The Alembic Plot: A Terran Empire novel

by Ann Wilson

  30a. Torture (Cortin's point of view)

  Cortin was conducting the first part of her preliminary examinationwhen Odeon interrupted. "Someone in the observation room, Excellency."

  She turned that way. "Colonel Bradford?"

  "Yes," Bradford replied over the intercom, "with Ranger Medart and Lt.DarElwyn."

  "If you'd care to, you're welcome to join me in here." Normally, shewouldn't permit anyone except Mike or another Inquisitor to be in thesame room while she was working, but these were unusual guests. Andthere was something particularly appealing about the Sandeman . . .

  "The interview went all right?" she asked, as soon as the three entered.

  "Quite well," Bradford replied. "I'll get the operation moving as soonas I get back to my office."

  "Good--thanks, both of you." Cortin turned back to her prisoner, stilladdressing the observers--primarily, for some reason she didn'tunderstand, Keith. "This one's nothing special, except in the numberof his crimes and the fact that he wanted witnesses until he got to thelast victim in each series. It was the rapes that were his particularthrill; the murders were enjoyable, but more of a side effect. So I'llbe concentrating on the punishment for rape."

  She continued with the preliminaries, both enjoying herself and tryingto evaluate the Sandeman as well as she could when her primaryattention had to be elsewhere. He, unlike Odeon and Medart, seemed tohave a true appreciation of her intent, which she wouldn't haveexpected--but which she found highly gratifying. It was several hoursbefore she was satisfied with the prisoner's general condition: hisentire body except the genital region so bruised or abraded that even alight touch brough curses.

  She stepped back to survey him, then smiled at her audience. "Thattakes care of the preliminaries; now we can get to the realpunishment." She went to a cabinet, removed a vial and syringe.

  "This is eroticine," she said, forcing the liquid in the vial down herprisoner's throat. "In small doses, it's a male aphrodisiac. Inlarger ones, like this, it forces an erection and increases semenproduction by several hundred percent. He has no way to stimulateorgasm, so that is forced out by simple hydraulic pressure--quiteuncomfortable, I've been assured. This dose is oral, so he'll be thatway for about twelve hours." She picked up a syringe, cleared it ofair. "And this is algetin, a pain-enhancer that's most effective onswollen tissue such as an erection. It's a combination I thinkparticularly appropriate for a rapist."

  "An intriguing combination," Keith said. Moments later, when theprisoner's erection firmed and grew moist, she saw curiosity. "Is thatwetness normal, or is it a drug effect?" he asked.

  "Neither, Lieutenant; it's a side effect of the satyr plague."

  "I see." Keith paused, cocking his head. "You said he can't bringhimself to climax, Excellency, and this does seem effective--but whatwould happen if he did? Would it be a temporary relief, or would thealgetin make it as much an agony as it usually is a pleasure?"

  Cortin stared at him in astonishment. That was the sort of questionshe'd expect from an Inquisitor-Trainee, not an Imperial Marine! Afterseveral seconds, she said thoughtfully, "We're cautioned against it intraining, since it's presumed orgasm would bring relief; if anyone hadexperimented and found otherwise, it should've been reported in theprofessional literature. Since I've never read about such anexperiment, I doubt it's ever been tried--but now that you suggest it,the idea seems plausible. If you'd like to try, Lieutenant, be myguest."

  "No," Medart said firmly. "He can observe, since this is within yourlaw; taking part would go against a number of the laws that govern theImperial military." He turned to the Sandeman. "What's wrong,Lieutenant? You're not acting like any warrior I've evermet--including yourself, a couple of days ago."

  "I feel fine, sir--I'm just not embarrassed by his display, the way I'dhave expected, and I . . . admire Colonel Cortin's work, which Iwouldn't have expected at all."

  "Just how strong is this admiration, Lieutenant?"

  Keith looked from Ranger to Inquisitor and back, his expressionanswering Medart's question before he spoke. "Strongly enough that ifI thought there was any chance of acceptance, I would offer her myfealty."

  Cortin looked at him thoughtfully, then smiled. "If that means what Ibelieve it does, Lieutenant, you'd be in no danger of refusal."

  Keith returned the smile, then acted on her promise and knelt."Colonel Joan Cortin, I wish you as my chosen lady, if that should beyour will. I offer all that is in me to give: body and mind, will andhonor, whatever courage is mine. And death itself may not deny theservice I offer, in whatever afterlife is to come."

  Cortin had no idea of the words a Sandeman would use in such aposition, but she doubted if Keith would care. She extended her hands,smiling again. "I accept your service and yourself with thanks,warrior."

  Keith took her hands and rose, then bowed to her. "You do me greathonor, Thakur."

  "The honor is mine," Cortin replied. "Are there any formalities thatneed to be taken care of?"

  "I'll handle those when we finish here," Medart said. "His releasefrom service, back pay and allowances--but it'll be up to you to notifyhis clan and make arrangements for his tattoo."

  "When we're done here, as you say." Cortin turned to her new swornman. "To give you a status recognized here, I'm commissioning you aRoyal Enforcement Service officer. Now, would you like to test yourtheory?"

  "Very much, Thakur." Keith paused, then continued apologetically."I'm afraid I don't know how, though. One of our strongest customsforbids any same-sex physical intimacy. Since it seems yours doesn't,that no longer applies to me, of course--but the fact remains that Ihave no such experience."

  Cortin chuckled. "That can be remedied easily enough, if you decideyou want to, but for your present purposes you don't need experience.All you have to do is take hold of him, snugly enough to provide afriction surface but not tight. The eroticine will make him take careof the rest."

  "That sounds simple enough." Keith reached for the prisoner.

  Cortin watched critically as her new sworn man began his experiment.It went against conventional theory--but then one of her morespectacular successes had come from the use of a hallucinogen, aprocedure theory said was useless.

  Hmm, that was interesting . . . Keith had told her, truthfully, that hehad no sexual experience with men, but he was starting manipulation aseffective as she'd ever seen. That surprised her almost as much as thefact that he had time to--with such a strong dose of eroticine, she'dhave expected the prisoner to erupt within seconds.

  She wasn't quite sure what he'd meant by saying his people's strongestcustom no longer applied to him--his oath, it had to be--but if hecould get the idea this quickly, and implement it, she was willing tobet he'd enjoy the other parts of homosex. It would be almost as niceseeing him enjoying himself with Mike or one of the others as it wouldbe enjoying him herself-- She told herself firmly to stop daydreaming.She had no idea if his oath covered sex with his chosen lady--shesuspected it could if she wanted it to--but either way she was supposedto be evaluating a new technique, not thinking about who to take to bed.

  Wait a minute--that was a smile on the Sandeman's face as theprisoner's show of pain increased! Keith was actually enjoying hisfirst attempt at third stage, something so rare she knew of only threeothers beside herself who'd done so. Mike had been ill at first justwatching her work, had taken a week to get where he could help at all,worked as her assistant only because she needed him. Keith could freehim of that unpleasantness. Get the Sandeman some training to go withhis talent, and he'd be awesome . . . Very good, he was able to keepstimulating the prisoner as movements grew frantic, gasps and criesturning to screams of agony as semen spurted--dear God, what anInquisitor Keith would make!

  Keith turned to his chosen lady. "Was that satisfactory, Thakur?"

  "Most satisfactory," Cortin said with unconcealed admiration. "You'vejust given me--all Inquisitors, once I get it published--what promisesto become an
extremely useful standard technique, especially withrapists. I'll see you're given full credit, of course." She smiled atKeith. "You've also changed my plans for him. That degree of pain,administered repeatedly, can be lethal--and I can't think of a morefitting end for a rapist. We'll let him drip overnight, then give hima fresh dose and see how many times he can take what he forced onothers. What do you think?"

  Keith looked flattered that she asked his opinion, but . . . "I don'tshare your expertise, Thakur, so my opinion may not be valid. Still,it sounds appropriate to me."

  "So be it, then." Cortin smiled at him, approvingly. "Would you liketo help? You seemed to enjoy yourself as much as an Inquisitor would,and Mike doesn't have that particular quirk; he helps because he lovesme, not because he likes the work."

  Keith hesitated briefly before answering. "It surprises me, Thakur,that I did enjoy it. But I would not displace Captain Odeon fromsomething that brings you two close."

  Cortin looked at her second in command. "What do you think, Mike?"

  "If he wants it, he's got it," Odeon replied promptly. Turning to theSandeman, he went on. "As she says, I don't have the mental quirk thatlets me like hurting people; I'd be glad to get out of the job."

  "It seems I do," Keith said. "At least since she wants this one tohurt, I took a great deal of pleasure in causing him as much pain as Icould."

  "It's all yours, then," Odeon said promptly. "With my thanks, by theway--which I'll demonstrate later, if you want."

  "In the meantime," Cortin said, "I'm hungry. Let's go up to supper."

  Return to main storyline: 31. Explanation