Chapter 61
Out of the fire
“Easy now friend, just put the gun away.” The Feloid said.
Hudd was pointing the rifle that the woman in white had dropped at the second group of Feloids that were now approaching him and Mykala. He had been able to pull the blood stained fur coat off of the woman and cover Mykala with it.
“Is your name Hudd? Granic sent us to find you. We’re the people that you should have seen.” The Feloid said holding up his hands to show he wasn’t carrying a weapon.
“Tell me something about Granic so I know he sent you.” Hudd yelled.
“He’s an arrogant jerk.” The Feloid yelled back.
Hudd smiled. They did know Granic.
“Thank the Force you came. She’s hurt real bad. I think her back is broken.” Hudd said putting down the rifle.
“My name is Reez. We’re going to get you out of here as soon as we can.” The Feloid said. He turned and gave the others with him some orders in Feloid. He came over to Mykala and took off his coat and covered her legs with it.
“I sent them to get a healer and a stretcher so we can all get out of this cold hangar. Don’t worry my friend we will take good care of you. By the way do you have the money for the parts?” Reez asked.
“First you take care of her then we talk about the money.” Hudd said as Reez helped him to his feet.
“Sorry, of course, of course. We’ll take care of the money after we get her the help she needs.” He said through his heavy scarf.
The Feloids he had sent for help came back with a medical team. They carefully slid Mykala onto a backboard as to reduce any further damage to her back.
They went through the door and into a vestibule type area that kept the frigid air out and the warmer air inside. Hudd could feel his face burn as he noticed this area was actually warm. He also noticed that the whole place was modern. Everything in the place was recently made in at least the past five years. The wall and floor panels were a type of insulated plastic that covered the older structures stone and brick. He followed as best he could as they rushed Mykala down the corridors and into the medical facility.
Reez had caught up with Hudd finally as they both watched the other Feloids place Mykala gently on the operating room table.
“It looks like you took a beating too. Wait here and I’ll get a medical droid for you.” Reez said as he hurried down the hall.
Hudd slowly pulled heavy coat and gloves off his battered body. He was able to get a look at the blaster wounds in his arm and shoulder for the first time. Ice had formed around the wound that had frozen the burnt tissue. The frozen cells in the muscle and bone were most likely dead and would have to be cut away. He decided to leave his boot on until the droid came. The swelling from the break would have made it impossible to pull it off anyway. The med droid would have to cut the boot off.
Feloids were hurrying into the operating room accompanied by medical droids. Mykala was going to get the help she needed. The pain from his wounds increased as he began to thaw out a little more.
“You’ll be okay now.” Reez said as he came back with a med droid.
“I need to get a message back home. Nobody knows what’s happened to us.” Hudd said.
“I’ll call Granic soon and let him know. But first I want to make sure you two are treated so I know what to tell him. A few more hours won’t make a difference now.” Reez said.
The med droid gave Hudd a shot to ease the pain. He began to feel sleepy.
“Okay Reez. We can wait a little longer but just don’t let me pass…” Hudd said before he passed out.
Bronski watched as the load lifter carefully carried his battle frame out of the cargo bay and lowered it down onto the landing field. He walked around the behemoth checking for any damage that it may have taken on the journey.
“Well I’m all ready Mr. Bronski.” Deirta said. She had her hands full of baby supplies and her child.
“I have a cab waiting with my stuff in it waiting to take you and my stuff to the hotel. I left a message card on the bag with my stuff. It has all the information you need in it.” He said smiling.
“Thank you Mr. Bronski, I’ll take good care of your belongings for you till you get back I promise.” She said. She waved goodbye as best she could with her arms full and walked to the cab.
Bronski laughed too himself thinking just how safe his socks and underwear were going to be.
Bronski pulled down the access lever and waited for the cockpit to open on the battle frame. It opened with a pop and a hiss as the air pressure stabilized from the inside. He grabbed the handholds of the machine and climbed inside. He ran a quick diagnostic on the internal and external systems until the control panel was showing all green lights.
Suddenly and official from the landing field ran up to him and began yelling at him. “Hey you! Get out of that thing! You can’t operate a military vehicle here. We just had a huge shoot up a few days ago. Just what do you think you’re doing?’” he yelled red faced.
Bronski looked down calmly at the official and lit his cigar.
“Lets just call it round two.” Bronski pulled out the tracking chip that he had cut out of Tarin’s neck and switched it back on.
“I’m calling security!” the man yelled.
“That’s a good idea, you’re going to need it.” Bronski said smiling at the man.
Bronski looked across the field and saw a glint of light reflecting off of something moving across the field in his direction. Even he was surprised how fast it showed up.
“I’d get out of here if I was you buddy. Looks like the show’s about to start.” He said as he reached up and grabbed the handle on the cockpit hatch. The official looked back and saw the droid coming their way. He jumped down off of the ramp and began to run away as fast as he could without saying a word.
“Now that boy has got some real good instincts. I can see why they put him in charge.” Bronski said to himself as he chewed his cigar. He took one last puff from it and spit it out onto the ground and closed the hatch.
Matt woke up and rolled over. Pep was gone.
“Pep!” he yelled. There was no answer. He looked around frantically and noticed the closet was open as if someone had taken some clothes out. He jumped out of bed and grabbed his boots. Matt yelled for Pep again but there was still no reply. Grabbing his shirt with his other hand he took the stairs down two at a time. He called her name a few more times as he put on his shirt and boots. The lower rooms were silent. Pep had gone.
He cursed himself for falling asleep on her as he opened the front door and ran outside crashing into Timtam. Matt and Timtam hit the ground tumbling over each other.
“Timtam are you okay?” Pep yelled.
Timtam sat up rubbing her knee. “I think so.” She grimaced.
“Matt what are you doing? Is everything okay?” Pep said as she began to help Timtam to her feet.
Matt looked up and breathed a sigh of relief. “I didn’t know where you had gone.”
“Timtam did I hurt you?” Matt said as he got up.
“I’m okay Matt. Just a little tumble.” Timtam replied politely as she rubbed her knee.
“Come on lets all go inside and sit down.” Pep smiled at Matt. She could see how worried he had been. He really loved her and missed her.
Matt helped Timtam into their quarters and over to the couch. Matt told Pep to sit with Timtam as he went and got them all something cool to drink.
Timtam looked at Pep and twitched her ears towards her and then winked her eye that was closest to Matt. “He really worries about you. You are lucky.” She had said in girl talk.
Pep pulled her hair back and let it drop over her shoulders. She then twitched her left ear then her right. “I love him very much. He is good to me.” Pep replied in the same fashion.
Timtam smiled.
“Timtam just stopped over to see if I needed anything and how I was doing.” Pep said to Matt.
“We’re doing good. Now that Pep’s back home everything will be the same as it was.” Matt said hoping his words would come true.
“How are you and Hudd doing?” Pep asked grinning. After the ordeal they had gone through together Pep was glad that at least Timtam had met a good man.
Timtam’s eyes welled up. It was obvious that something was wrong.
“Mykala and Hudd went to pick up some parts and no one has heard anything from them since.” She said looking up at them.
“Isn’t anybody doing anything about it?” Matt asked surprised.
“Granic is trying to reach them but so far he can’t find out anything.” Timtam said biting her fingernail.
“I’ll bet Granic set this whole trip up too didn’t he.” Matt said.
Timtam shook her head yes.
“I knew it. That Reptus bastard only cares what happens to other Reptus. He probably didn’t do any security check as long as he was sending humans and was getting a good price.” Matt added angrily.
“Take it easy Matt. We don’t know anything right now.” Pep said trying to calm him down. She knew it would only wind up scaring Timtam.
Matt looked at Pep and saw what she was trying to do. “You’re right Pep. We don’t know what’s happened.” He said smiling and trying to reassure Timtam.
“Matt would you mind going to see Granic and see if there’s any news please?”
Matt smiled unconvincingly at the two women. “Good idea Pep. I’ll just go and see if there’s any news.” Matt opened the door and left.
Timtam looked at the door in silence for a moment.
“They’re dead. They’re both dead and nobody wants to tell me.” She covered her face and began to cry.
“Nobody knows anything Timtam I promise. It may be a million things. Look at all the things we went through and came back. He has Mykala with him. She won’t let anything happen.” Pep said rubbing Timtam’s back to comfort her.
“I just want to know. It’s killing me that I don’t know.” Timtam said.
Lionette landed the Blood claw at the fortress. It was the main military facility on Ty Prime. It’s origins and builders belonged to the founder of the Ty clan two hundred years ago.
She was greeted by an officer who quickly escorted her to the Colonel’s headquarters.
“Greetings your Highness.” The Colonel said as he stood at attention behind his desk.
“Please let us dispense with the usual formalities Colonel. You are as family to me, only more loyal.” She corrected herself as she recalled it was he that executed her sister’s co-conspirators.
“I’m uneasy with that kind of attitude…it’s not normal.” He said.
Lionette continued. “I need your special talents once again Colonel. I need you to find out what my friend has been doing since she arose from the grave. I need to know if she is lying to us. I’m not even sure she isn’t a clone or something.” Lionette said sitting down and pulling off her gloves.
“Where shall I start My Lady?” he asked sitting back down.
Lionette slide an information chip across the desk to him. “I’ve recorded everything I can remember about the night of her death and the events leading up to it on that chip. It should give you all the information you need.
“It will be done My Lady.” He said as he put the chip in a vault under the desk.
“What has happened with the girl Pep? Have you continued to monitor the situation?” she asked.
“Yes My Lady. It seems that after killing the slavers and stealing a human freighter she took all the cat girls from the camp and has made some sort of deal with Brumbarus to let them live on Geirgor. We haven’t been able to learn anything about why she did it though.” He said looking at a report.
“Maybe that is where she was born. Maybe she wanted to free the rest of them like she has been.” Lionette said stroking her chin.
“Why do you think she would care about them?” he asked surprised.
“Because that’s what I would have done. I would have freed my family.” She said.
“Yes of course you would but she’s a cat girl, a savage. I don’t think they possess such loyalties.” He said.
“I wouldn’t think a cat girl could crush a medium sized flyer with her mind or burn them to a cinder either but she seems to have the ability to do that. Don’t sell this girl short Colonel there’s more to her than you may think.”
“Point taken My Lady.” He said.
“Any thing else on our friends comings and goings?” she asked.
“It seems that Adda Beddo has disappeared from the planet she was exiled too. Kllair and her murderers have left without notice and no one has any idea where they are. We think the assassin Kllair and her crew may have rescued Adda for some reason. These two disappearances both happened virtually the same time.”
“Kllair always seemed overly interested in Adda for some reason.” Lionette said in agreement.
“What of Timtam and that new man of hers.” Lionette asked pretending not to be too interested.
“We’re still looking into that. It seems that he went to pick up some parts they had bought from some criminals. Mykala had gone with him so she could make sure he was safe for Timtam’s sake.” He said.
“Good for her.” Lionette said pleased.
“At this point however no one has had any communications with either of them. I think they ran into trouble.” He said.
“Do we have a contact there? Someone reliable?” she asked.
“Not reliable but she is on your payroll.” He replied.
“Put her on it and make sure she’s discreet.” Lionette said.
“Yes My Lady.” He replied as he made a note on the report.
“Really Colonel can’t you just call me by my name? You’re more like an uncle to me than a subject.” She asked.
“No My Lady. It just isn’t proper. You are my leader and that line must never be blurred no matter what.” He replied calmly.
Lionette sighed. He would never change his ways. Maybe that’s why she trusted him over anybody else.
“What else do you have to report?” she asked.
“The rest of the Rebels seem to be doing nothing extraordinary. Kang and the other Reptus seem to be formulating a plan that goes back to Stella’s original agenda of securing the services of pirates and other criminal elements to help undermine the Empire but they have nothing ready yet.” He said.
“Well if that’s everything I guess I’ll be going.” She said.
“You’re doing the right thing by the way.” The Colonel said.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Keeping an eye on them. The new surveillance protocols.” He said standing.
“I didn’t want to.” She said.
“They gave you no choice. Just remember your sister My Lady. If you would have had her watched sooner maybe we could have stopped things before they got…out of control.” He said as he stood at ease behind the desk.
“We must be patient with them. They are our guests and they need to be protected, even from their selves at times. They’re not like us Colonel.” She said putting her gloves back on.
“No Ma’am they certainly are not.” He said trying not to sound too superior.
It was night in Portila. A cold soaking rain had been coming down all day and night. The city needed the rain to wash the filth from the factories down into the sewers. It was an Imperial city. It was part of the war machine of the Emperor.
Zayer walked down the streets keeping to the shadows. She had regretted taking the job now but she also knew it was too late to back out. Once she had finished this meeting and had her instructions she would be on her way. She was still wanted by the Empire for shooting an officer. The officer lived but the Imperial courts didn’t care. They didn’t care that it was self-defense on her part. He had attacked her. None of that mattered. Imperial officers did not assault women so she must be to blame. She was the guilty one not him. That was their ruling so she had no choice put to run.
Zayer kept to the shadows and made sure her hood and cloak were pulled up tight around her head to hide her bone white skin and tattoos. They were all she had left of her former life. She still had her abilities but she was rusty and would never be able to survive against one of her kind if she was ever unlucky enough to come across one again. She stopped at the corner opposite the bar where she was supposed to meet her contact. Zayer hesitated and stepped back into the darkness of the alley and watched. Speeders zipped up and down the street. Their headlights flashed and reflected the puddles of water that had filled due to the storm. The rain was coming down heavier now drenching everything and overflowing the sewers. Even in this weather the people here still left their Imperial funded apartments and ventured out into the storm to find companionship. Under the Empire you would have to find happiness anywhere you could either in the bottom of a bottle or in the arms of another person.
She closed her eyes and tried to sense any danger. Her abilities were shaky to say the least. She never had been the best of her kind but she had been competent. She felt nothing. Her abilities were worse than she thought.
Zayer took a deep breath and headed across the street being careful not to get hit by one of the speeders. Once on the other side she stopped just outside the door of the bar. “The End of the Galaxy” the sign said. This was the place. She went inside and was immediately assaulted by the loud thumping music. It was larger than it looked from the outside. The whole interior was complete chaos. Lights flashed and music thumped and screeched without any rest bit. This was the perfect place for a clandestine meeting. It was so confusing inside that it would be hard to hear other people’s conversation.
Zayer made her way to the back of the bar pushing her way through the crowd of dancing patrons that filled most of the interior. She found a spot in one of the back corners and waited. An hour passed without anyone showing up. The tension was beginning to get to her. The noise and confusion in the bar were wearing her down. She couldn’t focus on anything.
Just then a hand grabbed her from behind. The hand was attached to a huge Twi’lek. He had green skin and was dressed in pilot’s one-piece coveralls.
“Your name Zayer?” he yelled over the noise.
“Who wants to know.” She asked after she twirled and with a flourish of her cape dislodged his hand.
“A Wytch? Nobody told me you were a Wytch he said taking a step back. Her hood had fallen back when she broke free of his grasp revealing her white skin and black and red tattoos covering her face. She quickly pulled her hood back up and stepped back into the shadows. The Twi’lek was standing staring at her not sure what to do next. She reached out and grabbed his wrist and quickly dragged him through the back door into the alley.
“Who sent you?” Zayer asked as she put her hand on her light saber.
“It was Lord Villinus, he said to bring you to him.” He replied. He still seemed uneasy and nervous around her.
“I’m not a Wytch anymore. I’m not a slave to the Sith anymore. I work for myself now.” She hissed at him.
“Okay, okay already. I don’t care anyway. I just need you to come with me, he’s waiting for you.”
“What’s this job he wants done? Who does he want killed?”
“It’s a bounty job. He wants you to get together a team to go after some rouge Jedi hiding in Feloid space.” The Twi’lek said wiping the rain from his face.
Zayer understood this Twi’lek was just a go between sent by Lord Villinus. He wasn’t a threat to her. He was just doing an errand by taking her to his boss.
“Okay lets go.” Zayer said now that she was content with why this guy was here.
They left the alley and went back across the street to where he had left his speeder. They got inside and pulled into traffic. Neither one spoke for the rest of the trip. He had driven past the industrial area and onto the back lot where the freighters landed that brought in the raw materials for manufacturing. He pulled in front of a large warehouse and blinked his lights. The huge door slowly slid open to let them come in. The interior was dimly lit by lights that hung down from the ceiling. As they pulled up off to the side of the structure she saw to men hidden in the shadows. They were Lord Villinus’s enforcers most likely. In front of them was a small office built into the wall.
Zayer and the Twi’lek climbed out of the speeder and stood in front of the office door. After a few seconds it opened and out stepped a tall Zabrak male. He had long black hair that was pulled up and tied off at the top of his head so that it fell down across his shoulders. His cloak was wide at the part where his hair fell and drawn in at his waist by a wide black leather belt. Large black gauntlets that extended back to his mid-forearm covered his hands.
“I wasn’t sure you would come Zayer Thadd. I thought you might try and decline my offer.” Lord Villinus said.
“You know I had no choice. You may let me run free but when you call I might as well still have that collar around my neck.” Zayer said submissively.
“I’m pleased you understand our arrangement still.” He said stroking her chin and neck.
Zayer closed her eyes and stood motionless. She had no choice but to stand there and let him have his way.
“Is she well?” Zayer asked humbly.
“She is quite well my dear. You would hardly recognize her now. These little ones grow so fast.” He said smiling.
“May I see her please Lord Villinus?” She asked.
“Later, after you have completed your mission.” He said.
“Promise me you won’t hurt her.” Zayer pleaded.
“Of course I won’t hurt her my dear. After all she’s my daughter too.” Lord Villinus said. “I could never harm her. She’s the link that binds us together my sweet lovely Zayer.”
“You will let me see her though…I mean after we’re done of course.” She asked.
“Of course Zayer. She’s been asking about you anyway. She needs you but we must take care of the mission first you understand?” he said as he put his arm around her shoulder and lead her back into the room.
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 02:18)