Microsoft Word - Blind_Space-Marie_Sexton.doc (4 page)

Brigade. Pierce was one of them."

Rosen was a small planet out past the quadrants that had been annexed by the Empire several years earlier. The Rosenth Brigade had fought to maintain independence.

Greatly outmanned and outgunned, it had been a short, bloody, fruitless war. "You were their captain in the military?"

"Exactly," he said, his voice now sounding less amused. Did he sound sad, or was I imagining that? "Old habits die hard."

Certain outlying planets fostered a great deal of

bitterness over annexation into the Empire. On one hand, I could see how having a new interplanetary government thrust upon them had probably seemed unfair. On the other

28

Blind

Space

Marie

Sexton

hand, it was progress, and as my father had told me many times, progress could not be fought. It seemed it would be much easier for everybody involved if the outer planets would commit to cooperation rather than allowing their anger to fester. Now, people like this captain and his men would resort to piracy rather than living under the legitimate rule of the Empire and her Regencies.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"My name is Valero."

"Valero? Like the petrol company?"

"Yes." His exasperated tone spoke of how many times he'd had that detail brought to his attention. "Like the petrol company."

"I bet the gas jokes get old."

He laughed. "They do indeed. That particular petrol company's market didn't extend to Rosen, so my parents were unaware of having saddled me with such a laughable name."

His tone of amusement finally struck a chord in my

memory. "You're the man who brought me on board."

"I am," he said.

The man who had brought me on board. The man

who had made sexual advances.

My state of near-nakedness suddenly seemed even

more distressing. My heart began to pound. I was his

29

Blind

Space

Marie

Sexton

prisoner, blind, my hands still bound in front of me.

Nobody would come to my rescue. I was completely at his mercy.

I wanted to fight, but I knew it would be pointless. I tried looking around for the exit. Of course, I couldn't see a damn thing. I blinked furiously. Logically, I knew it would do nothing, but my brain insisted it might clear my vision.

When that didn't work, panic started to set in. I found myself gasping for air.

"Relax," he said. I jumped as he grabbed my arm, pulling me farther into the room. "I only invited you for dinner. Here. Sit."

I bumped into something. I reached down and felt it as well as I could with my bound hands. It seemed to be a giant ball of some sort. "Sit," he said again. He took my arm, turned me around, and pushed against my chest, shoving me backward onto the strange thing.

It collapsed under me, but only partway, bulging up around my hips, creating a seat and armrests. It was the strangest chair I'd ever… well, not
seen
, exactly. I looked down at it, still somehow expecting to see something.

"I'm going to put a blindfold on you," he said.

"What?" I asked. Not because I hadn't understood him, but fear was still clouding my thoughts. Besides, I was already blind. What did he expect to gain by blindfolding

30

Blind

Space

Marie

Sexton

me, too?

"Your brain knows your eyes are open, and as long as they're open, it will continue to demand input. With a blindfold on, your eyes will be closed, and your brain will quit screaming for information it can't receive."

I didn't know if it made sense or not, but I had no reason to argue. A moment later, I felt a soft piece of fabric being put into place. My eyes instinctively closed.

"Relax," he said again. "I don't intend to hurt you."

There was pressure against the back of my head as

he tied the blindfold into place. I took a deep breath. And another.

He was right. As ridiculous as it seemed, wearing

the blindfold felt better. It gave me a more immediate explanation for not being able to see. It sent the threat of panic back to its corner.

"Does that help?" he asked.

"It does."

"Good." His hands landed on my shoulders. They moved slowly down my arms. "Are you hungry?" His voice had changed. It was lower. Huskier.

My heart began to race again, partly from fear,

partly from… something else.

"Where's the prince?" I asked, as much to distract myself as anything.

31

Blind

Space

Marie

Sexton

"On board. Safe. Comfortable." His hands traced back up my arms, over my shoulders. One caressed the back of my neck. "We won't hurt him," he said.

"I don't believe you."

"We hope to secure a rather large ransom from his father. We have nothing to gain by mistreating him."

I felt him kneel next to my chair, slightly in front of me. "We don't intend to mistreat any of you." His fingers trailed forward over my shoulder, tracing my jaw. His thumb brushed my lips. I was trembling, and I hated myself for it. His touch felt good, and yet, the thought of being at his mercy made my bile rise. What would he do to me?

"Tell me your name," he said. "Your first name."

As pathetic as it was, I wanted to resist him in any way I could. "No."

"A shame." He was closer now. Way too close. He smelled like something I couldn't identify—it was a clean smell, almost soapy, not quite minty, not quite sweet. He smelled
cold
, if cold had a smell. "I've told you my name,"

he said, his voice a suggestive whisper. His lips brushed my ear, causing me to shiver. "I'd give just about anything to hear you say it." One hand landed on my knee and began to slide slowly up my thigh. I tensed, willing my body not to respond. "I'd love to hear you scream it as you came." I felt his lips on my jaw. His hair tickled my cheek. His

32

Blind

Space

Marie

Sexton

fingertips brushed my groin.

It was too much. I jerked backward instinctively,

pushing him roughly away.

He didn't pursue me. He sighed in disappointment.

"Well," he said, "you may as well stay for dinner."

The meal was awkward. My wrists were still bound.

I was able to feel around enough to determine that the bowl in front of me held some kind of shell-type pasta. There was also wine and bread. I fished around in the bowl with my fork and came up empty each time. Was I supposed to eat with my hands?

"I'm sorry," he said, and to his credit, he sounded sincere. "I didn't consider how difficult it would be."

"It's fine," I said. I was actually relieved, to some extent. Accepting his hospitality felt like a betrayal to Rikard and to my men. I ate only the bread. I drank only water. And I felt better for it.

"Tell me, Captain Kelley, how is it a fine young soldier like you finds himself guarding a spoiled rich boy instead of fighting?"

I debated how to answer him. I settled for, "Maybe I'm not a fine soldier at all."

He laughed. "I saw you fight. I was a captain once, myself. I know good men when I see them. Have you ever been on a military campaign?"

33

Blind

Space

Marie

Sexton

"Of course."

"Doing what?"

"The usual." Dealing with rebellions and

insurrections and labor strikes on planets like Rosen that didn't want to be annexed.

"What was your last assignment?" he asked.

"Before guarding the regent's son, I mean?"

"Three years ago, I was sent to Fallon."

"During their failed revolution?"

"Yes."

"A successful campaign, I suppose, from the

Empire's point of view."

"It was…" I tried to think of what I could say. It had been successful, yes, but also disillusioning. "My squad was ordered to search and secure a compound. Intel said it was a base for the rebels."

"And was it?"

"Yes." I said, but I was glad I didn't have to look in his eyes as I said it. It had been a base for their rebels, in that rebels lived there, but it wasn't like previous assignments I'd been on, where our target was purely militant. We'd found ourselves instead on a commune—a home to dozens of families. I remembered my shock upon bursting into a room, my weapon at the ready, only to find a woman clutching her frightened children to her. Sons

34

Blind

Space

Marie

Sexton

watched as their fathers were arrested, or worse.

There wasn't much blood, but the air was thick with the rank smoke of the gas grenades we'd used in the raid.

Children were crying everywhere I turned. Women spat on us as we passed.

When it was over, five of the men in my squad

couldn't be found. I was sent to find them, and I did. They'd discovered a girl, hiding under her bed. She wasn't a child anymore, but she wasn't quite a woman either, and nothing could justify what they were doing to her. The last one was just finishing up when I arrived, smiling smugly as he zipped his pants. She was alive, but her eyes weren't.

Wherever she'd gone inside her head, I hoped she hadn't felt what they'd done to her.

"Captain?" Valero said, and I jumped. I'd been lost in the memory of that day.

I shook my head to clear it. "That was my last military assignment." I'd requested a transfer the very next day, which had been granted. I'd reported the men, too, but I had no idea if they'd ever been punished. "Afterward, I was assigned to a security squad at the Regency." It hadn't taken long for Rikard to take an interest in me and have me transferred to his private team, and only another year for him to make me a captain.

That thought reminded me of my duty: the Regent's

35

Blind

Space

Marie

Sexton

son. "How did you know Prince Rikard was on board our ship?"

"We didn't," he said.

"You're lying."

"Maybe." I wished he'd quit sounding so fucking amused.

"How many men are on board?" I asked.

He laughed. "You don't expect me to answer that, do you?"

No, I hadn't expected an answer.

When it was over, he took my elbow and guided me

to my feet. His hand caressed my bare arm. "Can I convince you to stay?" he asked.

"Do I have a choice?"

It was apparently all the answer he needed. "I'll take you back to the medical bay."

I could tell he was disappointed, but I didn't care.

He took my arm and led me out of his room, down the hall, into the lift—I did my best to memorize the turns. I began to construct a limited mental map of the ship.

"Here we are," he said. "I'll have Pierce bring you back to my quarters for dinner tomorrow."

I wasn't sure if I was relieved or annoyed. "Why?" I asked.

"Have I not made my intentions clear?"

36

Blind

Space

Marie

Sexton

"You're wasting your time."

He laughed. "That doesn't bother me. It seems I have plenty of it to spare." One of his arms circled my waist. His clean, cold smell teased my senses. He kissed my jaw. Tendrils of his hair brushed over my cheeks. I held perfectly still.

"I'm not a rapist," he said. "I won't take you by force. But I intend to do everything I can to change your mind."

37

Blind

Space

Marie

Sexton

"Captain Kelley, why aren't you eating?"

It was our second dinner together, and I'd wondered if he would ask. Valero had clearly gone to lengths to provide food that didn't require silverware. Instead of a formal meal, he had presented me with a plate of cheeses, olives, and finger sandwiches.

I thought of my men. I knew they were eating

exactly what they'd been eating for the last two days: bread, hard cheese, dried meat, overripe fruit. I knew I should be glad for it. The pirates could have done far worse by us.

Still, it didn't seem right for me to indulge myself at his table.

"At least try the wine," he said. He pushed a cold glass into my hand.

I hesitated. Was I gaining anything by refusing? I

lifted the cup to my lips. It didn't smell like normal wine. It smelled sweeter, almost like apples. I took a drink. It wasn't as sweet as it smelled. It was bracingly cold on my tongue, and yet warm as it trailed down my throat.

"Ice wine?" I asked, surprised. It was a rare treat. I'd only had it once before, at the wedding reception of a high-ranking Regency official. I'd been there as security, but had managed to sneak a taste of the wine.

38

Blind

Space

Marie

Sexton

"It is," he said, obviously pleased with himself.

"Cerubian."

A planet known for its extremely expensive wines.

"Where did you get it?" I asked.

"Where do you think?"

"You stole it?"

"We
liberated
it," he said, and I could tell he was smiling.

"Do you think calling it something else makes it any less reprehensible?"

He was quiet for a moment, and I wished I could

see his face. I found myself suddenly wondering what he looked like. He was slightly shorter than me. I had the impression that he was stockier, although I wasn't sure why I thought so. His hair was long enough to tickle my cheeks when he'd kissed my neck. Other than that, he was a disarmingly blank space in my mind's eyes.

"Let me tell you about Rosen," he said. "Do you know what our primary export is?"

"Helium." Because it was so light, helium was a favorite fuel for aircraft and spaceships. It was unusual to find it on terrestrial planets, since there was rarely enough gravity to hold it in the atmosphere. Earth's supply had been depleted centuries ago. It was abundant in stars and nebulas, but nobody had perfected a method for mining it