A Dangerous One

Varick and his men moved through the halls of the space station, Auction Site 43. He and the other Ultima Watchers mowed through the men like fire in a dry forest.

Ezra shouted in elation as the adrenaline flooding his system gave him an extra edge. Varick turned to him in time to see Ezra launch a palm blast at a Reptiloid. The blue arc of energy spattered against the alien, eating through his thick hide like acid.

Their commander, Onya, led Varick and the others through the crowd of aliens with a quick efficiency. She wasted no time fighting, only twitching her sword lightly to each side as aliens rushed at her. The unfortunate aliens fell down around her with throats wide open, blood pouring out like a wave of red.

Varick felt admiration for his commander; she had practically raised him since he was a young boy.

Onya had found Varick huddled in a cold alleyway on the planet called Earth. He had cupped a small fire in his palms to keep himself warm. The moment Onya locked eyes with the young boy, she had known his potential. That was all it had taken to inspire the older woman to take the young Varick under her wing, teaching him and raising him like her own son.

Varick would do anything for Onya; he felt eternal gratitude to her for rescuing him from that cold alley so many years ago.

The five Ultima Watchers cut down every opposing alien in the hallway. Finally, they reached the holding area, where the soon-to-be slaves were put into cages for aliens to observe, and buy.

Varick cut down an alien who got in his way with a light flick of his sword. The black blade glinted dully from the flickering overhead lights.

He heard Ezra give a low whistle, and looked over. That was when Varick noticed the absolute chaos in the cavernous room before him and the others.

Aliens rushed around in a frenzy, rolling back away from the door where he and the other Ultima Watchers stood. The tidal wave of alien species amazed Varick; he could see Weres and Elves clearly in the crowd. They detested slavery, so why were they here?

Onya nudged his side. "Look for the Adliat woman. She's the reason there are so many slave buyers here."

"She must be a real looker then," said Ezra. "I'm almost excited to find her."

Onya gave the teenager a look. Ezra quailed under her scorching glare, letting his blue hair fall forward to cover his face.

Varick grinned at Ezra's cowed look. The only thing that frightened the nineteen year old was Onya, and cotton candy, for some odd reason. Ezra claimed the stuff had a hidden evil in its sugary sweetness.

A flash of bright color caught Varick's attention. He watched in amazement as a silvery-blue haired woman with a long feathered tail swung from the overhead lights with ease. She reminded him of an Earthling character from a movie: Tarzan, swinging from vines.

Ezra ket out a wolf whistle when he saw the naked woman above him. "Geez, it should be illegal to be that hot! Now I see why Adliat women are such expensive slaves! Especially if they all look like that!"

Brendyn cuffed Ezra upside the head. The stoic blonde warrior smirked at the young Ultima Watcher. "Dibs."

Ezra scowled. "You can't call dibs on something like that! You saw her! That's just cruel, calling her before the rest of us get a chance."

Brendyn grinned. "Maybe next time, cub."

Varick rolled his eyes at his companions banter. They were lucky they all got along so well. Some Ultima Watcher groups were in a constant argument, and it made their performance less than satisfactory to the Authority.

"You wish, Brendyn. Maybe she likes brunettes?" Callum grinned at the other two, his green eyes glittering mischievously.

"No one would go for your pansy ass, Callum," said Varick. "Adliat women like a real man, like me." Varick chuckled at the look of outrage Callum sent him. Callum was so easy to rile up.

"Cool it, boys," said Onya. "Again, you forget the mission. If you had remembered, you would have noticed her by now."

"Such a drama Queen," Ezra muttered.

Varick and the others all looked around the large area. It took only a moment for Brendyn to notice her.

"Holy shit," he whispered.

When Varick saw her, he couldn't agree with the sentiment more.

Her hair was what he saw first. A riot of color, blood red and vibrant orange, gold strands here and there. It fell down her back in a waterfall of soft waves. A purple dress covered her tender bits from view, but it was tight enough to give Varick an idea of what lay beneath. Round breasts pushed against the silky fabric, a slim waist and flat tummy making her breasts look even larger. Slightly flaring hips slimmed down to beautiful creamy thighs and toned calves. Varick's eyes traveled back up her body to her face, meeting with lush pink lips that curved in a perfect Cupid's Bow. A small pert nose and graceful cheek bones came next. Then, Varick was looking straight into her eyes. The tilted orbs narrowed on him, the vibrant green capturing him. Gold diamonds glittered at him from within her irises, and long black lashes concealed those amazing eyes from view for half a second before giving them up to his perusal again. A red tail curled around her hips briefly, and he noticed its luxurious red fur. He felt envious of how it lightly touched her hips and trim waist.

"Hot damn," muttered Callum. "Forget that other Adliat woman."

"I've always been partial to red heads," muttered Ezra weakly.

"Perfection personified," Said Brendyn solemnly.

Onya rolled her eyes at the men's theatrics. "You all need to take a cold shower. I'm not washing the sticky mess out of your pant if you lose control," she said with a chuckle. "I hope she's a lesbian, just so all of you can't have her."

Callum huffed, "I haven't lost control like that since I was fifteen.Even though, just looking at this woman brings me to the edge. Besides, I think we could change her mind if she favors women," Callum intoned with a wink.

All Brendyn could do was make a noise in agreement.

Varick looked to Onya. "You want us to capture her?"

"Yeah, good hunting. She's extremely powerful."

Varick stared at the Adliat woman. Slowly, he reached out a finger of his conciouss to brush hers. The woman scowled and tightened mental shields of steel around her mind, without breaking eye contact. Varick jolted in surprise that she could feel when he touched her mind-to-mind. He turned to Onya, noting her unsurprised look. "How the hell are we supposed to capture her?"

Onya laughed. "It's gonna' be interesting to watch you try."

Brendyn narrowed his eyes at their commander. "You don't think we are capable?"

"Oh, your perfectly capable," said Onya with a chuckle, "of capturing her. If she wants to be caught, that is."

"She's only about 5 feet four inches or so tall," said Callum in a calculating way. "We could overtake her if we all rushed her at once."

Onya snorted.

Varick looked at Onya. "You know something about her that you aren't sharing," he said.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough. Consider this a training excersise, boys."

"What if we don't capture her?" asked Ezra.

"She can't leave the ship anyway; there are no transport ships left, and I doubt she knows how to drive one anyway."

"So if can't capture her, we just wait until she gets tired?" asked Callum.

"Pretty much," replied Onya. "Or until we can get some other Watchers to help out."

Varick sighed. "Might as well get on with it."

"Brendyn, you and I will approach her head on. Ezra, you go in from the right, and Callum from the left," Varick said, making eye contact with each man as he said their name. "Maybe if we can get some elctrum threaded rope around her, she won't be able to fight us off. It dampens our power, so why not hers?"

"Good thought, Varick," said Onya approvingly.

Varick smiled briefly at the older woman. Her grey eyes were on the Adliat woman. Varick wondered what his commander thought of the powerful female. Did Onya think she was a threat to her power? Did she see the almost-slave as she had seen Varick, a young alien who needed a nurturing mother figure? Varick shook the distracting thoughts from his mind. He needed to focus on the mission at hand.

Varick and Brendyn began pushing through the crowd. Aliens scrambled out of their way as they walked to the Adliat woman who stood above them on a large cage. She looked like a vengeful Queen reigning over her chaotic court.

Her tail began to whip around her, like a cat's did before it pounced on its prey. Her green eyes narrowed to slits, and damn did she look sexy as hell all pissed off.

"Uh oh," Brendyn muttered.

A large Reptiloid, one of the largest Varick had ever seen, slipped a thickly muscled scaly arm around the Adliat. Her eyes snapped open, and her pupils narrowed to dangerous slits. She pushed forward to try to escape his grasp, but the Reptiloid laughed, a low chuckle that grated in Varick's ears.

'We have to help her,' Ezra spoke into his mind.

'Just watch. She has it under control,' said Onya. 'This should be a learning experience for you boys. Never, ever, manhandle a woman.'

Varick started forward anyway, his need to protect the woman overriding his curiosity at what Onya meant. Her bright emerald eyes were widened in panic and anger. Her pupils both contracted to narrow diamonds, like a snake's.

Varick could see the spark as it flared into life in the deep recess of her eyes, and then he watched in confusion as the gold flame flickered at her fingertips, and then roared into life. A nimbus of light and flame sprung into glorious life as the Adliat caught fire.

"Holy shit, is she burning alive?" Brendyn stared at the woman in horror. She should be screaming, crying out in pain. Yet ... she wasn't.

The Adliat woman wasnt even burning. She was standing ramrod straight, tail moving in quick staccoto bursts around her as she glared at the Reptiloid that was burning alive before her eyes. When she had manifested her power as flame around her, the Reptiloid had been caught by the conflagaration.

'You want us to CAPTURE HER? How the hell are we supposed to capture her when she can melt the electrum rope!' Ezra was frantic.

Onya let loose a roaring laugh that surprised her men. She rarely gave full force to her amusement. 'This should knock all of you guys' self confidence down a few notches.'

'Is she a sociopath or something?' Asked Callum. 'She's just watching that Reptiloid burn.'

'Adliat women are used to a life of hardship. They are constantly hunted by the men of their own planet. So, it's not that she is sociopathic and can't feel remorse or guilt at the loss of a life, it's just that she is ruthless when it comes to her own survival,' said Onya.

Varick could empathize with the beautiful woman. When he had been living on Earth as a child, he had had to steal and fight for any scrap of food he needed to survive.

The Adliat woman had turned back to face Varick as the life faded from the Reptiloid. Her body shimmered with brazen power, and her own sexuality that she seemed not to know of. The woman was sex on stick, and she didnt even realize the power her beauty afforded her.

She blinked her luminous eyes, and then grinned, perfect lips parting to reveal white straight teeth. Her canines were sharp, little points that bit into her full bottom lip. Lifting a slim pale hand, she wriggled her fingers teasingly and then darted away, tail whipping back and forth.

Varick admired her backside for a moment, before his mind caught up to the fact that she was getting away.

He and Brendyn lurched after, weaving in between the frantic aliens around them.

Figures that the most gorgeous woman Varick has ever seen runs away from him. It is just his luck.