by Abella Ward
We were all pressed into the elevator together. I understood now why Strath had sent his women to dress me. I blended in perfectly. No one, other than his guards, would know who I was. I could enjoy the festivities like I was one of them.
The elevator doors opened to a huge open-air room. The high ceiling above us was a curved screen that showed the stars. I stepped out of the elevator and looked down at the scene below me with wonder.
There were fire dancers on high platforms, swinging burning lanterns around them. Food was laid out everywhere, birds and suckling pigs, fish, shrimp, piles of fruits and decadent chocolate desserts. My stomach rumbled at all of the food. Half-dressed human and Dolcivs women handed out drinks to waiting people.
Everyone was dressed in the same way I was. Short togas and elaborate masks. There was a dance floor where people twirled and spun while a live band played from a recessed alcove. I stepped down into the gathering, Strath’s women following closely behind me.
I could easily guess that the Festival of Salt and Sea was an old holdover from when Strath’s family still had land on the Dolcivs home world. It was a celebration of the sea, for the bounty of harvest it had formerly brought to the Dolcivs people. Even though they were far from the sea, Strath brought this tradition into space with him.
It was good for the people on this ship to have an occasion to celebrate. I saw nothing but smiles on the faces of the people I passed. But it wasn’t just smiles I encountered, touching was a huge part of the festivities. Everyone that I passed touched me. Hands caressed my bare shoulders and clasped the back of my thigh, stroked my arms. There was nothing cruel or malicious in these touches. It was about connecting with the people all around you, strengthening the sense of community on board.
The women stopped in line for a drink. They got one for me and they smiled as they brought the cup to my lips. I took a sip, the drink was sweet but strong. I tried to stop, but the women wouldn’t let me. They held me still as the cupped tipped back and I drank it all.
I felt the effect almost immediately. My limbs tingled and my head felt light, but in a pleasant way. It felt like I was floating. I forgot about my minders and where I was. Instead, I moved wherever my legs decided to take me. I wove through the crowd, making my way to the dance floor.
I put one foot on the dance floor and immediately, a full-grown Dolcivs man grabbed my wrist and spun me in a dance. I giggled and spun with him, but it wasn’t long before a female Dolcivs took my hips in her hand and guided me to her. A human man took me from her, he pulled me close, I could feel his warm breath on my neck. My body tingled as his hands came around me.
Strath’s women pulled me away from him and towards the three of them, together we began to dance. There were no specific steps, it wasn’t that kind of dance. Instead, we moved and writhed together with the rhythm of the music. I traced my hand along the Dolcivs females’ upper arm while another came from behind and kissed the back of my neck.
I had never felt so free and unencumbered. I forgot about the rebellion, my ship and my people back on Earth. I forgot that I was at war with half the people around me. All I knew was the music flowing through my veins and the touches of the people around me. My every sensation was heightened. I could feel, hear and smell everything.
I closed my eyes and swayed with the music. It wasn’t surprising to feel a strong pair of Dolcivs’ hands come around me. I was pulled back against someone. Their hands were exploring me. They cupped my breasts and then traced a line down my stomach and down to my legs. Fingers ran along my neck and my collarbone. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back on this stranger’s shoulders, letting him put his hands wherever he wanted.
I kept expecting one of Strath’s women to pull this man off me. His hands continued to move and still they did not come. Then the Dolcivs male who had been holding me spun me around and I was looking up at the familiar face of Historan Strath. I was surprised, but not in an unpleasant way. I didn’t pull away from him, I didn’t want to. His hands on me were hypnotic and I didn’t want him to stop. I didn’t know where my senses went. I was lost in the sensation of his hands.
He tilted my chin up and I looked into his shining blue eyes. I parted my lips and without hesitation,he was crashing down onto me. His lips met mine. His arms wrapped around me as he lifted me off my feet. I wrapped my legs around his waist as our kiss deepened.
The people around us didn’t even blink at our display. Strath walked us back until I was pushed against the wall. He pinned my arms above my head and kissed me deeply. Our tongues met and danced as I writhed against him.
“I think the drink has gone to your head,” he whispered. He moved to my neck, kissing, licking and biting it. I was helpless underneath his attentions.
My body ached for his touch; my face was flushed. I took deep breaths and looked at the stars above me. They seemed to be spinning, which I knew wasn’t right.
“Everything is spinning,” I whispered into his ear. He stopped kissing my neck. He leaned forward and put his forehead against mine. I stared into his bright blue eyes.
“I think you have had too much to drink. I should let you go, even though it pains me to do so.”
He released my hands and I rested them on his strong shoulders. He looked at me one last time and then slowly lowered me to the ground. I was unsteady on my feet and I reached out for him. I took his large hand in mine. His women were there immediately. He whispered something to one of them and then they surrounded me.
They took me by the arms and led to me a small couch. It was near a pool of clear water where bright yellow fish swam just under the surface. The cool air felt lovely on my flushed cheeks. They brought me a glass of cold water and a plate piled high with food. I ate it all with relish, each bite more delicious than the last. Everything around me seemed to sparkle and shine.
I could see why humans had come to call this place home. Strath was a good ruler who cared about the happiness of his people. He spared no expense at this party and it showed. I wondered, for the first time, about Strath’s offer to keep me here. It was an enticing idea, but I didn’t think it would be possible for me. I wasn’t the kind of person who stayed in one place. I was always running, always moving, but maybe it didn’t have to be like that. Maybe I could stay here, under the protection of this Lost Lord.
All around me people were quieting and the music was stopping. Slowly, a hush fell over the huge open space as everyone turned their eyes up. I saw a raised throne high above us and Strath slowly walked to a platform at the center.
People began to clap and cheer. They screamed out his name, they called out that they loved him. The faces around me were enraptured as they stared up at their leader.
“My people,” he called out and the cheering stopped. He looked around at everyone, smiling down to the crowd. “When my father was forced to abandon his lands, we feared the worst. It was a time of great chaos. But you trusted the Strath family to guide you to safety. We made the great and dangerous journey, we risked all when we took to our ships.
“It was the greatest gamble of our lives. The Regime threatened to hunt us down, to bring us home in chains. But not only have we survived, we have thrived!” Thunderous applause filled the room.
“Everything you see before you belongs to us! We have worked for it and the Regime has no claim to it. We are free and ever shall that freedom remain ours!” Cheers erupted again, so loud that my ears ached.
“My fellows, tonight I command you to eat and drink and love. Leave your worries and care for tomorrow. Tonight, we celebrate!”
They loved him, I realized as I looked at the shining faces around me. Even the women from his bed stared up him with rapt gazes. There was no amount of money that could buy this devotion, he had earned it. I looked up at him on his throne and I wondered if my face matched the devoted ones around me.
Chapter Five
I woke up the next morning in a daze. I looked around my unfamiliar room. It took me a long whi
le to remember where I was and what had brought me here. I barely remembered stumbling back to my room after the Festival of Sea and Salt. I dimly remembered Strath’s women guiding me back here and helping me undress, tucking me into bed.
Sitting up, I could see my dress in a crumpled pile in the corner. My pillow was smeared with the remains of my eye makeup. Was it only last night I had worn that glittery toga and danced the strange beat of Dolcivs music? Was it only last night that I had felt so free and unencumbered? Now, as the lights brightened to indicate the morning, the realities of where I was came rushing back to me.
What had happened last night? Had I kissed Strath? No, I had done more than that. I remembered his body pressed up against mine. His tongue on mine. His hands pinning me to the wall. I had wanted it. I had wanted him. If he had taken me right there, I would have given myself to him without hesitation. I would have rather woken up in his bed with his arms around me, than in here all alone. That scared me. I hadn’t come to this system to become the bedmate to some Dolcivs Lost Lord. I had come here to get plans for the rebellion.
I showered and dressed in a loose-fitting toga. I missed my human clothes, my pants and shirts that allowed movement and stealth. The toga was beautiful, but not terribly functional and I felt overdressed in it. I wanted to blend in and I worried the soft flowing robes would be too beautiful to be ignored.
I tried the door, but found, unsurprisingly, that it was locked from the outside. I needed to get out. I needed to get off of this ship. It was too tempting here. The food was too good, the clothes too nice. And then there was Strath. Strath with his strong hands and his taste in human art. He was too good. He was a handsome and charismatic leader and after one drink I had melted in his arms.
That wasn’t who I was. I wasn't some girl who fell head over heels for a powerful man. I was a human and a member of the rebellion. I answered to a higher calling. I was working not for my own good, but for the good of my people.
I had been forcing myself to forget my humanity and my place in the rebellion. I feared that if I thought about it, Strath could read the truth of what I was doing here on my face. I let myself forget, but that had been a dangerous idea. It was too easy to forget, too easy to slip into this life of comfort.
I needed to get off this ship before I was lost to it. Before the grand galas and rich meals started to feel normal. This wasn’t the life I led or the life I wanted. I lived on the edges where it was hard and dangerous. I was a fighter in a war, I couldn’t afford to become soft.
I felt along the wall, searching for the warmth that would indicate a technology junction. I felt it with the palm of my hand, to the left of the door. Using a board from the closet, I pried the wall away. My fingers bled as my nails pulled and pried at the plastic covering. With a grunt and one final pull, the panel came off and I could see the junction box. It took me only a moment to find the connector to the door. I disabled the power and just as I hoped, cutting the power forced the door up.
With a confidence I didn’t feel, I stepped out into the long empty hallway. I didn’t look around me. I walked with a purpose, my eyes straight ahead. I tried to look like I knew where I was going as I headed toward the elevator. I pushed a button to call it and then waited. I forced myself not to fidget. It seemed to take forever. I glanced down the hallway expecting any moment for someone to round the corner and catch me.
The elevator arrived and I stepped inside and stared at the panel. I saw the sign for the hangar bay and pressed that button and felt a familiar pull in my stomach as the elevator began to move. It came to a stop before the hangar bay and my heart stopped as another person stepped in. It was a human male, he nodded at me and I nodded back. Luckily he turned and faced the door. I was grateful he wasn’t trying to make conversation. Thankfully, the ship was so big that there was no way for everyone to know everyone else. To him, I was just another human woman going about my business.
The man got off and I breathed a sigh of relief. I watched as floor by floor the elevator made its way to the hangar. I paced in the elevator. I couldn’t take it anymore. This waiting was driving me crazy. I could be caught at any moment. Did the Dolcivs know that I had left my room? How much time did I have?
The doors opened and I ducked into the hangar bay and hid behind a protrusion in the wall. I peered around the protrusion, looking to see if there were any guards, but the place was silent and nearly empty. Everyone was recuperating from last night, no doubt.
I moved through the hangar bay wishing I had something else to wear. In my fancy toga, I wasn’t blending in very well. I needed a pair of coveralls or something. Above me, I could see several Dolcivs guards and engineers moving about in the control room. So far they hadn’t seen me. I stayed out of sight of the control room and hurried towards the back of the hangar.
I knew that Strath was powerful, but I hadn’t expected an armada of this size. He had what appeared to be dozens of fighter ships of all size with his insignia burned on the side. They lined the walls, looking well-maintained and ready for a fight. I passed underneath feeling naked and exposed underneath their brute strength.
There she was, my baby. Zephyr was her name. It was an ancient word that meant West Wind. The rebellion had captured it from some rogue Dolcivs smugglers and it had been given to me to carry out my missions.
She was a large ship with smooth flowing lines. I spent a lot of time and money making her shine. I loved that ship, warts and all. Compared to Strath’s sleek fighters the Zephyr looked especially dingy. There were dents on the side and scratches from the various dogfights she had been in throughout her long life. But I wouldn’t have traded her for anything.
I could see materials from the inside of my ship scattered about. There were my bed and sheets, there was my couch from the lounge. My pictures and the little treasures I had collected, a calcified bird’s egg, a plate made for me by stranded humans I had picked up on a run. I didn’t like seeing them scattered everywhere as if they were meaningless. They meant something to me. But I would have to leave them behind. There would be no time to gather any of it.
Every last inch of my ship had been ripped apart and searched thoroughly or so they thought. From the rubble, I guessed that they were still stuck on five hiding spots. Only five more to go, I thought with a wicked smile. They would never find them all.
Moving quickly and hunched over, I made my way to my ship. I used my own furniture as a shield moving from couch to chair, hiding behind each piece, slowly getting closer and closer.
There it was, only a few feet away, the door to my ship. I could make it. I would run onboard. They had no doubt disabled my computer, but I was ready for that. I had a backup computer installed on the ship. It didn’t have the functionality of the main computer, but it could activate engines, navigation and life support in an instant and that was all I needed to run.
I just needed to get on board and access the main panel. From there I could start the computer, lock the ship up and blast my way out of there. I paused, did I really want to blast my way out of here? I would make an enemy of Strath if I did. He was a powerful Lord. Wouldn’t it be better to have him on my side rather than as my enemy? He had been so kind to me, it felt wrong to reward his kindness with betrayal and destruction of his hangar bay.
I was hesitating, I had never hesitated before. I wasn’t the kind of girl to overthink my actions. I made a plan and then executed it. But I was learning all new sorts of things about myself on this ship.
I stared at the door, debating what to do. If only I had more time. But the truth was I didn’t and I knew it. The rebellion needed these plans. I didn’t have the time to try and turn Strath to our side as that could take weeks or even months. The rebellion needed these plans today. People were fighting and dying in the war and I had the ability to help them. I had to get the plans and go. I would do minimal damage to Strath’s ship on my way out. Once the plans were delivered, I would come back and try to find some way to make it up to him.
Taking a deep breath, I stared at the door and then decided this was it. I needed to run. I crouched down and just as I was about to rush forward a strong hand came down and grabbed my hair.
I screamed as my head was jerked back. I reached for the hand holding my hair, but it was a Dolcivs hand. I swatted and pulled at it, but it was like an ant fighting an elephant. The guard ignored the blows and scratches from my hand as if they were nothing. I struggled to turn my head and see who had me. I just managed to see a Dolcivs male glaring down at me. His hand tightened its grip on my hair as he pulled me back. I scrambled, struggling to get to my feet and get some control over my actions. But when I managed to get my feet below me, he kicked them and I was down again.
“I wasn’t doing anything,” I called out. “I was just checking on my ship. Let me go!”
But the Dolcivs guard didn’t care. His face remained a permanent grimace. He did not speak or even look me in the eye. He led me to a weapons locker and pulled out a pair of cuffs. He spun me around and pushed me against a wall, locking the cuffs tightly around my wrists. Saying nothing, he pushed me forward towards the elevator.
I shouldn’t have hesitated. That was my mistake. I should have run, but the thought of hurting Strath had stopped me. I held back tears and shook my head to clear them. I would not cry in front of this guard. I needed to be strong. Maybe there was some way I could talk my way out of this.
The elevator went on for a very long time. The guard and I rode in silence. I kept glancing up at him, but I never met his eye.
“Where are we going?” I asked him, but his only answer was silence.
The doors finally opened up revealing a dark and dank prison. A horrible smell hit my nose, the smell of sewage and sweat and misery. This wasn’t like the prison cell I had been in before, this was much, much worse.
It was freezing cold down here. The air was thick with moisture. We must have been near the ship’s coolants. Condensation ran down the walls and dripped into filthy puddles on the rough floor. Haggard looking people peered out from their dark cells. They were emaciated, their eyes sunk deep in their lined faces. They were dressed in rags, the men with thick, dirty beards that hung down to their chest.
