The remains of her life were endured as a constant silent sob interrupted by moments of horror and despair. As before, she was encased in the undulating mirrorball, but now she kept her eyes firmly closed. Still, her mind’s eye reminded her of what she would behold in the exaggerated reflection if she happened to lessen her resolve. Her nudity was now blood-spattered due to the harsh lessons meted out by her possessor. The pores of her hands continuously issued blood from the depths of her guilt. The knowledge of all of this brought a fresh flood of tears from her squeezed-shut eyes.
“It’s too much to bear,” she told herself yet again. “I cannot do this.”
“You must,” she answered. “For Feld and the others. They know. They’ll rescue you eventually.”
“What if they don’t? What if they can’t? It’s been too long. I can’t live like this forever.”
“It won’t be forever. Feld survived. You know he went to get help. He wouldn’t just leave you.”
“But, what if I just tell Relia where Feld is? The others’ll surely be with him. Instead of waiting, I can lead Relia to them. Why wait needlessly?”
“Because they wouldn’t be expecting her. She would be able to surprise them instead of vice versa. No. You must hold out as long as you can.”
“But I can’t. How many people must die before this is done? How much blood must be on my hands? Any more and I will drown. Surely, it would be better if Relia were sent to the ‘Scapers. Not only for myself, but for the lives saved through the diversion.”
“No. That way lies madness! Do you want CJ’s blood on your hands as well? Or Lippy’s? Or Feld’s? Relia is strong; you must know that. She is a First One. By giving her the upper hand, you will doom one or more of your friends to a horrible death, even if they were able to rescue you somehow. No. You must remain strong. You are from strong stock. The blood of Krux herself courses through your veins. You must not fail them! Never surrender! Never!!”
The truth of it all hit her like a sledgehammer. In her desolation, Solara let out a primal scream of such force that the mirrorball expanded away from her. In reaction, it contracted upon her and stuck to her skin in several places. As had happened many times before, the claustrophobic irritation of its contact unleashed a fury of moves and gestures to rid her of its touch. The eternal effort once again exhausted and covered her with fresh smears from her bloody hands.
And once again her tears fell like rain.
~/~
“Solara?”
Oh no. No more. No more, no more, no more, no more, no more.
“Solara? I wish to speak with you.”
Solara somehow steeled herself. “Go away! I will not tell you where Feld is. No matter the cost, I will not give him up to you. Do your worst. I no longer care.”
Waves of condescension flowed through Solara. “Oh, don’t be so melodramatic, child. I’m not here to teach you another lesson. Frankly, you’re a difficult pupil undeserving of your bloodline. Such lessons that I give are wasted on you. So, you can keep your precious information, as faulty as it probably is anyway. No, I’m here to show you something wondrous.”
Without time to consider what she’d heard, Solara felt that now familiar feeling of spiritual expansion into her body. As before, she was within her body, but without control.
She was no longer on Proteus-VI. The scene before her was a starship’s hangar bay. Within it, beyond the safety glass before her, a transport shuttle was disgorging several armed women.
“Where are we?” Solara asked.
“Dinara City. The star cruiser, of course. We are in orbit over Proteus-VI, part of the newly defunct blockade force.” Solara could feel the cunning arrogance behind the voice.
“Blockade force?”
Relia/Solara smiled. “Yes. While you’ve been busy being a petulant little tart, I’ve been conquering the planet. It’s amazing how many women rallied to my banner, so to speak. Who knew the depths of anger and resentment among them regarding their male counterparts? Why it’s almost as if my own anger was infectious or something.” After a small chuckle, she continued her explanation. “While the planet was undergoing a change of ownership, the remaining Proteans decided to try and contain my influence by ringing the planet with a 10-ship blockade force. It was a rather quaint idea, but they should’ve cut their losses and run. You’d think that losing an entire planet in such a short time would have given them an idea of what they were dealing with. Just goes to show you. Politicians make very bad gamblers.”
Relia/Solara turned on her heal then and spun around to face the lift. Unnoticed before, six other women in the room fell into position behind her as she strode to the doors. Four were armed and carried a military bearing. The remaining pair were unarmed, beautiful and salaciously dressed. Relia noticed Solara’s attention and remarked, “My entourage. My bodyguards and my courtesans. Our courtesans, actually.”
Solara decided to ignore the implications in those words and instead asked, “So, is this what you wanted to show me? A transport shuttle? A star cruiser? You needed to brag? Fine. Color me impressed. What’s your point?”
Relia/Solara smiled again as they entered the lift. “Are you always this impatient? Wait. You will understand in due time.”
“Four,” she said aloud to the lift’s processing unit.
Upon their arrival, the group proceeded to a large room that Solara guessed was the crew’s mess. She’d never have figured that from the spectacle within. Rows of nervous, naked men stood side by side, their hands bound behind them, and faced an overwhelming array of opposing firepower. One man in front was flanked by two naked women, who were doing their best to bring him to a state of arousal. He was sweating profusely.
One woman stood close and kept a close watch on his pubic area. After a short while, she simply said, “No. Next.” There was sudden flurry as the naked women stepped back and the man was shot dead. As soon as his body hit the deck, four other women came forward and dragged the corpse from the room.
Solara muttered, “What the -”
“Shhh,” Relia interrupted. “Watch.”
One man’s eyes met hers and he yelled, “This is an outrage! I demand to speak to the leader here!”
Relia/Solara stepped forward as the other women gave way. “You wish to say something?”
“Yes,” he replied. “I demand that this exercise be stopped at once.”
“Why?”
“Why?” The man’s eyes nearly burst from his head. “Why?! Do you know what they are doing?”
Relia/Solara smiled. “Yes. A number of you are being selected for your ability to give us pleasure. The rest will be disposed of. You have a problem with this?”
The man stood there with his mouth open, in disbelief of what he was hearing. “This is unspeakable. We are officers and men of the Protean Space Fleet. We have rights. We -”
“You are mine!” Relia/Solara cut him off. “You are what I make of you. You will either serve as flesh slaves or you will die. Since we do not need all of you, we are only keeping the best among you.”
The man exploded, “That is barbaric. You have no right to treat us this way. Besides, a man’s physical trait is no way to determine his ability to give pleasure. You must put an end to this now and allow us to come to an understanding. It isn’t fair to us.”
Relia/Solara made a show of thinking on this. Finally, she broke the silence. “Have you ever been to the countless brothels that used to make up a large part of this ship’s namesake city?” After getting a quick, guilty nod, she continued, “Tell me, what is the difference between a woman who charges 200 credits for her services and one who charges 20 credits? No, don’t answer. It’s her face, her bosom, her ass, her legs, her mouth. Yes, there are some who will provide a more extensive set of services, but even then the prices differ based on what she looks like. Every extra pound, every stretch mark, every imperfection is a loss of worth in a market controlled and patronized by men. The difference between one woman operating in a luxury hotel and another walking the industrial-class streets is driven by a market defined by men, and primarily based on each woman’s physical attributes. To make matters worse, if that woman has one or more children, her worth decreases at a time when her needs increase.”
Relia/Solara casually took a laser rifle from one of her followers as she continued, “Tell me. Does any of this sound fair to you? Do I even need to discuss the unfairness inherent in the legitimate pursuit of a mate? No, none of it is fair. But, that’s ok. That’s life. Everyone in the universe knows that life isn’t fair. The only people who complain about unfairness are those who know they can’t measure up.” In one smooth motion, she raised the rifle and shot the man dead. After the body hit the floor, she stood over and said to it, “Which makes this particular job a little bit easier.” She then casually tossed the rifle back to the woman who had held it before. “If anyone else so much as raises their voice, kill them all. My mercy is not without limit.”
With a flourish, Relia/Solara and her entourage left the room and walked back to the lift. When they were all in, Relia/Solara commanded, “Bridge.”
When they reached the bridge, Relia/Solara took the captain’s chair. Her courtesans knelt on the floor on either side of it. The viewscreen ahead showed an otherwise healthy planet below.
“Status report,” Relia/Solara demanded from a nearby officer.
“My Lady,” she reported as she clicked her heels. “All ships, but one, are under our control. Baskemi is mostly under control. That ship’s captain and a few of his men are holed up in the port side engineering complex.”
Relia/Solara frowned. “How long until they resolve the situation?”
“Unknown. Baskemi’s captain has proven to be quite resourceful.”
“No. That is the incorrect answer. The situation will be resolved within half an hour. You will outfit and launch a remotely-pilotted suicide shuttle and fly it right into Baskemi’s port side engineering complex.”
The officer looked shaken. “But that could cause catastrophic damage to Baskemi. She may lose her engines.”
“So be it,” Relia/Solara answered. “I need a weapons platform, whether it flies there itself or not. We can tow it if need be. But I’m not going to let a handful of men paralyze my fleet. Understood?”
“Understood,” came the expected response. With a click of her heels, the officer left the bridge.
Minutes passed before Relia spoke to Solara. “You’re awfully quiet.”
“I’m confused. Why am I here?” asked Solara.
“As in, why haven’t you been sent back to your bubble? Because it does me no good to do so. You and I are here together now. The sooner you’re used to the idea, the easier it is for both of us.
“Look, Solara. Look around you. We are captain of a 10-ship fleet. We control an entire planet. We have millions of followers, with more arriving daily from other worlds. We have power. Surely, this is better than crying yourself senseless.”
“No, I don’t believe you,” Solara replied. “You’re still trying to get to me to get to Feld.”
“Feh, silly girl. I don’t need Feld. I have nothing to fear from him.”
Solara smiled. “Yes, you do. He knows what’s happened to me. Even now, I’m sure he’s planning a rescue of some sort. And you know it, too. That’s why you keep torturing me.”
Relia chuckled. “Really? You know me so well, do you? Solara, do you have any memories from Feld’s safehouse after you touched the relic? No? Well, watch and learn.”
Relia/Solara closed her eyes. Solara then began to see the memories of her possession. She saw the relic and the blue energy beam. She felt herself levitate and spin above the relic. Finally, she saw Feld enter the room and stare at her with eyes full of fear. In disbelief, she saw him leave and lock the door behind him.
“He never came back,” Relia said. “I left the apartment some time later. When Dinara City fell into chaos, Feld was brought to me as a sacrifice by one of my disciples. He’d been caught trying to flee the city on an aircycle. Soon after he was brought to me, he somehow escaped during the attacks mounted against me. Once free, he couldn’t leave fast enough.
“So you see, Solara. Feld is gone. He’s not coming back. It’s just you and me now.”