Spaceport: Forget Me Not

by Mikala Ash

  Holly couldn't move. The hands around her throat tightened. She propelled herself backwards, slamming Janga into the bulkhead. The bitch groaned but only tightened her grip around her throat.

  The blood pounding in her ears sounded like ocean surf at dusk, and darkness was fast descending. Holly gathered the last remaining threads of energy and drove backwards again. Janga grunted in her ear and that was the last she knew.

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  Chapter Ten

  "Calling Holly Barberossa."

  An expectant hush fell over the crowded courtroom.

  "Your Honor. If the prosecution cannot produce this, the last of their supposed witnesses, then I believe the state has no case against my client, Riz Gitto."

  Judge Kasamee Kee stared grimly at the counsel for the defense. “The fact that taped recordings have mysteriously been destroyed whilst in the custody of ‘Port Security, and witnesses seem to have met untimely deaths, been spirited away because they fear for their lives or simply disappeared is not something to be smirking about."

  "Your Honor, I demand that this case be dismissed and my client set free."

  "Well, it seems that there comes a point in every case where the balance of justice teeters and may fall either to the side of the prosecution or to the side of the defense. The absence of witnesses appears, at this stage, to favor the defense. However, as providence would have it, there is a witness after all."

  A murmur of surprise swept through the courtroom and steadily grew to a crescendo. The crack of the gavel on the bench silenced the court and Kasamee waited until there was complete silence. “Before the witness is produced, however, some security matters should be attended to. Bailiff,” the judge commanded. “Please secure that gentleman there."

  Kasamee pointed to the handsome slave who had just taken his seat next to Mischa. Two burly security officers appeared on either side and, before he could react, had manacled his wrists. “Bailiff, ensure his companion does not leave the courtroom or communicate with anyone outside."

  The security guards searched Murukan, removed a communicator and put a communication suppression unit around his wrist. Mischa waved them away, being far too glamorous to be seen struggling with mere court officials, and handed over her diamond encrusted communicator and with great dignity attached the suppressor herself.

  The courtroom once again erupted into a confused gabble. Judge Kee pounded the bench with her gavel. “Silence."

  "Your Honor, I protest. These theatrics have no place in our justice system."

  "On the contrary. You, as defense counsel, have been the principal actor in these theatrics these past few months. A pity you were not writing the script."

  "Your Honor, please, enough is enough. Produce your witness or release my client."

  "Bailiff, bring that man to me."

  Murukan was taken to stand before the judge whose ever-present bodyguard stood beside her chair, his hand resting on his sidearm. He glared at Murukan as if daring him to try something,

  "Where is Holly Barberossa?” she asked.

  "I do not know, Your Honor."

  "Do you know why she is not here in court?"

  "No, I do not."

  "Do you know who you are?"

  "My name is Murukan."

  "That is the name Mischa gave you, is it not?"

  "Yes, Your Honor."

  "When did you lose your memory?"

  "Several months ago. I was in an accident. Mischa saved me from the wreckage of a spacecraft and had my body repaired and then gave me employment."

  "But you have no memory of your life before Mischa rescued you?"

  "No, Your Honor."

  A murmur began and raced around the courtroom, gathering intensity as people added up the months and came to the same astounding conclusion. “He's Maxim Dollavera. Come back from the dead. To think, he's been her slave all the time."

  "Silence!” Kasamee returned her attention to Murukan. “You owe Mischa a great deal, don't you?"

  "Yes, Your Honor."

  "Unfortunately, that is no defense against lying to the court. Bailiff, arrest this man for contempt.

  "Mischa, come here."

  Mischa thrust her head high and strode imperiously toward the bench to face the smiling judge. Their pale skins, evidence of their shared Holthian ancestry, gleamed in the overhead lights.

  "It is my pleasure to inform you,” Kasamee Kee said, “that your attempted armed takeover of Adana has failed. Your cadaverie army has been neutralized and your confederates in ‘Port Security arrested. Do you have anything to say?"

  Mischa was haughty to the last. “Not to you, no."

  "Bailiff, take her away."

  "Your Honor, I protest. None of this has anything to do with my client. He had no knowledge of whatever Mischa and her cohorts were up to."

  "That is not our immediate concern now that the threat to law and order has been neutralized."

  "But without witnesses my client has no case to answer."

  "Prosecution, you may call your witness."

  The prosecution lawyer stood up, an unexpected gleam in his eye. “The prosecution calls Maxim Dollavera."

  A gasp of surprise swept through the confused crowd. All eyes went to the rear of the court, expecting Maxim Dollavera to rise from the dead and walk through the door, so most missed Kasamee's taciturn bodyguard step into the witness box. “You are Maxim Dollavera?” the prosecution asked.

  "I am."

  The courtroom erupted into pandemonium as this was clearly not the twice savior of Adana. A quick DNA confirmation was performed by the clerk of the court who confirmed it was, indeed, Maxim Dollavera.

  "Can you explain where you have been since the pirate attack on the Euripides?"

  "Undergoing medical treatment for severe burns and other injuries, including severe memory loss."

  "Did that include facial reconstruction?"

  "Yes, it did. I was badly injured."

  "Where were you receiving treatment?"

  "The Navy hospital on Banyan Seven."

  "After that?"

  "Witness protection under the supervision of the High Court."

  "And how is your memory now?"

  "For my own protection, it was suppressed until ten minutes ago."

  "You can now relate the events last year pertaining to the attempted coup on Adana?"

  "Absolutely."

  "Your Honor, I protest!"

  "For Phong's sake, get a grip. You now have a witness against your client. You better hurry and prepare the questions you obviously hadn't planned on asking."

  "Your Honor, I..."

  "I know, I know, you protest."

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  Epilogue

  Holly could not remember being so happy. Not since that final year back home, when her dad and her mother were still together with her sister Peri too, had she felt so complete. It had been a tough few years since that glorious summer; her parents’ divorce, the war, the gypsy-like existence with her journalist father going from trouble spot to trouble spot, his eventual death and her fleeing for her own life before ending up on Adana.

  This was the first time that she could honestly feel like she was where she was supposed to be. With Maxim, the real Maxim, lying beside her, his head pillowed on her breast. “I feel like such an idiot!"

  He kissed her on the lips to silence her. His lips progressed down her chin to her throat and the flesh between her breasts.

  "That damn Forget-Me-Not had me confused all along. It was malfunctioning, emitting your darn pheromones all the time. I was walking around in a continuous state of sexual arousal."

  "It's nice to know I have that effect on you,” he said.

  "No wonder I couldn't think straight. Murukan, because he said he'd been recently rescued from an accident and, well, damn it, he acted like you in a sort of..."

  "Sort of what?"

  "I don't know. Your pheromones confused me. He was
built like you, walked like you and, most significantly, I thought he smelled like you too."

  Maxim kissed her nipples and bolts of desire shot through her. “Bet he didn't kiss like me."

  "No one kisses like you.” She giggled. “I wasn't sure, right up till when he disappeared to join Mischa. I thought if he was you, he must have been stopping the coup. That's the only reason I figured you'd leave me."

  "I'd never leave you like that."

  "I know that now! But my head was warped by that damn pendant. But I had my doubts. Just like I knew you weren't dead. I don't know how your brothers could accept it, you, the best pilot in the galaxy, shot down by pirates."

  "Well, they did get me, and my thumb."

  "You can't be lucky all the time."

  "When I woke up, I was in the hospital with no memory. It was the navy guys who pulled me out and saved my life."

  "But why? I mean, how did they know it was you? Why didn't they tell Felis?"

  "Kasamee Kee had sent them out to our asteroid to collect me and put me under protective custody. When they saw it was my ship that had been blasted, they thought they were too late, but when they found me they knew they had to grab me pretty quick. Then they melted the cockpit to make sure everyone thought I was dead, which wasn't far from the truth. I was pretty much a goner, so they tell me."

  She gave his new face a close examination. “You know, I think it's an improvement."

  "You do? Just as well, I've grown attached to it."

  "No, I mean, you know how you Dollavera clones hate looking alike, well, now you don't have to worry about that."

  "You have a point there."

  "So, you'll keep this new improved look?” She kissed the point of his chin.

  "You're the one who'll be looking at me. See how you like it before we do anything."

  She kissed him. “When did you remember me?"

  "You were my first memory."

  "Truly?"

  "Absolutely. They revived me in the judge's chambers. As soon as the fog cleared I demanded to see you and the judge said you were helping her..."

  "Not to my knowledge. She used me for bait."

  "I didn't know you were in danger. She told me you were purposely lying low till the last minute. I'll never forgive her for that."

  "I don't think she's looking for forgiveness from anybody."

  "After I gave my evidence, Silas contacted her and said he was going to your rescue. So I broke out."

  "And boy was I glad to see you, though it was funny watching you push Silas away."

  "He was being a little too considerate, I thought."

  "Well, it's all over now. Judge Kee finished the case today and sentenced Gitto to a permanent memory wipe."

  "Trust me, that's a terrible thing to do, even to a mean bastard like Gitto. I know what it's like to have no memory."

  "While she may have no morals, she does have a strong sense of justice, does Judge Kee, as well as who and what she is—a politician. She's going to be the IAC's next boss."

  "Phong protect us from politicians. She hasn't a moral cell in her body. I've seen her in action, remember."

  "Well, she's out of our lives now. As is Silas. I found out he was working for the Secret Service all the time. Seems they didn't trust Kasamee to do the right thing and they set him out to watch her."

  Maxim laughed. “The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing."

  "And doesn't trust it even when it does. It's a wonder the human race survives. You know, I think we're too dumb to live sometimes."

  "He did save you from Janga. He beat me there, you know, clobbered her good and proper."

  "He didn't save me. I had it under control, thank you very much."

  "He told me Janga was choking the life out of you."

  "Hardly. Besides, I was five seconds away from breaking her arm."

  He silenced her with a kiss. “I still think he has a soft spot for you. He said if I ever tire of you I should let him know. But I think he'll have his hands full with Kasamee. They became pretty friendly during the last few days."

  "Did they? Tell me more."

  "Well, let me tell you a secret. I witnessed the judge receiving her own corporal punishment. She likes her ass slapped."

  "Really?"

  "I swear to tell the truth, the whole..."

  "Show me."

  "I don't know if I should, she being in line to be the next premier of the IAC...” With a suddenness that made her squeal, Maxim grabbed her by the ankles and flipped her over onto her stomach. Before she had time to draw breath his hand came down on the cheeks of her ass with a stinging slap that, like a lightning bolt, streaked across her flesh. She gave a squeal of surprise and then, when Maxim's glorious cock stretched her moist pussy lips, she sighed with pleasure.

  Then another slap exploded across her ass like a detonating bomb and she gasped as Maxim's cock drove home. Alternating thrust and slap, Maxim quickly raised her arousal to a state where conscious thought was hard to hold onto. With her face pressed sideways into the sheets she could, with one eye, watch Maxim as he concentrated on pleasuring her.

  He was so handsome with his new face. It was so beautiful. When she had first seen him, from the deck of Mischa's ship, his face had been swimming in and out of focus. She had been struck by how pleasing this stranger's face was. When he had taken her into his arms and held her to his warm chest she had known instantly, without a doubt, that this was Maxim.

  My Maxim. Another slap sent cascading waves of warmth flooding her belly, and Maxim's deep thrusts quickly lifted her thoughts away from the logical into the metaphysical and she was flying among the cloudscapes of heaven.

  Only after heaven had blossomed into an incandescent ball of light and her body convulsed itself into exhaustion did logical thought return. He lay behind her, holding her in his arms, his wonderful cock nestled inside her.

  "I think I like a bit of corporal punishment,” she said, when her breathing had returned to normal and she trusted her voice.

  "We'll save it up for when you're naughty,” he said. “Can't have too much of a good thing."

  "Wanna bet?” she said, and slapped his thigh.

  "Ouch!"

  "Felis tells me he is very happy with Roberta's new look,” he said and turned her onto her back. He kissed her chin, then her throat and her breasts along the way down to her open thighs.

  In between gasps and sighs Holly tried to carry on the conversation. “She claimed one of the cadaveries for herself. I'm not sure how I feel about that."

  "She said she'll give the body back if the original owner, or nearest kin, asks for it."

  "That's a safe bet then."

  "How did she disarm Saltz? That hasn't come out yet,” he said, licking the folds of her pussy lips.

  "Oh, she pretended to be an android assistant attaching the collars to the cadaveries. She just sneaked up behind him and put one on him instead. She set it on high. Poetic justice, I reckon."

  "Do you think we'll ever see the end of Mischa and Murukan?"

  He was doing it on purpose, she knew, keeping her talking when all she wanted to do was moan in contentment. He knew that orgasms snuck up on her that way and would take her breath away.

  In Holly's mind the biggest downside to the case was that the devoted couple and Janga had engineered their escape while being transported to a penal settlement in the inner systems. “They'll turn up again I'm sure, though Mischa is a full-fledged outlaw now. That will put a chink in her social activities.” Maxim's tongue silenced her for a few minutes with one of those sudden climaxes that did take her breath away.

  "One thing is for certain,” she said later, between her seventh and eighth orgasms. “I'll never forget you."

  He picked fragments of the Forget-Me-Not off the bedside table. “Even without this?"

  "Especially without that, because I swear, you're not leaving my sight ever again."

  As he kissed the soft flesh of her belly,
she took the pendant from him and flung it away before losing herself once again to the real Maxim Dollavera.

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  Mikala Ash

  Mikala Ash wakes up every morning to the sound of the crashing surf and has her first coffee of the day on her verandah overlooking the wide Pacific Ocean. It's a double-edged blessing, she says:

  I have to drag myself away to do anything at all—like work. I'm a Management Consultant and I don't think Ricky (my beautiful Border Collie) fully understands the economic necessity of me working to keep him in the lifestyle he's become accustomed to (typical male). He just wants me to run with him along the beach all day chasing those pesky sea gulls. He's good company though and, if there are shape shifters in the world, I think I'd like him to be one—loyal, trustworthy, obedient and protective. A voracious reader, I've been writing in one form or another since I was little. I'm so lucky that I've found a way of sharing my passion for spicy romance and the more fantastical realms that hover just beyond our grasp.

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