Page 15 of Argen Mate
Chapter Eight
Zoe
I look back on our time after losing theRedid Raunerand traveling the Deng Yar system as a time of enchantment and growing love between Argen and me. Not only was he an exquisite lover but he was also caring and interested in me as a person. We had fun together, and I liked being with him.
Whoever woke up first would kiss the other one awake and more often than not we’d end up making love. Sometimes just thinking about it could make me wet, and that sensitive nose of his can always tell when I am even thinking about sex with him. He’s almost always more than happy to oblige. Sweet, dear man.
We had nearly four months to kill on theKurellis.It was a long trip to the next rescue, but it took an extra month on the circuitous route the pilot team chose. After we downloaded the records from theRedid Rauner,it became clear how the Sargans were tracking us.
They had figured out what we were doing, by analyzing their records on the people they stole from Farseek. Then they set up patrols of battlecruisers in the most likely places our command team might choose to raid by how many Uatu people were enslaved on a given target. There were important targets closer to Consortium space than Deng Yar, but Command chose that one precisely because it seemed the least likely target, we would pick. It was too close to the Sargus Empire stronghold where many battlecruisers and carriers could be called in to play.
We had weekly staff meetings on the ship where Commander Maktu updated us on progress and discussed strategy for the upcoming mission.
I became increasingly concerned as we got closer to our target after what happened with theRauner. Argen was going to be right out there, flying an unfamiliar shuttle with minimal defense weapons---nothing that could take out a battlecruiser.
“Don’t worry, Zoe. I’ve got the operations manual, and it’s not that much different than other shuttles I’ve flown,” he told me. “It’ll be fine.”
“I just can’t forget what happened with that Pican ship.”
He shrugged. “Sometimes these things happen. I’m not that hotshot anymore. I don’t want to lose anyone… And I don’t want to miss the rest of my life with you and the children we will make.” He grinned and cuddled me close.
I rested my head on his chest as my mind went to making children. But we just held each other, and it felt good just to cherish each other for a few minutes before the staff meeting.
Commander Maktu’s entire team of twenty-five, and various other personnel along with our fantastic four assembled in one of the larger conference rooms for an update.
“I have a lot to tell you, now that I have been authorized to share it with you,” Maktu began. “We have not been released from our membership in the Consortium because they did not accept our resignation. Nor did they terminate our contract to defend the Consortium. Instead, they officially announced that all our activities since recovering Halor Governor Evzen Guryon’s daughter from slavers were not sanctioned by the Consortium. They stated unequivocally that we were acting independently of the Consortium.
“While we have been off in the galaxy trying to retrieve our people, the Consortium council made good on their promise to investigate the raid on Farseek. It was quite a shock to discover who was behind it.” Maktu paused, pacing back and forth at the front of the room for a few seconds to control his anger.
“It was none other than Governor Guryon of Halor,” he revealed.
There were gasps and murmurs of “Why?”
What could he have possibly had against Farseek? They were primarily agricultural with those products their primary export to worlds like Halor that were predominantly industrial.
“It seems that Guryon had invested in an agricultural colony intending to supply the Consortium with the same products as Farseek. However, our transportation costs undercut his prices, and he was losing money. Never mind that he was probably the richest son of a bitch in the Consortium and he destroyed our world formoney!”
There wasn’t much that could shake Commander Maktu, but he was enraged and outraged. I had only seen the vids, but he and his team had been there to see the destruction and the bodies and the survivors. The Farseek population had been decimated. Women, children, families---none had been spared. Those not killed were captured. Only the land and dwellings in remote locations were left intact. It took the commander a minute or so to control his emotions before he could go on.
“The governor has been arrested as the traitor he is, and his assets have been seized and diverted into reparations to Farseek. But that will only replace things. It’s not going to bring back the thousands that were killed in the raids. Nor will it get back our people who have been enslaved. There is no way he can ever pay for what he’s done to our people! Torturing him every day for the rest of his life would not be enough. Killing him would be too easy. That fucker looked me right in the eye and never gave a hint to what he had done when I took his daughter back to him.
“It would have been so easy to grab his scrawny throat and choke the life out of him!” He paused to pace again. He looked like he wanted to punch something or break something.
It made us all pretty angry. Because of that man’s greed, Argen was taken and tortured as a slave. All of it was done out of selfishness.
“The Consortium council has revised their requirements for their defense, exempting Farseek from providing protection to the consortium until our population is sufficient to maintain the defense of our own world as well. They even made a formal apology. The worlds assembly believed our world was too remote to be attacked by the Sargus Empire. That is exactly why we knew that someone in the Consortium aided them. Their payment was the thousands they took as slaves.
“Obviously, finding out who did it is not going to make it better. In addition to selling us out, Guryon was also selling prohibited tech to the Sargans that would compromise Consortium defense. They are still investigating his finances to uncover the extent of his illegal activities.
“They are also reaching out to the United Alliance of Worlds with the information we got from theRedid Raunerand Lieutenant Sahvin Kazza. The Consortium believes aligning with the Alliance could be the support we need to bring down the Sargus Empire.
“However, we all know how bureaucracy works. It could be months or even years before it comes to fruition. At least it’s a start.
“Now, let’s get on to the mission ahead of us. Reconnaissance teams had already been on Deng Yar Five for a month gaining intel on where the Uatu people are to rescue. The information so far indicated there were seven primary locations. With an estimated five thousand people to evacuate it will likely take several days.
“Dread Four tapped into the central AI on Deng Yar to locate them more quickly. Then the recon team went in to seed them with information on the pickup locations. They went in at night for the cover of darkness.
“We had two Dreads stay back in the Farseek system to secure it. The other eight will be with us. I won’t lie to you, this is probably our most dangerous mission yet. Even with twenty-seven shuttles running relays, it’s going to take days for us to get all our people and those who want asylum on Farseek off the planet. The longer we stay in the system, the bigger the odds that the Sargans will discover our operation.
