This ongoing sci-fi series will contain non-consensual elements.
I had escaped from the breeder farm by the skin of my teeth. As the ship climbed into orbit, I made my way to the bridge of the bulk carrier. It was being piloted by Delphine. She gave me the biggest smile when she saw me.
"I was thinking we would have to come back for you," she said, from the command console.
Once we got into a safer orbit, she told me that it had been chaos, and she guessed that it was me that had released all the slaves. I explained what had happened, and how I had been duped by Sakura. It wasn't the best outcome, but Delphine assured me that plenty of captives had been rescued.
"Around two hundred," Tyrus confirmed, as he came onto the small bridge.
"We lost a few," Delphine said, sadly. "We are going to the rendezvous now."
Tyrus offered to take over and give us some time to catch up. She took me into one of the small crew cabins, and checked me over.
"Just a few bruises. Not too bad." There was an old pair of overalls that I changed into.
She told me how proud she was, although I couldn't fully accept the compliment. The plan had almost gone disastrously wrong.
"Nonsense," she said. "From what you said, that woman already knew something was suspicious. You more or less saved us."
We were interrupted by another member of our crew. He had been down the the hold with the freed slaves.
"One hundred and twenty-five," he announced happily, and presented Delphine with a list. I asked to look at it, and was happy to see Lilly's name was on it.
"Could I speak to her?" I asked, and Delphine told me that was fine, but I only had this opportunity as once they reached the rendezvous, the ship would be heading for the safe haven.
The crewman told me he would take me down later, and left us alone.
Delphine warned me not to get my hopes up, but I surprised her by telling her that I had already gained the information I needed. I told her it was a man named Hogarth who had wiped my memories, and that I knew where he lived. She assured me that he would be out next stop.
"It looks like you will be back to your old self in no time," she said, with a smile. Tyrus's voice came on over the intercom telling us we had arrived at the rendezvous.
"Come on, Captain," Delphine said, teasingly.
Back on the bridge I saw the yacht sitting off the port side, it was being commanded by Juno. Delphine explained she was going to lock the coordinates into the bulk carriers flight computer and once I had said my goodbyes the ship would auto pilot itself to the safe haven. It was the only way to keep the location a secret. Not even her daughter Juno knew where it was.
Tyrus got up from the command chair, and said he would take me to the hold. As we left Delphine to her task, he asked me the name of the girl I was going to see and why I was going to talk to her. I just told him it was a girl that I had met at the breeder farm, and didn't elaborate. I didn't want him to know about my past just yet. It was still a lot to deal with and the less people that knew the better.
As we reached some steps he stopped me and told me he needed to tell me something.
"I thought I made my feelings clear before," I said, turning to him. In my mind, our relationship was over.
"Just one last hug," he said, and pulled me close.
As I tried to pull away, he pressed something small and silver to my neck. There was a whooshing noise, and I realized it was a medical injector. Whatever was in it acted very quickly.
My knees buckled, and I slipped into unconsciousness. He told me not to worry.
*******
I awoke in some confusion, and to my dismay I found I was bound and gagged. I was hogtied, and lying on my stomach. As my eyes adjusted to the light I saw that I was back on the bridge. I wasn't alone. Tyrus sat in the command chair with his back to me, and Delphine who was also hogtied, was laying next to me. I tried to get her attention, but she was completely out. There was a gash on her head, and blood covered her face.
I guessed it was Tyrus that had done it, but why? I could still see the yacht out of the port window, and that gave me some hope. Was this some sort of betrayal. All I could do was speculate.
Minutes passed, then I got my answer. The comms came to life, and Tyrus said something unintelligible into them. Almost as soon as he did, something bright streaked past the viewing port. It was a missile, and it struck the side of the yacht. There was one smaller explosion, and then the whole vessel disintegrated into flaming wreckage. I couldn't believe it. Juno was onboard, as were the rest of the Red Moon crew. Delphine was still unconscious, and my heart squeezed tightly for her. Her daughter had just been killed.
Everything was turning into a nightmare, for once I thought things were going to be okay, but that dream had now evaporated quickly and violently.
There was more waiting before I started to get answers. A small shuttle approached. I only caught a glimpse, but I felt dread inside. Tyrus left the bridge without even a glance in my direction, when he returned he wasn't alone. There was another man with him, he was tall and had a fierce look about him. The first thing he did was to walk over to Delphine.
"So this is the leader of Red Moon," he said, in a deep voice. Tyrus confirmed her identity. He then asked if the computer had the coordinates to the safe haven, which Tyrus also confirmed.
It dawned on me now, what was happening. Tyrus had sold us out to bounty hunters.
"I've tried to see where they go, buy they are encrypted, once we set the ship going, it will lead us right there."
The fierce looking man congratulated Tyrus on a job well done, and promised they would share the profits from the bounties on the escaped slaves. They talked some more about his time with us, and I found out that Tyrus was part of their crew who had gone undercover. He even talked about the female crewmember who died while I was on board. It had been Tyrus that had killed her and sent her corpse out on a shuttle craft. I couldn't believe I let this man into my bed.
"What about this beautiful creature?" he asked, and he turned to me.
"A pleasure slave we freed, my gift to you, Lucero."
I shivered at the thought, and didn't like the way this man was eyeing me. He squatted in front of me and smiled as he looked into my eyes.
"If I can make one request, Sir," Tyrus started. "I'd like some time alone with the Red Moon bitch. I'd like to put her in her place."
Lucero snapped a no, and told him that she was too valuable to be harmed, the price on her wasn't worth risking. "She has a special cage waiting for her."
He turned his attention back to me, and took some of my blonde hair in his fingers. "Very nice," he said. He took a digital tablet out of his pocket and powered it to life.
"Sometimes the pretty ones like you have a bigger bounty if they are returned untouched." As he keyed something into it, he stroked a finger across my cheek, and said he hoped that wasn't the case with me.
"Her owner was a man named Orton," Tyrus said, and told him the name of the planet I was from.
A frown appeared on Lucero's face. "Orton you say?"
Tyrus confirmed.
"There is no bounty for her, only slaves named, Proctor, Juno, and Emrah Jackson."
Tyrus shrugged. "She calls herself, Cara, her name must be Emrah then."
