Sector 651 Of The Danensk Galaxy
A lonely shuttle drifted through the vast emptiness of this region of space. In an alternative dimension, in a galaxy completely different in many respects to our own, this one shuttle was what remained, the vestige of freedom, that people had. After blasting clear of an exploding sadistic fighting Arena, the shuttle now found itself fighting a different battle. A battle to stay away from the large number of patrols that had been despatched by various alien races, to capture the inhabitants of the craft. The main alien race that wanted to capture this craft is known as the Loretis. The Loretis are a war-mongering civilisation that likes to expand themselves by invading and conquering weaker worlds. With their technicians working on superior weaponry to any other race in this dimension, the Loretis could easily destroy a civilisation from orbit. Or they would invade in large numbers, overpowering their conquests by the sheer amount that attack at one time. They used the word of mouth to spread news of their conquests and to strike fear into the hearts of anyone that would oppose them. Giving them an added advantage before they start. The Loretis knew that if their reputation as heart-less conquers was going to be maintained, the people on board that shuttle craft could not live. They had to be caught and sentenced to a public execution—one that the whole galaxy could be a witness too. They had every single scout party, searching the galaxy, sector by sector, in a desperate hunt for the four people who could destroy everything that they had built up.
The four people on board the shuttle had at one time, all been under the thumb of the Loretis, but had managed to escape their clutches and even strike back at them. The one thing the Loretis counted on—fear—did not work with these four people. The first one was a young Slaronian woman named Christen. Like all Slaronian women, she was a stunningly gorgeous six foot-plus, long blonde haired bombshell, that would not have looked out of place in the centrefold spread of a pornography magazine. At the moment she was dressed in a rather unflattering mechanics overalls-like outfit. She sat at the flight control station, making sure that they maintained some sort of heading, even though none of them knew where they were heading. The Loretis conquered Slaronia and turned it into a Farming Colony, where the only thing that they farmed was the ability of the Slaronian women to give birth to the best children in the galaxy. Slaronian women are considered to be the most fertile in the galaxy and with good reason. They give birth to a child whenever they lay with a man. Christen was a prisoner in this colony. She was force to give birth to Loretis children on several occasions. That ended when the Farming Colony was destroyed. She was then sent to the Celtrus Five prison colony—the pit of despair for the vilest criminals in the galaxy. On the way to this colony she had all of the Farming Colony monitoring equipment, that had been surgically attached to her body, removed. This process turned her sterile and took away her ability to bear children. Inside the prison, she attacked the Loretis gang, killing every single member, before being taken as a sex slave by the Commandant of the colony.
Rhonda was another Slaronian woman who had been used by the Commandant, but for a completely different purpose. She was just his breeding slave. Rhonda had managed to escape the Farming Colony without being turned sterile, so she was a very valuable asset. She was tucked up in a bed, while she tried to recover from the drugs that had been pumped into her system. Her long blonde hair lay scattered in a random pattern on the pillow. Her history after the escape from the Farming Colony was a lot different to Christen’s. Rhonda was hunted down by a bounty trapper, who fell in love with her and married her instead of turning her in. She fought against the Loretis as much as she could.
That ex-Loretis-Bounty-Trapper now stood beside her bedside, playing the part of the anxious husband. His name was Liam. Liam was a cyborg. He was half man and half machine, created in the early twenty-sixth century. Standing well over six feet tall, nearly reaching seven, he had a build to match and the strength of ten men. He was brought to life by a lightning storm that destroyed his programming. At first he wanted to kill the man responsible for the funding of his project, but someone stopped him from achieving that goal. The Loretis took him under their guidance, reformed his body so he could feel emotions and changed his frame slightly. He became a Bounty Trapper for them, hunting down escaped or wanted people. That changed when he went after Rhonda. For the first time he fell in love. They went to live on a distance planet together and were very happy, until the day the Loretis decided to invade that planet.
The final person of the quartet is Larna Fox. Larna was standing with her right shoulder resting against the frame to the lift of the shuttle, giving her the chance to look from a distance at Rhonda resting in the bed. Larna is twenty-one Erayears, one hundred and forty seven Chronoyears old. She is five feet eleven inches tall, weighs nine stone and has hazel eyes and auburn coloured hair, which has a white streak running down the middle. With measurements of 36B-24-35 she has the body of a top model of the nineties. Combine her body with the fact that she closely resembles the actress Hudson Leick, she can be classed as one of the most attractive women on the planet. Those looks are not taken away by a massive amount of make-up either. The balance is struck perfectly between her not looking like a tart, yet exaggerating the sexiness of her features. Her eyes are surrounded by a dark eye-shade and her lips are a bright red with a black surround. On the right side of her neck she has a tattoo of the Chinese for Eternal Devotion, in memory and honour of her late husband. On her right bicep she has got a tattoo of a Fox. On her left buttock is a tattoo of a black rose wrapped around a dagger, signifying her assassin background. Larna is not just gorgeous, but she is extremely deadly too. She is the master of six Martial Arts. Savate is an Old French form of martial arts. It is based on hand and foot fighting and is recognised by its flamboyant kicking techniques. Pencak Silat is the National fighting art of the old Indonesia. Moves are based on the evasion and warding off of attacks. The offensive moves are all geared to getting the opponent off balance. Taijutsu is an unarmed form of combat, the forerunner to the old Judo technique. Ninjitsu, the art of invisibility, is the techniques of the ninja. They involve the use of dirks, darts, daggers, throwing stars, smoke bombs and various poisons. Capoeria is an old Brazilian form of combat in which the foot is considered the strongest weapon and the head the weakest point. This art aims to bring these two into contact by using various kicks, somersaults and handsprings. Her gymnastic training as a younger woman has been moulded into a tool to help with this art. Kenpo, also known as Fist uses Linear and circular movements combined into major and minor moves with flow constantly. This is a very flexible form of martial arts. She was wearing what she normally wore and could be classed as her uniform. On her legs were a pair of black fishnet stockings, with a very close tight pattern, which made her legs look even sexier than they were without them. On top of them going around her waist is a small, tight figure hugging black leather mini-skirt which, at about eight inches long, just covers her buttocks. On the top half of her body is a black leather shirt over a black lace bra. This shirt is tucked into the mini-skirt. Her jacket is a black leather motorbike jacket with matching black leather motorbike boots on her feet. The boots have got a number of buckles on the side and come right up to about half way up her shinbone. Her hair is swept back into a tight ponytail at the back of her head, leaving just a tiny fringe down her forehead. Around her neck she has a gold chain with a cross on the end. The cross hangs down to lie just in-between her breasts. It was her mothers’ necklace and Larna is never without it. On her right wrist she has the wrist part of a pair of handcuffs that they use in the present day. Her father gave it to her when she was young. She used to keep it in a box until she killed her foster father, now she wears it constantly to keep reminding herself that the police want her. On her left wrist, hidden from view most of the time, is her Time Travelling Aid. The Time, History And Location Analyser, Thala for short, surgically attached to her left wrist, accesses the Factual Historical Information (FHI) Implants that have been surgically attached to the inside of her skull. Those Implants gave Larna every single piece of data concerning people, places and events going right back to 1980. Thought processes operate the Thala and the responses are given to Larna in her subconscious thanks to a modified FHI Implant. The only sign that Larna is using her aid, is when it appears on her wrist. It appears when Larna activates the operations function. When it is activated the Thala loses the power to keep the invisibility shield in operation, as it is at all other times, so no one can see the technology on her arm.
Larna’s history with the Loretis started when she met one of their females on earth. This female loved to travel the dimensions, tasting what each dimension had to offer in the way of female persons. Larna was then kidnapped by the Loretis in a later adventure and charged with the murder of this Loretis Female. She found herself imprisoned in the Slaronia Farming Colony. She went on to destroy this, freeing Rhonda in the process. It was Larna who destroyed the Fighting Arena that they were fleeing from. It was Larna who saved Christen and Rhonda from the Commandant. Now it was up to Larna to make sure that they were not going to be caught by the Loretis. For the moment thought she was more concerned with the well being of Rhonda.
“Is she going to be all right?” she asked Liam, in a sweet sounding voice that was a mixture between an American and Australian accents.
Liam turned his head towards the lift, his eyes telling the full story of his worry for his wife. Larna saw the look in his eye and remembered what it felt like to lose someone you loved. Her late-husband was murdered by a street gang, causing her to have a miscarriage and setting her on the path which brought her to this point in her life. She moved from her place at the lift, going across the small bedroom, to join Liam at the side of the bed.
“She’ll pull through,” Larna stated positively.
“That bastard pumped so many drugs into her system, that she is finding it hard to pull through the haze,” Liam reported, finding the words hard to speak.
“Stay with her. Talk to her. Give her something that she can pull towards,” Larna offered as words of encouragement not to give up.
“You’re a dear friend Larna,” Liam said with a brave smile.
They had not always been friends. Larna’s first encounter with Liam was her chasing after him through time to stop him from killing the relatives of the man who funded the project that created him. The friendship started to mature when Liam was a Bounty-Trapper. It began out of respect for each other’s ability. Larna was more than a match for the cyborg, which Liam found surprising, given that she was a woman. Liam turned to face her now.
“So what is the plan for you now? I mean, I can take you back to Earth now if you’d like,” he stated, wanting to pay her back for doing exactly what he had asked her to.
“Let’s get you to safety first,” Larna replied with a broad smile on her face. “I still have the feeling that we’re not out of trouble yet,” she finished.
Just as she did, the ship was rocked from side to side violently. Liam slumped back on to the bed. Larna managed to steady herself by planting her hands against the wall. Another violent shake hit the shuttle, this time from the other side. Christen’s voice could be heard down from the lift shaft.
“Larna! Get up here!” she called out, the panic clear in her tone of voice.
Larna winked at Liam, giving him the—everything is going to be all right—motion, before rushing over to the lift shaft.
Within seconds she darted out on to the bridge of the shuttle. Christen had returned quickly to her seat after calling for help and was now trying everything that she could to shake off the little craft behind them. Larna looked at the view screen, giving a view of the space behind them and the little scout vessel that was following them. If the shuttle was the size of a family-carrier vehicle, then the scout ship was the size of a small-Mini-like car. Laser beams came from the front of the chasing ship. The shuttle rocked again as the beams hit the shields. Christen hit the flight control panel as hard as she could.
“The little thing is too quick for me to shake off!” she exclaimed in desperation.
“What is it?” Larna asked, hoping that Christen could clarify what they were up against.
“The ship is just a small Loretis scouting ship. The thing is, if we let it get away then it’s going to bring a whole platoon of Loretis soldiers after us. He’s trying to disable us at the moment,” Christen reported bravely as another burst of laser hit the rear shields.
Larna darted across the bridge to the weapons control station. She slipped on to the seat smoothly, her hands flashing across the control panel as if she was born to operate that panel. A targeting screen came up on the monitor right in front of her. Larna tapped the movement controls on the panel, moving the sights towards the chasing craft. Christen turned away from the view screen to look pleadingly at Larna, hoping that she would end this conflict sooner rather than later. Larna moved the sight like the expert marksman that she was. When the chasing craft was right in the middle of them, she slapped her hand down on to the firing control. Christen turned back to the view screen. Larna nodded her head just once. The chasing ship was blown to pieces in a bright burst of light. Christen let out a ‘yippee’ more in relief than happiness. Larna turned right around in her seat, so that she faced Christen at the flight controls.
“Everything all right now?” she asked with a confident smile on her face.
Christen hit the control panel a couple of times, before her motions became more and more swift, as if the panel was telling her something that she did not like. Christen started shaking her head and her expression turned to a worried one. Larna rose to her feet. She moved down to the side of the flight control panel.
“What’s the problem?” she asked as her eyes flashed over the panel, hoping to see something that would mean anything to her.
Christen moved back away from the panel.
“This is hopeless!” she exclaimed, giving in to the feelings of defeat that were running right through her body and had been ever since she had been turned into a sex slave by the Commandant.
“What’s the matter?” Larna enquired, trying to find out what the problem was.
Larna could not see that there was anything that was hopeless—especially as they had just escaped from a fighting arena that was considered escape proof. Christen pointed to the fuel indicators on the flight control panel.
“According to the readings, we’ve been leaking plasma out into space ever since we left the Danoona Arena. The way I tried to take off obviously damaged the fuel containment tanks. Now that attack by the scout ship has just made the problem even worse,” Christen stated in disappointment.
Larna moved to the back of the bridge. She headed straight across to the radar station, checking on what was around them. Problem was, these panels looked like hieroglyphics to Larna. Christen moved up too. The moment she saw the radar screen she let out a long scream of despair. She started hitting everything around the bridge in an extremely large temper tantrum. Larna stood back, watching Christen trying to wreck anything that she could get her hands on. When she finally slumped down on to the floor of the bridge, tears streaming down her face, which was placed firmly in her hands, Larna tried to ask what was going on. Christen wiped her eyes clean with the sleeve of the overalls she was wearing.
“We’ve got ten hours of fuel left,” she went on to explain. “According to the sensors, there is a planet that can support life ten hours away,” Christen reported.
“Isn’t that a good break?” Larna asked, not seeing the problem with that.
“We’ll probably run out of fuel before we hit the atmosphere, or we could have enough to land,” Christen started. “But that isn’t the problem. Because, I doubt that we’ll even have to worry about that.”
Now Larna was confused. She just wished that Christen would come out and explain fully what was going on. Christen turned her head slowly to stare at Larna.
“The Loretis are just five hours away from us and they’re closing. We’re going to be out-gunned, out-manned and out-classed before we get within seeing distance of that planet,” Christen stated bitterly. “And it’s all my fault!” she finished, before jumping to her feet and rushing into the lift.
Larna watched her go with surprise. How was this her fault?—Larna asked herself, not understanding where Christen was coming from any more. That time with the Commandant has completely screwed with her mind—Larna observed, knowing that it must have been a terrible experience for her to turn a one time strong fighting warrior woman, into a self-conscious, unconfident, liability. Larna turned away from the bridge, knowing that a little team talk with Christen was what was called for at the moment.
Christen was standing in the middle of the third level of the shuttle. The third level, the lowest level, was the cargo hold area. Christen had her head bent down into her hands, tears streaming down her face. As far as she was concerned, it was her fault that they were running out of fuel. It was her fault that they were going to be caught. And it was her fault that they would not be able to fight their way out of it. Larna stepped out of the lift, slowly. She had to give herself time to think of what she was going to say to this young woman. As Larna had never been a team player, let alone a team manager, this team-talk tactic was not something that would come naturally to her. During her life she had only ever had to motivate one person—herself. And that came easy, because she was always having to fight against something or someone, to get what she wanted. Dealing with a team, meant different challenges, like trying to understand what the other person was going through. Larna did not have to say a word to make Christen aware that she was there. Christen spoke first to make it clear that she knew.
“I don’t care what you’ve got to say to me, nothing can make me feel any better,” Christen pointed out sharply. “If I had been more careful in the shuttle bay in the Arena we would be able to use the hyper boost to get us easily to that planet. As it is, we’re going to be picked off before we get half way,” she expressed, disappointed in herself more than in anyone else.
“You blame yourself for something that anyone could have done,” Larna stated, wanting to understand what was going through Christen’s mind.
“You wouldn’t have done it!” Christen snapped back, turning around sharply.
Larna stood quite still. She did not know what to say to that. Whatever she did would backfire. If she said she would, Christen would not believe her. If she said that she would not, then Christen’s confidence would be dented even further. Larna moved over to her slightly taller comrade.
“If it wasn’t for your quick thinking, we’d have been caught inside the shuttle bay,” Larna pointed out. “Surely you remember the fact that the shuttle bay doors were starting to close. We only just made it—if you had waited any longer, there would have been no way through for us,” she finished, wanting to build up Christen’s confidence as much as she could.
“But—” Christen tried to start.
“But, nothing!” Larna interrupted firmly. “Just because that bastard who attacked you thought that you were just something that could be beaten and abused and played with, doesn’t mean to say that you have to think that,” she expressed positively.
Christen looked down at Larna with a slightly embarrassed look on her face. Larna could only think of hugging her next. The two gave each other a long hug. Larna then kissed Christen firmly on the lips. Christen’s eyes popped wide open in surprise. Larna broke off the kiss, then smiled at her comrade.
“Sorry, I was just thinking of my life partner, that’s all,” she confessed, referring to her lesbian partner back in New Arizona.
Even though she could get any man that she wanted, Larna had been abused by them so many times, that she now preferred the company of women to men—however, she was not averse to using her assets to her advantage. Christen folded her arms across her chest.
“I hope that you’re not going to attack me like the Commandant did,” she stated firmly.
“Are you going to let me?” Larna asked, hoping that the little talk was going to spark some sort of fight back in Christen.
Christen moved back to the lift. She did not have to reply to that question. Her actions to want to get back to the bridge said more than any words could. Larna watched her go over her left shoulder. Christen turned right around in the lift, to stare at Larna’s back.
“I’ll see if I can cut the journey time down a little. I’ll also give you a shout when the Loretis are closing in,” she stated positively. “And Larna—thanks,” Christen finished as the lift started back up towards the bridge.
Larna turned around while the lift made its way up. She was alone down in the cargo hold now. Alone to think about what happened the last time she was down in this part of the shuttle. Flashes of the beating that she had suffered at the hands of one of the prison colony guards, inside this room, burst through her memory, sending a chill right down her spine. At least I got my own back on that son of a bitch—she said to herself as she moved towards the lift. Her eyes than fixed on that large containers in the far corner of the cargo hold. Larna could not quite see what they were. She moved through the darkness, wanting to check out what was on the outside of them. Larna cracked a tiny smile when she saw the description on the sides. The containers held the gas that had been used to freeze Rhonda in her cryogenic state, while she was on board this ship. Her science was not the best—she had been forced to leave school at the age of fourteen when all said an done—but she was sure that they would be able to use the gas inside this containers to their advantage during the up and coming battle that they faced. She hoped that Christen or Liam would have a better knowledge of how they could use this the most. Larna rushed back to the lift, now seeing the perfect tool to increase the positive feelings that they would survive, in Christen and the rest of the small crew on this shuttle of freedom.
Larna is mistaken for a missing Queen. Suffering from Amnesia, Larna accepts this truth, and tries to come to terms with her new position of power.