Chapter Sixteen

Datron faced the conflagration when everyone else ducked. He stared at the fireball blazing in the Chiron night. That round glow was all that remained of the ambassador’s ship.

Some small part of him hoped the bastard was inside.

The massive explosion could hardly have been accidental. In the first place, the vessel would have been completely shut down once it landed on the surface. Backup systems on any vessel prevented this kind of catastrophic detonation of fuel or other combustible matter. Add in the fact Caul’s craft simply couldn’t have flamed up the way it had without some aggressive engineering. His instincts roared sabotage.

The half-drunk Ussarians all ran toward the fire. Apparently they aimed to salvage the Hyperion’s stolen booty that’d been dragged near Caul’s burning vessel. As minions of an Ussarian clan leader, they knew they only had rights to what Goron allowed. All their share of the immediate Hyperion take was about to go up in flames, and they couldn’t count on getting anything else.

Goron shouted orders as to how to fight the ensuing flames. With his enemy otherwise occupied Datron lunged for his shipmates’ in an attempt to free them as quickly as he could.

Somewhere nearby, their captors had stashed some weapons. He’d seen the guards taking turns admiring new pieces of illegal arms during the night. He and his crew would need them to fight their way out of this mess.

He managed to finally get Clitus free by picking up a wine bottle, breaking it and using a large shard of glass as a knife.

“Get Electra and Clitus loose! We’ve got to find their cache of weapons. Hurry!”

As the others freed themselves, Datron ransacked every unfamiliar crate and box in the vicinity. Even the ones that had not come from the Hyperion, he tore into them, ripping the metal lids off the unlocked crates in the process. His strength was renewed at this second chance at life.

He gazed through smoke caused by the initial blast and more coming from subsequent explosions. That was when he saw a tiny figure running straight toward him. He stopped, tilted his head, and shook it, believing he’d finally lost what was left of his sanity.

“Charlie?”

She ran straight to him and launched herself up and against his huge frame. “God, I was hoping those goons would run somewhere when that ship went up. It worked better than I thought and… I’m so glad you’re alive!” She blurted the entire sentence, running every syllable together while planting kisses on his face.

Despite the sudden pain in his body, caused by her exuberant hug, he held onto her the way a drowning man might hold onto a rope. For a moment, he truly assumed the Creator of all things had taken his life—that seeing her was analogous of having a mythical messenger sent to take him to the afterworld. His beautiful guide into the hereafter came in the form of his beloved little meteor. But she was warm and cuddly and so very soft. Then reality bit him. If he was in the afterlife, why were the Ussarian’s with them?

“What in the name of Amphitreon’s balls are you doing here? You can’t be here!” he shouted.

“I think it’s obvious she stowed away,” Electra yelled as she held up a photon rifle and shook it to get his attention. “I found one of their munitions crates.” Then she pointed toward the Ussarians now running straight at them. “I think they’ve figured out we had a collaborator. They look a bit annoyed!”

Datron caught the rifle Electra tossed to him. He and the rest of his group ran toward the nearest outcrop of rocks with Charlie leading the way.

They dove into the protective cover of the boulders and began to simultaneously fire just as the Ussarians returned blasts.

The shock at seeing Charlie on Lucent’s moon―where she had no business―skewed his reference to time. He’d probably held onto her much longer than he realized, while his crew had overcome their apparent astonishment and had searched for the weapons they needed to defend themselves. “Weapons check!” he yelled as he tried to drag his mind back into focus.

“I have two phaser disseminators and this fusion imploder,” Clitus shouted as he held up a lethal sidearm. “And hello, mighty-mite!” he directed the happy salutation at Charlie while simultaneously firing at two dodging Ussarians.

Gilla held up a sawed-off version of a photon rifle, and called out his part of their arsenal. “I have several concussion grenades in my belt, though the enemy is too far away for me to throw them. And, obviously, we need to be able to run once I pull the pins.” He fired at several rock-hugging Ussarians. “Felicitations, little mechanical imp. I’ll later offer my thanks for the diversion. It could have been no other involved in the explosion of the ambassador’s vessel. I do adore a good distraction!”

Electra held up two, old-fashioned light laser particle revolvers to show Datron her share of the arms. Then, she briefly stood and fired at three Ussarians who jumped head first behind a pile of protective rocks. “Just call me Annie-Frickin’-Oakley! And welcome to the shoot-out, Charlie.”

Electra finally got the chance to toss Charlie one of the revolvers, but Datron quickly reached down and grabbed it away once it was in his lover’s hands. Then he stuck it in his belt. She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut any objections short.

“Oh, no you don’t! You stay behind that rock and don’t move until I tell you to!”

He caught her furious, outraged glare just before firing a few more volleys. While he returned fire he meant for her to know exactly what he thought of her actions.

“I cannot believe you stowed away on my ship! When I get my hands on you, I’m gonna do what someone on Earth should have a long time ago and turn you over my knee. You’ve probably broken about ten transport laws, never mind endangering yourself while infiltrating a top secret mission,” he shouted at the top of his lungs while alternately ducking and shooting.

Charlie just rolled her eyes skyward and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Don’t give me that go-to-hell look, meteor! I’m not in the mood,” he chastised.

“Never mind him, Charlie! Just aim and fire,” Electra instructed as she tossed another sidearm at the stowaway.

Datron glared at Electra but quickly turned back to their attackers and fired more volleys.

The shooting from the Ussarian side suddenly stopped. Knowing they had to save their ammo, Datron shouted out a halt.

“Cease fire! Stay covered. We don’t know what’s going on,” he instructed as he reloaded.

“Are you still alive, Valkyrian?” Goron shouted.

With the firing stopped the Ussarian leader’s voice echoed through the rocks.

“Are you willing to discuss terms for surrender?” Datron shot back.

“I will never surrender, Valkyrian!”

“That’s good. I wasn’t going to offer too many terms.”

“I will offer up the means for your deaths,” Goron informed them. Then he turned to his minions and barked a command. “Bring the ionization cannons online.”

Charlie looked up from her kneeling position. “Ohhhh, this is not good. He’s gonna aim his ship’s weapons right at this outcrop. With that kind of firepower, every boulder in a parsec will be ionized.”

“And this day just keeps getting better!” Datron muttered. “Everyone…run!”

He watched as his crew and his stowaway bolted for safety.

He ran last, firing his weapon to cover their retreat.

He needn’t have worried over Charlie’s ability to move under pressure. The little wisp ran like one of the graceful moon deer from his home world. She dodged and jumped into a small arroyo along with the other three crewmembers, and he swiftly followed.

He knew they’d still be incinerated when Goron found their location, but they had a little more time. At least until the Ussarians’ ship sensors pinpointed their new hiding spot.

He made the mistake of lying back on his injured wing and growled in pain.

Charlie went to his side and immediately put her hand on his cheek. “Does it hurt badly, baby?”

“You shouldn’t be here!” he told her while trying to shake off the ache.

“Wing man, you’re repeating yourself.” She smiled, leaned forward, and kissed his right temple. “Even beat up, you’re frickin’ hot.”

Gentle laughter from his friends made Datron briefly close his eyes and pray for patience.

“Here or in the hereafter, you and I are going to have a serious talk about how you got here. For now, keep your head down!”

A sound from the south immediately alerted him. A hovercraft approached.

He and his comrades scrambled out of their small hiding spot but came face-to-face with Ambassador Caul and three Ussarian warriors. They were all armed with particle implode rifles and stood looking down at them from a height of about ten feet. Their hovering craft drifted only a few feet as the engines powered to a lower gear.

“Stop running, Captain. You’re cornered,” Caul aimed his weapon at Datron’s chest. “I might be able to convince Goron to kill your friends quickly. You however will have your skin peeled from your body before he takes your head. The man holds you responsible for the destruction of my ship. Like everything else on this hideous rock, he commandeered it as his personal property. Its loss embarrasses him, and I don’t think I have to tell you how he feels about your attempted escape.”

Caul glanced at each of the Hyperion’s crew, but his gaze quickly fixed on the newcomer. “Aha! I assume this pretty little sprite was the actual culprit who took out my ship,” he stated. “Goron will be very interested in this new development. Now come along,” he ordered as he jerked the muzzle of his weapon toward the hovercraft’s surface.

Datron pulled himself out of the gulley when his friends did. But he kept his weapon aimed at Caul and made no move toward the hovercraft. “I see no reason not to end this right now. You have weapons, we have weapons. We’re all going to die, including you. There’s no incentive to go back and let that butcher slaughter us.”

“You have every motivation in the world,” Caul softly reasoned. “You see, I’m now in communication with the Ussarian admiral. His bridge reports there are several transports directly in their flight path. I’m given to understand that some of those are hospital vessels.” Caul slowly smiled. “Captain, your fight is over. But you have it within your power to save those innocent lives in space or have them blown into the next dimension.” He lifted one hand nonchalantly and shrugged. “The admiral doesn’t want to advertise his presence in this sector. He just wants his stones. One word from me and he’ll most certainly blow those medical ships out of the universe.”

Datron tightened his grip on his weapon, and lifted the muzzle until it was right in Caul’s face. He felt Charlie sidle closer to him and wished he’d refused this mission outright.

“Are you trying to tell me an Ussarian admiral would actually fire on unarmed hospital ships? Is that the kind of savagery you’ve embraced?”

Caul sighed and rolled his eyes in resignation. “I can request the Ussarians divert their flight path, Captain. It’s well known hospital vessels don’t want a confrontation. In fact, they’ll maintain radio silence until the Ussarians are out of range, believing that if they do so they will remain safe. As I’ve already said, the admiral has no interest in those ships unless, of course, something gives him a reason to attack. He’s here to collect the Lucent Stones, and he wants to do this as quietly and quickly as he can. Give him a reason and he’ll slaughter hundreds of innocent lives.”

“And how do I know you’re not lying again?” Datron bit out between clenched teeth.

“You have no choice. It’s your call, Captain. The admiral isn’t a patient man. For now, he believes everything is going as scheduled. He hasn’t been informed of all this disruption. You can understand why Goron hasn’t relayed news of your antics.”

Electra lowered her weapon and spoke softly. “Datron, we can’t take the chance.”

“I suggest you listen to Miss Galaxy, Captain. You’re dead either way,” Caul advised. “The only remaining issue is how you want your friends to die—quick and painlessly or in horrifying agony.” He put his attention on the newest member of the enforcer crew. “My, my. She’s quite a little charmer, isn’t she?” he murmured as he gave Charlie a long look.

Datron moved even closer to Caul and actually put the muzzle of his weapon against the man’s forehead. He ignored the Ussarian muzzles now jammed against his body threateningly.

“I ought to put a hole in you right now.” he said in a low, menacing tone. “I swear…if anyone puts their hands on these women, I will find you. I don’t care if I have to crawl out of a grave. There won’t be a crevice in any part of the any hereafter where you can hide!”

Caul actually bowed his head. “I-I’m not altogether proud of my actions, Captain. But a man does what he needs to, to protect his family. I have a wife and daughters waiting for me on Dagor Prime System. My oldest girl is about the age of this young woman standing by your side.” He slowly nodded. “I will honor your demand. For now, I have to bring you all back with me or I’ll be killed. But later, I’ll have these Ussarians behind me shoot Miss Galaxy and the girl. I’ll say they tried to escape when they believed they’d be raped, as they will be if I let them live. I’ll console Goron with the offer of added diamonds from my new mines. He’ll soon forget these females.”

“Why would these mindless thugs honor your command to shoot quickly and clean?” Datron asked as he nodded toward the Ussarians standing beside Caul.

“Thugs indeed!” Caul replied.

The Ussarians in Caul’s company growled and jammed the muzzles of their weapons harder into Datron’s body.

“Captain, in a fit of rage over some perceived slight, Goron had these men castrated. The act was particularly vicious. It was done in front of their comrades, and in such a way the damage cannot be medically reversed, even by the use of the latest nanotechnology. Suffice it to say, they have no love of their current commander, believe me!” Caul finished.

The Ussarians uttered another low growl in confirmation.

Datron realized the ambassador wasn’t as helpless or as stupid as assumed.

Caul knew his days were numbered. The Ussarian admiral would have little use for a minor bureaucrat now that his part in the scheme was at an end. Using rare diamonds as bribes held no weight since owning the Lucent Stones could yield untold riches and power. In fact, Caul probably had a secondary plan to get out of this mess given the statement he’d just made, and the obvious loyalty of the four Ussarians in his company.

“Please, put your weapons down,” Caul insisted. “As I’ve said, I cannot help you. But I can see to it your friends die quickly. And you will have saved hundreds of lives on those hospital ships. I have no reason to lie. Goron would have found you sooner or later and killed you at his discretion. I’m simply trying to end this confrontation as humanely as I can, given the circumstances.”

Datron turned and gazed down into Charlie’s face. When she put her hand on the muzzle of his photon rifle and pushed it down, he held it out to the Ussarians.

He had to assume there really might be hospital vessels out there and innocent passengers could be at risk. This last-ditch effort to fight had only been a prolonging tactic. They were still outgunned. If any part of what Caul said was true, this would be a better way for his crew to die.

He gritted his teeth while the brutes took away their last means of defense, and gathered rope from the back of the hovercraft to bind them again. “Why did you stow away, Charlie? I’m responsible for the failure of this mission. That means I’ve sacrificed my crew. But you…you could have been safe, back on Oceanus.”

She smiled up at him then softly let her secret go. “You don’t understand. I wanted to be a member of the crew. I wanted to be with the man I love. Besides, you can’t be held responsible for anyone’s death. I assume the others made the choice to be here just like I did. In my case… I’m sick. I’m dying anyway. There is no safe place for me.”

She turned away and joined the others. Datron stood there, stunned into silence.

****

All the way back to the Hyperion, Charlie kept her gaze elsewhere. She felt Datron staring a hole through her but there was nothing left to say. Certainly now wasn’t the time for longer explanations since any emotional information might be used by the Ussarians. Datron’s concern for his crew was something on which Goron counted. How much worse would it be if the Ussarian leader knew his enemy’s lover was now under his control?

She did manage a brief glimpse at Electra, Clitus, and Gilla. All of them were gazing at her too—as if she’d just let one horrific cat out of a bag. Their faces displayed a blending of pity, and censure. That was when she realized Electra probably wasn’t the only person who’d gotten a hold of her medical information during that damned background check. Of course, if the contract had been a normal check of an interplanetary shuttle, like those she’d worked on before, no such check would have ever been necessary. No one working on such craft with her would have been privy to her medical history. But she hadn’t known about the mission and they probably hadn’t known she was so ill when Datron contracted her.

It was all a moot point. It seemed Datron had been kept in the dark about her illness. Her bluntness now, was like pouring salt into an open wound. Hence the feeling of his dark penetrating eyes piercing her body.

No matter how she tried, she simply couldn’t look at him. She could have gone to her grave quickly, with him and the others joining her. Datron needn’t have ever known. But her point in revealing her secret was to rid him of remorse on her behalf. Instead, her remark had only added to his misery and sense of failure. His shock, so palpable, hung in the air like fog.

Electra’s hands, like everyone else’s, had been tied in front of her body. And when the older woman put both her palms on Datron’s knee, Charlie saw his palms cover the other woman’s. A signal of support. Even now, at what was surely the end of their lives, the doomed crew of the Hyperion remained close.

Better that she died quickly. She wasn’t sure she could endure torture. But it’d be far worse to see the others tortured and be forced to witness. That was why Datron had fought so hard. The man was probably thinking now he’d have to watch her being raped, despite Caul’s promise. Part of her wished she’d kept her big mouth shut concerning her impending death, but at least she’d go to her grave with a free conscience. And he’d go to his knowing the full truth. And truth, as she’d been taught, was always right.

****

As soon the hovercraft landed, Goron addressed Datron as they were being unloaded from it.

“You may assume your challenge fight is over and thus the protection afforded your friends,” he growled. Then he jerked his head in the new captive’s direction. He pushed Datron aside to get to her. “Who, by Crakon’s balls, is this?”

Charlie simply stared up at him. She felt no fear or repulsion, just a sense of life gone wrong—life wasted in the form of this Ussarian and his compatriots.

“Leave her alone,” Datron warned. “Just shoot us and have done with it. You blundering, knuckle-dragging failure of evolution!”

Goron took the time to hit Datron hard in the face. As a result, Datron spat out blood and tried to charge his nemesis, but the guards held him back by his bindings.

Charlie stepped forward knowing Datron would keep insulting the oaf if it took Goron’s attention off her and the others.

“My name is…Ima,” she coyly offered.

Charlie finally dared a quick glance in Datron’s direction. He glared at her. She had another plan and meant to act on it after asking herself what was the worst that could happen.

“That does not sound like an Earth name. And you look like an Earther,” Goron groused as his gaze wandered over her. Then he lunged for her and picked her up by the collar of her gray jumpsuit. “Tell me the truth, woman. Who are you and how did your presence go undetected?”

“I told you,” she replied while struggling to get out of Goron’s hold. “My name is Ima… Ima Bitch!”

Though her hands were tied, and Goron held her facing him like a dangling puppy, she shot her left, booted foot forward and kicked him squarely in the groin.

Goron promptly dropped her and backed away—yowling. His hands protected his crotch.

She scrambled up from the red sand. Gilla, Clitus, and Electra were laughing hysterically. Charlie tried to suppress her own mirth.

If a smile and a minor strike back at the enemy was the last thing she could render, then she was blessed. But when she glanced at Datron he once again glared at her as if she’d just committed a mortal sin.

“Stop looking at me like that!” she muttered. “He’s gonna kill me anyway.”

Still cupping his wounded jewels in one palm, Goron launched himself toward her with his free hand outstretched. She lunged backward when it became apparent the Ussarian leader wanted to break her neck. But two tied, massive fists caught him fully in the face—sending him flying some distance away, landing on his butt in the grime.

“I’ll kill you if you touch her again!” Datron promised as he pulled the remainder of dangling ropes from his bleeding wrists.

Charlie, like everyone else, was amazed to see the Ussarians back away.

The warning hadn’t been yelled. Datron hadn’t even raised his voice. In fact, the words had been quietly spoken but with an undercurrent of pure, raw energy. There was heat in the winged man’s eyes that could only be ignored if one truly didn’t value their life. The uttered threat even had Goron hesitating. Everyone became quiet and still.

Goron picked himself up, out of the sand, and let his gaze slide from the captives’ faces to those of his men, and finally to Ambassador Caul.

Charlie assumed Goron felt the shame of humiliation yet again and strived to get control back in his own hands.

He lifted one beefy hand and pointed at her. “How did you go undetected?” he demanded once more.

“I stowed away on the Hyperion. I hid in the air ducts because there’re no sensors there.” She paused to lick her dry lips and only barely glance at Datron. “Uh… I was also able to alter the ship’s bio scanner. My presence went undetected. That’s why Captain Mann and his crew didn’t know anything about me. And…” she let her voice trail away.

“And?” Goron angrily prompted.

“I’m the one who blew up Caul’s ship.”

“You blew up Caul’s transport? You?” Goron asked in disbelief as he looked her up and down.

She’d seen that look before. People discounted her because of her size if not her sex.

“The ambassador’s vessel is fueled by Iryndium. Neither it nor its fumes are flammable unless mixed with sufficient oxygen and then exposed to a flame.”

“What flame?” Goron demanded.

Charlie shrugged. “I opened the fuel valve letting the fumes filter into the cabin. Then I turned up the percentage of oxygen and lit an emergency flare I found in an old tool chest.” She kept talking for as long as she could. “All I had to do was calculate the time it would take the enhanced oxygen and Iryndium mix to fill the cabin. I think I guessed pretty well,” she finished.

Goron quizzically tilted his head. “You are a chemist, then?”

“No. I was hired to fix some components on the Hyperion. I-I stowed away because she’s considered an antique, and I wanted to ride in an old interstellar transport. But I couldn’t get clearance. I thought it would be a simple matter of hiding in the air duct for a test flight.” She lifted one shoulder in pretended consternation. “My bad.”

“If you are not working as an enforcer, then why destroy Caul’s ship?” Goron insisted.

“I was under the assumption it was now your ship,” Charlie responded as if she was talking to an idiot. “And I was trying to get these enforcers free by using the explosion as a diversion.”

Goron glared at her. “Then you are an enforcer—”

“No…I’m not. I just fix stuff. Now I’m a criminal for stowing away. Captain Mann has already said so.”

Goron tilted his head and blinked several times. “If you are not an enforcer, and you know that Mann would have you arrested for stowing away, why did you try to aid him and his crew?”

“Because he wasn’t going to rape me like you will. Helping him seemed the better choice,” she claimed, hoping he’d buy her self-serving defense.

He glanced at the captives behind Charlie then considered her for a long moment. “Your friends look as though they want you to shut your little mouth, stowaway. They appear to be angry with you.”

She chanced a glance backward and shrugged. “‘Course they are. I’m not a member of their crew. I don’t particularly want to die with ’em. Between that Valkyrian arresting me and you and your men probably raping me, I’m in one hell of a fix! And all I wanted was a quick pleasure trip around Oceanus’ orbit. How the hell did I know I’d end up here?”

Goron walked slowly in a complete circle around her.

She stayed absolutely still.

“Either you are an exceptionally good liar, little fixer. Or you will do whatever it takes to survive.” He moved closer. “Why did the Valkyrian threaten me when I touched you?”

“You know Valkyrians,” she said as she rolled her eyes. “They think they’re God’s gift to women. He’s throwing out his chest and acting like my protector when he means to lock me up for the next three years.” She snorted. “With a protector like that, who needs enemies?”

Goron narrowed his eyes. “I do not know your game, woman. But you are resourceful. I think, perhaps, you would be useful to me. It would be folly to let such skills as you have exhibited go to waste. You are both intelligent and attractive. Ussarian woman are neither.”

“Resourcefulness is how I got here,” Charlie quipped as she saucily tilted her head to one side.

Goron actually smiled. Then he turned to his men.

“Rayos, bring me one of the stones.” He glanced at Charlie then stooped to stare into her eyes. “Because it will amuse me, find a bluish-green gem to match her eyes.”

Charlie pasted on a clueless look and said nothing as he continued to stare at her. When he lifted a long strand of her hair that had long since come loose from her bun, it took everything she had not to kick him in the nuts again.

She was trying to buy a little time. What she’d do with it she hadn’t a clue but it was better to divert Goron than have him order everyone tortured or killed.

“Come. Walk with me. We will talk, little destroyer of ships.”

She didn’t dare glance at her friends. As long as she held Goron’s attention, she had to pretend to be mesmerized.

Her question as to how to use the Lucent Stones would soon be answered. There was no doubt in her mind she’d be exposed to one very soon.

****

Datron watched them walk away, as silently stupefied and as awed as his crew. Somehow, Charlie had turned the situation to her advantage—at least until Goron used one of the stones on her.

He knew what was coming and struggled with the new length of rope now restraining his arms and hands. Electra, Clitus, and Gilla were doing the same, but a calm voice stilled their mutual efforts.

“For the second time this night, the woman has given you and your crew time,” Caul said. “Goron finds her an interesting enigma. That means she’ll live long enough to secure a place on his vessel and in his bed. I’ll do what I can for your friends, Captain. But you must not undermine the girl’s efforts by trying to escape again. Remember, your fate is sealed. Your crews’ quick end might still be negotiated if the girl pleases him.”

“You promised to see her killed quickly,” Datron growled.

“She’s made her choice,” Caul defended. “See to it you don’t waste her efforts.”

Datron stood there while Caul and his four henchmen walked away. He trained his gaze on Charlie’s figure as she disappeared into the Chiron night. Bonfires still illuminated the area, but if she walked too far away and he couldn’t see her, he knew he’d go insane.

“Watch and wait,” Electra mollified after Goron’s minions pushed them toward their original restraining posts and tied them again. “I hate to agree with Caul on anything, but however she’s done it, Charlie has bought us time. We’re still outnumbered, and unfortunately, we didn’t kill any of our captors. I personally blame the damned dust, since I count myself an excellent shot. At any rate, that we’re not dead yet is a major miracle.”

“She’s with him,” Datron gasped as raw anxiety began to claim his sense.

“But she’s alive. Keep the faith,” Electra advised. “Charlie has some type of powerful force on her side. Goron may be much larger and stronger, but if he tries to match wits with that girl, he’ll find himself outclassed.”

Long after being tied to the same post where he originally began this nightmare, all Datron could think about was her. Nothing else mattered but Charlie. However long she had, however long the Creator of all things meant for them to exist, he wanted to spend every moment with her.

His heart sank when Rayos approached the two distant figures barely visible in the haze of the red Chiron night.

If the stone Rayos fetched was used, he’d see her dead himself. She wouldn’t want to be an Ussarian’s slave. And the thought of actually having to destroy his beloved little meteor finally broke him. He lowered his head to hide tears of utter grief and frustration. He’d failed in every way—the mission, his crew, his king, and now his beloved.