"Enter the coordinates for Marc'harid," Mayumi continued pleasantly. "Of course you won't get off the starship until your father pays a nice ransom for your release."
Shan-leo recovered from the surprise. "You're abducting me?"
"Yes, my imperial prince, I'm abducting you."
Shan-leo scoffed. "You don't need to do this, Mayumi. I told you there was work for you on Marc'harid..."
"Since I lost my job because of you, I thought it fitting to get some money from you," she retorted. "Now put the Imperial planet's coordinates in the navigation computer."
"My, aren't we testy." He shook his head, but did what she said.
Wim came forward. "Get out of the pilot's seat, Blondie, I'm driving."
Dadina glared and slid away from him as if he were a snake.
"How did you get in here?" she asked.
Wim flashed his dimpled smile at her. "I'm a hacker," he reminded her. "I get everywhere."
"Off the deck, both of you," Mayumi ordered.
Shan-leo took Dadina's hand and dragged her to the lounge. Mayumi pushed Dadina into a cabin and locked her in, then she turned to Shan-leo.
"Get in your cabin and behave," she ordered.
"Or?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest and staring defiantly at her. She was prettier and tougher than he remembered. He should win her over.
"I'm going to shoot your foster sister. She's worthless, you're not," she snapped.
He smiled and shook his head.
"Mayumi, I was headed for Xi-kong to find out something more about you, but since you're here, why don't we talk a little?"
She raised her eyebrows.
"I'm immune to your charm, Shan-leo Shermac. Go to your cabin. I want a lot of money from your father to live happily ever after."
"With Wim?" Shan-leo scoffed. "I offer you more. You can come to Marc'harid with me, and you'll be treated like a princess."
"If I warm your bed?" she asked, sarcastic.
"No, you don't have to. I only want to get to know you better, but I don't like talking with a gun pointed at me."
"Go to your cabin and you won't see it."
"Mayumi, you can't beat my father. He's powerful. He'll have you arrested and thrown in jail. Work with me and you'll be just fine."
Mayumi snorted impatiently.
"Go. To. Your. Cabin."
"Or?" His arms fell at his sides as he cocked his head, staring defiantly at her.
She shot his prosthetic, almost taking off the artificial hand. Shan-leo screamed in pain, since the prosthetic had a myoelectric system attached to his nerves that transmitted sensations back to his brain.
"Now I have to lock you up with Dadina," she grumbled.
He held his ruined wrist, clenching his teeth from the pain, and he didn't react when she pushed him towards the cabin where she'd locked up Dadina. He wasn't bleeding, but it hurt like hell.
"Shan-leo!" Dadina's eyes were wide with shock as she grabbed his arm. "Wait, I need my tools!" she called towards Mayumi.
"Then get in whichever cabin you need to be in and shut up," the Xi-kongian retorted impatiently.
Dadina dragged Shan-leo to her cabin and made him sit on her bed while she took out her tools to repair the artificial arm. That was worse than what had happened on Mirabilis, but at least he wasn't losing precious blood.
Shan-leo cursed through clenched teeth as she disconnected the myoelectric system so at least he wouldn't feel the pain while she worked on the prosthetic.
"She's a tough bitch," Dadina commented, frowning at the damage. "I don't think I can repair it all, you'll need to go to Markandeya again."
"See if you can reattach the wrist, doesn't matter if the nerves aren't working, as long as I can move it," Shan-leo replied, hurting more inside than from the broken prosthetic. He wasn't expecting Mayumi to shoot him, albeit in the bionic arm. Maybe he had misjudged her – but then, he couldn't read her mind. Maybe she was really an icy criminal who could kill for money.
The adrenaline rush slowed while Dadina worked on his arm. Again he hated being born a Sire aristocrat, and having dismissed his bodyguard after his grandfather's death. But he really didn't want to travel with a bodyguard or two like his mother had done. The new celebrity status he'd earned with Sassy and Sexy had just proven to him that he couldn't really vanish yet.
"The tactile sensors are off." Dadina said, straightening her back and checking her work. She had put a metal wristband on to hold the prosthetic together.
Shan-leo opened and closed the artificial hand. He'd lost the feeling, but it still worked.
"That's fine, I can still use it."
"You probably can't control the strength, so don't try to strangle anyone with that hand," Dadina warned.
"I won't." Shan-leo frowned. He wasn't going to use violence on Mayumi.
"How do you think they found us?" Dadina asked, lying back with a huff.
"Sassy and Sexy made sure the whole galaxy knew they were interviewing the late Emperor's grandson," Shan-leo reminded her. "I bet Wim and Mayumi were already looking for us. If they'd gone back to Friport and discovered they couldn't find work..."
"Mm." Dadina sighed. "Now what?"
"Now we wait." Shan-leo patted her wrist with his flesh-and-blood hand. "Don't worry, my father will pay the ransom..."
"And then do you still want to know more about that bitch?" she challenged.
"As a matter of fact, yes. Don't be so defensive and hostile whenever I say I'm interested in someone. We had what we had and it's history. I'm sorry things didn't work out with Hiro, and I'm sure you'll find the right person eventually. As long as you stop clinging to me."
"But she's a thief and she shot you and now she's abducted you and..."
"Maybe she had no choice."
"You're too good! And you can't even read her mind!"
"Well, there's nothing you can do to protect me. I should have kept N'ell'onera as bodyguard. Don't worry, Dadina, we'll be all right."
He squeezed her fingers and stared at his prosthetic. After five years, it didn't completely belong to him anymore. He'd lost the tactile sensors and the myoelectric system – at least until he went back to Marc'harid and had it properly repaired...
***
The cabin door opened without warning, but instead of Mayumi or Ker-ris, Dadina saw a tall man with brown skin who narrowed his eyes at the sight of them.
"Come out, you two," he ordered, motioning to both Shan-leo and Dadina with his gun.
Too many armed people on the Haiduc, lately, Dadina thought, frowning.
Not the rescue team, Shan-leo warned. Don't talk unless interrogated.
She glanced at him, worried, as the man pushed them towards the deck, passing by two more armed goons. On deck they found Mayumi and Wim with their wrists handcuffed behind their backs, obviously prisoners of the newcomers. From the main screen, the Haiduc seemed to be inside a much bigger ship or some other hangar – not in space anymore.
Shan-leo, what's going on? For the first time in her life, Dadina was glad Shan-leo was a telepath.
Not sure, he replied. Looks like rogues fighting rogues.
Dadina noticed Mayumi and Wim didn't look happy as the tall black man stopped in front of them.
"Why did you steal this starship?" the newcomer, who seemed to be the leader, asked Mayumi. "Why did you wait for the owners to come back instead of just escaping from the studio?"
"You don't watch talk shows, do you?" Mayumi snapped. "That's the Emperor's grandson." Her chin pointed at Shan-leo.
The man gave a short, sharp laugh. "Changing trades, Mayumi? From stealing to kidnapping?"
"Thanks to you!" she retorted.
"What did you expect after betraying Drox? You gave my partner a life sentence and expected to walk off free?"
"I'm not working for the Galaxy Police! I was forced to help them! By him!" Again she pointed at Shan-leo with her chin.
"I didn't force you to do anything, you're
way too independent for that," Shan-leo replied. "But yes, I helped the Galaxy Police to catch you and your accomplice, and Wim was held hostage while we framed Drox. I was with her on the Fox." He stared hard at the man who now turned his attention to him.
"So we must thank you for sending Drox and Endonald Rotshy to prison? Good, Ivanka will be happy to hear this. She loves dudes in distress and any sort of aristocracy, and you have a lovely foreign accent that she'll really appreciate. Of course you'll have to be careful not to earn her wrath... since she's as powerful as you, my young Sire."
Shan-leo scoffed. "I look forward to meeting Miss Rotshy," he replied.
"Careful, she is annoyed by irony..."
Shan-leo shrugged. "And her hobby is writing poetry. I can read your mind, K'iri'llian, no need to paint a picture – unless you're doing it for everybody else's sake."
The man's eyes narrowed.
"What else do you know?" he snapped.
"K'iri'llian K'aran of Ulba'wis, partner of Drox, you love members of the same sex, mysteries, and runaways and orphans – which unfortunately I'm not, but Wim is. And you dislike the status quo, strict codes of honor and members of the opposite sex. You didn't really love Drox, but he was a good business partner, and you do lust for our gorgeous young thief." Shan-leo flashed a smile at Wim who was staring at his feet, brooding.
Dadina gaped. She was mad at Wim, but couldn't see him in the black man's arms. She hoped the Ulba'wissian would leave Wim alone.
The young thief looked up and glared at her, as if it were her fault he'd been caught by a pervert who would probably rape him.
Dadina gulped and averted her eyes.
"Lock them all up," K'iri'llian ordered his men, who handcuffed Shan-leo and Dadina before pushing all four out of the deck and the Haiduc, and into the bigger ship that had captured it. "I better tell Ivanka to prepare a mind controlling device for the sharp-tongued Sire."
Dadina, Shan-leo, Mayumi and Wim were locked up together in a cabin of K'iri'llian's ship.
"Did you manage to call my father for the ransom?" Shan-leo asked Mayumi once they were alone.
"No, they were on us as soon as we left the orbital station and the studio," she grumbled. "They'd been following us since Friport. We tried to outrun them, but your ship had no weapons, so when they activated the tractor beam, we were at their mercy."
Shan-leo sighed. "We must find a way to get in touch with my father," he grumbled.
"Ivanka Rotshy is as rich as her fucking brother Endonald," Wim snapped.
"No Wegan can be more powerful than a Sire," Shan-leo replied. "She doesn't have a fleet. My father does. Whoever of us manages to get to a communicator, should call Marc'harid. The Shermac fleet will come to the rescue."
Mayumi nodded slowly. "If the Shermac fleet gets us out unharmed, I'll happily work for you and your father for the rest of my life," she promised.
Dadina scoffed and shook her head.
"Where are they taking us?" she asked Shan-leo.
"Wega," Wim answered gloomily.
13. IVANKA ROTSHY
Shan-leo, Dadina, Wim and Mayumi were marched off the starship through the hangar where the Haiduc was. Their hands were still tied behind their backs and K'iri'llian's crew surrounded them, but as they reached the external door, Mayumi suddenly kicked the man closest to her, making him scream and collapse with his hands on his crotch.
The gun he was holding didn't fall and Mayumi's telekinesis threw it at someone else's face. As soon as the man dropped his weapon, her power threw it at somebody else, creating confusion enough for her to run towards the Haiduc's open external door. She vanished inside as K'iri'llian screamed orders and tried to shoot her down.
Shan-leo pushed Dadina to the floor as the Haiduc took off over their heads, with K'iri'llian's men vainly trying to take it down with their guns. The action had been so fast, that Dadina panted for breath as the crew of the starship grabbed them and put them back on their feet.
"How did she do it?" Dadina asked, incredulous.
"Telekinesis," Wim muttered. "And martial arts. She's damn good, what did you think?"
Shan-leo smiled as he was shoved forward. Mayumi was free, she'd go looking for help.
"But her hands are tied behind her back!" Dadina objected. "How did she operate the Haiduc?"
"The course to Marc'harid was already set. She's nimble enough to work and operate the dashboard with her hands behind her back," Wim said. "Uncomfortable, impractical, but not impossible, trust me."
Dadina stared at him in wonder. Shan-leo had had a taste of her nimbleness when they'd first captured her, so he wasn't surprised she could pull such a stunt. She was probably still handcuffed, but he was certain she could bring her hands in front of her, and since the course was already set, nothing could prevent her from taking the Haiduc home.
Well done, Mayumi, he transmitted, hoping she'd receive him.
Hold tight, she answered. Take care of Wim.
I'll do what I can.
He glanced at K'iri'llian's frown as they marched towards a mansion, and hoped he'd be able to protect both Wim and Dadina until Mayumi came back with reinforcements. He recognized the Rotshys' house, a two-story building with little balconies in front of each window of the upper floor.
Inside, the entrance had a grand staircase to the upper floor and a glimpse of great halls on both sides. Shan-leo wasn't impressed by the luxurious house with digital moving paintings on the walls and pink marble floors. He much preferred the old paintings of Mansion Shermac to this technological building inherited by the Rotshy siblings.
Like her brother, Ivanka wasn't born rich, but had married a rich man, and then had divorced him, earning millions for just a year of pleasure she'd given him. She'd been so good at seducing him, he hadn't considered a pre-nuptial agreement, thus she'd been able to walk away with his money. But she hadn't bothered buying her own mansion, so she'd gone back to Mansion Rotshy that she had inherited along with Endonald when she was barely eighteen. It was big enough that she could never meet her brother if she didn't want to.
Of course now she was the only occupant since Maldak had moved out and Endonald was in prison. Shan-leo had read in K'iri'llian's mind that the house had an underground facility, much like the Triumvirate Mansion on Vilas Lok. Maybe there was more to the house than Endonald and Maldak's orgies, something less obvious and less advertized for the Rotshy siblings and their friends.
Ivanka came down from the grand staircase with a long, sleeveless gown that left her back bare and had slits on the side to show off her legs. She had dusky skin and a small tattoo on her shoulder – sign of her low class origins. She'd obviously spent her summers sun tanning and had chosen a skin design only a lower class woman would wear. Her light blue eyes took in the small crowd waiting for her in the entrance hall and her red lips curled into a smile.
"K'iri'llian! You're here already! You found the bastards who sent my dear brother to prison?" She adjusted her platinum bob cut with a light touch as she reached the ground floor and stopped in front of them.
"One escaped – the Xi-kongian bitch who lured Drox, but the others are here," the Ulba'wissian answered with a nod. "This is her bastard accomplice," he pointed at Wim, "who apparently was hostage of the GP, forcing her to betray Drox."
Ivanka raised her perfectly designed eyebrows. "And the others?"
"Well, apparently they're also involved." K'iri'llian shrugged. "This young Sire helped Mayumi to frame Drox and Endonald, and the little blond bitch is his accomplice."
Don't, Shan-leo ordered, feeling Dadina quiver in anger by his side. Keep calm. Don't let them notice you, or it will be worse.
They have already noticed me!
But they don't know what you did. You're just the "accomplice". Maybe they'll leave you alone, if you keep your mouth shut.
Then Ivanka stopped in front of him. "I know you," she said, thoughtful, observing him from up close. She was as tall as him on her stiletto heels.
She brightened. "The Emperor's grandson! You were on Sassy&Sexy a few days ago!"
"And that's how Mayumi and Wim found us," he replied. "But don't think your money can buy my father. He'll want me back safe and sound."
"Of course," she purred, caressing his chest. "But we can have some fun before that, can't we?"
"I'm not too fond of old ladies," he said. She was about ten years older than him, but he hoped to keep her at arm's length with words.
Her smile vanished and she slapped him. This must be the year I get slapped a lot by old ladies, he thought, remembering Bess-lin's reaction to Kay-low's kidnapping. Not that Ivanka was old, but she really didn't appeal to him. Too much makeup. Too cheap a woman. And her bob looked like a wig.
"I'll have this one," she told K'iri'llian. "And you're right, I'll need a mind-controlling device. You can do what you want with the rest."
"I don't need the girl," K'iri'llian replied. "Just send her to your brothel. Or offer her in your own house."
"Don't ruin the pretty boy too quickly," she warned. "He might be useful too."
"I'll take him to the dungeon," he said with a smirk. "I suggest you do the same."
"So that's why you came back here after your divorce," Shan-leo said. "You have an illegal brothel and gladiators' arena..."
"It's not illegal on Wega, Sire!" Ivanka snapped. "This is not Vilas Lok! And since you sent my dear brother to jail, you and your little friend will pay!"
"I know Wega still allows slavery. I know you keep some people here against their will – which is against the Star Nations' laws. You might have the local law on your side, Ivanka, but this time you might have bitten more than you can chew."
"Stop reading my mind!" She snorted. "Let's take them to the underground, I really need to control this young man," she ordered K'iri'llian and his men.
Shan-leo smiled ruefully.
It's almost like the slave traders, he transmitted to Dadina. We've ended up in the illegal sex trade. Mayumi must be almost on Marc'harid by now. I hope they won't force you to do anything you don't want to do...
Star Minds Next Generation Page 13
