Galactic Slut Ch 09

Chapter 9

Hellfire's Captive

It was the hunger that brought me to my senses, not the noise around me. Crystal had made massive changes in my body very quickly and the energy demands were coming due. As I looked up, I noticed that more had vanished than just the three combatants. There was a hole in the ground that looked perfectly round. I only vaguely became aware of the Ralinti security force personnel standing near me with weapons leveled.

"On your feet, now!"

A wave of exhaustion hit me when I tried to rise. I stumbled back to my knees and groaned. A hand grabbed my shoulder and I lashed out, my claws tearing through something's thick fabric and slicing into flesh. There was a sharp pain on the back of my head and everything went black in a kaleidoscope of color.

When I woke, it was sudden.

[SUSAN, YOU MUST WAKE UP.]

[Crystal? What happened?]

[BLOW TO THE HEAD RENDERED YOU UNCONSCIOUS. WE ARE IN PRISON ON RALINT.]

I looked around, verifying the obvious. The cell was plain in the extreme. I was lying on the only piece of furniture, a cot that was bolted to the floor. There was nothing else in the room, save for a hole in the floor. I couldn't smell anything and was sure Crystal had deadened that sense; as it was obvious that the hole was intended to be the sanitary.

Looking at myself, I saw that my claws had gone away again. That reminded me of my hunger, which was curiously absent. I didn't have time to worry about that just then as three Ralinti security were opening the door, their rifles pointed at me.

"Come with us, alien. You have a lot to account for."

It's amazing what you get used to. I only now realized that I was naked. Clearly I'd been stripped while I was out. I felt the back of my head as I rose and felt the bump. I suspected I'd been butt whipped. It should have been hurting and I may well have been nauseous if not for Crystal's suppression of the pain and symptoms. I was led to a small room with two other Ralinti. I could tell from their dress that they were of some importance in the government.

"You're in a lot of trouble, alien."

"Susan."

"What?"

"Susan, that's my name; Susan Valenshenko."

His hand slammed against the table.

"I don't care what you call yourself! Where are the hands? We found the Map of the Heavens on your person. Where are the Jewel of Peace, the Tear of the Prophet and the Sword of the Prophet?"

I don't know," I replied. I certainly wasn't going to tell them that one of the artifacts was inside my body. "The thief tried to use the Sword and everything nearby vanished in a white light."

"You're lizardman friend fired on the security forces and you expect us to believe that there was someone else responsible? How stupid do you think we lesser races are?"

"The thief was using a stealth field; it made her invisible. Grankt's

weapon

disabled the field, rendering her visible. If not for Grankt, you'd be missing four artifacts, not three."

"Typical, simply to be expected. They're not artifacts, they're holy relics! You eviscerated a security man with a weapon we never found. He's in critical condition. If he dies, you'll be enslaved and put to work in the Jalinti coal mines. You'd better start talking, or you'll face heresy charges as well."

I didn't know what the Felpur used in the fight, but having the entire Ralinti presence at the museum unconscious when Brusjin died was a pain in the ass. I could feel my control slipping again and I couldn't afford it. My grief was threatening to take over and transform me to a worthless bundle of sobbing woman.

"I lost my husband you sack of shit! Vanished in a flash of white by an evil asshole and you threaten me with a

religious

crime? Give me a fucking break. No wonder the Hellfire Group thinks so little of you."

"What did you say?"

The look on his face caught my attention. You'd think I'd just invoked the epitome of evil, summoning up their version of Satan before his eyes. Had he heard of the Hellfire Group?

"I said, 'No wonder the Hellfire Group thinks so little of you.' Have you heard of them?"

"The Book of the Prophets speaks of Hellfire and the evil they represent. What is this Hellfire Group you speak of?"

"They're a secret organization that seeks to control the Federation. They use subterfuge, deception and violence to control everyone they can. I've been fighting them for over a year now."

"The forces of order," he whispered. "This invisible thief, she's part of this group?"

"Yes, I believe so. She dropped the Map during the fight and I picked it up. The others were destroyed in the same flash that killed everyone else."

It was then that they showed up; the Federation ambassadorial staff. A protectorate world isn't a full Federation member. Thus, the Federation maintains an embassy on planet to make sure that citizens of full member worlds are treated fairly. The laws of protectorates have less protection than those of members.

"Under article 15 of the federation charter, you're ordered to release Susan Valenshenko to our custody." The human of the pair handed a document to the Ralinti I was talking with. He looked it over with a frown. Without a word, the Ralinti walked out.

"Susan, I'm glad we were in time. Ralinti law can be very unforgiving and a little blind to the truth."

"Actually, I think I had things under control, but I appreciate your intervention just the same."

We walked out of the security offices and into a waiting hovercar. The two staff members ushered me into the back seat and we were heading down the street. I wasn't familiar with this Ralinti city, as I hadn't been in it on our first visit. With the immediate threat ended, my emotions caught up with me and I was crying softly for some time. When I came to myself again, I noticed that we weren't in the city any more. There was a forest out the window. That didn't make sense.

"Excuse me, where are we going? Isn't the embassy in town?"

"We aren't going to the embassy. We've been trying to get a hold of you for over a year now."

Shit! They were Hellfire. I grabbed for the door release only to feel electricity course through my body Everything went black. When I came to, I was in a cell even more barren than the Ralinti cell I'd been in. This cell was, however, much more advanced. I was,

of course

, naked.

[Crystal?]

[THE ONE YOU KNOW OF AS CRYSTAL IS NOT FUNCTIONING RIGHT NOW.]

[Are you the Jewel of Peace?]

[THAT IS WHAT YOU KNOW ME AS. THE ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE WAS DESIGNED TO NEUTRALIZE A CRYSTAL.]

[Why weren't you affected?]

[CRYSTAL ABSORBED THE IMPACT OF THE DISCHARGE. THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT STRENGTH TO AFFECT BOTH OF US.]

[Where are we?]

[WE ARE IN A SPACE SHIP IN DOLMAN SPACE. DESTINATION IS UNKNOWN.]

[Can you access the ship's computer system?]

[NEGATIVE. OUR CELL IS WELL SHIELDED.]

Our conversation was interrupted by the opening of the cell door. A human entered, flanked by two felpur. I was really beginning to hate that species. The human was carrying a device of some sort.

"Susan Velenshenko, formerly Susan Melnin. Do you have any idea how much grief you've caused us?"

"Hopefully lots."

"My, my, you

are

feisty, aren't you. You've been a thorn in our side for years; ever since you tried to publish that paper on the frames of reference. We thought we'd ended your threat to the group when we implanted you with a crystal. Yet, you were free of our influence within a couple of weeks. How'd you do it? How did you escape Crystal slavery?"

"I don't know. I just woke up one day free. I guess my controller had the decency to die."

"Why don't I believe you. I guess we'll have to do this the hard way; though I must admit, I'll enjoy myself. And if you're thinking your crystal can help you escape, the charge you experienced has taken it off the grid, so to speak. We've seen the evidence of a free willed crystal making beneficial modifications to your body and took steps to eliminate it." He turned to the Felpur. Take her to the interrogation room. If she fights you in any way, you have permission to rape her."

That was no idle threat. Felpur males have barbed cocks designed to stimulate their females into ovulation. In a human, they'd simply tear the flesh of whatever orifice they used. I should know, as I'd been raped by this species before. I only survived thanks to the extremely competent doctors on Ixtlicit. Those sentient cockroaches knew their biology.

I followed the human out with the two guards trailing, weapons drawn. I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Modern methods of interrogation were quite effective and I wasn't sure Jewel would be able to counter them. Crystal was able to negate any drugs or poisons that I'd encountered in the past, but I was certain Hellfire had access to mental probes and hypno-readers. Even the most well trained intelligence agent would eventually fall to such methods.

In some respects, there wasn't much point in keeping the secret. It was pure luck that I'd been implanted while still conscious. That was the only reason I'd been able to communicate with Crystal in my sleep and under intense pain. Crystal had induced a heart attack in me that killed the controller, and then revived me. That allowed the joining to become as it was intended to be. I always wondered what had happened to the base for Crystal.

The interrogation room was as I feared; totally modern. I soon found myself strapped to a table and tilted 45 degrees. A sharp prick in my arm announced the injection of drugs into my system. I could feel the gondoilin, among others, start to take affect affect; my mind fogging and my ability to think straight leaving me. However, the effects vanished only a few seconds later, as Jewel neutralized the drug. I tried to not let on that I wasn't under the drug. They believed my Crystal ally was incapacitated and I didn't want to disabuse them of that belief.

A light came on and I couldn't see through the glare at first. My vision quickly adjusted as Jewel adapted my vision. The man who brought me here was there, as well as the two Felpur guards. Another man entered. This man I knew. He was the naval commander that had tried to kill me in orbit around the capitol. I didn't see how this could end well.

"Susan, it's not nice to lie to me. You said your crystal was dead and that wasn't true, was it?"

"Noooo…" I slurred, trying to act drugged.

"Let's start again, now that your little friend isn't keeping our drugs from working. How did you break free of our control?"

"I…don't know. Woke up…no controller. Glad."

"What do you mean? You didn't do anything to get free?"

"What could…do? Was slave to crystal."

I was a little confused. They had to know that my controller died, didn't they? What did they expect gave me my freedom? There was something going on that I didn't understand.

"We know you had to do something. A perfectly healthy Felpur collapsed and had a heart attack. What did you do?"

"Don't know. Kroklin…passed out…woke up free."

"Krokliin?

Brusjin Valenshenko

used you for Kroklin?"

"Not Brusjin…ship captain…price for passage."

"Damn!" he whispered to himself. "Kroklin! We lost perhaps our best placed Crystal slave to a fucking game of Kroklin." He turned back to me. "What happened on Ralint?"

"Thief stole Sword…fight…used sword…they vanished."

"Where are the rest of the relics?"

"Gone with them…vanished in white light."

I could see he wanted to not believe me. The artifacts must be important to them, beyond the potential research value, to elicit this kind of determination. It was critical that he not find out that I'd been implanted with a second crystal. I suspected they didn't even know the Jewel

was

a crystal. The Map of the Heavens and the Eye of Harmony were safe, I hoped, in the hands of the Ralinti, while the Tear of the Prophets and the Sword of Ralint were lost, destroyed by the thief with my husband.

There was a chiming sound and the commander pressed his temple, activating the communicator implant he apparently had. "Yes, I'll see to it right away. I understand, Lord." He turned to me with a sick smile on his face. "My Lord wants to question you as soon as possible. I'm sure you'll

enjoy

the experience as much as you did servicing those two Felpur back on Ixtlicit. I doubt you'll live through the experience though. Too bad, I was looking forward to enslaving you again. No slave should ever be freed." He turned to walk out, giving orders as he did through his implant. "This is the Captain. Drop out of Dolman space immediately and set a new course for Yeltion."

My guards took me down and dragged me to my cell as we dropped out of and back into Dolman space. I lay there long enough for the drugs to have worked their way through my system (it's not like I could do anything, anyway). I knew when that was by when they brought me food. The slave gruel was unappetizing, but I ate it anyway. Slave gruel is a high energy nutrient paste that's cheap to make (slaves don't

need

pleasing food). I was curious why I wasn't feeling any abnormal hunger given the needs of Jewel in making the modifications it did. Regardless, I knew that Crystal's recovery would need energy as well, and I wanted It back on its feet, so to speak, as soon as possible.

As soon as I was done, I felt something happening inside my chest and I fell into a deep sleep. I had the strangest feeling that someone was trying to communicate with me but I couldn't make out what they were saying. The voice seemed to come from a great distance and barely registered as a voice, let alone make itself understood. When I woke, Crystal was speaking to me.

[SUSAN. WE'RE OUT OF DOLMAN SPACE. THE BUD AND I HAVE ESTABLISHED MATING UNITY.]

[What's mating unity? Will I be giving birth to a new crystal pair?]

[IN TIME, YES. FOR NOW, THE UNITY WILL MAKE THINGS EASIER AND MORE EFFICIENT. APPOLOGIES FOR NOT REQUESTING PERMISSION BEFORE UNITY ESTABLISHED.]

[That's not a problem. Or is it?]

[UNITY CHANGES HOST AND MAKES JOINING PERMANENT.]

[Permanent? I thought joinings were permanent? What changes?]

[JOININGS CAN BE ENDED AND THE BUD TRANFERED FROM ONE ORGANIC TO ANOTHER. SUCH A TRANSFER CAN'T HAPPEN NOW, FOR EITHER BUD. CHANGES ARE HARD TO EXPLAIN. YOU WILL BECOME MORE AND LESS THAN WHAT YOU WERE. BODY ADAPTATIONS WILL COME EASIER, NEEDING LESS ENERGY FROM YOU. REPRODUCTION FOR YOU IS NOW IMPOSSIBLE.]

I drew in a quick breath. Brusjin and I had talked about having children, but had put off the decision until our lives had slowed down somewhat. Flitting from planet to planet and experiencing the dangers we did wasn't the life for a child. Now we…I…could never make that choice.

[Was it necessary?]

[YES, MY RESTORATION WOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT IT.]

[Okay then, permission belatedly given.] That wasn't a hard choice to make, when you come right down to it. Crystal was my friend. [Has Jewel briefed you about this Lord?]

[YES. WE MUST ESCAPE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. CONFRONTING THE LORD WILL REVEAL BOTH OUR PRESENCES.]

[Not much chance of that. We're on a space ship in Dolman space.]

[NEGATIVE. WE EXITED DOLMAN SPACE 30 MINUTES AGO. ANTICIPATE LANDING PROCEDURES ARE IN PLACE.]

[What can we do? Yeltion is one of the worlds that's fully controlled by Hellfire.] The data Crystal had stolen the first time Hellfire had me in their hands was invaluable. [Even if we escape, everyone there will just turn us back in.]

[NEGATIVE. FOUR JOINED BUDS ARE ON PLANET AND WILL ASSIST. I WILL NEED TO TAKE CONTROL OF ACTIONS FOR A TIME.]

[Do what you need to do.]

While I was giving permission to have Crystal override me, the door opened and my two

favorite

Felpur entered. They motioned me out of the cell and directed me to the hatchway. There was a grav van waiting for us and I was locked in the back. Knock out gas entered and I feigned sleep. The dark interior was soon visible in black and white, no doubt the results of changes being made. I could feel other things happening; to my hands, my feet and legs, and inside my chest. The only changes I could see were my fingernails elongating, much like they did in the two fights Crystal had done in the past. Unlike those times, there was some sort of moisture on the underside of the nails. Looking close, I could see small hollows in each nail filled with a clear fluid.

When Crystal (I think) took control, it was much more seamless than it had been in the past. There was less of a feeling of watching from inside and more of a sense of a cooperative venture. I scraped the back of the van with one of my fingers, oozing liquid as I did. The metal smoked and bubbled with a hissing noise. Acid! I was oozing acid from my finger. Not only that, I could tell, somehow, that with just the right muscle action, I could squirt the liquid quite some way. Fumes soon filled the back of the van and I assumed that the changes in my chest kept them from harming me. I wondered why the drivers weren't reacting to my movement and Crystal answered.

[CONTROL OF SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM TAKEN. THEY SEE YOU SLEEPING NORMALLY.]

I'd forgotten that Crystal could do that. Then it hit me. I hadn't

asked

Crystal, I'd just wondered in my thoughts. Was It reading my mind now?

[NOT EXACTLY, BUT CLOSE ENOUGH. THIS IS PART OF THE MATING UNITY. YES, WE'RE PROTECTING YOU FROM OUR THOUGHTS. THEY ARE TOO ALIEN FOR YOU AT THIS TIME.]

When I wondered how

my

thoughts weren't too alien for them, I didn't get a response. Now wasn't the time, however, to start mistrusting my partners. When the acid had finished etching the back of the van, I kicked it and the round piece flew out. I could feel the van stopping as I leapt through the hole and landed on my feet. I didn't have time to wonder how I'd stopped so suddenly without jarring myself because I started running, running extremely fast.

The road we'd been on ran through some sort of organized forest with identical trees laid out in straight rows. There was no cover of any sort and I could see the drivers jumping out. I ran right at the first with my hand up and planted the heel of my hand on his chin. I heard and felt the bones snapping as I grabbed the his arm with my other hand, my claws (there was no better term for my nails now) injecting him with something (acid, poison?) and threw myself across the van, letting my foot slam into the nose of the other driver. My hand slammed into his chest, injecting again. His body shuddered briefly and died.

Inside the driver compartment, I found a small carry all with a few of my possessions. Most important was my virtual room. That explained how Crystal was able to control their surveillance system. It had been in contact with my system for so long that the room was practically an extension of Its will. With the download capability of the room, Crystal has been able to penetrate more than one computer system, even systems that were supposed to be shielded. It had also installed its own version of security software. I suspect that even Hellfire was having trouble breaking into

this

system.

The only problem I had now was just what to do. I was on an alien, and hostile, planet, with no clothing, no friends, and no way off, as far as I could tell. Last I'd heard, Yeltion had a population of just under ten million people. Clearly I wasn't in one of the population centers. A major city would be a two edged sword. It would be in one of them that I'd find a way off the planet, but there was also the greater danger of being discovered.

There was no way any organization could afford surveillance of the wilderness areas of any planet; not even a major government. In the wilds, I'd be relatively free from being discovered, assuming Hellfire didn't know where to start looking. But, out here, I'd have no access to space travel; and I needed to get off this planet.