The Parvac Emperor's Daughter (The Space Merchants Book 3)

by Wendie Nordgren

  Smiling sweetly at him, I thanked him as he left. I didn’t see a guard at the door. I finished feeding Neema and put her in the playpen. I activated the vid-screen. I searched the menu, but I found no way to make a call. Communications had been disabled. “Shit.” There were only silly little games on it and a camera.

  Arlo returned a few hours later. I smiled, stood, and went to him. “Did things go well?” I asked. I had practiced keeping my mind closed and my thoughts clear while he had been gone.

  “No, I still haven’t located where my father is being held.”

  “You must be hungry. I am. Will you join me for dinner?” I smiled at him. Arlo followed me into the kitchen. He opened the cold storage unit and placed two meals on the counter. While snooping, I had discovered that every meal was identical. We had chicken, mashed potatoes, and carrots. Our beverage was water. The beverage dispenser offered water, tea, or coffee. A cabinet labeled “Breakfast” had been filled with nutrition bars. A shelf in the cold storage unit had been stocked with containers of fruit and labeled “Lunch.”

  After dinner, Arlo informed me that it was bath time. I kept a serene expression on my face and buried my fear that my daughter and I were trapped with this man. Something was very wrong with him. I took Neema with me to our room and closed the door. The shower had a baby tub in it which made things much easier for us. An hour later, Arlo knocked on our door to make sure we were ready to go to bed. He stared at me and frowned. “What’s wrong?”

  “Why didn’t you braid your hair? Mother always braided her hair before she went to sleep.”

  Hiding my apprehension, I said, “I haven’t had time yet. I have grown accustomed to having the help of nurses and staff.”

  Arlo stood and waited. I pulled my hair over my shoulder and hastily braided it. He looked relieved. I went to the bathroom for a hair tie. “Goodnight,” he said as he closed my door.

  After hours of staring at the ceiling, I managed to sleep. Neema woke me. I tried my best to follow our usual morning routine. Then, I tried to prepare myself to leave our room. Once I did, I discovered the apartment was empty. I took a deep breath and carried Neema with me into the kitchen. I had a nutrition bar and a cup of coffee. Neema and I were left alone until dinner. Arlo followed the same routine as the day before. He even wore an identical suit. When he came to check that I was ready for bed, my hair was braided.

  “Goodnight.”

  “Arlo, wait. Please don’t go. Why don’t you sleep here with me? I’m frightened being all alone.” There was enough truth in my words to be convincing. He grabbed my arms and kissed me hard. I pulled away and tasted blood where my lip had caught between my teeth. “Arlo, I just want to be held. You can’t make love to me.”

  “Why not?”

  “You haven’t given me a marriage contract to read. I shouldn’t even allow you to kiss me without one.” I raised an eyebrow at him. He furrowed his brow. “You can sleep on top of the blankets.” I climbed under the covers and patted the bed. Obediently, he laid down beside me. I put my head on his shoulder and pulled his arm around me. Immediately, I could see the effect I had on him through his pajamas.

  “I should go.”

  “No, Arlo. Don’t leave me.” I moved my hand across his chest. It seemed much smaller without the suit. “Have you begun working on our marriage contract yet?”

  “No, it didn’t occur to me.”

  I sat up and scowled at him. “What do you mean? What kind of woman do you think I am? Have you changed your mind about me?”

  “No! I will begin work on it in the morning. Then, I will continue my search for my father. Please, don’t be angry.”

  I twisted the gold bracelet around my wrist and clearly projected my thoughts that if Arlo really loved me. He would give me another piece of jewelry for having upset me. I frowned at him and put my head back on his shoulder. “Tell me what our life will be like after you have rescued your father.”

  He began to tell me all about Consul Dano and what a brilliant man he was. I moved my finger along his wrist and spiraled pleasure through him. He gasped. “You must love your father very much.” I sent a stronger wave through him.

  “How did you do that? It’s not possible.”

  “Arlo, I’m Parvac.” I sent so much passion through him that his eyes squeezed shut. His pajama bottoms were no longer dry. Arlo fell into a deep satisfied sleep. I pulled the vid-screen off of the table and took several close up pictures of his open palm. Then, I hid it in the drawer and tried to sleep.

  Neema woke me. We were alone. The vid-screen was still in the drawer. I followed our morning routine. After my coffee, I put Neema in the playpen and grabbed the vid-screen. I pulled up the picture of Arlo’s palm and placed it against the scan pad. The panel beneath it began to beep. The door didn’t open. I went to Neema and picked her up. I heard running in the corridor. Arlo looked very angry. Knife was behind him.

  “What have you done?” Arlo picked up the vid-screen. He was furious.

  “You love your father. Can you not understand my love for my own Papa? I long to see his face and hear his voice. Let me call him and let him know I’m safe. He suffered enough when my mother was stolen from him.” The tears streaming from my eyes were honest. They calmed Arlo.

  Turning to Knife, Arlo said. “You will take her memories of her father so she is no longer tempted to contact him.”

  Horrified, I said, “No! Arlo, if you do such a thing, I will never love you or agree to be your wife.” I clutched Neema to me. I loved my Papa. Knowing he loved me back had changed something deep in my heart. Papa had loosened the hold Nathan Green had on me. I needed my memories of my Papa.

  “My lord, to do such a thing would be cruel and harmful to your lady,” Knife said.

  Arlo flew into a rage. He slapped Knife hard across the face. “How dare you question my orders? You answer to me and will do as you’re told!” Spittle flew from his mouth as he screamed. He slapped Knife again. Neema cried. I kissed her hair and hummed the song from my Grandmother’s music box to her. She calmed down.

  “Please, put the baby down,” Knife said. Shaking, I placed her in the playpen. Knife made me sit. Arlo paced angrily. The hand print on Knife’s face was red. Knife put his hands to either side of my head. “Relax. It will all be over before you know it.”

  I didn’t relax. I closed my mind down. I threw all of my walls up and hid from him. I went into the blackest part of my mind. It was the place where I shoved the boxes that were full of the things that frightened or hurt me. The boxes were all lost in the blackness. I had no idea what bad memory was where and deliberately didn’t think about them, so I wouldn’t remember. I held my happy memories close to me. I protected them behind my wall. I sensed Knife getting closer. I used my mind to force one of the boxes to him. I heard him draw in a breath. It was the memory of the Parvac soldier chasing after me in the forest with death in his eyes. I hurled another box at Knife and another. I made him relive Nathan Green as he hit me over and over again in anger for wetting the bed because I was too terrified of his stories of hybrid soldiers to walk to the bathroom. Knife retreated. I threw my memories of my father at him. I was angry. How dare Knife try to take more from me. He took my family from me and now he wanted to take my happy memories away, too? No.

  I threw my panic at him as I hid behind the neighbor’s garage in one of the small towns on the outskirts where we had briefly stayed. We never stayed in one place for long. I was five or six. It was late at night and cold. I dug my bare feet into the dirt to try to keep them warm. He had been angry, and I knew from his face he was going to hit me. He had had his leather belt in his hands. I had jumped from my window and ran from the belt’s sting. I curled myself into a ball and tried to be as still as possible. He found me and dragged me back to the house by my hair. I knew not to yell for help or make any noise. That would only make it worse. I threw all of my pain, fear, terror, loneliness, and heartbreak at him until I had nothing left to throw. Knife’s
hands fell from me. I heard a sound and opened my eyes. Knife had fallen to the floor. His eyes had rolled back, and he shook.

  “What have you done?” Arlo asked me. He was pale with shock. I went to him and flooded his system with all of the pleasure I could. He fell to his knees and passed out.

  I moved to Knife, took his blaster from his belt, turned it to the highest setting, and shot both of them twice. I put it on the couch and picked up Neema. I held her on my left hip and picked the blaster up. We went through the door and into the corridor. I began walking as fast as I could and counted my steps. Then, I turned and kept counting. A hybrid soldier was on his knees in front of us blocking our way. I fired at him repeatedly and stepped over him. My hands were damp with sweat. I made it to a ship and lowered the stairs. I climbed up and sealed the door. My heart was pounding. I sat in the flight chair with Neema in my lap. I placed the blaster on the console in front of me. Hurriedly, I powered up the systems and shields. I didn’t know how to lower the defense grid, but I knew how to shoot. I opened fire at the entrance as I shot the ship forward. The explosion I had caused propelled us forward at an odd angle. It took several minutes for the ship to stabilize. Neema cried.

  “It’s okay, baby. Mommy’s got you.” I tried to send her feelings of peace and serenity, but I felt emotionally drained.

  I looked through the navigational menu. I set the ship to maximum speed and entered Nephele’s coordinates. At our current speed, we could be there in a day and a half. I inspected the instrument panel. It was similar enough to a fighter. I had several weapons at my disposal. With the coordinates set, I began to relax. I fed Neema. Afterwards, I stood with her. The ship I had stolen wasn’t meant for long range travel. I had been in one of two pilot seats. There were five seats to each side of the ship. In the back was a small bathroom with a waste unit and a sink. Across from the restroom was a small galley with emergency rations and a beverage dispenser. I found an emergency medical kit in a drawer under the cups. There were no diapers or wipes. There were a few hand towels in the bathroom.

  “Well, Neema. It may be rough for the next few days, but at least we’re free.” I just hoped they didn’t come after us.

  I returned to the pilot’s seat and began searching for any form of tracking system. I located it and disabled it. I had a feeling they would know where I was heading. I searched for communications. They had been disabled, and I didn’t know how to repair them. I desperately wanted to call Eric or Kane. I wanted Papa and Grandmother or Uncle Kagan. Neema whimpered. I had to be strong for her sake.

  “It’s okay, baby. We’re together. Everything is going to be okay.”

  Neema chose that moment to make a stinky. I waited until I was sure she had finished. I removed her dress and placed it on one of the seats lining the side. I put her diaper in the waste unit and cleaned her off with waste paper. Luckily, the incinerator was operational. I turned on the water in the sink. It was a little on the cold side.

  “I’m sorry Neema, but we don’t have any wipes.”

  I held her rear end under the running water. She giggled at me. I cleaned her up. Then, I tried to make her a diaper out of a hand towel and some surgical tape. It was pathetic. My head started to pound. I had to hold her while I peed and washed my hands. I didn’t have a transport seat or any place to put her safely down. I made myself a cup of coffee and ate an emergency ration bar. Then, we went back to my pilot’s seat. I used the lowest weapons level possible to blast an asteroid that was heading for us. Neema giggled as it hit our shields. I hoped blowing up the docking bay would slow the hybrids down long enough for us to escape. Neema grew heavy in my arms. I moved her to my shoulder. I swiveled my chair and put my feet up on the other seat. I drowsed on and off. At least my headache made it impossible to sleep. I needed to stay awake.

  When Neema woke, I fed her and cleaned her in the sink before putting another makeshift diaper on her. With her on my hip, I washed the previous one in the sink with hand soap and draped it across the towel rack to dry. I had another ration bar and a cup of coffee. I talked to her about all of the fish we saw at the Ocean View Tunnel. Then, we watched the stars. Finally, Nephele came into view. We were running dangerously low on fuel. The land port was on the other side of the planet. I couldn’t make it that far. I double checked our shields before taking us through the planet’s atmosphere. Then, I flew us as close to the land port and a habitable area as I could get before I was forced to land. I had found an emergency blanket in the medical kit. I wrapped Neema in it. I tucked a few ration bars into the trap of my bra. I slipped some of the fabric at my hip through the blaster’s handle and secured it there with a knot.

  Then, I lowered the steps. I sighed in relief when my feet touched the ground. “Come on, Neema. We have a way to walk. Maybe the enforcers will drive out here to see why someone landed illegally.”

  After walking for thirty minutes in the cold, the enforcers didn’t show up, but a couple of Laconian farmers did. They were heavily armed. When they saw me, they rushed forward.

  “What are you doing out here alone? We saw a ship land and came to see what was happening.”

  “It was us. We were abducted and escaped. Please call the Militia.”

  One of the men picked me and Neema up and put us in their transport. Then, he took his jacket off and covered us with it. The men got in and sped along the dirt road. I was terrified they would turn us over to the hybrids and kept my freezing hand near Knife’s blaster. The men parked in front of a small market building. Neema and I were helped inside. It looked like the farmers sold produce here.

  One of the men went behind the counter to a communications screen. The other helped me sit in a chair. “Do you sell diapers and wipes here?”

  He rushed off down one of the aisles. “We’ve got a pregnant lady and a baby here. She flew in and says they were abducted.” I caught a glimpse of an enforcer on the screen.

  The enforcer said, “Are you armed?” The farmer nodded. “Are there other men in the area who can help guard her until we arrive?”

  “Yes, sir.” The call ended. The farmer called a few other people.

  Meanwhile, the other man brought us the supplies we needed. Neema was pleased to be in a real diaper. I wished I had a seat to put her in. My arms were sore. The man came back with a frame with a baby seat attached. It had a sticker on it asking for twenty credits. He helped me put Neema in the seat. It had been made of wood in the shape of a transport seat and then covered in leather. He secured her with leather safety straps. He pushed a button and it began to swing back and forth. Neema laughed. I rested my head in my hands.

  “May I make a few calls?”

  The man helped me call the Hadrian. An ensign answered, saw me, and put me through to the bridge. Ice blue eyes met mine.

  “Teagan, I’m so thankful you’re safe. Commander Bosh and his team are on the way to your location and should arrive within the hour.”

  “Eric, Arlo Dano was behind the attacks. He’s hired hybrid mercenaries and has a stockpile of thermo-resonator missiles. His base is a day and a half away on a moon. I blew my way out of the docking bay. I don’t know how far behind me they are. He told me he had seven hybrid soldiers with him. Arlo is crazy. I don’t mean that in a fun way. He’s searching for his father.” I watched Eric’s jaw as he ground his teeth together. “Eric, can you patch me through to Papa? Please?”

  He tapped away at the screen, but didn’t disappear from view. A furious Emperor Probus answered. “Papa!” I started to cry. I tried to tell him how happy I was to see him and how much I loved him, but it all came out as unintelligible babble.

  “Teagan, my darling. Are you hurt?” I shook my head. “Is Neema alright?” I turned, looked at her, and nodded.

  “Is everyone else okay?” I managed to say.

  “Yes, Teagan. They are fine. We are going to keep this channel open and talk to you until our men arrive.”

  “Okay, but I really need a bathroom break.” The farmer po
inted me to the restroom. I took Neema with me. He helped me fasten her back into the seat when we got back. The men had moved the chair and swing behind the counter so Eric and Papa could see us. I heard Eric telling Papa what I had told him. Several men with blaster rifles had arrived and continued to stream in. They took up positions near the windows. “Eric, they destroyed the bracelet Phillip gave me and my credit chip. Will you please pay for our diapers, wipes, and this swing?”

  “Of course, I will. Could you give her a cup of coffee?” Eric asked the man.

  I heard plasti-glass as it shattered and men yelling. I grabbed Neema from her seat and held her to my chest. Then, I freed my blaster. One of the farmers was down and clutching his chest. I saw Knife at the window. I fired at him from over the counter, but he ducked.

  “That sorry, no good, fucking asshole. He just won’t leave me alone,” I muttered. “I’ve already shot you twice with your own gun, leave us the hell alone!” I yelled. “I need a better gun.” The farmers next to me were firing at the mercenaries as they tried to enter the store. The other men had pulled their friend behind some shelving and fired their guns repeatedly. I could hear both Papa and Eric barking out orders or intel. I fired at one of the mercenaries and grazed him. “Shield your minds with everything you’ve got,” I yelled.

  Suddenly, Yukihyo barreled into Knife. Their movements were a blur. I saw Quaid firing a pulse rifle. Nico snapped a mercenary’s neck in the entrance to the store, flung him aside, and strode toward me. “Nico!” Gary was at his back. Nico rounded the counter and put his arms around me. Gary took up a position in front of the counter.

  Feeling Yukihyo’s strong presence just as I did, Neema began to cry and say, “Daddy! Daddy!” over and over again.

  Finally, the weapons fire ended. Yukihyo’s eyes were feral as he came to us behind the counter. The two farmers moved aside for him.

  “Daddy! Daddy!” Neema shook with her sobs. He took her from my arms and held her against his chest. He whispered soft words to her until her cries and shuddering sobs transcended into hiccups, but his eyes never left mine.