by Zena Zion
“Don’t stop!” Madaug whimpered as Barbara removed her mouth, sensing Madaug’s imminent release.
“Yes, Commander.” Barbara said, taking Madaug fully into her mouth. She felt him tense for a moment and let out a deep moan as he reached his climax. Madaug shuddered as Barbara continued to move slowly on him until he touched the top of her head to stop.
#
“They are releasing names.” Madaug said with excited fear as new reports flooded his screen. “There is a list of individuals the Imperium has deemed treasonous. The order is to kill on sight.”
“Are you on the list?” Barbara inquired as she rushed to his side.
“No, not yet. The report ends more names to follow.”
Madaug jumped from his chair and disappeared out of the room. Barbara was unsure if she should follow. She had successfully distracted him before and wondered if it was too soon to play that card again. Curiosity drove her to follow.
Barbara found Madaug sitting on the floor of a weapons storage room. In his hands he held an sword. Barbara was taken aback by the image of such a technologically advanced scene marked by a medieval weapon.
“How can I help you?” Barbara asked sitting on the floor.
“This sword has been in my family for hundreds of years. It was brought to Casaugh by my grandfather. He believed in the honor of our clan, and in the Imperium. He is the reason I entered the service.” Madaug explained.
“I don’t believe in those ideals anymore. It was an easy path when I was a youth. I got to be part of a team that defended our civilization. I was praised as a warrior and served until I was a squadron leader. I left that behind when I joined the Star Collective.”
“Madaug, there is an incoming transmission that requires your immediate attention.” Casaugh alerted. “It is a public message.”
“Patch it through to this terminal.” Madaug instructed as he got to his feet.
“Your civilization has been under attack from an internal threat known as the Star Collective. The group has penetrated all levels of the government and civilian society. The Imperium has found the home nest of this vermin, and extinguished it. We hold the leaders of the organization, and for your safety are currently being interrogated. As your Emperor, I am asking that any citizens assist the Imperium of this blemish. Please contact the authorities in your area with information to preserve this, the greatest civilization of all time. Trust in the Imperium.” The Emperor’s voice rang through the recording.
“It has been announced to the people.” Casaugh added.
“They are digging for information.” Madaug said, helping Barbara to her feet. “This incident is going to polarize the population. The Imperium will slaughter all that are accused of collaboration.”
“Thank you, Casaugh.” Barbara said turning off the terminal. “Let’s have something to eat. Maybe we could both use some wine.”
“Yes.” Madaug agreed. “I could use some food.”
Chapter 9: Love Letters
“How would you like to see Earth. I owe you a trip to the pond. It might be nice to get away from this reality in the interphase for awhile.” Barbara said, finishing her fruit.
“It sounds better than waiting for news. Casaugh will let us know if anything pertinent happens.” Madaug stated pushing his plate away.
“Prepare the interphase. Casaugh will let me know when it is complete. I will join you then.”
“Will do.” Barbara said, excusing herself from the table. She returned to the bio chair in her room and prepared for the interphase.
“Initializing interphase.” Casaugh said and Barbara transitioned quicker than before. Casaugh’s anthropomorphized form appeared before her.
“What can I help you with Barbara?”
“I want to take Madaug to Earth. He told me that you can help me create the perfect place.” Barbara replied excitedly. “I am eager to see it myself.”
“I can do this. I need you to concentrate on the place that you want to take him to. Imagine what it felt like to be there.” Casaugh instructed. Barbara closed her eyes and focused on a memory of the pond. “Good. Remember what it smelled like. What the warmth of the sun felt like on your back. Think of the texture of the stones next to the pond.”
Barbara opened her eyes when she felt the soft breeze of summer on her face. She stood on the bank of the pond. It was startling for her. She picked up a stone and tossed it across the water. It skipped six times.
“Wow.” Madaug said as he entered Barbara’s interphase memory.
“Welcome to my pond.” Barbara said with a smile.
The sound of Madaug’s boots on the stones was a sound that plucked a chord inside Barbara. It reminded her of her father coming to collect her for dinner. “I can’t believe how realistic this is. Everything is perfect. Listen, you can even hear birds singing in the distance.”
“It’s perfect because we are inside your memory. This is how you see this place through the lens of time.” Madaug said touching Barbara on the shoulder.
“This is the place that I would come when I wanted to escape my family and its obligations. I would come here and skip stones over the surface of the water. Sometimes I would just sit and look into the water. It was my solace.” Barbara said solemnly. “I’m so happy to be able to experience it again.”
“You have to show me how to skip the stones properly.” Madaug teased. “One throw and you think you know the limits of my prowess.”
“You’re on.” Barbara said changing her focus from nostalgia.
They each chose a stone from the shore and gave it a toss. Madaug went first, his stone skipping five times. He stepped back and raised an eyebrow in challenge. Barbara positioned her stone in her hand and skipped it six times.
“And that’s how it’s done.” Barbara said blowing across her knuckles.
“O.K. You have to share your secret with me.” Madaug said, picking up another stone.
“It’s simple. You need more spin. Trying holding the stone like this.” Barbara demonstrated with another stone. “Then launch like so.”
“Let me try.” Madaug said excitedly as he watched Barbara’s stone skip another six times. He positioned the stone as Barbara instructed and launched it her way. It skipped seven times. Madaug punched the air in victory.
“My technique plus your force, equals seven skips.” Barbara laughed. “Now you’ll be able to really honor the ancestors.”
“Thank you.” Madaug said, bowing his head to Barbara in respect of her passing of skill.
“How far can we go from this place?” Barbara asked Casaugh who stood silently by watching the stone skipping lesson.
“You can travel as far as you like. The distance is only bound by the continuity of your memory.”
“Who would like to go on an adventure?” Barbara asked excitedly.
“I am aware of your memories in their entirety. Please enjoy yourselves.” Casaugh said disappearing.
“Lead on.” Madaug said eager to continue in Barbara’s memory of Earth. “What form of surveillance would your government use in an area such as this?”
“None.” Barbara replied, leading Madaug toward a trail away from the pond. “I’m sure there is some sort of space photos of this area, but no one is actively watching it.”
“How do they know how their land is being used? Are there troops that patrol the region because of technical interference?” Madaug asked as his military background colored his questions.
“No one is interested in this area. I don’t know who it belongs to. I’m sure it’s owned by someone or maybe the state. Either way, no one cared if I went to the pond.” Barbara restated.
Madaug pondered what it might be like to walk on land that was not under constant surveillance. On Heechaba, orbital satellites continuously scanned the surface, recording the movements of people. It was difficult for him to understand how the government could keep the peace without this information.
“Your people are freer than yo
u think.” Madaug said, following Barbara down the trail. He looked up at the towering poplar trees swaying in the breeze. They reminded him of a variety of weed that grew in the Maxge Hall gardens. The poplars seemed like giant versions of the weed, making Madaug feel as if he had entered a mythological world.
“I’ll admit that our society certainly feels freer to me now that I have left it. I would say, however, that we do not have the breadth of culture that the Imperium has access to.
We have nothing in the way of technology when we are compared to your people. In the last one hundred years my people have only begun to leave the ground. In the last fifty we landed on the moon. Your people have been sailing through the stars for millennia.” Barbara said with excitement as they began to walk up the rise that overlooked her house. She could not believe that she would see the old house again.
“Don’t fool yourself. The more people and planets come together, the worse it gets. Imagine if your entire world was working to feed the elites of another planet. In the Kalkal sector, there are four planets that are within the growing limit of their star.
The Imperium placed a device within the orbits of these planets that creates a dampening field for electronic devices. They are unable to use our modern technology. They can not even create their own. Criminals from other worlds are sent to these planets to live out their lives as primitive farmers.”
“That’s terrible.” Barbara said thinking about the prison system that existed in her own home country. She did not agree with the barbaric conditions that she felt some prisoners were forced to live in; however, she could not imagine forcing the prisoners to give up the century that they lived in. “So they are never able to contact their families again?”
“They are unable to contact anyone off world. There is a military presence in the area that can turn the dampening field off and visit the planet if chaos erupts. The Imperium will not allow its food sources to be tampered with.
I visited one of those worlds as a soldier when I was younger. A group of citizens had banded together to create a collective. They created primitive weapons that they used to attack a squadron that had previously visited. Another orbital ship was able to reset the dampening field before the farmers were able to take control of the landed ship.” Madaug confessed.
“What happened?” Barbara asked as they reached the top of the ridge. She saw her house in the distance, smoke curling from the roof toward the sky.
“The Imperium sent ten thousand well armed soldiers to the island that caused the insurgence. We slaughtered every person on the island.” Madaug recalled with regret.
“Even the children? There must have been children if you are sending all the criminals to these planets. People breed. It’s what they do.” Barbara said horrified.
“No, there were no children. The prisoners are desexed before they are placed on the planet.”
“I don’t want to hear any more.” Barbara said with a shudder. “The Imperium certainly does not allow for missteps.”
“No it does not. Where are we going?” Madaug asked with interest.
“My house is just through these trees.” Barbara said turning a corner in the path. She could see her back door as the grew closer.
“Is this not the house that oppressed you?” Maduag asked with confusion. “Why would you want to come back here?”
“I don’t know. It’s home.” Barbara said stopping in her tracks. “But…”
“Casaugh, end interphase.” Madaug said and the scene disappeared from their view.
Barbara got up from the bio chair and sat down on her bed. It puzzled her what drew her toward home. When Madaug questioned her, it made sense. She couldn’t think of a reason why she would want to go back to them.
“I thought you might need some time to process.” Madaug said entering Barbara’s room. “I have had my own issues with my past.”
“Thank you for stopping me.” Barbara said, laying backward on the bed. “Going into that house would have been a mistake.”
“No, thank you for taking me to the pond. It was the first time I think I have felt joy in a long time. I felt unencumbered for a moment. I hope I get the chance to wow my fellow clansmen with my skipping abilities.” Madaug said, sitting on the edge of the bed.
“I know I will never truly step foot on my planet again.” Barbara said tearily. “You may be able to see your home again. I hope you do. I hope I get to be there beside you. There is still hope in that.”
“You would go back to Earth if you had the chance?” Madaug asked disappointed. He had begun to rely on Barbara. She had become his confidant, and he had almost forgotten that he purchased her at a slave auction. He thought of her as part of his team.
“Of course. I appreciate all you have done for me. I have enjoyed our time together, and have had an amazing adventure. But I think it is natural for a captive to want to escape. Don’t you?” Barbara asked, wiping tears from her eyes.
“I don’t think of you as a captive.” Madaug said, falling back onto the bed. “Before you came aboard, Casaugh was my only real companion. I was hoping you would want to stay with me.”
“I didn’t know you felt that way.” Barbara said, hearing Madaug’s dejected tone. She wished that she could take her opinion back. She looked over at the muscular warrior laying next to her on the bed and wondered what it was that kept her blind to her surroundings.
She had allowed herself to enjoy sexual expression with Madaug, but all the while did not see what hid behind his gruff demeanour. He wanted to be loved.
“I’m not sure if I know when the tide turned. As you can imagine, my current situation has really put my life in perspective.” Madaug laughed.
“I don’t doubt that.” Barbara said, rolling onto her stomach. She looked into Madaug’s grey eyes set in his chiseled face. Something had shifted in his appearance. All of the strength stored in his arms and chest could not fight the foe in his heart.
“The Star Collective is at best disbanded. I fear returning to my squadron will leave me exposed for treason. You have challenged me. You have made me question the doctrines of my world. Your innocence has made me want to be a better person.” Madaug confessed, the words spilling forth out of his control.
“I understand. I was recently blinded by my own situation. I had not given you credit for rescuing me from the Imperial Sanctum. You gave me the opportunity to not be an object for the Emperor. You allowed me to remain a person.” Barbara said, running her fingers through Madaug’s hair.
“I see now that the only way for me to be free, was to be your slave. You made me a slave without chains.”
Madaug smiled and pulled Barbara in for a kiss. For a moment, they hovered in their kiss, forgetting the tragedy that unfolded around them.
Chapter 10: Home
“Please report to the control room.” Casaugh announced over the communication channel.
“On our way.” Madaug said breaking his kiss with Barbara. Anticipation creeped into both their chests as they made their way to the control room.
“I have bad news.” Casaugh said projecting a release from the Emperor. It was an image of Madaug. Below his face it read: Treason, capture or kill.
“Someone must have given you up.” Barbara whimpered as she stared at Madaug’s picture.
“The information would have been taken from them by force. No one in the Star Collective would have given me up voluntarily.” Madaug blurted out.
“I’m sorry.” Barbara offered quietly.
“I have received orders from the Imperium to bring you directly to the Imperial Sphere. The information is embedded in the image.” Casaugh said warily. “I will not comply if you wish it.”
“Thank you, Casaugh.” Barbara said, putting her arms around Madaug. “What do we do next?”
“We must get as far away from the Imperial System as possible.” Madaug said, scratching his head.
“I know where to hide you.” Barbara said with a wry smile. “Do you thi
nk they would look for you near the pond?”
“Earth? That is the first place they will look for me.” Madaug said dismissively.
“But they know you know that. They won’t expect you to do the expected.” Barbara offered with a wink. “You have already told me I am not a captive. Let me give the same freedom to you.”
“I would be breaking another law punishable by death by bringing you back to your home world. If a slave is brought back to a source world, they may alert the inhabitants to the dangers of the Imperium.” Madaug said, pulling Barbara close to him. “I will take you back to your old life.”
“I don’t want to return to my old life.” Barbara said before kissing Madaug on the mouth. “I want us to start our life together.”
“You would have me even in your freedom?” Madaug asked with tears in his eyes.
“Yes. I want to be yours, and you be mine.” Barbara said, wiping the tears from Madaug’s face.
“Casaugh, set a course for Earth. Maximum speed.” Madaug said, leading Barbara to his room.
“Acknowledged. Engaging slipstream drive.”
“We will move too quickly for them to follow our trail.” Madaug said, sitting on the bed. He kissed Barbara’s stomach.
“Then there is nothing to worry about.” Barbara said, pushing Madaug onto his back. She crawled on top of him and began kissing him softly. “There should be no interruptions.”
“No.” Madaug said, rolling Barbara onto the bed. “We have as much time as we need.”
Barbara pulled Madaug toward her and kissed him roughly on the lips. She felt his mouth open against hers and his tongue move into her mouth. She savoured the taste of him.
She ran her hand down his back and and slipped it into his shirt. She traced a line up his flesh and she felt Madaug shudder underneath her touch.
Madaug moved his lips to Barbara’s neck, kissing the sensitive flesh. He brushed them softly against her skin and Barbara breathed in sharply with the sensation. She wrapped her arm around Madaug and tousled his hair. She pushed his face into her neck as she purred along. He moved on top of her and she relished the feeling of his weight upon her.
