Haven 2: Redemption

by Sandra R Neeley

  “I’ll ask, Betsy. I promise. I’ll speak to Vivian and see what the Commander thinks a time line is, and if it’s not quick enough, I’ll speak to the General for you. We’ll get you home,” Synclare promised.

  Betsy, trying to hold back the tears just nodded her thanks, still clasping her hands in her lap.

  <<<<<<<>>>>>>>

  Quin took another big bite of the bargers that Vivi had prepared for them. These were much better than those Kol had tried to have made for her when she first arrived. Of course, these were made with meat sent to Vivi from Earth by Bart. He made sure to send her Earth delicacies each time he visited there.

  “Do you like it?” Vivian asked, swirling her vegetable stick through the sweet red sauce she loved so well.

  “I do,” Quin answered, around a mouth full. “I even like the crunchy vegetable sticks in sweet red sauce.”

  Vivian laughed, her Quin always made her smile. “I love you,” she said.

  “And I you, my Vivi.”

  “They’re French fries. And the sauce is ketchup. The real thing! Not that red flavorless stuff Cook tries to pass off as ketchup. This is the good stuff!”

  Quin nodded, mimicking her behavior and dragging the crunchy vegetable through the sauce before popping in it his mouth and chewing appreciatively. “What is the ketchup made of?” he asked, as he dipped his burger into it.

  “Tomatoes. And the vegetable sticks are made from potatoes.”

  “So, I am topping a vegetable with a vegetable to make it taste better.”

  “Exactly! And the burgers… oh man, they are so good. Real beef!”

  “Beef? Which animal is this?” he asked, taking another bite.

  “Cows. Do you know what cows are?” Vivi asked.

  Quin, excited he knew, nodded his head as he hurried to chew and swallow. Once he’d swallowed, he grinned at Vivi and threw his head back. “Mooooooooo,” he bellowed.

  Kitty, enjoying his own burger, looked curiously at Quin before picking his burger up in his mouth and moving it to his bed across the room to finish it in peace.

  Vivian laughed so hard she started coughing. Once she caught her breath, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. “You always make me laugh. And you make me feel loved. And you make me happy.”

  “Of course I do. It is why I am here.”

  Vivian looked at Quin, not quite understanding. “What do you mean?”

  “For you. I am here for you. The gods knew you would need me, and I would need you.”

  Vivian held her hand to her heart. “Awwwww,” she cooed. “And I’m here for you, too. I love you, Quin.”

  “Commander, Communications Officer Vennie is waiting to speak with you,” Missy informed them.

  “Put him through, Missy,” Quin responded.

  “Sire, please forgive the interruption, but Chairman Bartholomew is on vidcom on Command Deck for you,” Vennie said.

  “Please tell him I’ll call him back, Vennie. I’m not finished with lunch yet.”

  “I will, Sire. But please know, he is not very patient. He insisted that he be put straight through immediately.”

  “Tell him to give me a few minutes to get to the Command Deck. I’ll call him back immediately.”

  “Yes, Sire. I will tell him.”

  “Bye, Vennie!” Vivian called.

  “Bye, Sirena!” Vennie answered, thrilled that he was a personal friend of their Sirena.

  “What’s going on with Bart?” Vivian asked, when she realized Quin planned on finishing his meal before leaving.

  Quin sighed. “I’m afraid to find out.”

  “I don’t ever press, but if you want to tell me… I’m here.”

  “I know. I try not to burden you.”

  “Tell me. We’re in this together. Everything together,” Vivian said encouragingly.

  “Rokai ahl slipped away in the night. He’s been gone more than a day now.”

  “Oh, no! Do you have any idea where?” Vivian asked, concerned.

  “All I know is that he’s on a mission to avenge his Ehlealah. I didn’t even know he had an Ehlealah. And now he’s off gods know where, trying to avenge her.”

  “Well, that’s not so bad is it?” Vivian asked.

  “He stole a Battle Cruiser from our fleet to get there in.”

  “Ohhh. So, now whoever it is will think we are attacking or at the very least provoking.”

  “Yes. And I believe I know where it’s located, or at least the quadrant it’s located in, and I thought to take control of the ship, locking him out of it until we can get there and take possession of the cruiser and take him into custody, but I was reminded that if I do, and he needs to make a quick get away, it could result in his death if he cannot escape.”

  “Then why aren’t we going after him, while still leaving the cruiser enabled?”

  Quin sighed again. “I advised my parents, and I advised Bart. Bart insisted I get him back here and under lock and key immediately. I repeated all the male who helped Rokai and Gaishon escape, told me, to my parents. He thinks that Rokai is changing. He helped him escape because he believes he is planning to come back after he avenges his female. My mother wants to hope for the best and told me ultimately the decision is mine, but she hopes that I will trust my brother.”

  “And what do you think?” Vivian asked.

  “It’s the first hope she’s had in years. I don’t wish to take it from her. But I don’t wish to have him disappoint her again either.”

  “Quin, I asked what do you think?”

  “I want him to have the opportunity he needs to become the male he was meant to be. I share my mother’s hope. So, I am avoiding Bart and allowing Rokai ahl the time he needs.”

  “And if Rokai ahl lets you down again?” Vivian asked.

  “I don’t know, Vivi. I will have to build that bridge when I come to it.”

  Vivian chuckled. “Cross that bridge.”

  “How can I cross the bridge if I have not yet built it?” Quin asked.

  “Trust me, it’s my first language. The saying is cross that bridge.”

  “I still think it should be build that bridge.”

  <<<<<<<>>>>>>>

  Rokai and Gaishon explored the old space refueling station on the dusty rock of a natural satellite that the owner’s psychotic nephew decided should be considered a sovereign planet, an independent recognized land, and began to treat it as such, until they knew every turn and every corner. The refueling station had originally been laid out in several buildings. The main hub, which offered all business and general services to those stopping for refueling, a second smaller building that served as residences for the family who settled the small planet and their servants who assisted with operating the refueling stations, and several smaller outbuildings for storage and additional shelter as needed. All structures were built of cold, slate-colored, rough-hewn stones and were connected via tunnels that ran underground. It was very reminiscent of the fallout shelters that some civilizations had built throughout the centuries in an effort to survive any attack on their homes and planets. The entire place was dark, damp, musty, dirty and completely unkempt, both above ground and even more so beneath the surface.

  Rokai and Gaishon had been thorough in their explorations. They now knew for a fact the only females kept here had to be kept in the main structure Navon now called his home. The only inhabitants they’d found were employed mercenaries, most of whom thankfully knew of Rokai ahl, and even more fortunately, respected him. They knew that while he was not usually bloodthirsty without provocation, Rokai was positively lethal once you angered him. And at the moment, he was far from angry — he was enraged.

  In speaking with a few of the mercenaries he knew first hand, he learned they were only here for short periods of time in exchange for the credits Navon paid and were near the end of their last contract before being free to move on to their next employment. They confirmed that there were rumors of what happened at the main hub, but only the same four ma
les ever attended. Those four whispered amongst themselves of the goings on there, but never let slip what exactly was happening. Seems they were smart enough to realize that at least some of the males hired here would take a dim view of their activities of torturing and raping captive females for sport.

  Rokai ahl and Gaishon knew now, without a doubt, who their targets were. They’d be bringing back six heads, six hearts, and remedy for the concoction Navon used on the whips that slowly but surely ate away at the flesh of the females they tortured as an extra bonus for the already suffering females. There was no reason for it. It was beyond cruel.

  Rokai and Gaishon stood in their rooms, preparing for the evening that was fast approaching. Gaishon glanced at Rokai ahl who was near their bed practicing his hand to hand balance with a very large dagger.

  “Rokai, are you sure you do not wish to simply tell your female of the killing of her tormentors? Surely if you present her with six heads and six hearts, she will be repulsed and run screaming from you.”

  Rokai stopped tossing his blade from one hand to the other. He thought about Rosie, her strength, her cunning, the teardrop drawn on her face and the story she’d told him of killing a male for harming her friend. Slowly he began to shake his head. “No. You are mistaken. Maybe other females would be repulsed. My Rosalita will rejoice. She will understand the gift I give her. She will be grateful and joyous.”

  Gaishon’s eyebrows rose. He shook his head. “Okay. If you insist. Just remember I warned you. When she refuses to see you after you hand her a bloody bag filled with heads and hearts — remember I warned you.”

  “My Rosalita is not delicate and weak. You will see.”

  “I’m sure I will.”

  A knock sounded on the door interrupting their conversation. “Prime Minister Navon is ready to receive you.”

  “Has he followed my instructions for preparation?” Rokai ahl called out.

  “Implicitly, Sir.”

  “Very well, we shall be there shortly. Tell him he is to imbibe a cup of lager every five minutes that he waits. I will be there shortly.”

  “A cup every five minutes?”

  “Are you hard of hearing?” Rokai snapped.

  “No, Sir. I shall deliver your instruction.”

  “Excellent,” Rokai answered.

  As the servant’s footsteps retreated, Rokai turned to Gaishon. “Are you ready, my friend?”

  “I am.”

  “I’ve promised credits to those of the mercenaries that I feel I can rely on. They shall keep the others away from our first target. They’ll also lie in watch outside the hub Navon calls home to ensure that we are not interrupted.”

  “All is at the ready?” Gaishon asked.

  “It is,” answered Rokai.

  Gaishon smiled. “Then let us remove this scourge from our universe.”

  Stealthily Rokai and Gaishon moved down the dingy, stone corridor. They could hear the trickle of water as it dripped down the stones of the corridor walls here and there before pooling in small puddles scattered erratically about the corridor floor. They encountered no one. True to their word, those mercenary males Rokai felt trustworthy had kept movement through the underground connecting corridors of the storage section of the refueling hub to a minimum.

  This night would be an easy task for them. One that should have occurred long, long ago. As they crept silently through the dark corridor, they could hear the senseless mutterings of a long insane mind. The voice now feeble and cracking with each word it mumbled. This was their first target. This male was the start of all the suffering so many females had endured here. Gaishon used the old antiquated iron key to open the ancient manual lock on the door. At the sound of the clanging metal and squeak of the unoiled hinges, the male inside stopped babbling. “Who is there? Have you come to beg forgiveness? I shall never give it! You are an ungrateful abomination of a nephew! You deserve no forgiveness!”

  Rokai looked to Gaishon and held his finger up to his lips to indicate he wanted Gaishon to be quiet. Rokai pitched his voice higher and imitated Navon’s voice as best he could.

  “I have brought you a female to make up for it, Uncle. I have brought all your favorite toys as well. Won’t you consider forgiving me?”

  The uncle was chained nude to a huge wooden ‘X’, his head the only thing left movable, his back to the door preventing him from seeing any who came and went from his cell. He turned his head slightly to the side, as though considering. “Which toys have you brought?”

  “The whips. And, of course, the blades. I have servants bringing the whipping stands so that you need only manage to get to your feet. We will bring all you need to you.”

  The old man’s face took on a frightening sneer. He grinned wide and evilly, his yellowed teeth on display. “Be sure that she is untouched, boy. The pleasure is so much more when the debasement is shocking and revolting. If she is untouched, I shall consider forgiving you. And bring the mirrors so that I may watch her face as she begs for mercy.”

  “You shall get all that is coming to you, Uncle,” Rokai promised, still speaking in a high-pitched voice.

  “As I should, and bring several males, those you send to feed me. They will want the spoils. I rather enjoy watching them bend the females to their will after I am done.”

  “Of course. It is all I needed to know,” Rokai responded in his normal tone of voice.

  Rokai stepped into sight, holding a small candle in hand to allow himself to be seen.

  The old male squinted his eyes, struggling to see Rokai ahl. “You are a very ugly female. Navon! I said I wanted an untouched female! A young one!”

  Rokai smiled, produced his hunting blade and began to turn it this way and that as the light from the small candle he held in his other hand played off the blade. “I think that you should know; you will die this day.”

  The old male squinted his eyes again and raised his chin as best he could. “Navon! I have not asked for play of this sort. I refuse to play this game! Bring me the young one. I wish to play that game.”

  “The only game being played today, you lecherous fuck, is betting how long you will take to bleed out after I cut your throat,” Rokai promised on a snarl.

  Rokai approached him, and lifted the candle to better see the male. It was certainly Vanoth. He had changed drastically over the last year. His power play and tendencies to border on torture during sex were whispered of in certain circles, but it was believed by most that he’d died, leaving his nephew in charge of their holdings. He’d disappeared less than a year ago, with his nephew rising to take his place. Only those truly in touch with the darker side of civilization — the mercenaries, the criminals, those that chose to remain in the shadows — had heard rumors of him being held prisoner in his own home, so to speak. It was just that, rumors. Never confirmed until now.

  “What do you want? Navon! What is the meaning of this?”

  “I want you to die. Slowly, painfully.”

  “I do not like this game.”

  “It’s not a game. You raped my female. You hurt her, she suffers still.”

  “She suffers? It is delicious, isn’t it?” He rolled his hips, moaning at the movement of his own hips. It was only then that Rokai realized he was impaled on a wooden phallic-shaped piece of wood, the base of which was nailed onto the huge wooden ‘X’ the male was chained to, the length of which disappeared between the cheeks of Vanoth’s ass. “Mmmmm, to taste the constant, helpless suffering. It is quite the delicacy. She must have been a favorite to have survived. Only the most depraved leave here alive. Does she beg you to abuse her now? We’ve turned many. They are very accommodating once they’ve been broken. Perhaps you’d like a lesson on the rape bench. Teach you to cause her exquisite pain and give you the ultimate pleasure.”

  “There is no pleasure in the treatment you give to any female!” Rokai bellowed.

  The old male ignored Rokai's outburst, preoccupied with the scene he was imagining in his own mind. “You said sh
e suffers still, tell me of it. I must know,” Vanoth begged in a weakened voice, thrusting his hips up as far as his bindings would allow and slamming his ass back against the frame he was bound to. He ran his tongue across old, cracked lips. “To taste their suffering is like nothing else,” he declared, still thrusting his hips.

  Rokai looked at Gaishon. “This fuck is too insane to even realize this is not one of his games.”

  “Kill him and be done with it. We have others yet to hunt,” Gaishon answered.

  “I will not even give you the opportunity to beg for the mercy you’ve never given to any unfortunate enough to fall under your hand.”

  “Suck my cock, slave! I have need of release — that is the only mercy I wish,” Vanoth demanded, giggling maniacally.

  “I’ll do you one better,” Rokai promised, striking out with the blade in his right hand.

  Vanoth screamed, blood spurted across Vanoth’s face and upper chest, soaking into the chains and ropes keeping him bound to the massive wooden ‘X’ he was immobile against.

  He never said a word, just screamed over and over again as his blood ran freely from the place on his body where his penis was once attached.

  Rokai watched the old male screaming, his hands fisting and unfisting over and over again as he strained against his chains. “Your hands likely inflicted pain on my female, too. I shall remove them.” Rokai swung his blade in a downward arc, removing most of Vanoth’s right hand, causing arterial spray from what was left of it.

  “You deserve nothing, no mercy, no regard, not even a proper burial. Your head and heart will make trophies for my female. Perhaps we will have them mounted and piss on them regularly. No, on second thought, we shall leave them to rot among the first refuse pile we find. You will not even be a distant memory.”

  Vanoth whimpered and dared to voice one single word. “Mercy,” he pleaded.

  “No,” Rokai ahl said simply, before he brought his blade down, slicing across Vanoth’s neck, and watching the remainder of the male’s blood spill across his chest.

  Before Vanoth was even finished twitching, Gaishon stepped forward, bringing his broadsword down on Vanoth’s throat, severing his head from his body. The head landed on the stone floor with a thump, its insane eyes, staring lifelessly from their sockets. Gaishon shook out the woven, brown sack they’d brought with them to collect the heads and hearts of the offenders and held it open while Rokai ahl snatched the head up by its scraggly black hair and dropped it into the sack.