by S. E. Smith
River’s eyes popped open when she tried to roll over only to find she was trapped in some kind of cylinder shaped object. Struggling she tried to pull her arms up enough to get her palms flat against the top to push it off of her. Her breathing picked up as she began to panic.
“River, all is well. The healer is just making sure you are not injured.” Torak said calmly stroking River’s hair trying to sooth her.
River glanced wildly from Torak to Shavic and back again. Breathing heavily she whispered hoarsely, “Get me out of this thing.”
Torak nodded to Shavic who raised the cylinder off of River. The moment there was enough room to roll River did dropping to the floor and pulling one of the knives from her boot. Still in a crouching position, she moved back along the bed holding the knife out low and slightly to the left of her never taking her eyes off of either man.
“River, you are safe.” Torak said calmly, watching every move River made.
“So you say. Where are Jo and Star?” River demanded. She was still disoriented and was upset she didn’t know where she was. How long had she been out? Looking around the room she knew it wasn’t like any of the rooms on the warship she had just spent three weeks learning every nook and cranny about.
“I will take you to them. Just put the knife away.” Torak said moving slowly towards River.
River hissed at him, “Stay back. I’ll kill you if you come any closer. I swear I will.”
Sweat beaded on her forehead at the thought of killing him. She was too close to the edge of reason. She needed to find a place she could rest without fear of being captured. She had to know if Jo and Star were safe like he said or if she needed to save them. Shaking, she could feel herself beginning to lose control over her emotions.
The sudden opening of the door distracted River. Torak took advantage of her distraction to kick out his foot connecting with the knife in River’s hand. Lunging forward, he grabbed River yanking her down and under him where he could cover her body with his own and prevent her from reaching for another knife. A scream behind him was his only warning before small hands began pummeling his back.
“Let her go!” Star screamed as she attacked Torak hitting him as hard as she could. “Let her go!” She cried.
Jazin pulled Star back into his arms holding her tightly as she continued to scream and kick. Jo, who had been following closely behind them, ran to grab the knife Torak had kicked out of River’s hand. As she swung around a large pair of arms gripped her, pulling her against a hard body. Throwing her head back, she yelled furiously as she tried to break free.
“Jo, Star?” River called from beneath Torak’s hard body. She tried looking around frantically but all she could see was Torak.
“River!” Star cried out. She was crying so hard she was having trouble breathing.
River suddenly went still under Torak. She looked up into his dark eyes for a moment before asking him softly to let her up. Torak hesitated a moment before releasing her. Pulling himself up, he kept his grip on River pulling her to a standing position in front of him.
“You can let me go.” River said quietly not even looking at Torak. She kept her eyes focused on Star who was now sobbing into Jazin’s chest. Looking over at Jo she watched as the man holding her reluctantly released her.
“Oh River, we thought we had lost you.” Jo struggled to say on a sob.
Jo started to pull away but was stopped by the hand still wrapped around her wrist. She let the knife she was holding drop to the floor. Only then did the hand release her but not before the man rubbed his thumb over her pulse. Startled, Jo looked up into the eyes of Manota. Blushing, she pulled away moving toward River.
River gave a sigh of utter pleasure as she sipped the hot tea. She had had a shower, changed into some clean clothes, and had eaten. She was still tired but she felt better than she had in over three weeks. After the little incident in the medical unit, River, Jo, and Star had been escorted to a small room where River had taken the opportunity to wash the smell of smoke from her body. Jo and Star had filled her in on what had happened after they had separated to carry out their plan of attack on the Tearnat’s warship. They told her how frantic they had been when River hadn’t shown up like planned and how Torak had literally freaked out when River hadn’t returned.
Torak had ordered an extensive search for River after Manota and Gril Tal Mod had arrived with re-enforcements. After almost two and a half hours, Jazin had insisted Jo and Star return with him to the other ship to get cleaned up, eat, and get some rest. They had only gone after Torak had promised to do whatever he could to find River. Star kept blushing every time Jazin’s name was mentioned.
“So, what’s with you and Jazin?” River asked not even bothering to hide the small, mischievous grin curving her lips.
“Nothing.” Star said with another blush. “The arrogant jerk thinks he can boss me around.”
Jo laughed, “He wanted her checked out from head to foot by the healer when we first came aboard the ship. When she refused, he started giving her hell for not listening to him in the ventilation system. You should have seen his face when she gave him the hand!”
“You didn’t?” River said in mock shock. “You give him the hand?”
Star sniffed delicately, “Yeah, a lot of good it did me. He didn’t know what it meant.”
“Yeah, you should have seen his face when Star explained it to him in explicit detail then turned her back on him like he didn’t exist any longer. I thought he was going to blow a gasket.” Jo said.
Laughter pealed through the room as the girls let the stress of their capture and subsequent escape finally wash through them. For the first time in over three weeks they felt safe and were hopeful of finding a way back home. River lay back on the bed and listened as Jo and Star reminisced about what had happened as if it were now some great adventure and how they were going to see about incorporating some of the things they had done into their act when they got home. Sleep soon overcame her as she felt the warmth of their love surround her. They would watch over her so she could sleep, she thought.
Manota, Jazin, and Torak sat around the long table in the planning room.
“The females believe we will return them to their planet.” Jazin growled out softly. His fingers clinched around the cup he held in his large hand.
“No!” Manota said defiantly.
Torak looked at Manota in surprise. “You too?” He asked.
Manota flushed, “The female named Jo. I do not understand the feelings I have but I know she is mine. I will not let her go.” Manota looked at his hands for a moment before he looked at Torak. “And you?”
Torak nodded in agreement, “The one named River is mine. I will not let her go. They will learn to adjust once we return to Kassis.”
Manota and Jazin nodded relieved. Manota asked quietly, “What do you know of the females?” He had been astounded when he had entered the medical unit to discover the three females ready to do battle. When he had grabbed the one named Jo he had felt an instant awareness on a primal level.
“Not much.” Torak said with a deep sigh. “After Trolis captured us and killed the chancellor we were taken to a holding cell where Progit was going to enjoy torturing each of us before he killed us. Imagine our surprise when he ended up with a blade between his eyes as did the other two Tearnats in the room. I thought you had received our distress signal and had come to our aid. I, we, were astounded when the female named River walked out of the shadows holding two battle swords in front of her like an avenging goddess. She insisted we help her in return for our release, even threatening to kill all of us if we tried to hurt her or her sisters.” Torak said with a touch of amusement.
Manota looked at both of his brothers in astonishment, “She actually said she would kill you?”
Jazin replied with a laugh, “Yes, and after seeing what she did to Progit and the other two in a matter of seconds, I have no doubt she could have done it quickly.”
“You
have no idea.” Torak murmured. “After I agreed to help her, she and her sisters disappeared into the ventilation system where they moved undetected sabotaging the ship’s lifts, emergency escape tubes, and engine room. River was trapped when the hatches closed unexpectedly on her and had to detour around to get back to the shuttle bay which is why she was so late meeting up with the other two females. I have never been as glad as when she called out to me. She was fearful of Gril Tal Mod and the other Tearnats on board but she still reached out to me. When Trolis attacked…”
“Trolis attacked you?” Jazin and Manota both exclaimed in concern. They knew how strong and deadly he could be.
“Yes, he had been threatening to kill his father and myself. He knew he would receive the death penalty for his killing of the chancellor and it would be a very painful death based upon the laws of his people.”
“What happened?” Manota demanded. It would have been a bloody fight if Trolis was involved. He hated the idea of Gril Tal Mod being struck down. He had liked the councilman.
“River killed him.” Torak said sitting back and watching his brothers’ faces as they absorbed the news of one of Tearnat’s most feared warriors meeting death at the hands of a small alien female.
“River? The female killed him?” Manota said stunned while Jazin just shook his head grinning.
“Yes. As he came at Gril Tal Mod and myself, she stepped between us throwing her battle sword and striking him between the eyes.” Torak grinned with pride as he thought about how his mate would be revered for her ability to kill two such power warriors as Trolis and Progit.
“Where do they come from?” Manota asked softly. “They must be a very powerful species to have females’ trained as such skilled warriors.”
Chapter 5
River, Jo, and Star all laughed when one of the crew men aboard the warship brought them dresses to wear. None of them ever wore dresses. Especially, River! It was hard enough to manage knives in jeans or her usually costume of a form fitting spandex outfit. It was almost impossible in a dress. She couldn’t remember the last time she had worn one for that matter. She didn’t even own a dress. Jo and Star were just as bad. Flying through the air in a dress would get you killed and pants were just more comfortable, especially when they would suddenly get the urge to bend in all weird ways to stretch their muscles. It was just a part of who they were.
They had sent the very puzzled crew man away with instructions on what they would wear. He had insisted on leaving the dresses even as he promised to return with the garments they requested. True to his word, he had returned an hour later with several pairs of black, form fitting pants and matching tops. He had not looked very happy when he had left but the three girls were ecstatic quickly changing into their new clothes.
“Oh God, these are so soft and look how they stretch!” Star said as she did a back bend and looked up at the two between her legs.
“Now, this is the life. I can’t wait to get home. How long do you think it will take to get there?” River asked as she did a few stretches then went to a one-handed handstand.
“Will you two stop showing off! There isn’t enough room in here for all three of us to become human pretzels!” Jo growled stretching her leg up above her head.
After getting plenty of sleep over the past two days the girls were ready for some physical activity. They had never been one to stand around idle.
“Let’s see if they have a larger area. I’m sure they have some place where they must train or exercise during their long trips.” Star said suddenly. She needed to fly. She loved being up in the air.
Soon the three girls had found someone to take them to the level of the ship reserved for training. He had been confused as he had escorted them down to the lower level before leaving them with the man in charge of training the warriors on board the Galaxy Quest.
Zoran looked over the three females standing in front of him in their gowns. They had reluctantly put the dresses on over their pants and shirt as the crew man who had dropped the clothing off said they would not be allowed out of the room unless they were dressed properly. The girls had just grinned at each other mischievously as they slid the gowns over their outfits knowing the dresses wouldn’t be on for long.
“You wish to exercise?” Zoran asked hesitantly. He was not sure what type of exercise the females did that would require his training room.
“Yes.” Star said looking up at the high ceiling. There were several beams located across it. Attached to the beams were different types of ropes and rings. With a little modification they could be used for trapeze performing.
“Do you have any other type of hanging bars that can be attached up there?” Jo asked following Star’s eyes as she assessed the bars and platforms.
“Up there?” Zoran asked in disbelief. “You wish to go up there?” Zoran looked at the three females again.
“Yes.” Star said patiently.
“Give me a few minutes and I can have some of the warriors attach them.”
“That’s okay. We can take care of it if you just point us to some of your equipment. We will need you to set up the safety net if you have one. If not, we will just have to be extra careful.” River said with a grin. She had performed frequently with Jo and Star and they could practice some of their old routines. She hadn’t been this excited in months it would be just like old times.
Zoran had shaken his head and pointed out the equipment they could use while he directed several warriors who were training to help him connect the netting under the upper level training level.
Jo, Star, and River headed for the equipment picking out what they would use. Undoing their gowns, they let the material fall around them leaving them in their form-fitting black skins. River had almost cried when she had seen her black duffle bag. Jo had collected it when she had headed back to the shuttle bay. River was missing quite a few of her knives but nothing she couldn’t live without. The only ones she mourned for were her two short swords. Her mom and dad had given them to her on her sixteenth birthday. She knew one had been in the head of Trolis and she had dropped the other one when Torak had grabbed her. She had been unconscious when he had taken her from the Tearnat’s ship.
Doing a series of bends and stretches the girls warmed up before taking the equipment over to the ladder leading to the upper level. They were so intent on what they were doing they didn’t even notice the silence that had descended throughout the training room as they joked with each other.
Moving with ease from years of practice, they each walked out on the narrow beams as if they were strolling down a sidewalk. Lying down on the beam they secured the swings and ropes where they wanted them.
Zoran looked in disbelief at the scantily dressed females holding his breath as they moved over the narrow beams. He would be lucky if he didn’t get killed for this, he thought in dismay. He had no idea what the females had planned as he had never had any ask for the things these females had asked for. He had not been paying attention to what the females were doing until he heard several of the warriors practicing swear under their breaths. Turning, he had been stunned to discover they had discarded their long gowns for a form-fitting outfit that showed every curve on their bodies. He couldn’t have dragged his eyes away if his life depended on it. Each of the females had their hair pulled back in a braid and moved with a sensuous sway that spoke of pure pleasure. Yes, he groaned under his breath, he would most decidedly be slain for this, if for no other reason than his thoughts. The other warriors were murmuring their delight in the females, watching in fascination as they connected the ropes and bars to the beam.
Turning he growled low, “Watch them. I need to call for Torak.” He said as he left.
It was only as he turned to go he realized he had probably, no definitely, said the wrong thing. Watch them! He thought disgruntled, like the warriors could peel their eyes away from three beautiful women dressed in clothing that only accented their curves. The warriors would be watching them alright,
with lust.
Moving into his office he pressed the com button.
“Torak.” Came a deep voice.
“My Lord, this is Zoran. I believe you should come down to the training level.” Zoran asked as his eyes followed the females.
“Is there a problem?” Torak asked surprised.
“There might be, My Lord. The three females are here.” Zoran replied. He couldn’t have said any more if his life depended on it. His breath was caught in his throat as he watched one of the females slide down one of the ropes and begin swinging while another did back flips on the narrow beams thirty feet above the floor of the exercise mats. He couldn’t see the other female from the angle he was at. He was afraid to see what she was doing.
