by Zara Zenia
"That sounds far too dangerous," said Oszul. There was no way he was about to let her do something like that.
"You need to start trusting that I, too, know how to keep myself safe," she said patiently.
"It is a good plan," said Dariux. He was looking at Oszul, trying to gauge his reaction.
Finally, the Hjott commander sighed. "It is a good plan. And you are the best candidate for this kind of task. If anyone can play the part of a local and not get caught, it is a Qetesh."
"Then it's agreed upon?" she asked with growing excitement. The look in her eye was one of adventure. This was the reason she had signed up to become part of the Qetesh. If Oszul really loved her, valued her as an equal—he needed to learn to appreciate her as a warrior too.
"I would not want to take such an opportunity away from you," he told Treasure. "Terrans are not completely dissimilar to the Arthexei natives either."
"A Hjott would never be able to pass for a local," Dariux agreed. "With a good disguise, I am confident this plan will work. I would not say that lightly."
Treasure got dressed up in regular clothing. Her military uniform would give her away immediately. "It's a god thing I have the right skin tone," she said.
"I love the color of your skin," said Oszul. They were in their shared bedroom now. "And you should be able to blend in easily. I do want you to wear a listening device though. We need to be able to hear anything that happens. If you get into trouble, I will come to your aid immediately."
"You'll rescue me, big boy?"
"I am not a boy, what do you mean?"
Treasure laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "It's just Terran slang. Don't worry, I didn't mean to insult you. It's a complement."
"Oh, well then, thank you."
Treasure didn't have any trouble getting to a local township. The people of this planet were relaxed and friendly. It wasn't surprising since Arthexei was such a warm, peaceful place. No one was in much of a rush. The natives certainly had no idea there were hostile opposing forces gathering on their little home planet.
Oszul, Dariux, and Kezon listened in as Treasure visited the nearby town. There was a lot of muffled speech, and the sound of the bustling market place made it difficult to hear everything that was said. On top of that, the locals spoke in hushed tones mostly. They were obviously afraid to be overheard talking about the cyborg facility.
Once Treasure returned, she reiterated to the others what she'd learned. "Are the natives aware of the facility?" Oszul asked her immediately.
"Yes, but the locals try to stay away from it. They understand the people running the facility are hostile. They have been known to use force when they want something," Treasure explained. "They're terrified of the Aulius running it."
"So they're oppressing the local population?" said Oszul. He was enraged by this, as were the others. Kezon was clenching and unclenching his fists. Treasure's expression told enough about how she felt about this all.
She continued to tell them that the cyborgs had techno-ears on their heads. "The locals use those to identify the cyborgs. They do their best to stay far away. If one is seen coming into their town or the market, they always cow down and give them whatever they demand. The cyborgs are part machine with AI, crossed with the locals."
"Are they kidnapping the locals to use for production?" asked Kezon.
"No, they're actually paying the locals. They give them huge sums of money. Well, it's a lot of money for the poor natives anyway. They are willing to volunteer, or they hand over their people who have been incapacitated for money. Once that happens, they are recruited into the cyborg army."
"This is a new low, even for the Aulius. We have to put a stop to this," said Dariux.
"I agree," said Treasure. "This kind of evil has to be stopped."
"We will stop them. You did very well. I am proud of you," said Oszul. He was overwhelmed with relief that she had not been caught. His heart felt like it was beating at twice the normal speed the entire time she was away. He pulled her into their room and made passionate love to her. This time he was slow and sensual, unlike the previous time when he had taken her from behind in the shower in a primal way.
Chapter 20
Treasure
Since they'd landed on Arthexei, so much had changed for Treasure. She already felt like she was in a serious relationship with Oszul. It must have been the effects of his uxormea and them being fated mates. It was a unique experience that few Terrans had ever been able to feel. She knew that she was incredibly lucky.
Even though they had plenty going on in their mission, she couldn't stop thinking about getting back to Jatra. Her friend and Qetesh commander Aryn would be thrilled to hear that Treasure was now also mated to a Hjott. It was just what she had been dreaming would happen. Exactly what they had spoken about before Treasure left for this mission.
She had no active duties to take care of on the Scorpius. It was just acting as their headquarters and required no upkeep. Treasure wanted to do something to help with the mission. There was nothing for her to do now though. She frowned as she thought about getting back to Jatra to see the other Qetesh. They were her friends, but more like sisters. There was a strong bond between them. If things didn't go well on Arthexei, there was a chance she would never get to see them again. Being killed in the line of duty was always a real possibility in the military. Now that she had so much to live for, it would be too cruel for fate to take that away from her so soon.
Some of the other Hjott crew members had returned to stay on the Scorpius now. They only needed a small number of scouts posted for surveillance. As she was walking from the bedroom she shared with Oszul, Treasure overheard the crew being addressed by Premier Vorta on the hologram comm. Voice comm was generally used, but this was a special conversation. Members of royalty, and consequently acting royalty, were given the respect of a face-to-face meeting whenever possible.
She knew it wasn't an honest thing to do, but she couldn't resist listening in. This might give her a way to help. The Premier paced back and forth. "You need to focus on apprehending the escaped Aulius criminals. They are terrorist leaders and enemies of Jatra. You must also find out who the leaders of this cyborg facility are and bring them in. We need to be able to gather information from them."
"So they must be alive?" asked Oszul.
"Yes. I will strategize a way to deal with this cyborg army. That is outside of your scope right now. Do you understand?" asked the Premier.
"How can we just go about our mission while all this goes on? If there is a way for us to fight them here and now, surely we must take the chance." Oszul was clearly flustered. He wanted to go after the enemy now, before they were able to cause any more damage.
"I understand that you want to do your duty. There is a larger picture here that you are not seeing clearly. Please, do not let your emotions or your honor, get in the way of what must be done. I have the entire Vada system to think about. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Sir," replied Oszul.
Treasure didn't wait around for the video communication to be finished. She wanted to help Oszul do the honorable thing. While Premier Vorta had ordered the Hjotts to continue their mission and take in the enemy leaders here, there was nothing stopping her from taking matters into her own hands.
Once again, she donned the attire of the Arthexei natives. She secured her translator device in her ear. While it was hard for her to communicate with the natives, the translator would let her hear what any aliens species were saying. And she knew enough to ask basic things, as she had done when first finding out about the cyborg facility.
Treasure headed back to the local market. She took a basket with her, so it looked like she was just a regular customer looking for some goods. While there, she watched the other native women. For some reason she felt more alone, more vulnerable. It was because Oszul was not listening in this time. Before it had been as though he was there with her. In fact, he was with her in spirit. Now though, any
thing could happen, and she would be at the mercy of this alien world.
She tried to imitate the behavior of the native women. While she was pretending to be looking at some of the bright, simple clothing in a local store, a tall Aulius walked by the window of the building. He was wearing the same garb as the escaped prisoners had been dressed in on Vurt. Her heart sank, but she also felt the thrill of adrenaline surge through her body. This was the kind of moment that required action. The type of action that a Qetesh agent was perfectly trained for.
Waiting until he had gone by, she followed the Aulius. He went into a nearby building. It seemed to be the same kind of structure as the other stores. Treasure hoped he was just picking up some supplies, as he surely must have been. Even evil alien scum needed to eat.
The building wasn't a store. It was a museum, containing all manner of artifacts. There were things from planets all over the system. Treasure was astounded by the variety of civilized cultural items on this little native planet. What puzzled her, however, was trying to work out why the Aulius escapee had come into a local museum. There was no one else in the building, apart from the native at the front desk. This was an older male, who was reading a book when Treasure entered carefully. He didn't even look up when she came through the front door. That suited her fine. The less people who saw her, the less chance there was that she'd be outed as a Terran.
The Aulius went through to a back room but turned before going through the door. He planted his eyes right on her and stared at her for a moment. It was unnerving. Treasure was sure he was going to recognize her face. But he didn't, instead going through the door and closing it behind him.
You need to get out of here, she told herself. There were all kinds of red flags going off in her mind. This was a dangerous situation. There was something not right about the way he'd looked at her. You can't just leave now, what about the mission?
The fighter in her didn't want to back down though. That Aulius might have realized she wasn't a real Arthexei. If so, that threatening look had felt like a challenge. She couldn't let that terrorist asshole get away. She crept over to the door and listened in at it.
There was a conversation going on inside. Her translator wasn't completely cooperating though. Frantically, Treasure fiddled with the settings on the tiny device. Finally she managed to get it to start picking up something that was intelligible to her.
"Are you sure that is the best plan of action? You will not fail me?" said another alien male.
"I swear this will work, Tr'Zerza. It will not fail."
The escapee's leader.
Tr'Zerza said, "And what about increasing the size of our cyborg army. Have you had success sourcing more volunteers?
The nameless, alien continued to talk about his plan. "I have been looking around intently. There are some choice specimens who I think we should add to our army as soon as possible. We must do what we do best: take it by force. These locals are weak and will give into whatever we demand," said the unnamed male.
That's when it dawned on Treasure: that alien must have been assessing her as a possible addition to their 'volunteers.' She knew they weren't actually planning on asking her if she would join their army willingly though. The thought of being kidnapped and forced by to become a cybernetic soldier scared her. Not to mention that it would be fighting against the Jatra system. Against the alien who she now loved.
Treasure began to feel increasingly unsafe with each word that was spoken. It was as though an icy hand was reaching over her shoulder and preparing to grab her. To take her against her will. She turned and began to retreat from the secluded back corner of the building.
Just as she was about to walk back through the museum displays, something stopped her. It was a real hand grabbing her shoulder.
Chapter 21
Oszul
Oszul met with Kezon to discuss news from Premier Vorta. The acting ruler gave orders to apprehend Tr'Zerza and take him into captivity.
"The enemy encampment is much bigger than we originally thought," said Kezon. "With that knowledge, the Premier does not want us to risk an assault on it."
"Then we have just the one goal now?" asked Oszul to confirm this new mission.
"Yes, we only need to take their leader. It will feel good to finally get our hands on that scum bag, Tr'Zerza."
"I agree. He has given us far too much trouble. If I had my way, he wouldn't be a target for arrest. He'd be meeting the end of a sword."
"The Premier also doesn't think there is any need to go after the rest of their base yet. The cyborgs are being tested, yes, but they're still in the early stages."
"They won't be ready for some time," said Oszul. "But I still don't trust that we should leave them to their own devices." They were in the earlier stages of building a cyborg army. That wasn't any reason to be complacent. He couldn't help but have a nagging feeling in his stomach, and in his heart. His uxormea was there, always shining its perpetual blue. Why do I feel like something is going terribly wrong? He drew his attention away from that. "Do we know how many of the cyborgs are inside the underground laboratory?"
"We estimate there are enough for a small army. Those ones are still being tested, however. It is lucky for us too."
"It is lucky for them we have other things to worry about at the moment." Oszul knew they had a different mission to think about now. But what did he really have to worry about? His thoughts went to Treasure. He knew she was safe on the ship, so what was there to worry about? He could go and see her once he'd finished his meetings and planning.
One of the Hjott crew members interrupted their conversation. "Sir, our undercover agents are ready to meet with you now. Should I notify them that the meeting is to take place as planned?"
"Yes. We'll leave now." Oszul and Kezon went to meet with the agents. They chose a secluded patch of trees and dense flora for the meeting. It was located not far from the cyborg factory.
"Commander Oszul," said the Hjott agent. They were wearing a costume that hid their race and Jatran origin. "I trust that no one followed you, or saw you come here?"
"Of course not," interjected Kezon, sounding a little insulted. "Do you think we're idiots?"
"No, of course not," replied the agent. He was looking around nervously though, like he expected someone to come running up and attack them. "This place is making me ... apprehensive, is the only problem. I apologize for my insinuation."
They devised a plan to capture Tr'Zerza. Given that most of the cyborgs were not active and ready for duty yet, it would be relatively easy. Once Oszul and Kezon returned to the Scorpius, the commander finally had time to go be with Treasure. Being away from her for any length of time was becoming more and more difficult. He could not imagine the pain his fellow Hjotts must have felt when they lost their Hjott mates.
Treasure was gone! Oszul frantically searched the entire ship upon realizing she wasn't in their shared quarters. "Has anyone seen Treasure in the past few hours?" he bellowed out in the bridge. The crew looked sheepish, while some seemed a little afraid. He knew that he was growing anxious and panic would soon settle in. It was hard not to take out his emotions on his underlings, but he tried to keep calm.
"Sir, have you asked her fellow Qetesh agents? The two who were initially on this mission with us," said one of the Hjott crew members. It was a good idea. But when Oszul found Sapphina and Raven, they had no idea where Treasure was either. The three of them set out to search for Treasure. Oszul was convinced by then that Treasure had gone out on her own to contribute to the mission.
Chapter 22
Treasure
Treasure struggled against the Aulius as he restrained her by the arms. She was being dragged along toward the back of the museum. Despite her cries for help, no museum employees came to her rescue. They must have been allies of the terrorists then too, or just paid to look the other way.
While she might have been able to get away if she tried harder, Treasure was hesitant. If her disguise were to
fall away, things could get a lot worse. These aliens had a taste for Terran slaves and highly prized them.
She was pushed into another room at the back of the building. Looking up through the hood of her disguise, Treasure was face to face with the Aulius. "What were you doing eavesdropping on our conversation?" he demanded angrily.
Speaking with her best attempt at a native accent, Treasure carefully replied in their language. She hoped the alien wouldn't notice that she wasn't genuinely from that world. Using her translator would have been a dead giveaway. "I ... was just visiting ... the museum," she slowly said, working hard to use the proper accent. "What eavesdropping?"
"I specifically saw you there listening to us. You've been caught red handed, so just tell me why you were doing it."
"Draked?" came the voice of Tr'Zerza from the door to the small room. "Who's this?" Treasure cringed and tried to hide it as she gulped with fear. She didn't dare look their leader in the eyes.
"I caught her listening to us talk," replied Draked. They were both much larger than the Qetesh spy. The two males loomed down over her. "She says she was just visiting the museum, but I do not believe her."
"Are you a native on this planet?" asked Tr'Zerza. Only, he spoke in Aulius instead of the native language of Arthexei. He eyed hear intently, but Treasure still remained facing the other alien, Draked. She didn't move and hoped they would just chalk that up to her being too afraid to do so.
Treasure remembered that Tr'Zerza and his men were aware of Terrans with the Hjotts who were hunting the escapees. If she was to be found out as a Terran, she might never get free. She'd never see Oszul again, and he'd be left wondering what ever happened to his new mate for the rest of his lonely life. She was also much too clever to be tricked by such a simple ruse. Playing the part of a native, she acted as though she didn't understand.
