The Heavy Date Part 6
18 Aug 2017Mhera Bathana
Exotica, Clair Dock, TjakiriMhera wasn’t quite sure what was going on. She was asked to wait in some sort of sparse room, to her it was more like a cell. She sat quietly, wondering what was going on, and decided to check the door. Her fingers touched the pad, but it was locked. An uneasy feeling began to grow and she wondered if she was about to be punished. Sitting back down, she found herself ticking away the time with her foot. It had become such an ingrained habit, she wasn’t aware that she was even doing it. Suddenly the door opened, and Stryker stepped in. The large man wore a black remlock suit that was hideously tight on him, had a dead look in his blue eyes and his tone was terse. “Move.”
Confused, Mhera shook her head. “What?”
He grabbed her arm and pulled her up to her feet. “I said move. I won’t ask again.”
She tried to pull back and felt her feet drag along the floor as he led her out the door. Panic welled up inside her. “Where are you taking me?”
He said nothing.
She pulled back again clawing at his iron grip. He turned suddenly and she felt her back slam against a wall. He had pinned her. Roughly, the large man pulled a restraint, and tied her hands behind her back. She felt herself wiggle and cry out, until Stryker pulled out a gag, and forced it into mouth. Mhera fought against it trying in vain to spit it out, but she felt the fabric cinch and pinch into her cheeks. Then, nothing. He had fit a black sack over her head, and she felt her body being hoisted over his shoulder.
Without a word, he carried her out of the cell and through a side door. Her chest started to pang with sharp throbs, as his meaty shoulder dug into it. She didn’t know how long they had been traveling, but she felt the man shift her weight and set her down. Suddenly she was blinded by lights as the sack was removed, and blinking away the fuzziness, she felt the gag loosen.
She had nothing to say to the man. Feelings of betrayal, hurt and anger coursed through her veins. She glared up at Stryker.
He removed the hand restraints, and she rubbed at her wrists, hot tears welling up in her eyes.
Stryker opened a cubby of sorts and pulled out a Remlock suit. He faced her, the same dead expression in his hard face. He tossed it to her feet. “Put that on.”
Defiance swelled within her. “No!”
“Decompression is a nasty affair.” Stryker turned. “You have two minutes to put that on, before I blow the airlock,” he pressed a panel and a door slid the door open.
Mhera grabbed the suit, and started pulling it on, as Luke had taught her. She reasoned they were on a ship. Stryker paused at the door, and looked back. “I will make one thing clear. When you’re on the Broken Bow, my word is law. If you break it, I break you. Understood?” he didn’t wait for her response before continuing on. “Once you’re done messing around with that, I want you in the cockpit. We have some things to discuss.”
Mhera continued to fight back the tears. He had treated so well, and now this. He’s a liar and a brute. She managed to pull the suit on and found that it was tight, but it was flexible. She got to her feet and off in the near distance, she heard something start to whine up. There was a slight rumbling through the hull of the ship. With haste, she popped out of the door, but had no idea where to go.
Left or right? She weighed her options.
With really no point of origin, she heard a synthetic male voice call out. “Oh, for the love of... Master, you forgot to lock the cage.”
Confused, Mhera looked about. “Lock the cage, but I was told to go to the cockpit?”
“Well, don’t look at me, Master doesn’t tell me anything. Why should I know? I just run the damn ship.”
Mhera had no idea what to make of this voice, tentatively she asked, “Could you tell me where the cockpit is?”
“That depends, are you a slave?” it asked
“Uh…” she found herself thinking hard, and decided that no was probably the best answer. “No.”
“Oh, good, so I don’t have to flush you out the airlock. You’ll find the cockpit fore, and towards the keel.”
“I don’t know what those are,” she felt stupid.
“Are you frikken kidding me?” It sighed. “Would you like me to light the way?”
“Sure?” though she didn’t think she sounded so sure.
All of a sudden all the lights went out. Then a single single section, along the floor lit up. She headed towards it. The next section lit up for her. She followed it along, to a single sliding door. She pressed the panel and it opened. The cockpit was tilted downward. One seat sat behind, slightly to the left, and higher than the commanders. Stryker sat in the lower, his clawed hand at the flightstick. The whole affair looked, in her opinion, very militaristic.
The voice spoke up, and seemed to have a jovial quality about it. “Master, I found your lost slave, and led her to you. Maybe she will kill you. I could only hope.”
Stryker gazed slightly behind him and towards Mhera. “Take a seat.”
She did as she was told. It was similar to the seat she had on the Beagle. Mhera felt the magnetic restrictors engage and suck her into the seat. All around her the ship rumbled.
Through the comm-line the lovely accent of ancient southern American greeted them. “Core Dynamics Sierra Tango Romeo, you are cleared for departure.”
Mhera felt the ship lift off. All about her the flight deck lights lights shone around. A massive ship rumbled overhead as Stryker nudged the Broken Bow towards the narrow slit. The strange warbling noise surrounded her and a moment later, they were in the black of space.
The voice spoke up. “Master, I must lodge a protest. I’m very disappointed that the slave did not kill you.”
“Shut-it Meat-Hack,” Stryker ordered as he turned the ship over. Mhera felt her stomach turn. A tiny star was circled on the reticle directly in front of them.
Meat-Hack’s voice hinted at a bit of sarcasm, “Then I wouldn’t be able to tell you this. Frame-shift drive active.”
Mhera felt that odd sensation. One she couldn’t quite explain; as if she was being sucked down a drain. Then suddenly the swirls of which-space enveloped them. A moment later a red star exploded into view and Stryker tilted the ship into the photosphere. She watched as they skimmed the top of an arching solar flare, and knew what he was doing. Luke called it scooping.
Stryker didn’t look back, but she could tell he was angry. “A certain little white rat did her homework.”
“What?” Mhera wasn’t sure what he was on about. She felt the drain pull at her stomach.
“Her name is Apollina. Marra’s little rat," he continued. “She found out that you’re some sort of egghead genius when it comes to plants.”
Lost for words, all she could find to say was, “So what?”
“So, you have a choice to make,” he said.
“What choice?” Her stomach gave another lurch.
“Don’t be naive. I had planned to get you out of Exotica, but you would have never be free of Black Omega.”
Mhera felt angry. “You told me you would get me out of there!”
“And I am. They would let you leave Exotica, but never Black Omega. You’re in for life. Just like the rest of us.”
Mhera sputtered, “But!”
Stryker interrupted her. “I had planned to purchase you, then set you up on your own, under my supervision. Have you run some sort of flower shop, or something. But that isn’t going to happen.”
Mhera was aghast. She had been right all along. “You lied to me!”
“I omitted an aspect of the truth,” he said simply. “But now, that doesn’t even matter.”
“Why?” she felt her fists clench, a dull star overhead casted the cockpit in muted purple tones.
Stryker’s voice was dry. "Because, they have a project that would require your services.”
“What project?” she asked as a wave of unexplained chills coursed through her body.
Stryker checked the Nav-com. “Our good Doctor Glaboski found a way to produce a mind altering substance that leaves the user, with a will more susceptible to suggestion.”
Mind control? “What does this have to do with me?” She felt her stomach drop.
Stryker kept it simple. "It’s refined from a plant, and you’re going to head the mass cultivation of it.”
Mhera felt incredulous. "I will do no such thing!”
Strykers tone was flat. “So, you made your choice then.”
“What’s the alternative?” she asked.
“What we are about to do,” he said.
Mhera folded her arms. “And what is that?”
“Master,” Meat-Hack pipped in. “The Inara system is approaching.”
Special thanks to Jubei Himura for his suggestions and edits.