’ve decided we are past due for a Cage Event. The warriors are restless. There have been far too many losses within the ranks. They need an outlet for their aggression.”
The doctor had at least put down his tools and was turning to talk to Lord Trakon instead of proceeding with the tests on Zahara.
“So host a beta hunt. We picked up an abundance of betas on the Viper. We could easily spare some of the labor betas for hunting material.”
For such a mammoth slob of a specimen, Lord Trakon moved remarkably fast as his mangled hand reached out with lightning speed and accuracy to constrict around the doctor’s neck. Within nanoseconds, the doctor was struggling to free himself from his superior’s grip.
“If I wanted your input, I would have asked for it. The last beta hunt we hosted there were too many good soldiers lost due to internal fighting over the chance to taste and debase real pussy. We will host a Cage Event tonight. The Alphas captured from the Viper will be the main attraction along with three of the female betas here in the lab. I’ll let you choose two of the unlucky females but, no matter what, we will be using the princess’s personal assistant, here, as the main attraction.”
Zahara hated that both male’s eyes raked over her naked body. Even though the doctor’s breathing was restricted, he still took the time to ogle her in the most disturbing way.
Lord Trakon finally released the doctor, shoving him back and making him almost fall to the lab floor with the velocity.
Nanoseconds later, the doctor recovered, hunched over, still catching his breath as he questioned his leader. “But… you surely aren’t suggesting we use the alternate versions of Fragment? Only the two have been officially approved.”
“Incorrect. My opinion is the only one that matters and I approve the next one as of this nanosecond. We will put them in use tonight for the first time. You should be excited, doctor. We will be putting your hard work on display for the soldier’s enjoyment and for all to see their results.”
“But I haven’t completed my testing.”
“Then I suggest you hurry as the event will begin as darkness falls and the soldiers gather in the stadium. I have already made the announcement. They have earned their entertainment.”
Lord Trakon and his lackey slinked out of the lab, leaving the doctor and his assistants in stunned silence. Zahara had no idea what this Cage Event was that they spoke of, but if the doctor’s shocked expression was any indication, she knew it was not good news for her or the other Gradonian betas. She pulled on her restraints, trying to find some way to escape before it was too late.
The doctor’s scratching voice boomed orders to the other Trakonians in the lab.
“You heard Lord Trakon. We have a lot of work to do. Each of these specimens needs to have a full body scan and in order to be accurate, they must have their caverns evacuated. And if we are to properly test all of the Fragment samples, we must complete a baseline analysis so we can then have a comparison.”
“But, sir, we only have one omega remaining in the sterile lab. Where will we get enough slick for tonight’s experiment?”
The doctor shook his horned head. “We’ll just have to give the beta’s a big enough dose of Fragment to produce their own slick. It’s either that or they will be torn apart by the Alphas within nanoseconds.”
The two assistants present had the audacity to laugh the cruel, scratchy laugh of the sadistic race. “This should be a great event, even if we do lose a few specimens.”
Zahara shuddered at the thought of what was to come, but she didn’t have time to wallow in her fear as all three Trakonians gathered around her gurney.
The male addressed her directly. “You heard Lord Trakon. You are to be part of the main event this evening.” The doctor raked his gaze up and down her naked body, bringing a full-body shiver. “Take this one to the cleansing lab. Clean her inside and out and then get her into position for my exam. I’ll be there as soon as I complete a journal entry.”
“Yes, sir,” the heathens answered in unison.
Their
paddle-like hands were rough against her skin. Even knowing it was a long shot, Zahara struggled against them, attempting to gain any type of freedom. She wasn’t sure where she could run or hide, but she knew she couldn’t just give up. If she could find the princess, perhaps they could hide until they could make an escape plan.
Her efforts were short lived. The second the beasts had her unbuckled from the laboratory gurney, they attached a wide posture collar around her neck that forced her head up uncomfortably. A thick chain was attached to the front as if they would lead her around like a pet.
Had they stopped there, it would have been humiliating enough, but they pulled the wide cuffs that were still around her wrists up to her neck, forcing her arms up in an awkward position and attaching her wrists to her collar. The cuffs around her ankles were not attached but were constrictive enough that they rubbed her ankles uncomfortably as they dragged her forward by her leash.
“Slow down, heathens! I can’t go that fast.”
“We do not have time. You will speed up or we will drag you.”
There was not a speck of empathy in their tone. They didn’t spare her a moment of concern. In fact, they kept glancing back at her with a spark of glee in their eyes, almost hopeful she would misbehave. She hadn’t missed that each of them wore the same style scourge or whip on a hook at their waist belt. Memories of the horrific screams of the royal’s earlier whipping kept Zahara putting one foot in front of the other.
As they traveled down a long hallway, they met several uniformed Trakonian soldiers. Not only did they all stop to gawk at the naked Gradonian beta, but each of them dared to grab her as the doctor’s assistants dragged her behind them. Rough hands pinched, squeezed, and invaded her body. Her breasts took the bulk of the attention, squeezed so hard she cried out in pain. All of the soldiers present chuckled with joy at her discomfort.
