Chapter 26

A ship patrolling the outer regions of Association’s space. It came across the planet Dumusk, a jungle-like world that was inhabited by semi-intelligent primates called Dumass. The ship discovered a faint coded signal coming from the planet. The signal was too advance to originate from the Dumass, so its origin must have come from elsewhere. The ship was able to pin the signal location. It was deep in the highly dense jungle. The ship hovered over the location and opened the bay door. Three individuals, Jacob, Carl, and Alvin, repelled from the ship and descended to the surface of the planet. They pulled out their scanners to locate the source of the signal.

After traveling a hundred meters, finally located the source. One of the men called the ship from his helmet comm.

“We found it,” Jacob said.

“Don’t do anything until I get there,” a female voice answered back.

Jacob ended the transmission. “I want to see what inside. She paid us a lot of credits for this.”

“I don’t know,” Carl said. “She looks like someone that would get really pissed if something goes wrong.” “Let’s stick to the plan.”

“Come on, man,” the Alvin said as he walked to the signal source. “Sometimes, you have to live on the fucking edge.” He pulled and ripped off the extensive viny, leafy growth that covered the package. As the last vine was removed, the three discovered an escape pod with a single human female inside.

“She is cute,” Alvin said as he admired the curves of the young lady inside.

“She is also in cryo,” Carl commented. “Unless you want your dick to freeze off, we should just stick to the plan and get her ass on the ship. Put in the code to open the pod.”

“I heard the minute one get out of cryo,” Alvin explained. “You want to fuck anything that moves.” He entered the code. “I want some of that ice cold pie.” The first cryo process ended and the opponent awakened. Then the pod quickly opened and the woman fell down onto the jungle floor. She coughed for several seconds until she was able to breathe on her own. After composing herself, she did what she did best, attacked!

The woman jumped on the shoulders of one of the men and snapped his neck. She kicked one in the ribs. He fell to the ground and she made him pay by stomping on his face. The last one pulled a knife.

“You got to be kidding,” she said.

Carl did some wild swings but missed every time. She caught his wrist, broken it and elbowed him in the face, breaking his nose. She grabbed him by the neck and slammed his head several times against the tree until he was dead.

A hooded figure appeared several meters away. “Calm down, little one.” Her voice was familiar.

“Only two people called me little one,” the woman answered. “Ezi, is that you?”

Ezi took off her hood and to expose her face. “Yes Faith, it’s me.”

“Where’s Lydia?”

Ezi walked closer to Faith. “A lot of stuff went down in the last five years.”

“Five years?” Faith was unaware so much time had passed. “Is she alive?”

There was a little hesitation before Ezi answered. “Yes, she is alive, but maybe not for long.”

“Why?”

“She’s being extradited to the drilli to answer for war crimes.”

“War crimes?” Faith said. “The drilli will execute her for shit that she didn’t do. What about Amulius? SINDRI? And that bitch Simona?”

“SINDRI is a mere shadow in the minds of the people that matter,” Ezi explained. “Amulius and Simona haven’t been seen since the raid on the Hannibal. Lydia, acting as a true member of SINDRI, had taken the blame for everything.”

Faith’s fists tightened. “You mean she has taken the fall for everything.” Faith let out several long deep breathes. “Where is she?”

Ezi shook her head. “I don’t know. They are keeping her location a secret, due to several attempts on her life.”

“Drilli?” Faith questioned.

“No,” Ezi answered. “The assassins have been human, probably hired by Amulius.”

“We have to save her, Ezi,” Faith said as tears fell down her cheeks. She closed her eyes and continued to speak. “I can’t lose her.”

Ezi walked up to her friend and gave Faith a must needed hug. “We will find her, little one,” Ezi whispered.

“I will burn this galaxy down until I do to find her,” Faith broke the embrace. “Let’s go.” Faith looked at the three dead men around her. “Sorry, about killing your men.”

“Don’t worry, little one,” Ezi said with a huge smile. “They already got paid.”

“Do we still have the ship?” Faith asked.

“It is in good hands,” Ezi answered. “Until we return it to the rightful owner.”

In an undisclosed location deep in Association’s space, there was a highly secured station that orbited an uncharted planet. The station was home to some of the galaxy most dangerous criminals. For the last five years, it was home to Dr. Lydia Carson. She was in the visitor’s room talking to her advocate. The advocate role was to provide the best defense for their client and protect the client’s interest.

“Five years is a long time to be a guest of the Association,” Lydia said.

The advocate reviewed some notes on his datapad. “Since you were clear of Captain Jackson’s death, due to lack of evidence, you will be extradited to the Drillus Republic and face terrorism charges for destroying the peace envoy. I tried every legal trick to prevent this from happening but fail.”

“They have no evidence,” Lydia pointed out. “I didn’t destroy that envoy.”

“It is the drilli,” the advocate explained. “They don’t care about facts or justice. They want revenge, someone the blame, but whoever did it, the drilli should be thanking them, because action ended their civil war. Your trial is the perfect venue for both sides to express their hatred for the red-headed butcher.

Lydia laughed. “That is what they are calling me? Cute.”

“You will face their justice system. No lawyers, no advocate, you will be on your own.”

“You tried,” Lydia said. “I free you from any guilt.” Lydia adjusted herself in her chair. “Did my dad call?”

The advocate leaned in closer to his client and barely spoke above a whisper. “He has been sending coded messages to my office. Being a Star Force officer makes things a little complicated, but he always finds a way.”

Lydia leaned in further. “Did he get the package?”

“I believe so. What is the package?”

The doctor leaned back in her chair. “It’s special. It belongs to a friend of mine.”

“It must be one hell of a friend if he is risking his career.”

“She is special to me.”

“What’s her name? Can she help with your case?”

Lydia smiled and a slight giggled followed. “She could, but I won’t tell you.”

“Lydia,” the advocate said. “If this is a Hail Mary pass, it is time to throw the goddamn ball. She can’t help you at trial. You know it’s a circus.”

A security guard walked into the room. “Advocate,” the guard called out. “It’s time to transfer Dr. Carson.” Lydia stood up from her chair and the guard placed restraints around her wrists and ankles. Before the guard escorted Lydia out of the room, the Advocate asked Lydia one last thing.

“If they don’t execute you, you are looking to spend the rest of your life in one of their prison camps. Do you think you will ever see her again? Would she help you?”

A smirk appeared on Lydia’s face. “You must have faith.”

“It has been a long time, Amulius.” A naked Simona massaged the bare shoulders of her new convenient lover. “Lydia hasn’t sold us out. Even after the trails of assassins, you sent her way. She didn’t break. We should let the matter go, most likely she would die in a drilli’s prison.”

Amulius caressed Simona’s hand. “That is the plan for now because it could lead us to her.”

Simona dropped her hands off his shoulders. “Faith.” The word came out of her mouth like a toxin. She was tired of hearing that name, even after five years the name still burns in her. “Everything is about her. She is gone! It is over. Let it go, Amulius.”

“Don’t be so naive, Simona.” Amulius turned and faced his partner. “Faith is not gone. Faith is not dead. She is alive. We just don’t know where? But we do know something?”

Simona folded her arms across her chest. “What?” Her tone and body language were clear, that the topic of Faith, had reached its boiling point.

“She loves Lydia,” Amulius stated the obvious. “She will move heaven and earth to get to her. And if Lydia dies, Faith will move Hell to get to us.” Amulius held up his index finger in Simona’s face. “Faith is the only thing that matters, she is the main event. Lydia and the others are the undercards.” Amulius’s calm demeanor disappeared as he made his final declaration. “I don’t care what you have to do? I don’t care who you hire? Who you kill? Who you fuck? I want that bitch alive and in front of me. Do we have an understanding?”

Simona was shaken by his tone and lowered her head as she addressed her partner. “Yes, Amulius.”

“Now.” Amulius lifted up her chin and gazed into her eyes. “Get the fuck out of my face.”