To Be Lured
This next story is one that I dearly wish had never happened, but it must be told. It started out as a normal day at the base, nothing unusual for the first couple hours. When suddenly Orion ran into the control room, he held a data pad in his hand.
“I’m going to Ravaan, and nothing you can say can stop me!” He turned around and hurried down the hall.
I excused myself from Gawaan and Sachae and ran after him. “Honey what’s wrong?”
“My best friend growing up has been kidnapped,” he handed the data pad to me, but did not slow down. “You remember me telling you about Terri? We were neighbors for years and years, we did absolutely everything together.”
A scanned the data pad and then tossed it on the floor. “But you too have drifted apart, why should you go rescue her? Besides you don’t even know where to start!”
“She’s still my friend,” Orion said firmly.
I stepped in front of him and spun around to face him. “Think of the rebellion. I will not let you risk exposing the rebellion to save some lost friend!”
“You’d do the same if it were your friend.” Orion stepped around me and continued walking.
“No!” I quickly objected, hurrying after him. “What are your priorities, Orion? The success of the rebellion, which will save lives, or the life of a friend?” Orion finally slow down, “in other words would you rather save lives? Or destroy them?”
Orion sighed and shook his head, “save. I would rather save lives.” He kissed me and then turned around.
He went to our apartments, where Danton was, to rest, and I went back to the control room to debrief the rebel generals on the Fopalinish Raid, which was to take place.
I was almost done the debriefing when Danton ran into the debriefing room. “Mom! Dad’s taken a fighter and left. He just made the jump into hyperspace a minute ago.”
It was no surprise to me, which was why I had ordered a fighter to be held on stand by. I looked at Gawaan and she quickly stood up, I’d discussed everything with her. I quickly left to get suited up and was soon jettisoned into space. It didn’t take long to navigate the course to Ravaan, and I made the jump to hyperspace.
Orion only had about half an hour start, but he picked the best and fastest fighter in the fleet. Flying my fighter that I used all the time and was more familiar with it, but it wasn’t at it’s best performance level. I estimated that Orion arrived at the capital and hour before I did.
I landed my fighter in the Tamaar Embassy hanger, I figured that Orion landed at the public landing platforms. I some how managed to excuse myself from the embassy and went out to check the public landing platforms. As I’d guessed, I found Orion’s fighter there. I’ll I had to do was find him. From the data pad I remembered reading that Terri had been kidnapped outside of Club Givideen.
I took the speeder from the embassy and quickly went there, I asked the bartender if a board muscular man, with short brown hair, and brown eyes had been in there recently. The bartender said that he had just left twenty minutes ago.
“He was asking about a kidnapping that happened in this area, paid a nice price for some information too. I’d be willing to give the same information for double.” The bartender said, I tried to lower the price but he wouldn’t budge, so I gave him the money. He said that he knew which gang had done the kidnapping and he knew where their headquarters were. I had to pay him more, but I got the address and was back on my speeder.
When I got the gang headquarters, I found Orion fighting a bunch of thugs. By the time I got to him, he was out cold on the pavement. I pulled a gun out on the thugs as I leaned over Orion to see how he was, he had a couple scrapes but nothing major.
A thug comes in behind him and throws a chain around my neck, I don’t really remember what happened, but I threw my elbow into his chest. Ducked under his arms and engaged him in combat. After a moment I realized that the other guys had taken Orion. I knocked the thug out and ran into the building.
Who of all people should I find, but Terri. I immediately knew something was fishy.
“It was a set up?” I asked.
She almost jumped, for she had not heard me come in. “I beg your pardon? But who are you and how did you get in here?” she asked innocently.
“You’re kidnapping was a set up, well I can give you a little credit, it was pretty convincing. You faked your kidnapping to lure Orion, I don’t know why, but I’ll find out don’t worry.”
“Oh,” Terri said. “You’re Chloe Mauva, queen of…Tamaar isn’t it? You’re Orion’s wife aren’t you?” She stepped closer. “You’re also the leader of rebellion, aren’t you?”
Before I knew it, she pressed a metal device, which resembles a staple gun, against my neck. I felt a sharp prick and then I blacked out.
When I woke up, I was in some sort of lab. I was being held on some sort of chair by blue energy restraints. I may called a strong woman, so I tried to break the restraints but they were too strong. Terri entered, she laughed at my attempt to break free.
“It’s useless to resist,” she said laughing.
“Where’s Orion?”
“He’s fine, amazing what happens to someone when you inject them with what I like to call an adrenaline rush. I’m sure that my guests are going to see something very special tonight.”
“What? You’re going to execute him?”
“More or less,” Terri laughed evilly. “You won’t be killed, not by me anyway. After I extract the proof of your treason, I’ll hand you over to the emperor himself.”
“Bite me.”
Terri laughed, she pulled a metal helmet from a shelf and forced it onto my head. I couldn’t really see what she was doing but she hooked up a bunch of cords to the helmet. She injected me with something and I went into a daze. After that I don’t really remember anything, just sounds. Crashing, screaming, and grunting mostly.
The next thing that I remembered was suddenly being in a speeder piloted by Ken. I found out from him that Terri had a club, she would dope of one guy and set him lose an another guy. In order for the sane guy to live, he was forced to fight. Ken had also, to say it gently, disposed of Terri. It was an accident, as he claimed, but to keep her around would not be beneficial to the rebellion’s survival. Ken had deleted from Terri’s systems my memories that she had started to download. Well he was at it he hacked into her guest list for the club and put us in, under different names of course.
We had a little time before we had to be at the club, so we had a chance to get some fresh clothes. As we were entering the club, I was pretty scared that someone would recognize us.
Orion was let into the pit first, he didn’t really know what was going on. He immediately saw Ken and I, confusion was plainly written all over his face. I gave him a look that told him everything he needed to know. We were there undercover and his life was in danger.
Then they let the duped up guy come in. He definitely looked insane, he charged Orion. Orion didn’t see it fast enough and as plowed to the ground. The man’s insanity was a pretty good match for Orion’s strength and skill, I’m afraid that Orion received quite a few heavy blows. I couldn’t bare to watch and I didn’t want to go on much longer. I’d smuggled in a stunner, it’s small and shots out an invisible beam of electricity and instantly stun a person. I aimed at the man and pressed, he instantly collapsed on the ground.
The crowd thought that Orion had killed him, in fact Orion himself thought that maybe he had. The crowd was quite excited and were yelling at each other and settling bets. They hardly noticed when Ken and I helped Orion into the stands, and sneaked out the exit.
Well I think we all learned our lesson, never run off with out back up. Getting very close to be discovered has made me more cautious, some of the safety conditions that I have put in place may seem stupid but I will not take chances.
We now know that the chancellor knows of my involvement with the rebellion. I’m afraid that it is no longer safe for me to travel anywhere, at least anywhere civilized. I will be glad for the die when all this fighting and hiding comes to an end, that day will either be when the rebellion is entirely destroyed or the empire is entirely destroyed. I fell that either is a long way off.
Terri
This is Orion's good friend, at least many years ago.
Ken and Me
Ken and I watch on as Orion is forced to fight to the death.
Orion and I
I try to reason with Orion.
