All That Glitters

All That Glitters -- Ch 40

Aftermath, carnage in the Landstradt.

Aftermath of the raid on the Alliance. The Landstradt meets amid the turmoil.

© bigtddybr December 2021. This story 'All That Glitters - Ch 40' or the series 'All That Glitters' cannot be transferred to any other site besides Literotica.com in whole or in part without the prior authorizations in writing from the author and bigtddybr must be credited for this work.

Due to the number of abbreviations, ship listings, and list of characters, in this story, I include a glossary that is now in a stand-alone chapter called

'All That Glitters: Notes'

. Any and all information that you want or need to know about the series is included in Notes. It will be updated frequently simply by re-issuing the chapter to Literotica.

There is little attempt to explain the back story, so it is necessary to read previous chapters to fully understand where we are.

As before, I claim sole responsibility for the story line. This story is a fantasy, with no basis in reality. Any similarity that you may perceive to current events, people, or situations real or imaginary is completely unintended. Look no further than the story line for its intent and purpose.

A big shout out to SaddleRider for all the help she has provided in editing. With her guidance, I'm making fewer and fewer errors, but she still finds them. If you find any errors still left in this chapter, they are mine.

Please rate and comment. But keep your comments respectful. If you rant and rave or are disrespectful in your commentary, it will be deleted.

'Nuff said...enjoy.

Adenomere Three Estate, Planet Adenomere, Adenomere System, 182 Light Years from Terra

Peotre Adenomere was furious. His son Adolphus was recovering from a high intensity stun gun shot that he had received during the raid several hours earlier. The doctor had assured him that Adolphus would be all right but that he would continue to have severe headaches and nausea for several more days.

Peotre wanted to beat his son senseless. He had been shocked to learn that his son had indiscriminately killed a dozen slaves in a fruitless attempt to stop the raid on their House by the Union. He knew his sons were a callous lot, however, he hadn't known they were this callous, especially Adolphus!

Yelling at the boy while still suffering from the stun effects had only caused his son to collapse, causing Peotre to issue a fitful string of obscenities that had caused David, Adolphus' PA, to fear for his Master's life.

In addition to all that, the micro-mainframe and its server was pretty much toast, so the estates computers were down. The tech assured them that the memory core itself was protected. All they needed to do was replace the fuses, highly expensive and difficult to get fuses. The tech had assured them that he could get them within 48hrs.

Two fucking days without computers!

Peotre thought to himself, not daring to allow his mouth to open for fear of what he might say or do. For the price of the fuses, he could have purchased another micro-mainframe, however, he needed the memory of what was on that particular computer. He would purchase a second micro-mainframe and place it in a concealed location, just to ensure that he had continuous computer capability in the future.

Seeing the old man's emotions, Peotre's remaining children tiptoed around their father for the rest of that day, staying as far from his anger as they could...

MHS Orenta, HD-137982 Unnamed Star System, Seventy Light Years from Terra

The ships of Task Force Adenomere finally all came together in the unnamed star system some eight hours after the end of the raid on Adenomere. It would take another four to six hours before many of the ships could jump again, headed back to the Naval bases on the two support planets.

In the meantime, triage was active, with people being moved around from ship to ship according to their needs. Those with serious needs, whether wounds or serious deprivation, were being moved to designated hospital ships. Those with serious psychological issues were being sent to the SSP Marin Green, which was being used as a makeshift hospital ship for psychological issues. Lesser injuries or deprivation were being dealt with on board the rescue ships as the patients were being prepared for transhipment to one of the Navy bases on the two support planets.

Those with relatively mild issues, were being given good food to eat, new clothes for their bodies, soap so they could get clean, and a set of personal toiletries to see to their needs. This did remarkably more for their spirit than all the physical and medical support they received.

************

Besides having a hospital ship designated for each Task Force, OP Sandcastle also had two additional hospital ships designated for the rescued, and three additional hospital ships designated for the Navy/Marine injuries.

On the MHS Orenta, designated for the rescued, the patients were getting a little more of a shock than they expected by the presence of Pod-Drran medical staff.

"Hello there, young lady, and what do you call yourself?" Hend-Ur asked the young woman on the gurney.

The woman looked up at the person in shock, taking in the greenish skin, the snake-like eyes, and the whitish hair that made a whisper of sound when it shook its head. "What are you?" she asked, confused.

"I am a nurse!" Hend replied with obvious pride in his voice and a closed-mouth smile on his face. That only confused the poor girl even more.

"A nurse?" she asked quietly, the confusion plainly showing on her face.

"Why yes, one of the best!" Hend replied. "However, that is not important. What is more important is to see to your needs. If you have been sent to this ship, it is because you are in a little more need than others.

"Your chart says that your name is Hanna. Do you remember your family name?" Hend asked.

"Parker, Hanna Marie Parker," she replied, while Hend wrote it down.

"Do you know how old you are?"

"I was born 21 April 2460; I think that makes me..."

"Twenty-six," Hend informed her. "Do you know how long you have been in the hands of the Alliance?"

"I was taken when I was nineteen. I had just had my birthday the week before and we were going to another planet for university. There were eight of us from the same city on the ship, from Harn City on Green's World. We were going to Malton University on Terra. I have no idea what has happened to my friends," Hanna mused quietly, suddenly closing in on herself emotionally.

Hend could see that Hanna was starting to verge into shock, her memories beginning to overwhelm her.

"Hanna, would you reach up and touch your neck," Hend instructed softly.

Perplexed, the woman did as she was told, shaky fingers touching her bare skin.

"What do you feel?" Hend asked. He watched as the woman touched her neck. Realization of the truth slowly dawned on the woman, her eyes going wide. She started to sob, though there were no tears, her emaciated body unable to produce enough tears to cry with.

Hend took her other hand, holding it gently. Hanna looked at the hand gripping hers in surprise.

"Your hand is so warm," she marvelled with a hic-up.

Hend gave the distinctive Pod-Drran laugh. "Despite the fact that our species looks like we might be reptilian, we are in fact mammalian and warm-blooded," Hend reassured her.

Just then, another Pod-Drran appeared in front of Hanna.

"Hanna, this is my mate, Dr. Kayl-Ur. She is one of the finest and most famous doctors in the Union." Hend informed her with pride.

"Oh, hush now, mate," Dr. Kayl replied, though with a glimmer of pleasure in her eyes and an impish grin on her face.

Hanna took in a person who looked superficially like Nurse Hend. If you compared her to humans, she was definitely female as she had FOUR!, she had four breasts!!

Kayl noted where the woman was looking and her smile broadened a little. "It is a pity that the Goddess did not see fit to grace humans with the same build as we Pod-Drran have," Kayl told the woman with a wink, which brought a shy smile from the woman.

Hanna could see the obvious love between these two. That reassured her more than anything else.

Kayl began to move through a series of tests on the woman, trying to determine her condition, which was not good. She was seriously emaciated. Her hair was dry and felt more like straw than human hair. Her eyes were dry. Kayl looked at the saline solution that was rigged to the woman and then started a flurry of instructions that Hend quickly and precisely wrote down.

Kayl did not like the look of the returns from the instruments. This woman was in serious trouble. She had apparently been subjected to deprivation and injuries for several years. Kayl was not sure if the woman would have survived for much longer in the care of the slavers.

The pair began to work on Hanna. They stripped her out of the hospital gown she was wearing and began to wash her body down. Kayl applied a moisturising cream to her skin as Hend worked some dry shampoo and conditioner into her hair.

Hend added a drip bag of nutrients that Kayl had ordered to the saline drip. It would help her body recover faster. Within an hour, Hanna was once again dressed in a hospital gown and laying somewhat more peacefully in her bed. Her skin looked much improved and her breathing, too, had improved, no longer being raspy, medication for that being fed in gaseous form through the nasal tubes she now wore.

"I want you to get as much sleep as you can over the next few days," Dr. Kayl instructed. "Whatever you need, have the staff do it for you until I say otherwise. You need to keep all of your strength and to build up your body."

Hanna nodded absently to the instruction but she was already halfway into a dreamless sleep. It would be several days before she would be discharged from the hospital ship to the base hospital on Planet Varus, where they were eventually headed. In the meantime, three of her friends were found alive. The reunion would be bittersweet, as four others were still missing.

************

Scenes like Hanna's, were being played out over many different hospital ships. The number of severely malnourished patients was staggering. On top of the deprivation, was the number of injuries that many had suffered, often without adequate medical care given after the fact.

Brutal looking scars were the most common ailment followed closely by broken bones improperly set, however, they were not the only problems. Severe illness linked to malnourishment were also common, as was diminished mental acumen and physical strength that followed long years of malnourishment.

In several cases, the slavers had deliberately removed limbs from their slaves apparently for perceived slights. Death was not an uncommon subject among the rescued. The former slaves reported on many who had been killed for everything from attempting to run away, to cursing the masters under their breath.

Suicide was also a common topic, now that they could no longer be punished by shocks from their slave collars for such thoughts. The medical staff was not only fighting against the physical injuries but also the psychological injuries the former slaves had suffered.

The staff documented everything; shocked by the list of injuries that the ex-slaves had suffered. As was being graphically indicated, the life of a slave on Alliance worlds was not pleasant.

The information was collected and sent forward to the IPPF on the respective support planets. While the IPPF did not believe they would ever be able to prosecute those involved, they opened files on all of them. One day those who had suffered under their hands would receive justice.

NHS Frederick Banting, HD-137982 Unnamed Star System

Dr. Stephanie Bright was working on the NHS Frederick Banting. She was moving as swiftly as possible from one ex-slave to another, shocked at the condition these people were in.

Her eyes locked onto a woman on a gurney, the back raised to place her in a rough sitting position. She looked like she was having problems breathing but as she got closer, she realized she was quietly crying.

"Are you OK?" she asked the emaciated woman, who looked suspiciously familiar. "What is your name?" Stephanie asked.

"Kirstin, Kirstin Marlen," she replied in a voice that said she was barely in the room.

"Kirstin?" Stephanie whispered, her heart racing. "Kirstin, it's me, Stephanie, your cousin."

Kirstin looked at Stephanie in a confused manner, then a glimmer of recognition entered her eyes.

"Steph? OH GOD STEPH!" Kirsten broke down sobbing, hugging Stephanie hard to herself, or as hard as she could.

Stephanie's dispassionate side as a doctor noted the lack of strength that Kirstin showed her in that hug, but she could care less about that. Stephanie had found her cousin. Death had given up one that it had claimed.

Over the next few days many similar scenes would be played out in person and via internet connections. Death would lose many of those that had previously been placed in its care...many, but not all...

Hollern Prison, Adenomere City, Planet Adenomere, Adenomere System

Raymond woke the day after his capture chained to a prison wall. He and the other five Marines had been ordered to exit their EVA suits and then were unceremoniously stripped naked before being stunned into unconsciousness.

The bruising on his body showed that he had not been treated kindly while being transported, unconscious, to wherever he was now. It would have been better if those that had captured them had stunned them after they had gotten them to the prison, rather than having to carry them.

Raymond became aware of why he had woken. His lungs were having a hard time bringing air in and out. The reason was simple; he was chained in a spread eagle position near to but not touching a cement wall. The position, sometimes referred to as the 'crucifixion position', left him hanging down and his lungs were unable to function properly.

Raymond remembered his training. He tensed his arm muscles to pull himself up some, he then planted his feet against the chains around his ankles. Pushing with his feet, he locked his legs muscles in place, then did the same with his core muscles. That made his body rigid, allowing him to breathe a little easier. At least he wouldn't suffocate now.

Raymond took stock of his surroundings. He was in a cell with a single bright light. Other than the light, bare concrete walls were all that he could see. There was a small, grated drain near his feet.

He was chained to the wall opposite a metal door. The door had a grate in it, with a small, closed, metal window roughly head height, the window being closed from outside, which would allow the guards to occasionally look in. Raymond thought that there would be cameras in the room as well, however, he would not likely see them, as they could be quite small.

Raymond found his feet were chained at the ankles approximately 12cm off the floor. The ceiling was several centimeters above his stretched out hands, which were chained at the wrists.

The cell was a rough cube, square in width and length, just long enough for a person to lay down in but not to stretch out his arms. It was higher in height, allowing his arms to be stretched above him. That was the extent of his accommodations.

They should be back soon,

Raymond mused.

They want me alive for now. Leaving me in this condition would be dangerous to most prisoners.

He had barely finished the thought when he heard a key rattling in the door.

Really? A key? How old-fashioned,

Raymond thought.

Two slaves came in. One placed a small, square table in the center of the room, not far from Raymond. The other placed a nicely appointed executive chair at the table, opposite of Raymond.

A third slave came in with a tray of bread, cheese, meat, and fruits, along with a large carafe of water and two tumblers. Dew dripped carelessly down the outside of the carafe, showing that the water was cool. Raymond suddenly discovered he was thirsty.

A short, fat, troll of a man walked into the cell. Wherever his skin was on display, all you could see was dark, thick hair. The man was ugly, plain and simple. He would scare the shit out of any child that saw him. The sight sent a shiver up Raymond's spine.

Raymond couldn't tell how old he was, he simply thought, old...that could make him over a hundred if he was a Union citizen with access to Union medical knowledge, or anything over seventy-five if he did not have access to such knowledge. He suspected the latter.

Despite all the hair on his body, the man was clean shaven. He gave Raymond a grimace of delight, seeing him bound against the wall. Raymond then realized why he was shaved. Under the thick beard he would most likely produce, his mouth would vanish and the prisoners would not be able to accurately determine his mood, something that the man obviously wanted them to figure out.

The man went to a panel on the wall and pressed a button. Raymond felt himself being lowered until his feet were firmly planted on the floor. That was the only relief he was given.

"Good-morning, Raymond. I am Inquisitor Harold. I will be asking you a few questions that you will answer to the best of your ability, if you know what is good for you," Harold stated.

"I assume that I am to call you Inquisitor Harold and not Harry?" Raymond asked, showing no fear in the situation.

"Harry the Inquisitor, I like that," Harold replied, showing in his demeanor that he truly did not like it one bit. "Then there is the obvious retort about my body hair. Don't worry, Raymond, I have heard all the comments about my body, from many of the people who were in your current situation. However, by the end of those sessions, the person I am speaking with, had a completely different view of me."

Raymond ignored the comments. They were meant to frighten him, or at least to upset his state of mind. They did, but he wouldn't show it.

"Before we begin, Raymond, you might note that there is something around your neck," Harold told him.

Raymond lowered his head. He instantly became aware of his neck touching a slave collar. He had felt it before but had not fully embraced it consciously. Now, its presence was manifest.

"I assume that is so you can use the shock system for your torture and interrogation?" Raymond pondered.

"Torture and interrogation, Raymond, such harsh words. No, we will call it a question and answer session. I will be asking the questions. You, of course, will be answering them."

Raymond knew what was coming. He had been in this situation before. It was never pleasant.

Harold sat at the table and poured a tumbler of water. He selected a piece of cheese and meat and placed them on a single piece of bread. He took a rather dainty bite of the sandwich, deliberately chewing the piece in his mouth before swallowing, chasing it down with a little water.

Raymond was suddenly acutely aware of how hungry and thirsty he was. He watched as Harold finished his sandwich and popped a grape into his mouth and swallowed.

"Such pleasant tastes, Raymond. If you are a good boy, and answer my questions, you will have some food and water. If not..."

Raymond said nothing. Deprivation of slaves was a common practice on the Alliance worlds. He had no doubt that he would be starved for at least a couple of days before he was given anything to eat or drink, whether or not he was cooperative...