Slavemaster's Woman, The (33 page)

“Not if we decide to zap you first,” Rube
answered.

“Fine,” Tarken said. “Let me put it to you
this way. I am no friend of Mecor’s. In fact I detest the king and
his practices. I have agreed to help your cause as I too wish to
leave this planet and never look back.”

Rube gave Bazil and indecisive shrug but
then commented. “If Shre and Ayia release him, they must think he’s
trustworthy.”

“I can assist with the hidden passageways
and get this done more quickly,” Tarken added. “And then you and
your daughter can be free of Buranis once and for all.”

Bazil swiped a hand along his jaw while
seemingly considering Tarken’s words He sheathed his stunner.
“Fine, then let’s do this.”

He began to move, but Tarken grasped him by
the upper arm. “What of the stones?”

“I’ll tell you about the stones after we are
out of sight.” Bazil glanced briefly to where Tarken held him and
then turned his attention upward toward the castle’s wall. “A guard
is about to pass along the top of the perimeter and we need to make
ourselves scarce. There’s a secret entrance just a short distance
down, lets head in that direction.”

Tarken released Bazil and followed the two
men to a rocky area.

Bazil pressed his hand to what seemed to be
several non-descript areas of the wall. A nearby rock, which
abutted the wall rolled to reveal a door concealed behind it. He
rapped the door’s surface twice at the top, then once at the bottom
and it swung inward. They passed through and entered a hidden
corridor that was within the castle walls and Bazil closed the door
behind them.

Tarken curiously watched the entire process
of revealing the passageways.

“The rocks slide back into place,” Bazil
answered Tarken’s unasked question, “Closing the door triggers
it.”

“Fascinating. Heat activated latches?”

Bazil nodded. “I’ll bet you thought the
walls were solid.”

“I did.” Tarken looked left first and then
right. When the door was closed a track of lights came on to
illuminate the interior. “Does the entire castle wall have a
corridor within?”

“No.”

“According to the mapping you supplied me…”
Rube studied his compu-pad. “If we take the direction I’m facing,
we’ll end up in the castle latrine next to saunas and solarium. The
passage in front of me leads to an underground docking station for
the king’s personal star cruiser.”

“Correct,” Bazil confirmed. “We should
damage it in case Mecor attempts to escape during the revolt. We
don’t want him to get away.”

“Before we go any further, Bazil.” Tarken
folded his arms. “I want to know about the stones.

“Very well.” Bazil blew out a gust of air.
“The muartzin stones have a use that is of utmost importance to
Mecor.”

“Yes, I am aware of this. Mecor is profiting
obscenely from selling them. They’re quite rare and desirable
gems.”

“He has an ulterior motive.” Shaking his
head from side to side, Bazil dropped his chin in disgust. “The
stones have other properties that if misdirected can cause great
devastation.”

“How so?” Tarken asked curiously.

“Originally I was using the stones to
increase the breathable atmosphere in the rooms of patients in
need, but a good scientist rarely uses an intervention without
understanding how it works— so I began running tests.”

“And?”

Again, Bazil sighed as though he dreaded
giving the answer. “It was a dark dawning in the heavens when Anzer
overthrew the throne and began threatening the lives of my wife and
daughter, of the citizens of Buranis.” He dragged a trembling hand
through his hair, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, they
glistened with tears that threatened to fall. “Anzer is
ruthless.”

“Tell me something I don’t know, Bazil,”
Tarken groused. “Get to the point.”

“I discovered that by changing just one of
the chemical properties of the stones, it would have the reverse
affect.”

Tarken narrowed his eyes. “Reverse affect.
What do you mean?”

“By manipulating the composition, the stones
will neutralize the atmospheres on planets, thus making them
uninhabitable.”

“And causing all life there upon them to
suffocate,” Rube added.

“That would explain the stockpiles Mecor has
been gathering.” Tarken thought aloud. “But why sell so many if
they can be used as a weapon?”

“I also designed a device that could alter
the properties remotely.”

“Well-placed loyals to the king could alter
the stones with the push of a button,” Rube further explained. “A
perfect and quick form of genocide.”

“Control through threatened suffocation.”
Tarken’s disgust of Anzer Mecor heightened further. “He could take
control of many worlds with such power.”

“Wherever the stones exist, and the
atmosphere can be restored just as easily,” Rube added. “In fact,
just the mere threat of annihilation as such, may be all Mecor
needs to crush even the greatest empires and enslave their
people.”

“And that is why he seeks you?” Tarken
questioned Bazil.

“Yes. I destroyed the device once I realized
its capabilities, and the formula to convert the stones is up here
and nowhere else.” Bazil tapped the side of his head.

“I’ve had sources reporting that the king
has had scientists attempting to convert the stones and duplicate
the device, but they have failed continuously,” Rube informed them.
“He’s been searching for Bazil’s whereabouts for solars.”

“Until now I remained well-hidden but—”
Bazil began.

“Mecor found Cushla first,” Tarken sneered.
“He was using her to flush you out. I suspected as much. I was
unsure as to why though.”

“And now you know the full story.” Bazil
glanced at his time piece. “Let’s get on with this. We need to get
to the king’s star cruiser and destroy it.” He headed down the
corridor.

Tarken and Rube followed as the path
descended and it was apparent they were moving underground.

“Mecor had two converted stones left behind
by Bazil,” Rube told Tarken. “Originally, the converted stones
could be activated by being shattered. As an experiment and a
warning, he used one of them on a small satellite belonging to
Shalcardon, Shre Vialin’s home planet. She was away at the time but
her family was on the satellite and they all perished.”

“Ledoria.” Tarken nodded. He paused in his
pace to look at Rube, who stopped as well. “I was very young
warrior with the Vallis forces at the time. We had information that
there was a devastating occurrence there. One of our units was sent
to investigate, but nothing could be proven and it was documented
as anomaly. Several thousand were found dead. It was a tragic
event.”

“Mecor is a vile and cruel monster,” Bazil
commented as he halted. “He will forego nothing to achieve his
schemes, mainly becoming a ruler supreme in the galaxy.”

“Credits and power,” Tarken stated. “Always
the same game.”

“Let’s keep moving.” Bazil began his trek
again. “We haven’t much time left and there’s much to do.”

Within a short time, they passed through an
open archway and entered a large chamber. Tarken glanced around,
first taking a gander at the state of the art cruiser that was
positioned in the center of the room.

Bazil and Rube headed toward it.

Tarken halted and glanced at the control
panel against a section of the carved out stone wall, and then
angled his head toward the smoothened ceiling. An enormous
double-door trap covered most of it, large enough for the cruiser
to egress through. He racked his brain, attempting to determine
where on the topside the escape hatch might be hidden but came up
empty. “Tell me, what of the other stone?” Tarken joined the other
men at the star cruiser.

“It’s secured in the castle,” Rube answered
while crawling out from beneath ship.

“It was only a small sampling, a pebble at
best.” Bazil ran his fingers along the outer edge of the ship. “But
enough to suffocate the entire castle and the nearby town, before
dissipating.”

“I’ve been attempting to locate it as many
fear that Mecor may use it against the rebels during the uprising,”
Rube piped in.

“Only if he himself is able to escape,”
Bazil continued. “Which is why we must destroy this thing. Damn!
Have you located the trip for the hatch release yet, Rube?”

“Not yet.” Rube scratched his temple. “Maybe
we should just smash it.”

Tarken shook his head. Walking toward the
starboard side, he located a very discreet panel, found the release
and the hatch to the cruiser unlatched at the top, rotating open
from a hinged bottom. Three steps were on the inside of it.
“Military training.” Tarken shrugged at the two men, smirking at
their dumbfounded expressions.

“I suppose you have a use,” Rube finally
commented.

The three of them entered the cruiser, their
boots clanking up the three metal stairs and were immediately in
cockpit.

Tarken, who was behind Rube and Bazil,
pushed through them going directly to the flight panel. Lying on
the floor, he began tinkering with the components beneath it.

“What do you think you’re doing
slavemaster?” Bazil inquired.

With his attention on what he was doing, his
hands fishing around he answered, “I don’t think damaging this
bucket would be wise. Disabling it would be better just in case we
might need to escape.” He yanked, pulling out a small spindle.
“There.” Standing, he tossed it into the air. It flipped a full
rotation and he snatched it into the palm of his hand. “It won’t
fire up without this.” He tossed it to Rube.

The royal neatly caught the device and began
examining it.

Tarken surveyed the area, then strolled over
to another panel in the wall and slid it open. “Spares, good, that
was easy enough. He then removed the spindles inside, slapped one
into Bazil’s hand and then pocketed the other. “We’re done. Let’s
go.” Without waiting for a comment, Tarken exited the ship.

After exchanging another round of
dumbfounded glances, Rube and Bazil followed. They spoke little as
they returned to the corridor, crossed the area where they entered
from the outside and continued moving toward the opposite end.

Bazil checked his compu-pad and then counted
out the bricks on what appeared to be a solid wall in front of
them. Simultaneously, he pressed two of the bricks with the palm of
his hands. The wall receded, gliding across the floor smoothly and
silently, leaving a small opening that they could barely fit
through. Peering into the narrow gap, he checked the room on the
other side before shimmying though.

Rube and Tarken were quick to follow. They
now entered the showering and changing area of the castle’s
solarium.

Tarken had been in this room several times
before, when he’d brought female slaves at Mecor’s bidding. Where
he was once removed emotionally from the king’s doings, the thought
of what Mecor had done with those women now turned his stomach.
He’d only hoped the tales of the king’s sadistic nature where
exaggerated rumors, but now he highly doubted it.

Quietly, the three men crossed chamber,
passing through an open archway to the indoor garden.

It was a large, ornate room completely white
and constructed with the finest arblem stone that credits could
buy. Several pillars surrounded an oval-shaped pool, carving the
center of the room. A waterfall cascaded into it, the serenity of
the flowing liquid creating a pleasant, relaxing sound. Urns that
were constructed of the same expensive arblem stone were placed
throughout the room. In them, fresh foliage and flowers had been
planted, the colors a brilliant contrast against the white stone.
Rays of sunshine burst through an angled glass ceiling and long
glass wall that faced the castle’s courtyard entrance, the
brightness in the space further enhanced by the sparkling stone the
room was made of.

Cushla’s eyes came to Tarken’s mind, as he
recalled the first time he’d seen them, how fiercely beautiful they
were, even as they pierced him with fury. He smiled warmly. He
loved her…and he hadn’t told her. His smile faded. If this plan
went awry before he could tell Cushla how he felt about her, Tarken
would never forgive himself.

No…

For the first time in eons, the numbness in
his heart had faded, and Cushla was the reason. All would be well.
He would hold his freebird again.

“Shit!” Rube uttered the expletive.

Tarken and Bazil pivoted, their attention
following the line of Rube’s gaze to where he stared through the
glass walls, pointing to the outside.

Cushla was at the gate and being roughly
apprehended by two of the guards, a third standing by and
watching.

“That girl never listens!” Having spewed the
words simultaneously, Tarken and Bazil exchanged glances while
shaking their heads at the same time.

“Well this complicates things a bit.” Rube
turned to the two men.

Tarken stepped closer to the wall of glass
and they all watched Cushla being dragged across the castle’s
courtyard toward the main entrance. The double doors opened and
they continued to drag her through it, disappearing on the other
side.

“Always the impetuous and tenacious child!”
Bazil huffed.

“It remained the same, despite her being a
slave,” Tarken grumbled.

Bazil turned to Rube. “You and the
slavemaster will have to deal with the passageways yourselves. I’m
going to get my daughter.”

“No,” Tarken asserted. “If Mecor gets a hold
of you Bazil, Cushla’s life will be in greater danger. He will use
her to persuade you to surrender to his bidding with the stones. I
will go get her.”

Bazil’s lip curled into a sneer. “Now see
here slavemaster…” He poked a finger at the center of Tarken’s
chest.

“I have a better chance at getting through
the castle. Also, if I’m confronted by any of the guards, I have a
better chance of taking them down, than you do.”