Chapter 8

"Which one of you is the slave Tasa?" one of them roared, and Tasa jumped, her heart racing. She dropped her mending.

There was nowhere she could hide. Her heart went haywire, and her stomach twisted into knots. She felt lightheaded.

But she could try using psi energy against them.

"She's—she's here," Falda stammered. "What do you want with her?"

"That's none of your concern," the other man snapped. "The commander asked us to bring her to him."

Tasa took a deep breath and focused on her crippling, out-of-control fear. She was never taken out of her prison. "I'm here," she said in a small voice. She gathered all the fear inside her and flung it out toward them.

And…nothing.

Hands grabbed her, and it took every ounce of willpower she had not to scream or flail. She had to seem harmless, or they'd be on to her.

She tried again.

Nothing.

What was wrong with her ability? She'd made both Falda and Orin feel things. She'd even freaked Orin out. Why wasn't it working?

Now was the time to fight back.

She kicked, she screamed, she tore at hair and clothing, anything she could get her hands on. She tried repeatedly to send them fear, but it didn't work. Her eyes filled with tears as they cuffed her wrists together and forced her to walk to her doom.

They entered a huge room. The walls were metallic, and pictures of various males in fancy uniforms hung on them. The men forced her to sit on a high-backed chair at a table. She put her shaking hands out in front of her.

Where was Orin?

She realized that she cared for him. Impossibly, in the shortest amount of time, he had somehow gotten into her heart.

The commander came into the room, and her blood ran cold.

"I bet you are wondering why you are here instead of doing your job," the commander said.

Tasa's heart raced. "Yes, sir."

"I've decided to find you a new job."

Tasa clenched her jaws together to keep from yelling at him. She knew what he was referring to, and she'd fight. They would never get her willingly.

The commander arched a brow. "See, empathic abilities are very valuable, especially from a royal house. I figure I'd give you to several of my strongest, most intelligent men and see what happens. How does that sound?"

Tasa glared at him. "I will never be defiled in that manner."

The commander laughed. Actually laughed at her. "But you will be, my dear. It's all here in this contract." He waved a bundle of papers in her direction. "Signed by your parents, the king and queen of Aridia. They had to make it look like a kidnapping so others wouldn't be suspicious. But apparently, money means more to them than your virtue."

"What?" All the blood drained from her face, and the room tilted sideways. "How…"

"It doesn't matter. Guards, kindly escort our princess to the west wing." He stood, then leaned forward, placing his face level with hers. "I suggest you cooperate."

The two men who'd brought her there forced her to stand and walk—be dragged, really—to this west wing place.

She had to do something, anything…

Sweat dripped down her back, and her mind raced.

Her parents…she knew they were ruthless, but to sell her to be bred? It was her worst nightmare brought to life.

Where was Orin? If he were here, she could find the strength to?—

That was it, wasn't it?

Orin was her crutch. His not being here had sent her into a tailspin, and subconsciously she didn't feel she could succeed without him.

She did not believe in herself enough.

But that was ridiculous. She could do this. She could save herself from these monsters.

"Come on, what's the holdup?" one of the men snapped, and Tasa realized she'd stopped walking.

Or had stopped letting them drag her.

She pulled her bound hands away from them with all her strength.

The men were around her, grabbing her, and she kicked and flailed and twisted and spun, trying to keep them from getting a hold on her. As she moved, she began to feel like she could succeed.

"Stop moving, bitch! Or we'll give you to someone worse!" one of the men screamed.

Her heart almost stopped. Something told her to run.

She ran, not caring where she went, just that she was away from them?—

Two arms came around her, and she screamed.

"Don't worry, it'll be over soon," the commander said. "All we need is for you to?—"

Something snapped inside her. "No. No, I will not do it! I deserve to be free! Let me go!"

When she tried to summon fear, she didn't need to try too hard. It was right there. The place she was being forced to go to. The men. They would not be gentle. The only person she wanted was Orin…would she ever see him again?

Fear. She had to summon more fear.

She was helpless. She didn't know her way around the ship. She couldn't just run to the nearest airlock.

How would she ever find Orin?

Nausea doubled her over. She shoved the commander's hands away.

She focused on sending those feelings to all of them.

She pretended to throw up. When a man's hand touched her, she sent the feelings into him. And hoped it worked.

"What the…." One of the men backed away and threw up, making horrible noises, spilling the contents of his stomach onto the pristine floor.

"What's wrong with you?" the other man asked. "Commander?"

The commander was doubled over, dry heaving.

"Hey, over here! I changed my mind. Take to me to them!" Tasa cried. She hoped she sounded like she meant it. She tasted bile. She really would throw up if she had to?—

"Fantastic. See, that wasn't so bad—" He coughed. "Uh…" And he threw up, too.

Tasa made a run for it, dodging the mess on the floor, her bound hands in front of her, hoping she didn't slam into anything important––

"Tasa?"

She stopped. Hope unfurled inside. "Orin?"

"Yes, yes!" His arms came around her.

Her heart gave a jolt. He could still taint her with his magic! She backed away. "I can't…"

She pretended not to see the hurt in his eyes. "You did it! They're really sick over there. You're amazing."

"No, you're amazing," Tasa said, moving closer to him. Her heart raced. She shouldn't…she wanted to kiss him, but her fear of his magic stopped her.

Orin averted his gaze. "We need to get going. As soon as their nausea wears off, they will be after us."

"You're right. What's next?" she asked.

"I have Falda working on getting control of the bridge," Orin said. "She's only one person, and there are several others up there. She will need help." He took her joined hands in his. "Let's go!"

They took a lift up several floors. It let them off to chaos. People were screaming. Someone was shouting commands to someone else, presumably to keep them from not crashing the ship.

There were several large chairs situated throughout the bridge. To her left was the largest window she'd ever seen—and thousands of stars suspended on a velvet-black sky. She wanted to touch them.

A woman spun around and caught sight of them. "Orin? Who is this woman trying to take control of navigation? And who's that?" She gestured toward Tasa, her gaze piercing.

Tasa stepped backward on shaky legs, but Orin steadied her. "This is Tasa. That woman over there"—he pointed to Falda—"is Falda. These two have been enslaved by Commander S'artha."

The woman frowned. "I've never heard of such a thing. Commander S'artha is a good commander?—"

"Yes, but you know he's done some shady stuff," another woman said, her hand on what looked like a weapon.

"A man who had me beaten daily," Tasa said. "Or, wait, a man who had my parents sign a contract to have me taken aboard this ship and made to be a breeder? How is any of that good?" She looked into the woman's eyes and tried to project strength.

But inside, she was unraveling, coming apart. If they threw her back in her cell again…after her taste of freedom…she would never survive it.

A short man came toward them, his expression unreadable. "I am Ty. I have heard rumors. I never thought it could be true."

"It is," Falda said from behind him. "I was enslaved with Tasa in a prison cell. We were forced to mend your garments. We rarely got enough food to survive, and Tasa was beaten. I witnessed it."

"You're the menders," the woman with the weapon said. "I'm Johnal."

"You were not beaten?" Ty asked Falda.

"I wasn't. I think it had to do with the fact that Tasa is a princess, maybe?"

"You're a princess?" the woman asked Tasa. "I'm Vola, by the way."

Tasa nodded. "I am, but I have psi abilities, and my parents wanted no part of me."

"Wait…" Ty said, his brow furrowed. "That sounds vaguely familiar. You're…Aridian, right?"

"Yes." Tasa looked to each person in turn. "I don't know how you feel about slavery, but I will no longer be subjugated by your commander. We wish to go home. Will you help us?"

"You want us to commit mutiny against our commander," Ty said. "Granted, maybe he's not the nicest guy in the universe, but he gave us a job and a home. We don't even know if you're telling the truth."

"That's true, you don't know," Orin said. "But look at Tasa's face. It's been a few days, but the bruising from her last beating is still there. And I know you barely know me, but I would never try something like this unless it was for a good reason."

Tasa stepped forward and let Ty look at her face. He poked and prodded her skin, and she flinched. "It sure looks real." He glanced at the others. "I don't think it's makeup or anything."

"Orin, for what it's worth, I believe you," Johnal said. "Although you were skulking around the restricted area recently. Did that have anything to do with Tasa and Falda?"

Orin bowed his head. "Guilty as charged. I heard her psionic scream. And had to investigate. It's what we Larinu do."

"I do remember that," Vola said softly. "Larinu are the universe's biggest do-gooders."

"But mutiny?" Ty asked. "I just don't know how this could come to anything good."

"I have an impressive set of empathy skills if you need more incentive," Orin said mildly. "But I'd prefer not to have to use them." He smiled. "We could use any help we could get. Johnal?"

She nodded. "I will help. I do not believe in slavery."

"And what if we don't want to help?" Vola asked.

"Then we will take over this ship," Orin said. Like he was reporting the weather. No malice whatsoever. But Tasa knew it was a front.

"And how would you do that? You have two women here. And none of you look very dangerous," Ty said with a chuckle. "I think—" He doubled over, hands going to his abdomen. Tasa watched as he threw up, making quite a mess on the bridge. And he wasn't done. Now he was dry heaving, over and over again.

"What the…" Vola murmured. "Did you do that?"

Orin smiled tightly. "Yes, I did. Just a demonstration of what I can do."

"But," Tasa said, giving him a hard look, "we won't hurt anyone if you agree to help. You have to admit, what the commander has done isn't right."

Ty stood, wiping his face. "Fine. I'll help. What do you need?"

"All right, Ty, what can you do?" Orin asked.

"I can handle weapons," Ty replied with a smile. "I'm pretty good at it, actually."

He glanced at Johnal. "You're Security. That's good." He turned to Vola. "And you?"

"Navigation," Vola replied. "Falda, is that your name?" She glanced at Falda, who nodded. "Falda was attempting to take control, but I didn't allow it. You can assist me."

"All right," Falda said.

"Excellent," Orin said.

"There's a bigger problem," Ty said. Tasa could feel his anxiety. "Commander S'artha is on his break. When he returns, he'll want to know what's going on. He won't relinquish control of the ship at all."

Orin smiled evilly. His thoughts took a tone of satisfaction. "Leave that to me. All right, let's get going. Vola, where exactly are we, and how far are we from Larin?"

"Very far," Vola replied after studying her viewscreen. "We'll have to pass through a few wormholes, and there is a lot of space debris up ahead."

Orin sat down in the pilot's chair and gestured for Tasa to sit in the commander's chair beside him. "I will man the helm." He turned to Tasa. "Your job is to keep an eye on things and report anything odd to me. Can you do that?"

Tasa's heart was in her throat. "I don't know. I can try."

"Just do your best, all right?" He pointed to a blip on the viewscreen. "See this? This would qualify as weird."

Tasa nodded, her head swimming. "What is it?"

Orin glanced at Falda and Vola.

"That's a very large asteroid formation," Falda replied, her eyes wide with fear.

"Five point five centi-leagos to impact," the computer chirped, making Tasa jump.

"What's a centi-leago?" Tasa asked.

"One hundredth of a leago," Johnal said.

"A small unit of measure. This means that we're very close to impact," Orin said softly. "Computer, adjust our course to a bearing of 330 mark 15."

"Adjusting course," the computer said in response.

"I think we're all right for now," Orin said. "We're going to bypass the asteroid formation, but there may be others." He touched Tasa's wrist, and she startled. "Hey, I've got you. Let's get you out of those shackles. Anyone got something to cut Tasa's shackles with?"

Ty stood. "I'll check around. I'm sure we have something."

"Thanks," Orin said as Ty passed him on the way off the bridge.

"I think we should go to Larin," Tasa said. "I don't know what's waiting for me in Aridia. And…I'd be with you." She swallowed hard. Admitting that was tough for her to do.

Orin smiled. "I would like that very much. Falda and Vola, plot me a course to Larin."

"Commander," Ty said from the lift. Tasa's heart lurched. "You're back early."

"Yes, I am, Ty," the commander said, his voice terse. "What is going on? Why is my Engineer in my seat and my slaves on my bridge? And what is that in your hands?"

Ty didn't say anything. His fear was thick enough to choke on.

"And why, my little slave, did we all throw up when you were near us? Hmm?" the commander asked, his voice pitched low.

Footsteps came toward her.

"We refuse to be enslaved any longer," Tasa said, standing and trying to project strength.

"Oh? And now you are stealing my ship?" His hand made contact with her cheek, whipping her head to the side, pain exploding. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"So it is true! You've kept them both prisoner!" Vola cried. "How could you?"

"Oh, no, you don't," Orin cried. Tasa felt him come closer. "Do not touch her?—"

"So, here's what we're going to do," the commander continued, ignoring Vola and Orin. "You will return to your cell immediately. And Orin, for your betrayal, you will die. And Ty, drop that thing right now. It looks like you were about to free Tasa here. We wouldn't want that because that would mean that you are betraying me, too."

"Sir, with all due respect…what do you expect me to do? Let you take them prisoner again?" Ty asked.

Tasa had to do something. She hated the idea of hurting people, but the commander was going to kill Orin! And maybe even Ty. She couldn't let them die because she wanted to be free.

She tuned out his words and the way she felt with him so close to her. She savored the feeling of her own pain, amplifying it with her imagination. How it would feel if he cut her. Or if he removed some teeth. She imagined those sensations and felt them as if they were real.

And then she imagined how it would feel to have her heart explode. Every pathway throughout her body igniting in pain.

She shoved it all into the commander and hoped it worked this time.

He gasped. Then clutched his chest, his breath coming in gasps.

Orin glanced at her with one eyebrow raised in question. It was as if he knew what she'd done. He closed his eyes, murmuring something under his breath.

The commander screamed, a horrible, heart-wrenching sound of distress.

And dropped like a stone.

"Tasa?" Falda said, her voice quivering. "I think…I think you killed him."

"He's not moving," Ty said, going to where the commander lay. "How…?"

"We have our ways," Orin said.

"He's pale, and he's not moving. Let me check his pulse," said Ty. He touched his fingertips to the commander's neck. "No pulse. He is gone." Ty gave them a look of horror. "You…you killed him."

Tasa stood tall and proud, hoping he couldn't hear her racing heartbeat or sense her fear. "I did what I had to do to defend us. He hurt me. He was going to kill Orin. Maybe he'd kill you, too! I wasn't about to give him the opportunity."

"I amplified what she'd done with magic," Orin admitted. "So don't just place the blame on her."

"Obviously," Vola drawled. "I didn't realize you had that kind of power." She stepped backward slightly, and Tasa felt her fear—fear that Tasa and Orin would kill her, too.

"You won't hurt us, right?" Johnal asked, her eyes flicking from Orin to Tasa and back again.

"Wait just a second," Orin said. "We were simply defending ourselves. We won't kill anyone else here." He glanced at Tasa. "Right?"

Tasa nodded. "Absolutely. I don't believe in this kind of stuff, anyway. But he's a horrible man, and I'm not sorry he's gone." She wiped a tear from her cheek, feeling like a criminal.

Would they punish them?

"Oh, child," Vola murmured, taking Tasa's hand in hers. "Of course you didn't mean it. What he did to you was horrible." She glanced at Orin. "But what about the ship? Who's going to command it?"

"There's something I need to tell all of you," Falda said solemnly. Tasa could feel her anxiety, and her stomach clenched in response. "Tasa, I wasn't completely honest with you. Johnal and I, plus a few others, have had plans to overthrow the commander for quite some time?—"

"What is this about?" Ty asked.

Johnal glanced at Ty. "You know what an awful man he is—was. We wanted to be free. So, we made plans. Tasa and Orin took care of him. But the ship's another story."

Falda took over the explaining. "There's a failsafe on this ship that only a few of us know about. Should the commander become incapacitated, only the one designated can command the ship. We designated you, Tasa." Her voice quivered. "I'm so sorry to put this responsibility onto you."

"Why me?"

"Yes, why her? While I believe she will do an excellent job, there were others that could have fulfilled the obligation," Orin said gently, squeezing Tasa's hand. She was shaking, and he sent her calming energy.

"Tasa would be neutral. She wouldn't serve the Fillini, the Larinu, or anyone else. It made sense."

"But I've never commanded a spaceship, so I am automatically the worst person for the job," Tasa countered. "You picked wrong." She thought of something. "Wait, you're just a slave, too. How did you come to even be involved in this?"

Falda said, "At night, we passed notes to each other, making plans. Not everyone is happy with the way things have been run. Don't you see, Tasa? We wanted to escape, and the best way to do that was to put one of us in control. The computer can sense that the commander is dead. So now it will only respond to you."

"We've decided to put our faith in you," Johnal said, squeezing her shoulder.

"This is insane," Vola said. "You arranged this?"

"Falda…" Orin said. "The intricacy of this little plan is amazing." He sat in the pilot's chair. "I will pilot this ship. I've done it before. That is, if you trust me."

Tasa held her breath. She couldn't feel any anger or distrust, so that was a good sign.

"I trust you," Johnal said.

"Me, too," Vola said.

"I guess I can trust you both." Ty rubbed his eyes. "It's been a long day, and I'd just like to get home, wherever that is."

Anxiety made Tasa dizzy. She couldn't do this. They had misplaced their faith?—

"No, don't you dare," Orin said softly. "You are the perfect person for this. Now let me explain some things…"

She tried to relax, but all she could think about was crashing the ship—and having more deaths on her hands.

"It's time for us to fly," Orin said after he finished his explanations, brushing her cheek with a fingertip. "Ty, do you still have the cutters? Tasa needs use of her hands."

Ty silently stood, picked them up, and handed them to Orin.

"Hold still," Orin said.

Tasa closed her eyes. The sound of metal cutting, and her hands were free. "Thank you."

"That's better, right? Now, look at your screen."

Tasa's heart dropped. "Maybe you can?—"

"Only you can do this," Orin said gently. "I have utter faith in you. Sohva put us together for a reason."

Tasa remembered how she had reacted when Orin had first come to her cell. She wished she hadn't been so stupid.

"You believe Sohva is working in mysterious ways?" Falda asked with a smile.

"Something like that, yes," Orin replied, glancing at the viewscreen again, his brow furrowing. "Sohva is everywhere, even here. But many say She lives in one's heart." He tapped his chest. "And that everything happens for a reason. Ty, can you check our weapons? In case we?—"

"What is going on here? Orin, why are you in the pilot's seat?" A red-faced man was coming toward them. Tasa's heart rate spiked along with his.

"We are taking over the ship," Orin said. Tasa's heart raced. He was so calm. She hoped?—

"You are an engineer, not a pilot! And who is this in S'artha's seat?" The man's hand went for his weapon but stopped. "Wait. You're the one I was supposed to breed with…" He came closer to Tasa, and Tasa tensed, ready to run. Her blood ran cold. If he wanted her for breeding…she didn't know what she would do.

Orin stood and blocked the man's path. "You will not breed with her. She is the new commander."

The man cocked a brow. "By whose authority?" His voice slithered down Tasa's spine like a snake. "I am the second in command, and I was never informed."

"Ours," Orin said. "We are free people, and Tasa is now free as well. She is free to choose her future."

The Second laughed. "A breeder commanding a spaceship! That's the funniest thing I've heard in a while!" Then he sobered. "I challenge the claim. She does not belong on this bridge. She's got empathy, and I'd like to see if it breeds true." He glanced at Tasa. "But I have a ship to?—"

"Over my dead body," Orin said. He grabbed the man by the shoulders and pushed him hard.

"What—" someone muttered.

The Second slid across the bridge and slammed into the wall, crying out.

Orin frowned as he advanced on the other man.

The man's hands went to his throat.

"Orin, what are you doing?" Ty cried. "Stop!"

The ship's Second tried—unsuccessfully—to breathe. His face began to turn a sickly blue color, and his eyes went wide. And wider.

"Tasa, do something!" Falda screamed.

Tasa understood that Orin was protecting her. But this was too much. One man was already dead.

She got in front of Orin and grabbed his shoulders. "Stop! We can't kill him too! Please!"

"He wants to claim you and take over?—"

The ship's Second tried to take another breath, but it was a sick, hollow sound.

"We can negotiate," Tasa said. She hoped she could convince him. She hated it, but she sent him some calming energy. Enough for his fingers to let go of the man's throat.

Orin stared the man in the eyes. "You cannot have her or the ship."

The man's lips moved, but nothing came out.

"What's wrong with him?" Ty asked. "What have you done?"

The Second's face went blank, and he slumped over.

"He won't be a problem anymore," Orin said. "Someone, take him to the brig!"

"What have you done?" Tasa asked in horror as Ty dragged the Second away.

Orin gave her a level look. "Magic."