by Anna Carven
“Where’s the other bitch?”
“Forget about her. She doesn’t have a bounty on her head, and she’s connected. Arresting her would be more trouble than its worth. Where the fuck has he gone?”
Riana’s captor stopped and pushed her to her knees. The hard point of a bolt-gun dug into the back of her skull. Tears of anguish leaked from the corners of her eyes as the throbbing pain in her head was amplified tenfold.
“Surrender, Kordolian! Or I’ll empty ten-thousand volts into her fucking skull.”
That’s not going to work, you moron, Riana wanted to say, but she bit her tongue. She could think of no compelling reason why Kail would give himself up for her. He was a Kordolian, for Jupiter’s sake, and even by Kordolian standards, he was considered a hard-ass.
Her captor’s demands were blanketed by the noise of the hover-drones, which in turn was swallowed by the wind and silence of the desert.
“He’s not going to-”
“Shut up!” A swift boot to Riana’s back sent her toppling face-first into the sand. “What the fuck is he doing here if he isn’t with you? We all know you were on that freighter, prisoner. You had plenty of time to get acquainted with the invaders.”
The familiar hum of a bolt-weapon boosting its charge made her blood run cold. “Show yourself, alien, or she’s dead!”
I told you so, asshole. Riana looked up, glaring defiantly at her captor. She saw him clearly for the first time; he was a stocky man in his mid-forties clad in the typical grey fatigues of an Enforcer. A double-stripe symbol above his left breast identified him as a captain.
“Don’t move,” he hissed, his eyes narrowing in anger. Riana held his gaze. If she was going to die here - and that possibility was becoming more and more likely with each passing second - she would at least stare her killer in the face as he pulled the trigger.
Had it all come down to this? A frantic moment in time; a meaningless death at the hands of compromised officials?
Her eyes widened, her head throbbed, the background noise grew dim, and time slowed down. Riana forgot to breathe. Her heart stopped beating. Her mind imploded, a million thoughts and memories and snippets of other lives crashing together like tumultuous ocean waves.
And then her moment of truth was shattered by the captain’s harsh, cynical laugh. “Looks like you’re wrong on that count, prisoner.”
She turned away from the glare of the drone-lights, staring into the darkness.
Arin and the hover-bike were gone. Beyond the desert hills, there was only the black night.
Riana blinked. Her eyes must have been playing tricks on her, because a piece of the horizon’s endless black tapestry detached itself and ghosted towards them. Her heart still wasn’t beating. She still wasn’t breathing. Everything was still.
It was as if he’d been wrought from the shadows, and he seemed to gather them around him as he strode forward, his large form solidifying into the fierce, intimidating figure she remembered so well from the Hendrix II.
Somewhere along the way, he’d lost the crimson desert robes, and now he was clad in his signature obsidian exo-armor. It covered him from neck to toe, but didn’t hide the fact that he was impossibly ripped.
He didn’t hurry, didn’t falter, didn’t seem to care that there were dozens of guns trained upon him. The bright lights from the hover-drones illuminated his silver face, his sharp features luminous against the dark backdrop. The swirling markings across his cheeks seemed to shimmer and writhe as if there was a living thing—-a spirit—trapped beneath his skin.
He moved forward with silent, implacable grace, and the Universe seemed to shift and re-align itself around him, as if paying tribute to the innate stillness he radiated.
Kail walked into the ring of Enforcers with his hands by his sides, his stance deceptively neutral. He displayed not a shred of emotion, and Riana wondered whether he was capable of feeling anything.
His gaze shifted. Their eyes met for a split-second, and Riana was drawn into his quiet vortex, her pain and turmoil forgotten as she stared into the coldest eyes she’d ever seen.
Kail was no noble savior. He wasn’t here to rescue her out of the goodness of his heart. She was just a pawn who happened to possess some very specialized skills.
But at least he was here.
Time started again, and she remembered how to breathe, the air leaving her battered chest in a silent rush as her heart resumed its frantic rhythm.
And as her world spiraled further out of control, like a satellite careening out of orbit, she allowed herself to believe that maybe—just maybe—she could get out of this alive.
Chapter Eleven
It was illogical on his part, but he was here, he had vowed to fulfill a mission, and something about the way the Human enforcers had treated her stirred a cold anger within him.
That was the justice seeker inside him. A part of him knew it was wrong to see her brought to her knees like this. That side of him wanted to restore the balance.
Even though she glared at her captor with dark eyes that could burn through Callidum, her pain was obvious. It was visible in the slight slump of her shoulders, in the way she squinted against the light, and in her sharp, shallow breathing.
And those injuries had happened to her while she was under his protection.
He didn’t like that.
So Kail walked straight into the Humans’ nest feeling a little indignant and more than a little irritated. As he advanced, Humans emerged from everywhere, shouting threats at him and pointing their weapons at his head. The fools seemed to believe they could contain him.
They had no idea. If he wanted, they would all be dead right now.
But then she would also die, and he would have failed his mission.
Restraint. Patience. He had no shortage of these things, so he held his hands out, palms facing upwards, to show them he didn’t intend to sever any heads or limbs.
At least not yet, anyway.
The grey-uniformed Human soldiers, or enforcers, or whatever they were, surrounded him. He counted at least a dozen. As they circled him, they displayed an odd mixture of wariness, hostility, and bluster. They outnumbered him significantly. They were the ones pointing the weapons. This was their territory, their planet.
But they were afraid of him. He sensed their fear. He could smell it on them.
And fear could make intelligent life-forms do strange things.
“Don’t make any sudden moves, Kordolian, or we’ll pump you full of volts.”
Kail glared at the speaker, contemplating half a dozen different ways of killing the man. But he remained still, using his considerable willpower to suppress his killing intent.
“Drop your weapons to the ground, one by one.”
Kail shrugged and pulled out his plasma gun first. His enemies flinched. Setting it to neutral, he threw it at their feet. Slowly, methodically, he unsheathed his weapons, tossing them at his feet. The daggers went first, followed by his sikkor, and finally, his long sword.
Armed or disarmed, it didn’t matter. His hand-to-hand skills were as good as his bladecraft, and plasma weapons and Callidum were useless in the hands of the inexperienced. His weapons would be ineffective in the hands of the Humans.
“Down on your knees, hands behind your back.”
Oh, so they were going to place physical restraints on him now, the same way they’d done to Riana? Behind him, she was lying on her side, her arms twisted behind her back. Her wrists were held together by black metallic cuffs. Beneath the wind and machine-noise, he could hear her shallow, frantic breathing.
“On your fucking knees, alien!”
Kail ignored the Human who was trying to order him around.
She was in pain. It was strange. He could almost feel her pain. She was so unlike him; soft, afraid, and completely vulnerable. She had no way of physically fighting back, and yet she did battle with her eyes.
As he’d walked towards the Humans, he’d met her glittering eyes e
ver so briefly, and for the first time, he’d become aware of the hidden depths in her. Pain and desperation had stripped away her awkward facade, leaving her raw and vulnerable.
The truth seeker in him had sensed the fighter in her. Arin was right; she was much, much more than she seemed.
“Get down!” More guns appeared.
Kail responded with a minute shake of his head. “I have surrendered my weapons. You may take me into custody if it makes you feel better.” His lips curved upwards ever so slightly. It was the closest Kail had come to smiling in a very long time. “But do not expect me to kneel.”
The Humans stared at him in apparent disbelief. Behind him, Riana let out a soft, slightly choked laugh.
Kail didn’t understand what could possibly be so funny. Did she find his actions amusing?
The Humans exchanged a flurry of words, consulting, deliberating, and debating. They spoke in their native language, and Kail couldn’t understand a word of it.
And again Riana laughed softly, secretly, as if she knew only he could hear her.
She laughed in the face of overwhelming odds. She laughed while her body was pressed into the ground and her captor pointed a deadly weapon at her.
In his extensive travels throughout the Nine Galaxies, Kail had learned that those who laughed in the face of death were either mad, stupid, utterly fearless, or some combination of those things.
He should know. More often than not, he was the face of death. He’d witnessed all kinds of reactions. Laughter was the rarest.
“Kordolian.” Three Human soldiers stepped forward, pointing their guns at his face. “You are in violation of the Treaty. You do not have permission to be outside the designated target zone. What are you doing here, alien?”
Permission? Kail inclined his head, not saying a word, although he found the concept faintly ridiculous. You think I need to ask your permission for anything?
“Under Section 25D of the Foreign Species Act, we must detain you for questioning and further processing. You have the right to an interpreter and a legal representative. Do you understand?”
Strange. They were giving him more rights than the woman - and she was of their own kind - who lay on the ground.
For now, he would go along with their ridiculous charade, because he needed to stay close to her, and because he needed time to think. How was he going to extricate her without causing her any further harm?
This was strange new territory for Kail.
He’d never protected anyone before.
But something was stirring inside him like a mythical temanjin emerging from the ice. He didn’t completely understand this feeling. It seemed to come from an ancient, powerful place, the kind of between-worlds dimension that only existed in the mythtales of the Lost Tribes.
What was this feeling, this instinct?
And why had Riana had triggered it?
In a moment of complete vulnerability, she’d revealed more of herself than she’d intended to. In her absolute weakness, she’d become strong.
And now that Kail had been given a taste of her hidden essence, like any true hunter, like any predator, he was compelled to follow her.
“Are you listening, alien? I asked you if you fucking understand what I’m saying?” The tension in the Human’s voice betrayed his nerves.
“I understand you very well,” Kail said softly, looking each of them in the eye. “I have no intention of resisting. Now, do you intend to make this easy or difficult? I go with you willingly. You will not place restraints on me or make me kneel. It is unnecessary. You already have a dozen weapons trained upon me. I only have my bare hands. I am just one, and you are many. What are you so afraid of?” He couldn’t help the quiet, taunting menace that had crept into his voice. He was only surrendering because they were holding Riana at gunpoint. If not for her, he would have already killed them all.
Kail glowered at the Humans as they surrounded him. They gestured with their guns, indicating that he should walk towards one of the vehicles.
“Get in and don’t try anything stupid, alien.”
Kail shrugged, watching carefully as they hauled Riana to her feet and dragged her to another vehicle. She endured the rough treatment with little more than a wince, even though he knew she was in great pain.
His sword hand twitched. He fought the urge to break free.
Careful, foolish Humans.
It would displease him greatly if they killed her now.
If that happened, all bets would be off, and Kail would show these impertinent Humans no mercy.
Chapter Twelve
As Riana opened her eyes, she was greeted by an old-fashioned concrete ceiling. She groaned and experimentally flexed her limbs. Thank Jupiter they’d removed those awful wrist restraints. At least she could move her arms freely, although her wrists were raw and tender. Her link band - the only connection she had with the outside world - was gone.
Her migraine’s intensity had dropped from ‘excruciating’ to merely ‘pain-in-the-ass,’ although it still felt as if her head was stuffed full of cotton wool.
Where am I?
She was lying on a thin mattress that provided scant insulation against the cold, hard floor. It didn’t surprise her that she was in a windowless holding cell, but she had no recollection whatsoever of getting here. The bastards must have tranqued her, because the last thing she recalled was watching Kail from behind as he stared down the entire contingent of Enforcers and somehow intimidated them into taking him into custody.
He hadn’t raised his voice, or threatened them, or made any kind of move against them. He’d just stood there, radiating that dark, deadly, silent aura of his, and when he’d spoken, he’d been the one to dictate terms.
His stoic, unshakeable demeanor had been both terrifying and magnificent, and completely inhuman.
What the hell?
As Riana sat up, eye-watering pain shot through her body. She lifted her thin synth-cotton t-shirt to reveal a livid purple bruise spreading across the left side of her chest. Wincing, she bent over and slipped off her left boot, followed by her anti-inflamm sock.
The sight of her swollen ankle made her groan. It had blown up like a football. So much for all the tender loving care she’d given it over the past few days.
Riana looked up at the ceiling, wincing against the bright light. A red light winked back at her. She was being watched. “I need a medical evaluation, and I want to speak with a case worker.” She knew her rights. If she requested an advocate, the Federation had to grant her access, even if it took weeks.
Well, that was how it was supposed to be. In reality, she didn’t hold much hope of being treated fairly.
She turned in surprise as the doors slid open, revealing a service-bot. Its bulky frame completely blocked the doorway, leaving no room for escape. “10357X, accept your meal.” The familiar smell of highly processed recombinant protein filled the narrow cell.
It smelled like the mess hall on Fortuna Tau.
The bot unceremoniously slid the tray across the floor before rolling back an inch as the metal doors slid closed.
Riana eyed her food with distaste. There was a steaming grey block of protein, a glass of water and a small dish containing some sort of lab-grown vegetable matter. The food was unappetizing and demoralizing and she could have easily ignored it, but her stomach growled in protest.
She had to eat something. She had to keep her energy up.
Her body protested as she reached across and pulled the tray towards her. Grimacing, Riana ate a few mouthfuls of the grey block, which tasted like a mixture of watered-down chicken and soap.
Jesus. And she’d thought the food on the mining station was bad.
She ate as much as she could, leaving the suspicious vegetable thing untouched. Then she gulped down the water, relieved to find that it at least tasted like normal water.
All the while, the ceiling’s red surveillance light continued its slow, silent blink. An unseen watcher was moni
toring her as she sat inside the cold, grey cell. The overall effect was creepy and disorienting. She wanted to curl up into a ball and hide away from the world, but there was nowhere to go.
It was all so fucking claustrophobic. A sudden wave of nausea coursed through her, and Riana swore the temperature dropped by several degrees.
She began to tremble.
She had no option but to lie down on the mattress, curling up to try and preserve as much warmth as possible.
Was Kail really nearby? Had he really surrendered himself for her sake, or had that all just been some crazy, fanciful dream?
Riana closed her eyes. There was nothing she could do but wait. Her fate was no longer in her hands.
Chapter Thirteen
Kail was in a holding room of sorts. On one side, the wall had been replaced with gleaming panels of dark glass. He couldn’t see through them. He assumed he was on the other side of a single-sided observation window.
Simple seating was built into the wall behind him. The room was stark and functional. There a notable absence of movable furniture or loose objects he could use as weapons.
Not that Kail needed any sort of weapon when he had his fists and claws.
He sat down and waited until the doors slid open and a group of armed Human guards filed in, pointing their guns at him.
Always with the fucking raised weapons. These creatures were definitely spooked by him, although they thought they could hide it by trying to intimidate him.
“Do you have a name, Kordolian?” The female at the head of the group stared down at him, her chin thrust at a stubborn angle. “How do we address you?”
Kail shrugged. “I am called Kail.”
“Just… Kail? No… other names?”
He nodded. He wasn’t going to reveal too much of himself to these Humans. He just had to find out where they were holding Riana and get her out of here. Now it went beyond simply following orders. He remembered Arin looking over her shoulder at him as she escaped across the desert plains on her hover-bike. “I’ll be back. You fucking protect her at all costs, Kail.”
