by Viki Storm
“Where’s Lia?” I ask again, but he ignores me.
“First they took my wife. I used to have a farm. The Rulmek raided and they took her. She was six months pregnant, but they took her anyway. They would have taken my daughter, too, but she was only seven at the time. I was lost, angry, desperate. After I pulled myself together, that’s when I joined the Three-Star Rebels. Took my daughter with me. I trained her. We were planning something. Working for something. Some of these Three-Star Rebels, they just want to heist and have fun, think they can play Cops and Robbers and have fun being the bad guys. I’m sure you know that. But a lot of us, we want to fight for something.”
“And you were fighting against the Rulmek?”
“Yes,” he says. “That’s how I met Lia. By this time, I’d tracked down my wife and found out where she was. She’d lost the baby, but she was still alive. Lia helped me get the coin and set up a way to purchase her from the brothel she was in. I sent my wife back to our home planet with my daughter, who was about sixteen by this time, but my wife couldn’t recover. She killed herself. My daughter kept up the farm as best she could, but she was lonely and wanted to wear the Three-Star badge again. She couldn’t get a spot on Lia’s ship, but she found a spot on a distant planet fencing some of the stuff we heisted. She was there for a few years, working with our contacts, trying to organize against the Rulmek. I know the Rulmek aren’t the only slavers, but they’re the largest, most organized group, and we had a special reason for wanting to destroy them all. Then six months ago, they took her. She’s only nineteen. And they took her.”
“Where is she?” I ask, not sure if I’m talking about Lia or his daughter at this point. I can feel my rage at this pathetic male draining away. I can guess at the rest of his story, but I still want to hear him tell it.
“They took her on purpose,” he said. “To get to me. They knew we were planning an attack. And I mean a real attack. Not just a little firefight in the sky. We were going to erase their existence from the Universe. But they took her. About five months ago, they sent me a comm, said she was safe, that she was being held at a special location, that they’d sell her back to me for ten million coin.”
“That’s a lot,” I say, feeling like I should say something.
“At first, I thought they were stupid. Ask for a half-million, maybe I can scrape that together. But ten? Not a chance. Then I realized they were smart.”
“Smart?”
“Yeah, smart. Or at least well-informed. See, we have supplies. Weapons mostly, but ships and other equipment needed for battle.”
“All that stuff totals about ten million in value?”
“All that stuff totals about thirty million,” he says. “But yeah, to dump it quick on the black market, I’d only get about a third of the value. See what I mean? Smart. Shrewd. But it’s not mine to sell. I can’t just start taking things and asking around for a buyer. The others would catch wind of what I was doing. They’d tell me I couldn’t risk the entire operation for one person, even if that person was my daughter.”
I thought about this for a moment. His desperation, the lengths he was willing to go to. The last bit of my anger disappeared as I realized that if someone was holding Lia, I’d do anything to get her back—including lie, cheat, steal and betray.
“I’ve been quietly trying to line up buyers, and I got it mostly ready,” he continues. “I contacted the kidnappers just a few days before you showed up on our ship. They let me video-comm for two minutes with my daughter. We were working on the details of the trade. Then Lia barged into my room and started yelling at me about leaving the lid off of a jar of peanut butter. I was able to disable the comm so she wouldn’t see that I was communicating with Rulmek, but they heard her. One of the Commanders in particular, he remembered her as the one slave who got away. He has a special grudge against her. He changed the terms. Ten million plus Lia if I wanted to get my daughter back.”
He keeps on, rambling justifications to himself. I let him ramble while I turn this over in my mind. It makes sense. He waited until he knew we were close to the Rulmek warship, then contacted the Commander and let him know that Lia and a Zalaryn were in proximity. When that failed, he contacted them again when we went on the ship posing as buyers.
And when that failed? Why, there was always a bonk on the head and a trip to the fighting pits of Irji for me. And what for Lia?
“Where’s Lia?” I say again.
“I gave her to the Commander,” he says.
“I know that, but where is he taking her?”
“He said something about finally getting to make the sale he was supposed to make ten years ago.”
I remember something Lia muttered when we were going to sleep in our rented room on Irji. She said that when she made her escape, she was going to be sold to the leader of the Guuklar.
“Tavern keeper,” I called. “Get this man a shot of methylepinephrine.”
“I don’t…” the tavern keeper says.
“Yes you do,” I say. “All disreputable places keep some on hand to sober up unruly customers. I know you have a needle full of the stuff under the bar.”
The tavern keeper looks me over again. I’m covered in blood and blossoming bruises, and he makes the right choice and reaches down for a small lock box and sets it on the bar. He opens it and takes out a preloaded syringe.
“Wait a second,” Pior says.
“Shut up,” I tell him and jab the needle into his thigh. “This binds to the alcohol in your system. In ten minutes, you’ll be sober as a judge.”
“I already told you everything I know,” he whines.
“Yes,” I agree. “But you’re coming with me. It’s time for you to redeem yourself.”
LIA
The Imperial Mansion is like something out of the founders’ fairy tales on Lekyo Prime. Lekyo Prime was founded by a group of people who were disgusted with the decadence and over-reliance on technology of Earth. That was several generations ago, but enough of their stories were passed down to my generation. Stories about opulence and wealth beyond measure, rich leaders of countries who broke the backs of their people in order to enrich themselves. Golden toilets and diamond facial creams and people who bought Christmas presents for their dogs.
This is the sort of opulence at the Guuklar Imperial Mansion. There is sparkling gold trim on everything. Gold is not particularly rare on some planets, but in others it is still prized as a precious metal and status symbol. Foolish, as gold is too soft to have much industrial use, but I assume that’s why it’s used in decoration. We have so much money we can waste time and energy on gold that adds nothing to the structural integrity of this building.
I guess Lekyo Prime really is my home; the values of simplicity have been ingrained in me.
Commander Krwlg leads me up the long walkway to the mansion. He has not removed the bonds from my legs, and I have to take tiny, shuffling steps on my tip-toes. I’m still not wearing boots, and my toes are hot with incipient blisters. My feet are starting to cramp, but I know that’s the least of my worries. I can see that the mansion is even bigger than I first thought, much bigger than the royal palace of Lekyo Prime. It’s wrought with gold trim and carefully carved marble statues. Many of the windows are colorful mosaics, and as we get closer, I can make out little pictures in the glass. The artistry is impressive, but I know that the Guuklar had nothing to do with its creation. They are not a race to create things of beauty. They only exist to destroy.
Guuklar guards stop us and make us wait while they comm up to the main house and announce our arrival. I rest my feet and think about last time I was slated to be sold to this bastard. He’d met us on a distant planet, and I was able to escape, my face bleeding and a flap of skin hanging from my cheek. I killed four guards and slipped out into the shadows. There just happened to be a cargo ship nearby, a few human crewmen loading goats into the storage bay. Trusting no one, I released a pen of the goats and then snuck on board when the men were running
around trying to herd the goats back. They found me later that night, but we’d already taken off, and I was safe. The crew of the ship took pity on me, fed and clothed me, and let me stay. Over the next two weeks I gorged myself on goat stew, and it was the best thing I ever ate. I can’t touch the stuff now, but those hearty bowls were the best meals of my life. We landed, and they gave me five hundred coin, said it was my pay for being a contributing crew member. I knew then that it was more of their pity, but I didn’t care. I took it and within a matter of weeks found myself a job on a Three-Star Rebel ship. I found my place there, my purpose.
“Come on,” Commander Krwlg growls and yanks on the cord around my neck. I start to do my tip-toe shuffle, but the brief pause in our journey has caused my feet to cramp up. I’m seized by pain from my big toe to my calf. I cry out and drop to my knees. He yanks the cord harder and gives me a gentle poke with the tip of his boot.
I struggle to get to my feet, and the cramp eases slowly. The entrance to the mansion is at the top of at least thirty stairs, smoothly carved from sparkling stone. “I can’t climb stairs with my feet tied up,” I say.
“You’re smart, you’ll figure it out,” he says. He starts up the stairs, pulling me behind him. I try, but I can’t lift myself up high enough, and when he yanks the cord again, I fall. My arms are tied behind my back, and the only thing that breaks my fall is my face. I feel my nose smashed, and one of my teeth shatters inside my mouth. I spit out the sharp pieces, but there are more, tiny pieces that cut my tongue when I try to gather them up. “Stupid fucking humans,” he says. “You like looking ugly? Your nose looks like a summer squash.”
I say nothing, just spit another mouthful of blood onto the mansion steps.
He pulls me up by the arm and watches as I struggle to tip-toe up the stairs with my feet bound. “Jump, you idiot,” he says.
I guess I am an idiot, because I didn’t think of that. I hop up to the next stair. Then the next then the next. It’s surprisingly tiring, and the impact jars my bare feet, sending sickening shocks up my heels and the balls of my feet.
We finally make it to the top of the stairs, and I risk a glance over my shoulder. The small two-seater ship that Commander Krwlg brought me in seems so far away, just a speck on the horizon. It would be a long way to run, even if I did manage to cut the bonds around my ankles.
The doors open and I’m pulled inside. I was expecting fancy, I was expecting grand, but the inside of the mansion is… gruesome. Fancy gruesome. There are more of the expertly carved statues, but they depict despicable acts of violence. One shows a Guuklar holding a bloody knife in one hand and a severed head in another. Another statue shows a human female being held down by two Guuklar, both of them thrusting into her at each end. A tapestry on the wall shows a battle where infants are squirming on the tips of spears and men are burning alive. In a glass case there are the mummified remains of a hand.
“Here she is, my long-awaited beauty.” I startle and turn to my left. What I can only assume is the leader of the Guuklar is standing in the shadows near the battle tapestry. “From the looks of things, she gave you some trouble?”
“A little,” Commander Krwlg answers.
“Good,” the Guuklar leader says. “I like a female that fights. Are you a fighter, Lia?”
I can’t help the shudder that runs through me as he speaks my name. His grasp on my language is good, though his inflections are curiously toneless. He stares at me with those gigantic eyes, like two black holes that lead straight into the Void itself.
“No,” I say. “I’m not a fighter. I’m a killer.”
The Guuklar leader laughs. “Oh, yes, that’s what I’m talking about.” He grabs at his crotch, taking no pains to hide the fact that this whole exchange has gotten him aroused. “This will be good. That moment when you go limp, the tears sliding silently down your face, and you just let me do it. Oh, that moment is so much sweeter when you make me work for it. Are you going to make me work for it?”
“No,” I say. “I told you already, I’m going to kill you.”
“Excellent,” he says. To my horror, he puts his hand down his pants and starts to stroke himself. After three pumps he shudders and lets out a small gasp of pleasure. “There, now when I finally take you, I’ll be able to last a long time. You’re already bloody and bruised. There’s nothing more arousing than a wounded female.”
I want to puke my guts out all over the polished stone floor.
Another Guuklar appears behind me, and before I can struggle, I feel the snap of my bonds being released, first around my wrists, then around my ankles. My body wants to react, to run and fight for my life. But I know I need to bide my time. Even if I do manage to kill the three aliens in this room, there are guards outside on the steps and untold numbers inside this mansion. No. I need to get the Guuklar leader alone. Then kill him. Then plan my escape. There’s no ship of kindly goatherds this time. I need to do it right.
“This way,” the Guuklar leader says. “I’ve waited ten years for you, I’m not waiting any longer. Commander Krwlg, wait here for your payment.”
The leader takes me by the arm, but his touch is surprisingly gentle—and this is much worse. As we go up a winding staircase, I look down at Commander Krwlg. The guard takes the blade he used to cut my bonds and slashes Commander Krwlg’s throat.
“That’s his payment?” I ask.
“Of course,” the leader says. “Ten years ago, I contracted with him for one virgin human female. He’s late. And he allowed you to be damaged. I smell another male on you. Are you still pure? Please tell me I’ll be the one to have the pleasure.”
“I don’t think ‘pure’ is the right word,” I say. “And one thing is for certain: you will never have that pleasure.”
“We will see,” he says, still smiling. His teeth are yellow, and there are several missing. I tongue my own shattered stub of a tooth. It’s sharp and will get infected soon if it’s not pulled. But why am I worrying about that? Living through this to have the privilege of an infected tooth would be a blessing at this point.
He leads me into a room. It is large, maybe ten meters by fifteen, but completely bare except one wall. Along the wall are various primitive weapons. A knife, a longsword, a cudgel, a mace, a ball-and-chain flail, a length of rope.
“Go ahead,” he says, gesturing to the wall. “Take your pick. Take two, if you’d like.”
I don’t move. I don’t like this. That’s an understatement, I know that, but he’s giving me a weapon to start with? I mean, I knew he was a sick fuck, but this is something I’m wholly unprepared for.
“I’m serious, it’s not a trick. You’re a small human. It wouldn’t be a fair fight if I didn’t allow you arms of some sort.”
He starts to undress, removing his embroidered woven tunic and synthetic-fiber pants. He’s excited, alright; his earlier release did nothing to staunch his desires. This time I think I really am going to puke, but I retch and nothing but a thin runner of blood comes out.
Fuck it, maybe I can cut that thing off. I go for the knife.
“I knew you’d pick that one,” he said. “Alright, my beauty, come on.” He outstretches his arms, as if awaiting a benediction from a prayer-singer. His body is covered in scars, and I wonder how many were from battle—and how many were from women trapped in this very room. Some of the scales on his torso are notched, and some are a brighter shade of green than the others, suggesting recent regeneration. I try to think of everything I know about the Guuklar. Scales protect the torso, neck and face. Excellent vision in the low light. Five times as many smell receptors as a human. But poor hearing. Great. I can tip-toe behind him.
I clench the knife and start to charge him. What else can I do? Certainly I’m the best-trained fighter that’s ever been locked in this room. If anyone stands a chance, it’s me. Right?
I duck low as I run, then feint left and slash to the right, hoping to get the tendons behind his knee joint.
He easily side-st
eps me and with a speed I was not prepared for grabs my own leg and flips me over. I land on my back, hitting my head painfully. I see pinpricks of light for a moment but force myself to my feet. That was stupid to rush him. I’ll let him come to me—
But before I can finish my thought, he does just that. He’s on me, and even though I get what feels like several good slashes and one good stab, it does nothing to slow him down.
In fact, I think I’m just speeding him up.
We tangle, and I think I have the advantage. He’s fighting for sport. I’m fighting for my life.
But that thought comforts me less and less, as he seems impervious to my blows and my knife attacks. I’m starting to tire, but he’s got all the energy of an octalmeth junkie at the beginning of a three-day bender.
Time passes in a blur. At some point I manage to make it to the wall of weapons and take the longsword, hoping I can keep him at a longer distance while I recuperate some of my energy.
It works a little—either that, or he dances around the tip of the sword to let me rest so he can toy with me more.
The sword begins to get very heavy in my hands. My limbs feel like they are made of the same leaden metals as the sword—and equally worthless against this opponent. The blackness starts to creep into the edges of my vision and my head swims.
Holy Void, I think. Has it come already? The moment the Guuklar leader spoke of?
The moment I go limp and just let him?
BANTOKK
We drop the bombs, and I’m not prepared for the feeling of power that starts running through my veins. I’ve taken lives in hand-to-hand combat, looking my opponent in the eye, but that was somehow more impersonal. Battle is one thing. Going into battle, that’s duty. But this? Dropping bomb after bomb on the assholes who have Lia?
That’s something else. That’s power. That’s satisfaction.
Pior is next to me, helping co-pilot his personal ship. We got in contact with a weapons dealer through Reztax. Reztax also loaned me the coin for fuel and the weapons, delighted at my impatience and willingness to agree to whatever unconscionably high interest rate he was charging. I knew Bryn would help pay it, and I had plenty of savings from my years of raiding.
