Invasion

by Draconic Spirit

 

                They came bursting through the doors of all government and enforcer buildings.  They killed all government officials around the globe.  The enforcers were either killed or taken captive.  The resisters for the most part were killed.  The populace either succumbed to the overwhelming power of the machan invaders or ran into the wilderness.  The ones in the wilderness were by no means safe; they had to contend with nature and the pursuit of machans.  The humans captured by the machans were placed in slave pens to be sold to the highest bidder, especially the women.

--History of the Machan Invasion

 

                Ryssa sat at the base of a tree in the park.  She always enjoyed relaxing at the park amongst the little bit of nature left in the city after work.  Today was no different.  She had succeeded in relaxing her body but her mind was still running amuck.  All her attempts to calm her wandering mind had failed.  She was too aware of her surroundings and the noise of the city was distracting and interrupting her meditations. 

                She tried again to focus her thoughts inward.  She forced her mind to ignore extraneous sounds coming from the city.  She had almost calmed her mind when she was distracted again.  This time it wasn’t the city sounds.  It was a low pitch buzzing.

                She reached into her thigh pocket and pulled out a thin rectangular box.  Ryssa flipped it open and looked at the view screen.  A plump woman, with silvering black hair and twinkling blue eyes, appeared on the screen.

                “Hi, Mom,” Ryssa smiled at the woman.

                “Hi, Ryssa.  Your brother called today.”

                “How’s he doing?”

                “He’s fine.  He’ll be home in a couple of hours.”

                “Really, that’s news.  Last I heard he was stuck in St. Louis for two more days.”

                “He managed to pull some strings to change his schedule.  Jonathan also said he was bringing a guest home with him.”

                “Oh, I wonder who it could be.”

                “He wouldn’t say.  I’m guessing it’s a woman.”  The older woman’s eyes began to sparkle and a mischievous smile crept across her lips.  “Enough about Jonathan.  When are you going to find a man?”

                “Mother!.  That’s none of your business.  I’m quite happy being single.”

                “But, dear, don’t you ever get lonely?”  Minerva twisted her lips into a frown.

                “How can I be lonely.  I have you, Dad and Jonathan to keep me company.”

                “We won’t always be there, Ryssa.  You need others to be with.”

                “I know, Mom, but I haven’t been able to find someone I like enough.”

                A door buzzer sounded.  “I’ll be right back, dear.”  Minerva Karrigan walked over to the front door.  Ryssa watched through her vidphone as her mother answered the door.

                Minerva opened the door to reveal two tall, heavily muscled men.  Minerva’s eyes were drawn to the star patterns on their foreheads and the sharply pointed ears that stuck out to the sides.

                “Can I help you, gentlemen?” Minerva’s voice quavered slightly.  The men advanced towards her.  She took a step back.  “What do you want?”

                “You are Minerva Karrigan.  Tell us where your mate is.” 

                “Alejo.  I don’t know.”  One man drew a small blaster from a shoulder holster.  He pointed it at Minerva’s head.  She backed up to the vidphone.  She turned the display away from the scene. 

                “Where’s Alejo Karrigan?”

                “I told you I don’t know.  What do you want with him?”

                “That is not your concern.”  The one with the blaster pressed the barrel to her head.  “Now tell us where he is.”

                “Never.”  He pulled the trigger, silencing her.  Minerva’s body hit the ground with a thud.

                “You fool.  Now we have to wait here for him.”  The spokesperson closed the door, then proceeded to make himself at home.  The other just sat where he was and put the blaster away.  They didn’t notice the vidphone turning off.

                Ryssa leaned back against the tree.  She had heard the blaster discharge and assumed the worst.  Her mother was gone and her father was probably next.  Tears started to stream down her cheeks.  She had no way to warn her father.  He never carried a pocket vidphone.  There was little she could do.  Ryssa brought her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them.  She looked at the vidphone she still held in her hand.  She tried to put a call through to her boss at the enforcers but couldn’t get through.  She thought she might be able to contact Jonathan; he deserved to know what happened.  Ryssa punched in his vid number.

                “Jonathan Karrigan, here.”

                “Johnny, it’s Ryssa.  Please turn on your vid pick-up.”  Ryssa’s voice cracked with a sob.  Jonathan’s face appeared on the vid screen.  He took one look at her red-rimmed green eyes and tear streaked face.

                “Rys, what happened?”

                “Mom’s gone.”  Ryssa hiccuped a sob.  “Johnny, she’s gone.”  Jonathan was shocked.

                “How?  I just talked to her a couple of hours ago.”

                Ryssa told him everything she saw and heard through the vidphone.  She described the appearance of the two strangers.  “And they said they would wait there for Dad.”

                “Ryssa, calm down.  Try to contact your enforcer friends again.  Just don’t go home.  Kathryn and I will be there in a couple of hours.”

                “Who’s Kathryn?”

                “My girlfriend, but never mind her; contact the enforcers.”

                “Right.  Bye, Johnny.”  Ryssa closed the channel and put a call through to the enforcer office.

                “Captain Hugh Adams.”

                “Captain, this is Lieutenant Ryssa Karrigan.  This is an emergency.”  She proceeded to tell him what she had told her brother.

                “We’ll send a contingent to patrol and investigate, Lieutenant.  We’ll try to get to your father before he arrives home.  I want you to go to the office until this is over.”

                “Thank you, sir.”  Ryssa cut the connection and put the vidphone back in her pocket.  She stood and walked out of the park.  Ryssa headed back to the office she had left just a short while ago.

                Once at the office the only thing to do was to pace and worry.  The other enforcers there were too busy filing reports to talk to her.  Captain Adams was with the team investigating the occurrences at her home.  Ryssa spent an hour fighting compulsions to bite her nails and break down.  She jumped every time the vids buzzed and the door opened.

                Her portable vid buzzed.  “Ryssa Karrigan,” she answered.

                “Lieutenant Karrigan, I’m sorry but we didn’t find any leads.”

                “What?!  Wasn’t there anything there?  I heard my mother get shot.”

                “There was blaster residue at two locations in the house, but no bodies.”

                “Two locations?”

                “Yes, one by the vidphone and one by the front door.  We found no trace of Dr. Alejo Karrigan or his wife.”

                “No,” she gasped.  “Dad’s gone, too, isn’t he?”

                “We assume that is so.”  Ryssa collapsed and started to sob silently.

                “No,” she whispered.  “Why would someone want to kill them?  Why?”

                Ryssa dropped the vidphone.  She covered her face with her hands.  Tears leaked between her fingers and dripped to the floor.  Ryssa started sobbing loudly.  She became completely oblivious to everything but her grief.

                Ryssa was shaken out of her grief when she was roughly grabbed and slammed to the floor.  She gasped for air.  She turned her head and caught a glimpse of pointed ears.  The head attached to the ears turned and Ryssa saw the distinct star pattern on its forehead.  Ryssa’s eyes widened just before she was hit behind the ear, knocking her unconscious. 

 

                She opened her eyes and quickly closed them again.  She placed a hand against her head and groaned.  Ryssa was jostled and she groaned again.  She felt hands holding her in position and a swaying motion like she was being carried.  She could hear voices near her.  She couldn’t understand them but the inflection was obvious.  They were laughing lasciviously at some crude joke.  She felt a hand affectionately pat her butt. 

                Ryssa jolted about grabbing at her right boot.  Grasping the knife hidden in her boot she slashed at the hand that patted her.  She opened her eyes to see an alien cursing and holding his hand.  She swung down off the one holding her, kicking him in the chin.  His head snapped back with the force.  She was quickly surrounded by alien men. 

Ryssa took a fighting stance with her knife at the ready.  She watched the gang warily.  The group advanced on her slowly.  When they were within striking distance, Ryssa sprung into action.  She moved with a flurry of kicks, punches and slashes.  Many landed before one of them got past her guard shooting her with a stunner knocking her out again.

 

                Ryssa listened to the two guards at the entrance to the holding pens.  She focused all her energy on what they were saying.  They spoke in a language she had never heard before.  She flicked on the universal translator that her father had specially made for her and her brother.  For a moment she couldn’t understand what they were saying, then the translator kicked in.

                “…The exotic one,” one said.

                “The one from the enforcer office looks like fun.”  The guard gave a nasty chuckle.

                “I prefer exotics.  You can keep your tough females, Flav.”

                “Come on, Flor, The green-eyed one is exotic, too.”

                “True, but she is also the toughest looking.  I prefer the flower to the thorn.”

                “But she’s the most exotic.”  He nudged his partner with his elbow.

                “Too many thorns for me.  Did you see what she did to the team that brought her in?”

                “No, What happened?”

                “She was dragged in kicking and hitting.  Every single member of the team was bruised or bleeding.”

                “Really!”  Flav gave a low whistle.  “What level team was it?”

                “Elite.”  Flav’s jaw dropped.  “They shot her with a stunner full blast just to knock her out.”

                “And it didn’t kill her.  Incredible.”

                “Let the Supers handle breaking her.”

                “Indeed.  I’m not touching her, now.”

                Ryssa grinned slightly at their conversation.  So she had beaten up some of their elite soldiers.  They weren’t that tough, but who were the supers?  Ryssa frowned slightly.  She hoped they weren’t coming soon.  She wanted to heal first before tangling with them.  Ryssa leaned back on her pallet gingerly, favoring her throbbing muscles.  Hopefully she wouldn’t have to move quickly anytime soon.  She closed her eyes and fell into a restless sleep.

                Ryssa was awakened by the clanking of her door opening.  She cranked her eyes open to see one of the guards placing a bucket inside her holding cell.  The door was closed behind him.  Ryssa glanced at the other women in the cell.  All were cowering in the corners away from the door.  She sniffed the air.  An almost pleasant smell came from the bucket.

                Ryssa stood up, groaning at her protesting muscles.  Moving cautiously, she approached the bucket and peered inside.  The bucket contained a thick mush.  She reached inside and scooped out a small portion.  She sniffed the substance, then tasted it.  She couldn’t detect any foreign chemicals in it.  She ate a couple of handfuls and returned to her pallet.  The other women approached the bucket and started eating the mush.  Ryssa lay down and drifted off to sleep.

                Ryssa was barely conscious when she was thrown down in her new cell.  The mush given to the group had sapped her energy.  She could hardly move she was so lethargic.  She opened her eyes to slits and examined her new surroundings.

                Ryssa found herself in a private room with attached lavatory.  The room itself was fairly spartan.  The furnishings consisted of a large bed and a small table with two chairs.  The lighting dimly lit these pieces.

                Ryssa dragged herself to her feet and staggered towards the bed.  She flopped down heavily on the bed.  She clawed her way to the head and collapsed into unconsciousness.  A dark shadow detached itself from a hidden alcove.  It approached the bed.  It gazed upon the form of the young woman.

                “Don’t worry,” it said in a low, tenor voice.  “We’ll get you out of here soon.”  It turned away and slipped silently out the door.

                Ryssa awoke later to the door opening and heavy footsteps.  The footfalls approached the bed.  Ryssa pretended to continue sleeping.  The sounds of approach stopped at the side of the bed.  Ryssa could hear the heavy, nasal breathing near her head.

                “Wake up, bitch,” came the harsh voice at the side of the bed.  Ryssa continued to remain still.  She heard a slight sizzling sound just before fiery fingers raced across her back.  Ryssa screamed in pain.

                She panted softly as the pain subsided into a stinging throb.  The respite didn’t last long before she howled in agony again.  Ryssa could feel her blood soaking her tattered shirt.  Her back was sliced three more times with the force-whip.

                Her attacker laughed sinisterly as he put the whip away.  “So, you’re the hellcat that managed to injure an entire team of elites.  You’re not that tough.”  He grabbed her shoulders and flipped her onto her back.  Ryssa hissed in pain.  She glared defiantly at him.  He reached out and smacked her.  Ryssa’s head rocked to the side.  She turned her head towards him and spat blood onto his face.

                “Why you , little bitch!”  He drew back his fist and planted it in her midriff.  Ryssa gasped for breath.  “You will pay for that insult.”  He began to pummel Ryssa’s body in the process ripping off her clothes. 

                He roughly fondled her breasts leaving hand-print sized welts.  He ran his hands across her skin bruising what hadn’t been already bruised.  Spreading her legs with one hand he released the front of his pants.  Once he freed himself he roughly plunged into Ryssa’s opening, tearing her with the crude violation to her body. 

                He lifted her head up by the hair.  Her eyes were mere slits in her face.  He spat in her face.  “That’ll teach you to insult a Super.”  He flung her head down and straightened his clothes.  He turned and left a battered, bloody and violated Ryssa in the room.

                Ryssa rolled to her side.  She brought her knees painfully to her chest.  “You’ll pay,” she groaned.  “I’ll kill you somehow.”  Her eyes drifted shut as she fell unconscious once again.

 

                Ryssa awoke to a cooling sensation spreading throughout her body.  She pried her eyes open as far as she could.  Looking through slits she made out the wall she faced.  She felt something damp moving across her back.  She jerked violently when a shiver of pain ran down her spine.

                “Hold still,” came a gentle tenor voice behind her.  “I know it hurts, but I’m trying to be as careful as I can.”

                “W-who are you?” Ryssa croaked.

                “A friend.”  The damp cloth moved gently over her back again.  Ryssa refrained from moving this time.  She bit her lip to keep from crying out in pain.  She closed her eyes tightly.  She felt a cool damp cloth being placed across her eyes.

                “That’ll help reduce the swelling, I hope.”  Ryssa reached up holding the cloth to her eyes, sighing with relief.  “This will sting a little.”

                She hissed sharply at the biting sting from a lotion that the stranger spread across her back.  The hands moved quickly and efficiently on her back.  The skin of her back went numb after a moment.  Ryssa sighed in relief.

                “That takes care of your back, but I’m afraid there will be scarring.”  Ryssa rolled to her back and removed the cooling cloth from her eyes.  She squinted up at her ministering companion.  Through a haze, she caught a glimpse of a golden-haired, star marked face.  She gasped and tried to pull away from the young looking machan. 

                “I’m not going to hurt you.”  He gently touched her face.  Ryssa flinched away from his touch.  “He really worked you over didn’t he?”  His gazed traveled the length of her body noticing the bruised, marred flesh.  “He wasn’t even suppose to come in here.”  He reached into a satchel that was sitting at the foot of the bed.  Rummaging through it, he pulled out numerous jars.  Grabbing one, he brought it over to Ryssa.

                A pungent smell issued from the jar when he removed the lid.  Taking some cream from the jar he started to spread it over her various bruises.  Ryssa tensed when he reached her private place.  He noticed the tale-tell tension in her body when he came close to that region.

                “The brute raped you, didn’t he?”  Ryssa closed her eyes, nodding, as tears leaked from her eyes.  “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you in that way.”  His voice was sympathetic as he continued to stroke her skin, rubbing the cream into her bruises.  Ryssa relaxed slightly, but was still anticipating him to do something.  “I don’t force women, silly earthling.”

                He recapped the jar and placed it back in the satchel.  He opened one of the other jars.  He quickly dabbed the lotion from this jar on her closed eyes.  She flinched at the contact.  He brushed more on her eyes. 

She blinked furiously when she heard the lid going back on the jar.  He put the rest of the jars back into the satchel.  He placed it on the floor.  Ryssa watched cautiously while he sat at the foot of the bed.

                “You are the easiest patient I’ve dealt with today in this hell hole.  You don’t put up a fuss, but you are by far in the worst condition.”  He looked her in the eyes.  “Do you need anything to drink?”

                “Water.”  Her voice was raspy.  She tried to swallow but couldn’t get her dry throat to work.  He went over to the small table and poured a glass of water from the pitcher sitting there.

                “Here you go.”  He helped her sit up and held the glass to her mouth.  Ryssa greedily drank the water.  “Better.”

                She nodded. “Thank you.”  Her voice was a little stronger.  He put the glass back on the table.  He came back to stand at the edge of the bed.

                “What did you do to make him do this to you?”

                “I spat in his face.”

                “You know that is the worst insult you could have given a machan Super.”  He chuckled at her boldness.

                “What’s a Super?”

                “They are the strongest of our people.  Not necessarily the brightest though.  They’re bred for strength, not intelligence.”  He gave an exasperated sigh.  “How they ever came to command our people, I’ll never understand.”  He left the bed and snatched up the satchel.  “There’s a coverall on the table.  Put it on when you feel you can.  I’ve got to go tend some more victims.”  He left the room silently. 

                Ryssa glanced over at the table.  She could see the gray coverall neatly folded on it next to the pitcher of water.  She swung her legs to the side of the bed.  Her head swam as she struggled to remain conscious.  Slowly she stood up, forcing her body to move to the table.  Grabbing the coverall she collapsed in a nearby chair.  She paused to catch her breath and clear her fuzzy thoughts.  Carefully, she slipped her legs into the coverall.  She stood briefly to pull the clothing to her shoulders.  Sitting down once again she slipped her arms into the sleeves.  Slowly she fumbled the fasteners closed.  The coverall fit her like a second skin.  It was a little constricting across her breasts.  It was fine as long as she breathed shallowly and left the top two fasteners undone.  The material was stretchy enough to allow her to move freely if she needed.

                She leaned her head back, closing her eyes.  She was weary just from moving from the bed and dressing.  She grabbed the glass and took a quick swallow.  Holding the glass, she made a quick survey of the room from her chair.  There was nothing she could use as a weapon to help her escape this hell.  If only she had her boots, she thought.  Then she would have her knife that was hidden in the left boot.  She figured the one that was in her right boot had been confiscated during her earlier fight with the elite team.

                She noticed something poking out from under the bed.  Wearily she crawled to the bed and peeked under it.  To her surprise she found her boots shoved under the bed.  Grabbing them she quickly inspected them.  Inside the right one she found a crumpled piece of paper.

                Smoothing out the crinkled paper she read the brief note.

                There will be a break out in two days.  Be ready to leave.  Go to the nearest cave formation to the west.  There you will find sanctuary. 

Your machan savior

                She smiled.  She had a way out of this hell.  She frowned as she studied the handwriting.  She hadn’t seen this script before.  She wondered who her machan savior could be.  She carefully folded the note and stuffed it back in the toe of her boot.  She quickly pulled the boots on her bare feet.  She checked the hidden sheath in her left boot, finding her knife still there.  She pulled herself up onto the bed and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

 

                Ryssa woke to the smell of food.  Her stomach grumbled loudly, reminding her she hadn’t had anything since that mush served at her first cage.  She opened her eyes to see a plate of steaming food on the table.  It was definitely more appetizing than mush in a bucket.

                She moved stiffly over to the table and collapsed onto the chair.  Ryssa moved the plate closer to her, causing a slip of paper to fall to the floor.  Carefully bending over, she retrieved the scrap of paper.  She cautiously opened the letter.  The script matched the handwriting from her previous note. 

By now you have read the note in your boot.  The escape will proceed as planned, but you will need some protection.  Over the course of the next two days, I will be leaving you and the others items that should prove useful.  Hidden inside your meal is an item I thought you would find useful

Your machan savior

P.S. Destroy this note and the others.

                Ryssa looked around.  How was she to destroy the notes?  She couldn’t burn them and tearing them up wouldn’t work either.  She glanced over at the plate of food than back at the note.  Then it hit her.  She would have to eat the notes.  Ryssa grimaced.  That option wasn’t very appealing, but it was the only viable idea. 

                She gingerly pulled off her right boot and pulled out the other note.  The imprint of her toes was obvious in the crumpled piece of paper. 

                :I guess I have no choice,: she thought to herself.  She tore the two notes into strips and placed them along side her meal.  :Definitely not your normal garnish for dinner.:  She picked through her food eating it and the paper, while hunting for the item that the second note said was in there.  Her eyes opened in surprise when she found her knife for the right boot hidden under all the food.

                She picked up the knife, examining it in the light.  “I wonder where he found this,” she murmured.  She slid the knife into the hidden sheaf.

                Ryssa moved over to the door and pressed her ear to it hoping to hear any movement outside the door.  She vaguely heard voices nearing her door.

                “Cor, I trust you tended to my new slaves?”

                “Slaken, I’m worried that your Supers are out of control.”

                “Nonsense, brother.  They do everything I command, unlike you.”  Ryssa could hear a low chuckle.

                “Somebody has to knock you down a peg or two, just to make you bearable.”

                “What did the Supers do that require discipline?”

                “I tended one human female that was raped and savagely beaten by one of them.”

                “She most likely brought it upon herself.”

                “Your wrong, Slaken.”  There was a pause in the conversation.  “She was one of those that was given drugs to weaken her.  The female couldn’t do anything.  Not only that, she was in a private chamber that was restricted, he should have never been in there.”

                “I hope you’re wrong about that, Cor.” 

                “I’m not.  I don’t agree with the things you’ve done.  Slaken you know the only reason I’m still with you is that you’re my brother and guardian.  I can’t return home until I come of age.”  Ryssa could hear feet shuffling near her door. 

                “Cor,” the voice sounded right outside the door, “We can never return home again.  You know that.”

                “The only reason I can’t go home is you.  I’m not the wanted man, just his kid brother.  I can’t live running from the law.  I’m a medic not a criminal.”  She could hear the one identified as Cor heave a sigh.  “I about Auri, Slaken.  She deserves better than running about the universe with her father.”

                “Cor, that’s enough.”  Ryssa could hear a barely controlled anger in the voice.  “Auri knows that the weak should serve the strong.  Human are weak, therefore slaves to the stronger race.”

                “You’re wrong, Slaken.”  Cor’s voice hardened.  “The weak are strong in other ways.  You would never do this back home.  We could return home and forget about this.  I’m returning to the med lab.  Good bye, brother.”  She could hear footsteps storming off down what she assumed was a hallway. 

                “You don’t understand, Cor.”  Slaken’s voice dropped to just above a whisper.”  I can’t go back.  An exile can never return to Macha.”  Ryssa could hear as he too left the area.

                Ryssa spent the next couple of days puzzling over the conversation she overheard and conserving her strength for the suppose escape.  She kept her knives near at all times, even when the medic from earlier cared for her injuries.  She was taking no chances.  She only hoped Jonathan and his lady friend were safe.