Chapter 77
Combat
Mundis looked at the view screens around the command bunker. His officers were giving orders to their units that were still fighting. The ships that Furonius had hidden behind the second moon had begun their attack and had achieved near complete surprise on the Visiok rear guard.
“How are we doing?” Mundis asked the Colonel.
“It’s too close to tell lad. We’ll have to see how Furonius’s reserves fend against those Visiok ships.” The Colonel said as he walked around the room checking the status of the remaining units. “It appears our adversaries are not as careless as we had hoped. Prince Azak has also held some ships back just in case of a surprise attack like the one we are attempting. I’ll hand it to these Visiok scum, they certainly know how to fight.” The Colonel said.
The alarm began to sound in the bunker. Red lights flashed and personnel ran in and out of the room.
“We’re breached! Visiok assault troops have entered the Palace!” the Colonel announced. Mundis watched in amazement as his troops calmly went about their tasks and donned their side arms. They knew they were about to be over run.
Mundis looked around the room. It was clear to him in his mind he was not really needed and just in the way here. He quietly slipped to the back of the command room and opened the door to what had been Lionette’s office.
“It’s in the top drawer on the left hand side My Lord.” Said the Colonel staring at him like a schoolteacher.
Mundis wasn’t sure just what he had meant so he simply nodded and went into the room and closed the door. He could hear the sound of explosions from above as the fighting was getting closer. Mundis made his way over to huge desk and opened the drawer. He looked down and saw a bottle of Feloid ale, his favorite, and a pistol in its holster. Is this what the Colonel was talking about? The ale was Mundis’s favorite, his drink of choice. He grabbed the bottle and held it close to his chest in trembling hands. He frantically began rifling around the desk for something to open the bottle with. He looked down again and saw the pistol in the drawer. He quickly drew the weapon and was about to strike the bottles top so he could drink its contents when he realized the pistol had been Lionette’s. It was the one he had given her when she had made her first kill in a dogfight. He remembered how happy she looked when she opened the box it was in. This pistol was one of her most cherished possessions because Mundis had always teased her about her combat abilities as any little brother would. The pistol represented to her that Mundis had, in reality, a great deal of respect for her prowess as warrior.
Mundis threw the bottle against the wall shattering it into pieces. He put the pistol back into the holster and fastened it around his waist.
“Did you find what you were looking for lad?” the Colonel asked as he stepped into the room.
“Yes, yes Colonel I did.” Mundis said smiling. He realized then that the Colonel had known he would waver and had put the two items in the drawer. The Colonel looked at the smashed bottle and back at Mundis. “You seem to have broken your bottle My Lord.” He said calmly.
“No matter, I have everything I need right here.” He said patting the holster hanging from his belt.
The Colonel walked up to Mundis and put his hand on his shoulder.
“Good choice my boy.” He said with a slight grin.
Mundis smiled back. “What would you have done if I had chosen the bottle my dear Colonel?” Mundis asked smiling.
The Colonel smiled back. “In all my years in service of this Clan never has a leader gone to his death stinking of alcohol. You were not going to be the first.” He took his other hand from behind his back. Mundis saw he was holding a gun in it. The Colonel slipped the pistol into his own holster then turned and walked towards the door.
“Colonel!” Mundis shouted.
The Colonel turned slowly and looked Mundis in the eye.
“I intend to have a bottle but only after our victory.” Mundis said awkwardly. “Would you join me then?”
The Colonel grinned slightly. “Only if you allow me to buy that bottle, it seems I owe you one anyway.”
Pep was beginning to tire. The Visiok forces kept coming no matter what she did. They had realized she would knock out any ships they threw against her so they pressed hard with the ground forces against the Palace far below her.
She stood leaning over the battlements looking down. Her heart was racing and she was burning up inside. She knew she was at her limits and had very little left. All she could think of was Matt at this moment. She hoped that she had satisfied the Colonels expectations enough for him to spare Matt’s life. Pep understood men like the Colonel. He was fanatically loyal to this Clan and wouldn’t hesitate for an instance in carrying out his threat against Matt if he thought Pep had not done her part.
Suddenly out of the corner of her eye she saw the mystery ship again. Something had told her to turn around and look. The ship was of a design she was unfamiliar with from working as a mechanic on the various Rebel ships but it had the distinct look of an Imperial ship about it. The ship swooped up and over the battlements and landed in one swift motion. Almost at once the landing ramp dropped open from below and a lone figure of a Feloid woman stepped out. She was dressed in some form of desert garb with her head uncovered. She held out a metallic staff that held a glowing purple crystal in the tip.
“Pep Pudin I presume? You are my prisoner, come with me peacefully and I won’t have to hurt you.” The woman said grinning an evil grin as though she wanted Pep to resist.
“Are you crazy?” Pep said half laughing. She had just destroyed ship after ship in the Visiok armada, what could this one woman do to her. “Leave me alone. I’m not finished here.” Pep said breathing heavily. She was thinking of the Colonel’s threat.
“Don’t make me hurt you Pep Pudin, my employer doesn’t want you damaged.” The Feloid woman said moving closer.
Pep noticed the striking similarity this woman had to Timtam with her bright pink hair. Her eyes gave away the difference though. They were full of hate and malice. As a slave she had seen eyes like those before in her many masters, they foreshadowed a sadistic soul. She was type that could only derive pleasure from inflicting pain on others.
Pep didn’t have time for this woman and her interruption. She needed to be focused on the task at hand. Her eyes glowed as she sent a powerful wall of force energy at the woman and her ship intending to send both over the edge.
Pep saw the woman grin just as she sent the wall towards her. She knew then she had made a horrible mistake.
The energy was immediately drawn into the crystal of the staff and launched back at her instantaneously. It was hurled back at her as a singular bolt of energy striking her in the chest and knocking her to the ground. Pep gasped for air, her eyes wide in shock. Her own power had been used against her to the point of near death. She lay on the cold stone floor of the tower fighting for air. She had a sharp pain in her chest she took to be broken ribs leaving her unable to move or defend herself.
“I don’t see what all the fuss about you was. You’re just a stupid little cat girl with powers you can’t understand.” Said Enna as she put stasis binders on Pep’s wrists and ankles.
“I’m taking you back to the Sith Doctor that gave you these abilities. In return she has promised to give me the same powers as you have.” She said smiling.
Pep looked up stunned. It had all happened so fast. The battle still raged on all around them but this woman seemed not to notice at all.
“Why?” Pep asked gasping for air.
“Why? I need to have these powers. I need them to save the Feloids from themselves. The Feloid race is crippled by these so-called Clans of theirs. They need to be united under one ruler so they can compete. The Galaxy is changing. Soon everything will be under control of the Empire and Humans. I will change that.” Enna said as she dragged Pep closer to her ship.
“Unlike you I can have children. Once I have these powers I will bring forth a new race of Feloid warriors. They will all have my powers and we will overthrow the Empire and the Humans. I will be the mother of a race of Gods with the ability to do anything. They will be unstoppable.” Enna seemed to be in another world completely oblivious to the battle raging around them.
“I can’t go yet…they’ll kill my man if I leave.” Pep wheezed fighting for air.
“You mean your Human man.” Enna said correcting Pep. “You’re better off without him. Humans are all animals. He only wants you because you bend over for him whenever he tells you to. We’re irresistible to them you know, a kind of novelty.” She said dismissing Pep’s pleas as meaningless.
Pep began to pass out from her injuries and fatigue. Enna had finished dragging her up the ramp and into the ship.
“Here they come! The first one of you bastards that runs will get shot in the back as a coward!” Bronski knew this would bolster the Feloids he had been put in charge of. He leaned on the barricade in front of the destroyed laser cannon and held out his hand to the Feloids that remained. He knew their best bet was to let the Visiok assault troops get close so their long-range guns didn’t give the Visioks an advantage against the gun crews shorter-range side arms.
He peered over the top using a piece of chrome from one of the Palace fixtures that had been blown to bits. The Visiok troops were just a few steps away.
This is what he had been born to do. He looked at the closest Feloid and laughed. The Feloid wasn’t sure who he was more frightened of, the Visiok troops or Bronski.
Bronski opened his bag and threw his grenades over the top one after another. There were explosions and screams on the other side of the barricade followed by a rain of debris and body parts.
“That’s got their attention!” Bronski laughed. He stood up and calmly fired at the remaining Visiok warriors as they made their attempt to storm the barricade. Each shot dropped one of the assaulting troops with a carefully placed shot to their heads.
The scatter caster used by Bronski did horrific damage due to each round carrying multiple explosive pellets. It was truly a frightening weapon to go up against at close range.
“Stay under cover and don’t be a hero!” Bronski yelled to his troops. They all began to fire at the Visiok soldiers from behind the cover of barricade now after Bronski had shown them that they could be killed and they weren’t supermen. Bronski sat back down and reloaded his gun shouting encouragements too his men.
“That’s the way boys, pour it on. Take your time and aim your shots.”
Bronski’s eyes went wide as he looked over the barricade for a new target. Through the smoke and flames he saw two battle frames lumbering towards them with their guns blazing. He noticed at once they were a Feloid design that was usually used in space for boarding other ships. He figured the pilots wouldn’t have too much experience in ground combat so he felt he had a good chance at taking them out. He grabbed his magna viewers and took a closer look. There it was, on the back of each one was the fuel tank for the maneuvering jets used in space.
“They forgot to take them off.” He said too himself. They wouldn’t be a danger in space since there was no oxygen to fuel and explosion if they got hit.
Here on a planet they would be very dangerous if ignited. He had to come up with a way to blow up the fuel tanks from a safe distance. The battle frames might be for use in space but that didn’t make the armor any thinner or the guns on them less dangerous.
All at once Bronski saw something big drop from the sky behind the two battle frames. It landed with a heavy thud but with all the smoke and flames in front of him he couldn’t make out just what it was. Then he saw it. A glowing bluish white beam of light slashing at the battle frames in the smoke and haze. Bronski laughed out loud when he heard Kang’s battle cry bellowing above the blaster fire and bombs. He hadn’t known what had happened to the others since his arrival after Lionette’s death so he was glad to see they were still in the fight.
Kang jabbed his light staff into the cockpit of one of the battle frames and shook it around doing untold horrors to the pilot inside. The ground next to him erupted as a hail of laser blasts barely missed him fired from the second battle frame. He deftly spun around cutting off one of the second ones legs causing it to fall flat on its face. A quick jab straight down with the light staff killed the second pilot.
“What took you so long?” Bronski asked standing up.
“I wanted to see who needed the most help.” Kang replied teasing Bronski about his combat prowess.
Lionette felt much better. Torbarr had given her fix and everything was good again. The pain was gone and she couldn’t understand why she had been so upset with all the things she had done.
She had been washed and taken back to Torbarr’s bed for some more of the same. The Princess of the Ty Clan was happy again. Everything was like it had been the first time except this time she knew what to expect. Torbarr was the one who controlled the Mother’s Milk so she had to be extra nice to him or she wouldn’t get any more.
The door opened and in came Torbarr smiling. “How is my little Princess this evening?” he asked.
Lionette rolled off the bed and onto the floor landing on all fours. She crawled over to him looking up with hungry eyes. She continued on and without replying she reached the place where he stood and bowed her head to touch his feet in an act of total submission. He bent down and grabbed her by the hair pulling her up to her knees.
“Who am I?” he asked looking down at her.
“You are my master.” She said touching his leg.
Torbarr yanked Lionette’s head back causing her to release his leg.
“You must ask permission before you touch me.” He snarled at her.
“Forgive me master.” She said looking down.
Torbarr grinned knowing Lionette would remember all of this once again after her dose wore off.
“I forgive you, now get in the bed.” He ordered.
Lionette stood up and eagerly ran to the bed like a child about to receive a present from a loving parent. She jumped on the soft mattress and slid backwards up to the headboard in a sitting position. Torbarr strode confidently up the bed looking at Lionette the entire time. She raised her arms over her head and back grabbing the headboard tightly. She moistened her lips and wriggled her hips and slowly pumped her legs back and forth in anticipation of what he was about to do to her.
Lionette had been reduced to her animal instincts by the powerful drug. She had no thoughts about what might be happening with her Clan or her friends. She only wanted to feel Torbarr’s body close to hers. It didn’t even have to be him as long as she would be made to feel good and stay that way. It was her new cause for living, the unbridled search for physical pleasure.
Just then Mir’tha came into the room. She immediately dropped to her knees and put her head on the floor. “Forgive me master but you have an urgent message being sent to you on the transmitter. You told me to get you if Zayer called you. It’s her my master, I made sure before I came in.” Mir’tha said.
Torbarr walked over to her angrily and kicked her in the side.
“Damn it!” he yelled as he walked out and down the hall. He didn’t care that poor Mir’tha had only done what she had been told to do, he was angry so someone had to be punished in his mind. Mir’tha rolled on the floor holding her hand over her mouth making sure not to make a sound. She knew if she had cried out it would be taken to be a protest of her punishment and Torbarr would beat her even more.
Torbarr made his way down the hallway into the transmitter room. He picked up the transmitter and took a moment to compose himself.
“Zayer? Is that you? What is it that I can do for you?” he asked calmly.
“Is she dead? Have you killed her yet?” Zayer asked.
“Oh, you want to know about Lionette. Well actually I was about to have a little more fun with her just as you called but you can rest assured that she will be dead eventually.” Torbarr replied.
“No, do it now Torbarr. Every second she is alive is a chance she might be rescued or escape. We have to have a dead body or the Ty Clan will believe that she could be alive. If her body isn’t on its way to me today I’ll send someone to do it for you and you’ll be left out of all the reward. Do you understand me Torbarr?” Zayer demanded.
Torbarr gritted his teeth hold back his anger. How dare she threaten him.
“I’ll do it right now and bring you the corpse today.” He said trying to sound calm.
“All right then Torbarr I’m giving you twenty four hours to have her body laying in front of me.” Zayer said grudgingly and signed off.
Torbarr threw the microphone at the transmitter and yelled angrily. He stormed out of the room and into the armory. Once inside he climbed into his battle armor and tested the plasma throwers. They could reduce a body to burnt flesh and bone in a matter of seconds.
Torbarr hurried back to the bedroom where Lionette was waiting for him. Both Mir’tha and Lionette were surprised to see him enter the room wearing his heavy armor.
“Is something wrong master? Are we under attack?” Mir’tha asked attentively.
“Shut up you idiot, of course something’s wrong! I’ve been ordered to kill her and bring her body back to Zayer this very day.” He yelled.
Mir’tha recoiled from fear. She knew how dangerous Torbarr was when he couldn’t have his way.
Even in her drugged state Lionette realized she was just seconds from death. She had lost touch completely with her warrior instincts. All she could do was sit looking at Torbarr horrified and wait to be incinerated.
Torbarr looked into Lionette’s eyes and she looked into his. She saw something in his gaze different just for a split second.
Torbarr turned his plasma gun towards Mir’tha.
“Master?” she said surprised.
He pulled the trigger firing the weapon at near point blank range hitting Mir’tha in her side. Mir’tha screamed in horror as she tried to run but Torbarr followed her with the plasma stream scorching her flesh until she collapsed.
“Zayer wants a body so I’ll bring her a body!” he yelled angrily.
Lionette covered her ears in an attempt to silence Mir’tha’s screaming. Finally it was over. Mir’tha’s body lay crumpled and curled up in a fetal position burning and filling the room with thick greasy black smoke.
Torbarr spoke into the microphone in his battle armor. “Sertera, come to my bedroom at once, I need you!” he said anxiously.
Torbarr clanked over to Mir’tha’s smoldering body and pulled the thick velvet curtains down on top of her to smother the remaining flames. Lionette covered her mouth and forced herself to swallow the bile that had risen in the back of her throat. She had never seen anyone burned alive before her eyes before. She kept seeing the expression on Mir’tha’s face in her minds eye as the flesh sizzled and fell away. Torbarr walked back over towards the bed and stood in front of Lionette.
“Get up.” He said coldly. “I have to make you disappear. I can’t be caught with you in my possession…not until I have my reward. I’m going to send you away. You’ll be looked after until I come for you.” He said.
Sertera shambled into the room. He hid the look of disgust from Torbarr as he saw the charred arm sticking out from under the curtain on the floor.
“Sertera, take her to Megar’s city on Tregess. Tell him to take care of her until I come for her.” was all Torbarr said.
Sertera reached out his hand to Lionette. “Come with me girl and be quick about it.” He said trying to get away from Torbarr after seeing what had just happened.
“Sertera, make sure Megar understands that she is my property and that she is not to be molested by any of his…creatures.” Torbarr said.
“It will be done as you have ordered master.” Sertera said pulling Lionette out of the room.
Sertera pulled a shaken Lionette down the hallway and outside until they reached a large weed filled patio area. It looked to have been very nice at one time but like everything in Torbarr’s home it was in serious need of repair. He continued on across the patio with Lionette in tow. The name of the place they were going sounded familiar to Lionette but in her altered state of mind she couldn’t recall what she knew about it.
They finally reached the lower landing field that contained three vessels. The first was a small transport about thirty feet in length. This is the one they would be taking. The second was Torbarr’s ship. It was long and sleek and had laser cannons mounted under the wings. The fourth was run down and looked as though at one time it was very luxurious. It was now only a symbol of Torbarr’s lost legacy.
“Get in and be quiet girl your life is now in my hands. I won’t lie to you. I was the one who informed Zayer that you were still alive. I didn’t know that Torbarr would kill Mir’tha instead of you but even that twist of fate has fallen into my favor.
You see I intend to tell Zayer that the body he is bringing her is not you. She will of coarse kill Torbarr for his deception leaving me the soul owner of all of his belongings as well as receiving a fine reward from her for informing on my ex-master. I am too old to need a young beautiful slave with your …complexities so I will take you too Megar and sell you. I need money more than a companion.” Sertera said as he piloted the ship into space.
“What is this place you are taking me too?” Lionette asked hesitantly.
“Your worse nightmare my dear. A living hell.” He said calmly.
If you have enjoyed these stories please check out my first all original book series at Amazon.com. The title is Beyond the Crystal Heaven.
Once again thank you for your support.
Last Updated (Tuesday, 10 September 2013 02:40)