Crineal Chronicles 1: In Hera's Service (16 page)

Ken’Rathel’s
face became serious. “Not now, I want a deep patrol. Head out about a parsec in
the direction of Larahope and see what you can find. Take a flight from Hermes
with you, too. They can be your outriders. Do a wide sweep, sensors on full.
I’ve no idea what you’re looking for; but after last week I want to know what’s
out there, even if it’s nothing.”

Studying
the admiral’s face told him that Ken’Rathel was worried. “Very well, Sir. I’ll
get it done. You think Fleet Intel might have something on this Larahope sector
base?”

“I
really don’t know, General. I wish I did. If you find nothing then I’ll stop
worrying, but if you give me a sniff of anything out there I’ll be able to get
some probes launched. See what you can find for me.” With that the admiral
signed off.

Punching
the comm unit again, Crineal called the Ares second in command to set up a
meeting in two days’ time at oh nine hundred and followed this up with a
request to the Hermes squadron leader for a flight to be allocated to him for
the patrol and to notify the assigned flight leader that he would be required
to attend a briefing in two days. With that done, he got to work pulling up
star charts for the area the admiral wanted him to scout. What was out there?
he wondered.

Cyndora
left the med bay after chatting to Lieutenant Feldea for about an hour. As she
strolled happily towards the Rec dorm with her new purse over her shoulder she
failed to notice an officer following her at a discreet distance. Arriving at
the door to the Rec dorm areas, she took the card out of her purse and slid it
into a slot in the door panel. The door opened and she entered. The figure in
the corridor stood and watched for a few seconds before turning around and
going back the way he had come.

Cyndora
managed to find the dorm room she had been allocated to initially and stepped
inside, looking around to try and locate her friend. A shout from the far side
of the room made her task easier.

“CYNDY!!!!”
and flying towards her was Jaydea, her black hair streaming out behind her. She
reached Cyndora and practically tackled her, sweeping her up in a huge bear hug
“Oh my god!! You’re ok! I’ve been so worried.” The raven-haired woman stood
back and surveyed her with intense blue eyes.  “Wow, you look good. What are
you doing here?” She started to pull her back to the bunk she had come from.

“Slow
down,” Cyndora laughed at her friend’s intensity. They reached Jaydea’s bed and
sat facing each other.

“You’re
doing ok? You’re not hurt? Have you been assigned back here?” The torrent of
questions battered at Cyndora.

“Slow
down, Jay. I’m fine. And no, I’m not hurt and no, I’m not assigned back here.”
Her friend’s face fell at the last answer.

“Everyone
said you were in for a hard time. Apparently, Crineal is one of the big shots
around here. Word is he hates Rec area and stays away, so people figured that if
he wanted someone it wasn’t gonna be good for that person.” She eyed Cyndora,
looking for marks and bruises.

Smiling
at Jaydea, she tried to calm her fears. “He’s nice, actually. He hasn’t hurt me
and he even gave me this.” Cyndora held up her purse and Jaydea examined it
with a touch of jealousy.

“Damn,
girlfriend, looks like you fell on your feet. I was sure that we would hear
you’d had an ‘accident’ or get sent back here all cut up.”

Shaking
her head, Cyndora opened her purse. “And I got these for you.” She reached in
and pulled out the foil wrapped bars.

Jaydea
looked at them uncertainly. “You didn’t steal them, did you?”

“No,
the general said it was ok for me to bring them,” Cyndora said reassuringly.

Her
friend took the bars and unwrapped one. “Oh My God! Chocolate!!! Are you
kidding me? He really said it was ok?”

“Yep,
why? Is it a problem?” Cyndora looked around worriedly.

“Oh
no, girlfriend, far from it.” Looking around she gestured for two other women
to join them. Cyndora thought that one of them was the same dusky skinned black-haired
woman that had given the welcome speech on that first day. They came to stand
by the bed. The second woman had an oriental look, long straight black hair,
yellow-tinged skin and a moon-shaped face with almond-shaped eyes. However,
Cyndora guessed from her six foot four inch height she was probably a Galactic.
“Marshalla, Xianing, This is my friend, Cyndora, the one who got assigned to
Crineal.”

The
tall, dusky one who appeared to be Marshalla looked her up and down. “Looking
good, thought ya’d be dog meat by now.” She eyed the purse. “Presents, too,
huh?” Cyndora clutched the purse protectively and Marshalla give her a
disgusted look. “Told ya, we don’t steal from each other.”

“Marsh,
Xian, look what Cyndy brought us.” Jaydea handed Marshalla the opened foil
wrapped bar and gave one to the sallow-skinned woman, too.

Taking
the bar, Marshalla sniffed at it cautiously and then, with her eyes widening,
she took a small bite “Mmmmmm.” Her eyes closed in ecstasy. “Girl, ya just
became my best friend.” Xianing was nibbling her bar in delight as well.

Jaydea
looked at Cyndora’s stunned face. “They say we get a small piece of chocolate
once a year to celebrate the Emperor’s birthday. This is like gold dust. We can
eat some and trade the rest for some good stuff.”

Xianing
had eaten maybe a third of her bar and then rewrapped the remainder. She bent
forward and hugged Cyndora. “Thank you, Cyndy, I owe you.”

Marshalla
hugged her, too. “I do as well. Ya ain’t even been here in the dorm and ya
already learned the big lesson. Share what ya got. So, this Crineal’s one of
the good ones? Treating ya right?” she asked curiously. Jaydea was busy
savoring one of the remaining bars.

“I
guess. He hasn’t hurt me. I eat the same as him. Well, he lets me choose what I
want, but you know what I mean.” Cyndora held up her purse. “And he gave me
this this morning.”

Jaydea
piped up. “What’s his place like? I’ve only seen the enlisted quarters so far.
Most are double bunk rooms, but some of the senior chiefs have single rooms.”

“It’s
pretty nice. There’s a lounge with space for a dining table, kitchen area,
bedroom with double bed and a bathroom with a shower. The lounge also has a
wall replicator and an entertainment unit that he lets me use.”

Whistling
with her rosebud lips, Xianing looked impressed. “Nice, a regular palace. You’re
doing good. Make the most of it.”

Marshalla
looked sad. “Gunna be a hard bump for ya when ya get back here. Takes a bit to
get back used to the dorm. But ya go whilst ya got it, girl. We’re happy for
ya,” and with that she patted Cyndora’s shoulder and headed back to her own
bunk, carefully cradling the rest of her chocolate. Xianing gave her another
hug and followed Marshalla.

Finishing
the chocolate bar, Jaydea looked at her redheaded friend. “Girlfriend, if he
ever wants extra entertaining you’ll mention my name, right? We can treat him
good.”

Blushing,
Cyndora hung her head, nodding.

“So...
is he, you know, good?” Jaydea asked curiously.

Cyndora
looked blankly at her for a moment before catching the drift of her question.
“Oh… er, I guess.”

Cocking
her head to one side, Jaydea studied Cyndora. “You guess?” Then her eyes opened
wide with surprise and she lowered her head to within inches of Cyndora’s, so
no one could overhear, “You haven’t slept with him yet?” amazement dripped from
her voice.

Cyndora
shook her head. “Jay, you can’t tell anyone,” she said desperately. “Not even
Marsh or Xian. I want to tell you what’s going on, but I can’t. I promised.
Please, don’t ask me anymore.”

Jaydea
looked dumbfounded. “Wow, he treats you good, gives you stuff, and he doesn’t
want to bed you? Alright, girlfriend, I won’t ask. Just promise me that it’s
nothing bad?”

“I
didn’t say that he didn’t want to bed me; but no, it’s nothing bad, I promise.”
Jaydea looked thoughtful at her words. “He did say that I could bring small
presents if I wanted to. Is there anything else you want?”

Looking
closely at Cyndora’s face Jaydea suddenly realized something else. “Is that
make-up? It is! Lipstick, eyeliner, blush. Ok, now I’m even more confused. He
likes that you look good and he still doesn’t…” Cyndora held up her finger.
“Ok, ok, no questions, I got it. You got any of that stuff left over? It’s
worth as much as the chocolate. Hides blemishes, helps you look a little
prettier and maybe get someone nice.”

“I’ll
ask Crin. But I’m sure he’ll say it’s ok.”

“Crin,
huh? You actually like him. I know, no questions.” She held up her hands at
Cyndora’s look. “Really, girlfriend, I’m just glad you’re doing so well, but
sheesh, trip the guy and fall under him already.”

They
talked for a little more before Cyndora hugged her friend goodbye and made her
way back to what she was starting to think of as home.

Crineal
arrived back to find Cyndora sitting on the sofa wearing a new outfit, long,
pale blue, silk shorts and a matching sleeveless top. It was a far cry from the
baggy pants and tops she’d worn during the first week. He noticed she looked a
little upset, too.

“Hey,
Cyndy. Feldea said that she likes you and hopes you’ll visit her again. Did you
have a nice chat with your friend?” Crineal looked on in amazement as she burst
into tears, jumped up and hugged him. He patted her back comfortingly.
“Alright, take it easy. What happened?”

Brokenly,
she started to explain. “She was really pleased to see me. I gave her the
chocolate and she went nuts over it. She gave some to a couple of her friends
and they were really grateful, too. They hugged and kissed me. And then Jay
said to give you her name if you ever wanted extra ‘entertainment’,” she was
still sobbing. “Jay was such a nice, quiet person back home, she didn’t sleep
around or anything and there she was offering to make up a threesome just
because you let me take her some chocolate.” She sniffled and hiccupped. “I
mean she wasn’t a prude, either, and she dated, but…”

“Shuuush,
I know,” he tried to calm her. “And does this have anything to do with the new
outfit?”

Cyndora
looked a little guilty. “No! Well, not really. I just wanted something a little
more comfortable and those pants and tops are pretty stupid clothing for the
inside of a ship, aren’t they?”

“Makes
sense to me. The other stuff did look a little warm, I have to admit.”

“She
also said I should trip you and make sure I was waiting underneath when you
fell.” Her tears were subsiding a little.

“I
like her already. Ow!” he said as Cyndora thumped his chest with her fist.

“You’re
a brute.”

“That’s
me. I had a hard day at the office pillaging.” That remark got a smile out of
her, as intended.

“Would
it be ok if I took her some make-up? A small lipstick and a little blusher?”
she looked at him hopefully.

“Sure,
but let’s keep it small. We don’t need anyone asking why the Rec dorms are
suddenly overflowing with goodies.”

She
kissed his cheek. “They all said that you’re a good man and they’re right.”

“Yay
for me. Can we have dinner now? I’m starving.”

Commander
Del’Tarim stood leaning against a wall a few corridors down from the Rec dorms
towards the direction of the flight crews’ quarters. He couldn’t believe it
yesterday when he saw the redhead in the short toga dress exiting the med
section on her own. From the descriptions he’d heard it had to be Crineal’s
slut, and here she was, roaming around the ship like she owned it. Del’Tarim
had followed her down to the Rec area and saw the woman use a key card to enter
before disappearing inside. Who the hell did Crineal think he was? Giving a
slave the run of the ship? As the commander had made his way back to the flight
bays, a plan had begun to form in his mind and he had made a quick stop at
medical section. This morning he’d got a call from the med tech he had slipped
some credits to, informing him that Crineal’s bitch had departed from the med
bay. Del’Tarim had given her thirty minutes and then left the flight bay he was
working in to position himself here to wait for her. The corridor section was
quiet and not well used. Perfect for what he intended.  The commander held a
data pad and worked on some files to give him a cover as well as to keep busy.
His wait was longer than he wanted, but now he saw her coming down the
corridor, purse over her shoulder, looking very content with the world. His
lips curled in a silent snarl, he’d soon change that. As she reached him he put
his data pad away and straightened up. Then, without warning, his right arm shot
out and he grabbed her by the throat pinning her into the corner of the
corridor.

“Hello,
slut,” he growled as she choked and fought him. “If you don’t stop struggling
I’m going to snap your scrawny neck right now,” and he tightened his grip.

Cyndora
went limp and stared at him in fear. The man was tall and had exquisitely
handsome features, but the cruelty and hate etched into his face at that moment
robbed them of any attractiveness.

“If
you try to scream or attract any attention, I’ll kill you. Nod if you
understand me, whore.” Cyndora gave him a tiny nod and she felt his grip loosen
a little and he moved in a little closer. “Now, I’m going to tell you what’s
going to happen,” the man said menacingly. “Tomorrow morning a little after
nine I’m going to come to your quarters and you’re going to let me in.” As he
said this, his left hand pushed aside the top of her toga to expose her right
breast. His hand curled around it and squeezed hard, pinching her nipple
painfully. “Then we’re going to have some fun and you’re going to take care of
me. You understand?”

“But
I’m assigned to General Crineal,” she managed to croak out. He pinched her
nipple even harder and she whimpered.

“I
know who’s fucking you, slut, and I’m not scared of him. If you tell him about
this, I’ll make sure you die in the most painful way I can think of.” His hand
dropped from her breast, lifted her skirt slightly and slid inside the
waistband of her panties. “If you don’t let me in or aren’t there waiting for
me, I will find you and hurt you.” His fingers began to probe her roughly, her
panties now pushed down to the top of her thighs and she squeezed her eyes
shut. “Don’t cross me you bitch or you’ll regret it. Now, do you understand
me?” She nodded, hurt written across her face. “Good.” As he said this last
word he forced a finger inside her and she moaned with pain. He let her go and
she slumped into the corner. “Better be waiting for me, tomorrow,” he
threatened before turning and leaving Cyndora curled up in tears.

The
next day, Del’Tarim took up a watching position a little ways down the corridor
from Crineal’s office. He took out his data pad and checked the general’s
schedule once more to confirm that the bastard’s meeting was still on. The tall
noble nodded in satisfaction, it was. The time was oh eight forty five. Crineal
was always in his office by oh eight hundred at the latest. He just had to wait
until the two pilots the Earth scum was meeting showed up and then he’d head
for his ‘date’. The commander smiled viscously; now he’d pay Crineal back for
the humiliation he’d suffered on the first day. He’d fuck his whore until she
screamed, and then make her clean up. He’d leave and Crineal would never know,
never realize that he’d be screwing Del’Tarim’s leavings. And with a little
forethought, he could keep doing it, picking times when Crineal was on patrol
or tied up in meetings. He’d be able to have his revenge on the midget and the
shit would never know. What a great story it would make to tell his friends.
Grinning happily to himself he waited. A few minutes later two pilots appeared
and one of them keyed the panel on Crineal’s door. There was a pause and they
both entered. Del’Tarim put away his data pad and smiled as he felt the outline
of the key card he’d picked up yesterday just in case. He’d got it from a
bridge tech he had heard of and it was uncoded. It would open any door in the
ship and not leave a trace of who had entered. The card was highly illegal, of
course, and he hoped he wouldn’t have to use it, but better to be prepared, Del’Tarim
thought. He checked his cover story in case he was discovered. He’d met the
slut in the corridor yesterday and she’d invited him over this morning, being
taken with his obvious good looks. If she denied it, it was his word against
hers, and who would believe a criminal over a noble? He nodded to himself,
reassured, as he made his way to Crineal’s quarters.

Del’Tarim
stopped outside the door and checked the corridor both ways to make sure it was
empty then he keyed the door panel comm.

A
few seconds later a scared female voice answered. “Y-y-yes?”

“It’s
me, open up,” the commander ordered impatiently. He waited a few moments and
when nothing happened he keyed the comm again. “Open up, you bitch. Did you
forget what I told you yesterday?” he snarled, his cultured voice ugly with
hate and lust. Still nothing. Del’Tarim keyed the comm one last time. “Ok, you
slut, now I’m going to have to hurt you.”

With
that he reached into his breast pocket, pulled out the grey card and, with a
last check of the corridor, fed it into the access slot. There was a second’s
delay and then the door slid open. He retrieved the card and strode into the
room. The bitch was cowering in the corner behind a dining table. The door
hissed shut behind him.

“I
warned you what was going to happen if you disobeyed me. You’re going to pay
for making me wait. I hope you like pain, you whore,” and he started to move
around the intervening table.

At
this point, two things happened. A figure in a security uniform rose from
concealment behind the kitchen counter, leveling a pulse rifle at Del’Tarim and
the door to the bedroom opened.

Crineal
stood in the doorway with two other figures behind him in the bedroom. “Good
morning, Commander. A little lost, aren’t we?” Turning his head to the guard in
the kitchen, he said. “If the commander moves so much as a muscle, be so kind
as to shoot him. My responsibility.”

“Yes,
Sir,” replied the security marine, his gaze never leaving Del’Tarim.

Moving
out into the room, Crineal stepped to one side and a marine colonel accompanied
by another guard followed him into the lounge.

Mind
racing, Del’Tarim decided to try and make his cover story stick. “General, Sir.
I don’t understand what is going on.” He pointed at Cyndora who was no longer
cowering in the corner, but standing straight and looking at him with hatred.
“This woman invited me here this morning. She said she liked me and wanted to
entertain me.”

Crineal
nodded in seeming understanding, “Ahh, I see,” then walked past Del’Tarim and
hit a button on the door panel. Del’Tarim heard his voice issue from it, the
threats he had made to Cyndora a few minutes earlier being replayed clearly in
the silence. The female colonel looked at Del’Tarim with her cold black eyes.
He saw that she carried combat scars on her face despite the fact that medical
technology could easily remove them. “Doesn’t seem likely does it, Commander?”
Crineal said from behind him. Del’Tarim started to sweat. “Colonel Jaynes,
would you be so kind as to examine the key card that the commander is holding?”

“It
would be my absolute pleasure, Sir.” The tall, well-built marine colonel with
very short brown hair smiled at the commander with no hint of friendliness at all
as she walked over and took the key card from his nerveless fingers. Studying
it for a second, the granite-faced colonel then reached to her belt and
unclipped a diagnostic pad, sliding the key card into it. She smiled with grim
satisfaction at the analysis it displayed. “Uncoded, Sir. Completely illegal.”

Mock
surprise showed on Crineal’s face. “I’m shocked to hear that. Commander? I know
you’ll have a good explanation for it.”

Swallowing,
the commander tried to think, his eyes darting around the room. “I… I found it
on the floor outside, Sir. Someone must have dropped it. I thought it best to
retrieve it and hand it in to security for investigation as soon as I had
finished my assignation here. I know how illegal they are.” It sounded weak,
even to him.

“Most
diligent of you, Commander. That does leave me wondering how you actually
entered this room when you have no authorized access registered.” The colonel
stood in front of Del’Tarim, eyes lit with glee as she listened. “And my recreation
assistant was standing over by the kitchen. As the guards and the good colonel
can attest, she couldn’t have let you in. Well, Commander?”

“I
thought it might be one of your key cards, Sir. So I tried it in the door and
it just opened.”

Crineal
had to give the man credit, he was inventive. “That’s plausible except you
already said that you thought it was an illegal card when you found it. Which
also begs the question of how you knew that, when it’s completely unmarked.”
The two guards grinned at Del’Tarim. He thought he recognized one from regular
duty in the flight bays. Desperately he tried to remember if he’d put the man
on a charge. “I think it would be best if I turned this over to the colonel at
this point. Colonel Jaynes?”

“Thank
you, General Crineal, Sir.” Del’Tarim could swear she was smiling as she spoke.
“Commander Del’Tarim, you are hereby charged with possession of an illegal key
card, a violation of Article Twenty Three, Subsection Twelve; attempted
coercion of a junior crew member in an attempt to gain access to a senior
officer’s quarters, a violation of Article Five, Section Nine; and of
unauthorized entry into a senior flag rank officer’s quarters, a violation of
Article Five, Section Seven. Further charges may follow pending investigations
into these charges. Do you have anything to say?”

“I
demand a lawyer, as stipulated in the articles of the Space Corps Justice
Manual,” Del’Tarim said stiffly.

“You’ll
get one, Commander. Guards, we’ll be escorting the commander to an
interrogation room. With your permission, Sir?” She saluted Crineal.

“By
all means, Colonel. I’m somewhat late for a meeting so I’ll talk to you later.
Please keep me informed.” He nodded to the guards. “Gentlemen, I appreciate
your assistance. Commander.” He just looked at Del’Tarim. The noble ignored him
and marched out, followed by the three marines. As the door closed the general
turned to Cyndora. “As for you, young lady, you’re with me. From now until this
matter is settled. The commander is a snake and there’s no telling what he
might try.”

Cyndora
sighed in relief. “Thank you, Crin.” She smiled bravely at him, despite wanting
to break down and cry from the tension that had been building up inside her.
“Won’t the cockpit of your fighter be a little cramped though?” she asked,
thinking about his scheduled patrol.

Frowning,
he considered that. “I’ll escort you to sick bay that day where you can keep
Lieutenant Feldea company and I’ll request a marine guard from the colonel.”
With that he palmed the door open and gestured her through.

The
two pilots, Captains Trovas and Linenty, were surprised when Crineal arrived
with Cyndora in tow. He’d warned them he would be late and asked them to please
study the maps whilst they waited. They hadn’t expected him to turn up with his
recreation assistant, though.

“I’m
terribly sorry about the delay, gentlemen. It’s been a busy morning. Cyndora’s
presence here is somewhat necessary due to earlier events. I’m afraid I can’t
go into details and will have to ask you to bear with me.” The two pilots
politely nodded their total non-understanding and then the three officers sat
down to study the charts. Crineal indicated to Cyndora that she should take a
chair and sit to one side.

“So,
the admiral wants us to stick our necks out and try not to get our heads
chopped off. I thought we’d jump into this point here,” he indicated a spot on
the chart, “and then make a slow sweep along this line. Captain Linenty, your
four Star Rangers will be spread out around us with sensors on full. At the
first sign of trouble, you are to take your ships and make a run for home. It’s
vital that any information gets back to the admiral. Ares will cover your
retreat, if needed.” Captain Trovas, the second in command of Ares Squadron,
nodded. “No heroics trying to support Ares, just scoot. Captain Trovas, we’ll
need to make sure that the Hermes pilots get out safely. That’s our prime
mission. We don’t know if there’s anything out there, but it’s our job to find
it if it is. Suggestions, gentlemen?” He looked at both of them.