Haven 1: Ascend

by Sandra R Neeley

  “Sire, we have cleared most of the ship, the last deck is being searched now. We have encountered 28 crew, all have been executed, save one. We have found four separate groups of females, all kept in quarters with beds and not much else. We believe that this was not a slave ship, but rather a brothel. Some of the females had been equipped with translators and told us that they’d been forced to bow to any measure of demand. If they didn’t comply, they were beaten, starved, or killed. They said they were taken to other ships from time to time and forced to service lines of males as their captors looked on. Some, it would appear, figured out if they cooperated, they were treated better. Those females had better quarters and seem to have been fed better. We kept only one slaver alive, in the event we needed information, but he’s not speaking at all.”

  As Zha Quin Tha was brought up to speed, they walked toward a lift at the end of the hall, boarded it and moved up three levels. As they exited the lift, he found his men standing about in the corridor, two of them blocking the open door to what appeared to be a large training room. “Why am I here?” he snarled at the Lieutenant at his side.

  His Lieutenant indicated the doors that his men now blocked, “Her. We can’t get near her.”

  It had not escaped his notice that some of his best males were now looking very pained. They’d been affected by something. Several had marks across their faces that appeared to be in the shape of chain link.

  He stopped in front of the two at the door, their Psi’s on full display indicating they were clearly in battle mode. Each of the Cruestaci housed an alter ego, a violent counterpart they called their Psi. Once the Psi was loosed, they gained size and height, the striations of every muscle in their bodies on full display, pushed to the breaking point by their sudden growth. Their horns would elongate and sharpen. Each male had a slightly different set of horns, but all would enlarge and become battle-ready. For instance, the ram-like horns attached just behind their ears would enlarge and extend to and above their foreheads, curling back above their heads as a protective measure. Some had spikes beneath their chins that would elongate to protect their throats. Their jaws would sharpen and enlarge, their teeth, normally somewhat humanesque, would elongate and multiply, taking on a shark-like appearance.

  “What is the problem?” he demanded.

  They were both barely hanging onto control of their battle Psi’s. Their Psi’s both wanting out to avenge something, or someone.

  “Her. The female,” one of them said.

  He looked over their shoulders into the room and couldn’t quite make out what he was seeing. He peered closer and stepped to go between them, but they hesitated moving aside.

  He raised an eyebrow at their hesitance, “Move!” he bellowed.

  Reluctantly they obeyed, making room for him to walk between them before once again barring the entrance.

  The moment he entered the room, the stench burned his eyes. But that was not what almost brought him to his knees. The sight of the lone female in the room did that all on her own.

  Chapter 2

  Vivian was leaning against the padded wall furthest from the door. She had not turned her eyes from the males that now stood in the doorway since they’d retreated to the safety of that door. But she’d moved to the far wall and leaned against it to take the pressure off her injured leg. She looked down to the metal shackle on her ankle and the chain attached to it that had her fastened to the floor in the middle of the room. It had cut into her flesh and was now infected — horribly so. She was weak, hungry, and dehydrated, with a raging fever. She may not be long for this world, whatever the fuck world it was, but she would not make it easy on any of them. She watched as the two large males moved out of the doorway, and it was immediately filled with a male even bigger than they’d been. He stepped into her room, her prison, her hell, and looked around. His sharp eyes missed nothing. She moved away from the wall and limped to the middle of the room, creating slack in her chain. She took her chain in hand and waited. She lazily swung the chain back and forth as she waited to see what this new male would do. The others had given up after just a few tries.

  Zha Quin Tha’s eyes scanned the room. It was a very, very large room, obviously formerly a training room that could accommodate at least a hundred males in full training gear comfortably. It was padded completely, the entire floor and all walls were covered in padding. There were cameras mounted high up in the corners of the room. The lights in the room were shadowed, intentionally left dim. The stench of waste, infection, rotted food and sex was almost more than he could take. Then he turned his attention to the lone figure in the room. She was a tiny little female. Most humans, both male and female, were small. But this one surprised him, even smaller than usual. She was nude. Covered in bruises and cuts. The essence of many males clung to her. She was practically skeletal, all her ribs visible beneath her pale skin. Her dark hair was a matted mess, tangling in one solid matted sheet to just below her shoulders. Her arms and legs clearly bruised with hand prints from being held down, he assumed. Her lips were split, one of her eyes almost swollen shut. There were cuts and scrapes on her stomach, what looked like bite marks on the insides of her thighs, on her arms and breasts — proof of abuse everywhere on her delicate, dirty body. Yet she faced him, head held high — proud, the toes of her injured leg and foot barely touching the filthy mats she stood on to help her balance herself, refusing to look away from his stare. His heart lurched, thumping in his chest. His heart that hadn’t made itself known in years.

  Slowly he approached her, moving directly toward her, never taking his eyes from hers.

  She allowed a little more of the chain to flow through her fingers as she watched him come toward her.

  He spoke to her, hoping that she had a translator implant like his men had told him some of the others had, “It is alright little one, I will not hurt you.”

  All Vivian heard were snarls and growls. Still she did not take even one step back. All she had was her pride, and she was not going to give it up for any of these alien fuckers. They may win the battle, but she’d make sure they paid for it in bruises the next day.

  She didn’t respond to his words, so Zha Quin Tha assumed that she had no translator. He slowed his pace even more, but kept moving toward her, his hands loose at his sides. When he was only about ten feet from her, she struck. Her small fist wrapped tightly about the chain doubled in her hand, and she swung it, striking out at him quickly.

  Zha Quin just managed to jump back out of the way. He smiled, now he understood why his men had chain marks across their faces. He held up his hands and tried to show her he had nothing in them, speaking to her again, “I will not hurt you,” he said, as he started to move forward. Again, she swung her chain, while changing her position to circle around him as he circled around her. He sidestepped the intended blow once again and continued to move around her, all the while getting closer. She continued to circle him in turn, slowly swinging her chain back and forth.

  Finally, he was close enough to achieve his purpose; she struck out at him, swinging her chain at him, only this time he caught it. He gripped it in his hand and planted his feet, refusing to allow her to have it back. She let go of the chain and retreated to the far length of it.

  Zha Quin Tha slowly started reeling her in, pulling her closer to him. She fought him, finally losing her balance and falling to the filthy, sticky mats and trying to crawl away.

  As he pulled her continually toward him, she suddenly turned, facing him. Refusing to look away from the male that would this time violate her.

  He decided she was noble in her bravery, her courage in the face of what she surely thought was yet more torture, more abuse.

  When he finally pulled her within two feet of him, he released the chain with one hand, only holding on to it with the other. He reached up to where his cloak, the symbol of his own nobility, was clasped at his throat. He released it, pulling it from his own shoulders.

  Zha Quin Tha reached out towar
d the little female, gently pulling the chain that held her hostage toward him while he held the cloak out toward her. She couldn’t pull away any further, and he succeeded in tossing the cloak around her shoulders.

  Vivian sat at the end of the chain, pulling it as taut as she could as she watched him release the deep, emerald-green cloak from his shoulders. Then he reached toward her, causing her to flinch.

  She was stunned — he’d covered her nakedness. She stopped pulling away long enough to realize that he was no longer holding the chain. He’d dropped it. Quickly, Vivian scurried back away from him. Only when she was pressed against the far wall, did she stop to look at the cloak halfway covering one of her shoulders. She reached for it, immediately wrapping it around herself, pulling it over her other shoulder and pulling her legs up inside the cloak against the rest of her body as she sat leaning against the wall.

  She looked across the room at the huge, red-skinned, horned male that stood watching her quietly. She wasn’t sure why he’d given her the cloak, but he had. It was the only kindness she’d received since she’d woken up in this hell.

  The male started walking toward her again. She sat up straight, still leaning against the padded wall.

  He saw her stiffen and stopped.

  She took in his appearance. He was tall, easily at least seven feet. His skin was red, but mottled in the way that from time to time it would fade from red to a pale, almost white. He had a strong jaw, a very straight, almost Romanesque, nose, black irises and red-pupiled eyes with long, thick black lashes, and horns, many horns. He was bald, no hair at all, with slightly pointed ears set low on his head. One set of horns grew from his forehead, just at the brow bone. The second set from a space just behind his ears. They curved toward the back of his head, above his ears, then grew forward again toward the front of his head, curling like a ram’s horns on either side. They were ridged and blackish in color. When he smiled at her, she noticed he had lips that were just a shade darker than his red skin, and a spike growing from his chin. It looked just like his horns, only it was smaller and shorter. And when he’d removed his cloak, she couldn’t help but notice that the male was covered in muscles. There was not one inch of this male not covered in muscle. He was dressed in a pair of what looked like dark, tan-colored leather pants. Skin tight pants. And from the looks of the bulge at his center, he wanted more than to give her a cloak. Well, he could get fucked and not by her; she was not going to give him anything regardless of the cloak. She’d fight him ‘til he beat her into unconsciousness, just like all the rest.

  She struggled to get to her feet. He reached out to try to steady her, but she pulled away. She yanked the cloak off her shoulders and threw it at him. He caught it, then waited ‘til he was sure her eyes were on him and held it out to her.

  He smiled when she raised her chin in defiance, pressing her hands against the padded wall behind her.

  Her eyes dipped to his waist again, locking on a flash she’d seen there.

  He cursed his body for betraying his attraction to the little alien. Yes, here, she was the alien. Then he realized that she was not looking at his body, she was looking at his dagger. It was the jeweled dagger he’d been gifted by his mother upon reaching the status of Commander of their armed forces. He’d started at the bottom and fought his way to the top, no royal commissions for him. He’d wanted his men to respect him.

  He turned his head, watching the little female watch his dagger. Then he had an idea; he slowly released the dagger from its sheath, slipped it free and held it out to her.

  Her eyes jumped to his. He smiled and continued to hold it out to her, jeweled grip toward her, lifting it slightly, indicating she should take it. Before he had time to think of his next move, she darted forward, snatched the dagger from his hand and backed against the wall, wielding it in front of her.

  He nodded his head, universal sign for yes, approval. Then he held the cloak out to her again.

  She eyed the cloak. It was soft, and it had been warm. And it was the only covering for her body she’d had since she found herself here.

  He watched her watching his cloak. He took a step back, but leaned over holding it out for her.

  Vivian looked at the dagger in her hand, looked at the huge red male that had given it to her, and then the cloak in his hand. She considered only a moment longer before snatching the cloak from his hand as well. She very quickly wrapped it around her shoulders, and once again held the dagger out in front of herself.

  Zha Quin Tha smiled at her and backed up a few more steps before kneeling on the floor.

  She watched, unsure of what he was doing. Then she felt tugging on her chain. She dug her feet into the mats on the floor, refusing to let him pull her to him again. But he surprised her.

  He turned toward her, took the chain in both hands, and pulled as hard as he could, his chest and neck straining with the effort. He threw back his head and roared as he put more strength into it, and finally — the chain broke.

  Vivian’s eyes rounded as she realized that he’d freed her.

  Zha Quin Tha never took his eyes from hers, but he snarled a string of sounds. A moment later one of the males standing at the door came toward them quickly, rushing to where they were. When she cowered away, moving further down the wall, he snarled again, and the male stopped. Then once again approached, but slowly this time. He handed something to the big red male and then turned, running back to the door.

  Zha Quin Tha gathered whatever he now held in his hands and held them out to the little human.

  She strained to get a good look at what he held now. Her stomach growled, it was food. There were several bars in his hands, and she believed they were food. It was confirmed when he tore one open and took a bite. Then he held it out to her. She didn’t even think twice; she darted forward again, taking the bar from his hands before returning to her place against the wall. She sank down to the floor, leaned against the wall and devoured the bar. He’d gotten close while she ate it, and now he held another out to her.

  She shook her head no, looking toward the rotted food in the corner. Suddenly he knew she’d not eat what he wouldn’t eat. Obviously she’d been given bad food, which would explain the rotten food in the corners of the room.

  He opened another bar, took another bite, then held it out to her. She took it from him without hesitation and ate it, too.

  He stood back and swept his arm in the direction of the door.

  She looked from him to the door and back again.

  He did it again, and she stood. She took a few steps toward the door, but paused in front of him. She held out her hand, and he placed the last bar in her palm. She looked at it, but made no move to open it or eat it.

  He took it back, opened it, took a bite and returned it to her hand. She closed her hand around it, took a bite and turned, taking another few steps toward the door.

  It killed him to watch her limping toward the door. But he’d just gained a little trust and didn’t want to destroy it.

  She took another step and fell, dropping to her knees.

  He snarled. “Fuck it,” he thought, and swept her into his arms. He cradled her to his chest, his cloak wrapped tightly around her, and the chain still attached to her ankle draped carefully across her stomach so that it wouldn’t snag as he carried her and cause her further pain.

  She struggled in his arms to free herself and in so doing managed to drop the dagger he’d given her. To her utter amazement, he bent over, scooped it from the mat-covered floor and handed it back to her.

  She immediately held it to his throat. He smiled at her, nodded his approval, and hurried from the room, the precious little female in his arms. As he exited the room, he snarled at the males there, who immediately fell in line both in front of and behind him as he carried her toward where, she had no idea. Only one intelligible word was said repeatedly, not only by him, but by many of the males now surrounding them — “Ehlealah.”

  She was weak, starving, ill from
the infection raging through her body, and so damn tired of fighting. She decided if she was going to die at the hands of these aliens, at least this one was being semi-kind. She struggled to hold her head up to look at him once again, and he snarled some more sounds before he once more said that word, “Ehlealah.” She watched him only for a moment before her eyes rolled back in her head, and she passed out.

  Zha Quin Tha panicked, his female had lost consciousness. He’d only just found her, he couldn’t lose her already. He hurried back to his ship, barking orders at everyone he passed, his lead Lieutenant running ahead of him, yelling into his comm, “Now! Ready the healing chamber now! Our Sire has found his Ehlealah, she is dying! Ready it now!”

  Chapter 3

  Zha Quin Tha ran down the shiny, silver metallic corridors of his vessel, some of his men ahead of him clearing the way, those behind him securing their ship before pulling away from the slave ship and blasting it to oblivion. He burst into medical with his little human in his arms, a frantic look on his face, his Psi partially emerged.

  “Here! Here, Sire! I’ve got the chamber ready,” his Healing Master - the chief medical officer, indicated a room to the right, enclosed with glass walls. There a healing chamber awaited. The lid raised above it, the blue-white beams of its healing light already glowing from its interior.

  Zha Quin Tha did not pause — he headed straight into the room. His medical officer and medical assistants flooding the room behind him. His warriors immediately taking up positions of protection outside the glass door.

  Zha Quin laid his female on the hard, cold healing chamber table. The healer reached out to remove the cloak and Zha Quin snarled. The healer immediately pulled his hands back. “I must examine her to save her, Sire.”