by Cheree Alsop
Liora saw him smile out of the corner of her eye. It sent a rush of terror through her. She wanted to fight and run, but his electric probes would reach her with lightning speed. The last thing she wanted was to be tortured on the ground of the docks like an animal. No one would step in to save her. Laws regarding property left no doubt what would happen to someone who got between a slave and their master. They would end up in a cage beside her with scars of their own.
“Speaking of whipped. I need to teach my own cur a few lessons in manners.” Malivian’s words hung in the air.
They reached the gaudily painted Iridium Osprey Kirkos nestled among several Copper Crows and a metallic painted Tin Sparrow. Posters for Malivian’s next circus show plastered along the Kirkos’ sides announced that the show would take place on planet Luptos in the Maffei One Galaxy. The poster closest to the loading ramp showed Liora crouched in her cage. It proclaimed, “Only the strongest souls dare to let a Damaclan into their mind!”
She turned away with a grimace.
“That’s right,” Malivian said. “You are going to earn your keep. I have already sold tickets to Venticans from Hoarth and the Talastan family of the Nebuton system.” He glared at her. “The Garnick Talastans aren’t known for their sense of humor.”
She knew what he expected from her. If she didn’t act remorseful, her punishment for running away would be that much worse. Forcing the words to sound somewhat sincere, she said, “I’m sorry.”
“You will be,” he replied.
There was steel in his voice and a tone Liora had never heard before. The anger she saw in his yellow eyes frightened her. Liora gritted her teeth and led the way through the massive belly of the Osprey Kirkos.
Creatures from across the Macrocosm lashed at the bars and glass of their cages. A purple-tongued lizard creature spit venom. It splattered on the glass and dripped down, misting when it hit the sand below. A feathered animal with piercing red eyes turned its head upside down to watch them pass. Spider-like creatures the size of Liora’s head with two-dozen legs ran on the inside of their cages to keep pace with them. It looked like every member of Malivian’s circus was out for blood.
The same showed on Malivian’s face. The outrage he revealed sent tremors down Liora’s spine. “Ungrateful,” he muttered. “Unappreciative.” He raised his voice and shouted, “Who else would dare keep a Damaclan mongrel? You’d be dead if it wasn’t for me!”
Liora cringed at the spittle that hit her back when she reached her cage. He shoved her inside and locked the door before she could even turn around.
The sight that met Liora made her shake her head.
“You don’t have to do this, Mal. Please don’t,” she pleaded.
He raised both sets of half-circle blades. She had never experienced four at once. Two was bad enough. She didn’t want to know what double that would feel like.
I’m sorry, she said into his mind. Please don’t do this.
Malivian’s mouth twisted into a snarl. “It’s too late, Liora. Stay out of my head.”
He tossed the blades. Liora turned. Two of them bit into her back while the other two sunk into her right side. Malivian pressed the buttons in his hands.
Liora jerked backwards with the force of the electricity surging through her body. Her face hit one of the bars. She fell to the ground and lurched uncontrollably. The pain tore a sob from her lips. Malivian’s previous torture had been nothing compared to this. It felt like every nerve ending was alight with fire, as if the lightning of the Cas One Galaxy surged through her body. Liora couldn’t think, couldn’t fight, couldn’t do anything more than struggle at the bottom of her cell while Malivian watched, his expression cold. It was the last thing she saw before she passed out.
When Liora came to again, the lights were dim in the Kirkos hull and the myriad of creatures slept in their cages. The small squeaks and sounds of tiny pattering feet told her that the furry animals from the dark planets were up. It was their favorite time of night.
A sour taste coated Liora’s mouth. She pushed up gingerly to a sitting position. Her head ached where it had hit the bars. Liora rubbed her face against her forearm and met the sticky coating of blood from right side of her forehead all the way down to her jaw. It felt as though the bars had split her eyebrow open. Her right eye was swollen and puffy, and it hurt to open her mouth.
She would survive.
Liora opened her hand that was still cuffed behind her back. Throughout the torture, she had kept her fingers clenched into a fist. At first it was on purpose, but by the end, her joints had locked and she couldn’t have opened them if she wanted to. Luckily, that meant whatever Devren had given her was still there.
Her hands were shaky from the aftereffects of the electricity. Liora had to work carefully to keep from dropping the object. It was small and flat with two points on one end that pushed together with little effort. She realized it was the tweezers she had used to remove the bullet from Devren’s side.
The irony twisted her mouth into a small smile. She opened the tweezers as far as they would go, then, using both hands, forced them further until they snapped into two pieces. The amount of effort it took let her know just how exhausted she was.
Willing her mind to concentrate, Liora pressed one piece of the tweezers against the solid floor and used her weight to bend the end of the metal. She tested the angle of the bend. Satisfied, she closed her eyes and focused entirely on the handcuffs.
Traveling in a circus gave one many opportunities to watch the escape acts of the men and women Malivian met up with. Circus nightlife was filled with the hustle and chaos of creatures, acrobats, disappearing acts, and life-risking tricks to wow audiences from across the Macrocosm. Daytime, however, was the time to hone crafts and practice stunts the next night would require.
Fortune had placed an escape artist’s apprentice near Liora’s cage one day. He practiced his art of escaping from chains, handcuffs, and a straightjacket so many times Liora felt like she could have done all three herself. Not one to allow any being to linger near his prize pets without paying the admission fee, Malivian had eventually chased the apprentice back to his master and Liora had locked the information away in her mind in the hopes that someday she would have her own chance to put it to use.
Now was that opportunity. Inserting the piece, Liora twisted the bent end inward until she felt the teeth slide free. She slipped the bar from the handcuff and let it fall off her wrist. In two more seconds, the second cuff was on the floor.
The lock of her cage proved to be more difficult. Luckily, Liora had the two pieces of the tweezers to work with. She bent the second one to match the angle of the first. Following the same steps the apprentice had done so many times, Liora pushed the bent end of the first piece into the lock opposite the pins. She turned it slowly upward until it was in tension.
Inserting the second piece, Liora raked it slowly along the pins. The small metal on metal sound set Liora’s nerves on end. If Malivian found out what she was doing, she would be tortured again. The voice in the back of her mind whispered that perhaps she wouldn’t survive a second round.
A subtle, metallic click sounded. Liora’s heart jumped. She pushed at the bars. Her breath caught in her throat when the door swung outward. Liora stepped onto the cold floor and stumbled lightheadedly. She caught herself on the next cage, pushed herself upright, and ran down the hall.
The alarm sounded when she hit the button for the hatch to open. As soon as the gap was wide enough, Liora jumped out. Her feet, then her knees, hit the deck of Gaulded Zero Twenty-One. She shoved up to her feet once more and ran past the other starships.
Even at the late hour, the Gaulded’s landing deck was filled with activity. It appeared the Kratos and Kirkos weren’t the only ships who had been attacked. Blow torches, plasma cutters, and blazers filled the contained air inside the Gaulded’s hold with the acrid scent of metal. The sound of mallets and hand saws sounded from every corner.
C
rew members of the ships Liora passed turned to watch her go. She felt conspicuous and alone as she darted between space crafts and around repair gear. A giant pallet of artillery swung over her head. Liora ducked and made her way along the stripped hull of a Copper Crow painted to look like an iridescent fish. The name Space Poseidon glowed near the hatch.
Liora ran around the corner and slammed into Devren.
“I was about to come looking for you—” he began.
Tariq cut him off. “Dev, her face.”
Devren gently pushed her back so he could see her better. Liora dropped her gaze at his gentle probing.
“Malivian did this to you?” he asked.
The anger in his voice made Liora look up. Devren appeared ready to kill someone.
“Calm down,” Tariq told him. “Let’s get her to the ship. It’s the only place we’ll have leverage.”
Devren put a protective arm around Liora. Tariq walked behind them like a bodyguard. Liora felt as though she had entered some different reality. Somehow, even with the thought of Malivian coming after her, she felt safe between the two humans who had entered her life by accident.
Chapter 6
While Devren led the way to the Kratos, Liora had a chance to really look at it for the first time. The starship was shaped like a reverse arrowhead. The front of the ship was blunt and flat where the bridge sat. The two wings that swooped to either side made up the medical bay and living quarters. The protective hull beneath and the sides of the Kratos sloped together in a point at the back to form the landing deck, holding bays, and storage rooms. The ramp they hurried up came from the cargo deck where several officers loaded supplies and repair equipment.
Devren hit the button for the loading door to close.
“Don’t let anyone in here,” he told the officers.
“Yes, Captain,” they replied as a group.
Liora felt their questioning stares as the humans rushed her past.
“We don’t have time for the medical wing,” Tariq said with apology in his voice. “We need to go straight to the bridge.”
“What are we doing?” Liora asked.
Neither human answered as they rushed up the hall. The door to the bridge slid open and Duncan rose from his seat.
“What happened?” he demanded as soon as he saw Liora. The rest of the crew members stared at her.
“We’ll discuss it later,” Devren replied. “Swear her in.”
“I, uh…” Duncan stared at Devren as if he had lost his mind.
“Now, Officer,” Devren commanded.
“He’s coming,” Tariq announced.
Liora’s heart slowed at the sight of Malivian storming up the ramp to the SS Kratos.
Officer Duncan picked up a book. “Put your hand on here,” he directed.
Liora did so numbly, her attention on Malivian as he pounded on the door to the loading deck.
The Hennonite looked straight at the camera. “I’ll get security,” he warned, his yellow eyes flashing.
“Liora, what’s your last name?”
Liora realized Duncan had asked the question twice.
When she focused on him, he gave her a kind smile. “I can’t swear you in without a last name.”
“Day,” she said, her mind spinning. “Liora Day.”
“Day?” Tariq repeated. He looked surprised. “I thought you’d have some Damaclan last name. Incendo, or Annihilo, or Decerpo, or something equally as disturbing.”
Liora shook her head. “My mother was Damaclan, but my father was human.”
Every crew member in the bridge stared at her.
“I’m coming back with security,” Malivian yelled at the camera. “I’ll show you what property rights mean to the Belanites.”
“Right,” Duncan said. “We have little time. Liora Day, do you swear to uphold the Coalition’s oath of equality of race, exploration of the Macrocosm, and advancement of knowledge for the growth and understanding of mortalkind?”
Liora wasn’t sure what was going on. Her mind still felt frazzled from the electricity, and her head pounded where she had hit it on the bars. What she was being sworn to made no sense. She wasn’t part of the Coalition.
Devren put his hand gently to her cheek, turning her face toward him. Liora flinched, unused to any touch that was kind.
“Swear it, Liora,” Devren said, dropping his hand. “It’s the only way I can protect you.”
Another pounding on the door brought their attention back to the camera. Malivian was back and with three Belanite security officers. How he had found them in such a short time baffled Liora. That was it. She was going back to the Kirkos.
“Swear it,” Tariq urged.
Liora looked at them. Devren, Tariq, and Duncan watched her with equal expressions of worry. Shathryn and O’Tule nodded encouragingly. Hyrin looked from the security monitor back to Liora, his eyes wide. They were trying to protect her. How an oath could keep her safe made no sense, but Devren had gotten her out of the cage again. She owed him that much.
“I swear,” she said.
“Yay!” Shathryn and O’Tule cheered.
A smile spread across Devren’s face. He pushed the button to open the holding door. They could hear the pounding of steps as Malivian and the three officers ran to the bridge.
“Welcome, officers,” Devren said when the door slid open.
Malivian snarled at them, looking more animal than humanoid. “Give me back my property.”
“Your property?” Tariq looked devilishly confused, his head tipped to one side and his blue eyes creased at the corners. “We don’t have any of your property here.”
“They came onto my ship and stole her,” Malivian spat, motioning toward Liora.
“I can reassure you that no member of my crew has been aboard your ship since we landed on Gaulded Zero Twenty-one,” Devren replied. “Check your cameras. I’m sure you’ll find it to be a fact.”
Malivian glanced back at the officers. The three Belanites with orange scaled skin watched him closely.
“Officers, Liora is my property. I paid a heavy price for her. She’s mine!”
“Is that right, Captain?” the Belanite with the moon crest on his chest asked.
Devren shook his head solemnly. “Sir, this Hennonite accosted Officer Day when she was away from my ship. He beat her and did foul things to her. I should press charges based on her condition alone. My chief medical officer was just checking out her injuries before we came to find you.”
Tariq nodded. “I second my Captain’s call for charges. Officer Day is no doubt suffering from a concussion as a result of the blow. The Hennonite has cost us the use of our officer for several days.”
The title ‘Officer’ rang in Liora’s head. She felt the Belanites’ gazes on the tattered uniform shirt Devren had given her when he freed her from the Kirkos the first time. It was in poor condition after Malivian’s actions, but the crest of the SS Kratos was unmistakable.
“Did you beat this young woman?” the first Belanite asked.
Liora remembered Devren saying that the Belanite were like living lie detectors. She thought quickly back through Devren and Tariq’s words. They had been very careful not to say anything that wasn’t true.
Malivian sputtered. Apparently he knew the same thing about Belanites. “I, uh, yes,” he finally spit out. “But she deserved it. She’s my property and I can do whatever I want with her.”
The head Belanite turned to Liora. His words were carefully spaced when he asked, “Are you this Hennonite’s property?”
Liora felt everyone’s gaze turn to her. The stickiness on the side of her face itched, and her back and side ached where Malivian had tortured her. He had purchased her; that was true. The years she had spent in his possession would haunt her dreams. Yet Devren had given her a chance at a new life. The question was whether she believed it.
She met the Belanite officer’s gaze. “I am an officer of the Starship Kratos. This Hennonite beat me, and he
deserves to be punished.”
“Point for us,” she heard Officer Straham whisper behind her.
“She’s lying!” Malivian said. “Can’t you hear it? She’s making it up.”
All three Belanites grabbed Malivian. He tried to wriggle free from their grasps. The head Belanite drew a club from his belt and slammed it across the back of Malivian’s skull. The Hennonite’s legs gave out and two of the officers dragged him from the bridge.
“Sorry for the trouble,” the head Belanite said. “We’ll see that he is appropriately punished. We don’t allow cheating, lying, or stealing on any of the Gaulded. Please apologize to the Coalition for us.”
“I will,” Devren replied. “We value the working relationship we have with your family.”
“Glad to hear it.”
The Belanite left the room.
A few minutes later, they heard the loading door shut. Liora’s eyes locked on the image of Malivian being dragged across the landing deck. When he disappeared from sight, relief fell over her in a wave. She wavered as her knees threatened to give out.
“Whoa,” Devren said, catching her arm. He and Tariq led her to a chair.
“That’s quite the blow,” Duncan noted. “I’ll get the bag.”
Liora shook her head. “You don’t need to worry about me. I’m fine.”
She moved to stand up, but Devren put a hand on her shoulder, holding her down much more easily than he should have been able to.
“Liora, you’ve been through a lot today. I’d suggest letting Tariq see to your head, then Duncan can show you to your room. A good night’s sleep is probably the best thing for you.”
Liora stared at Devren. “My room?”
A smile touched the corners of his lips. “Each officer aboard the SS Kratos has his or her own quarters. They’re not much, but…”
His voice died away. “Liora?” he asked gently.
She didn’t know what to say. She had never had anything to call her own, and now he was giving her a room and a position aboard his ship. It was too much.
“I’ve got to go.”
