Duty, Honour, Love

“Jane, Jane,” an insidious voice whispered in her beleaguered brain. She tried to ignore it all she wanted to do was sleep. The voice spoke again more firmly. “Melissa!”

Jane’s eyes shot open increasing the pounding ache in her cheek and the back of her head. She caught a brief glimpse of Dareia lying in a hospital bed surrounded by machines. It faded as quickly as she’d seen it.

“Dareia?” Jane asked in mind speech. As her mind came back to her predicament she had to ask Dareia. “Where am I?”

“That’s what I need to know?” Dareia replied.

Jane worried for Dareia she was sounding tired.

“My head hurts!” she said to Dareia. Her vision was a little blurred.

“I know,” Dareia assured her. “If you can sit up please do it for me?”

Jane sat slowly it felt as if her world was tilting. She looked around trying to fix her bearings. She was in a cage of some sort as wide as the building that contained it. The floor showing signs of heavy objects dragged across it. Outside the cage someone had piled shelves and crates in a haphazard manner. It appeared she was in some sort of bonded warehouse. She wasn’t on her own a dozen or so women shared the cage with her in various states of dress all dirty and bloody. Despair strong in their eyes. Two raiders outside her cage caught her notice. One was a huge woman taller and wider than anyone she’d ever seen. She had blonde hair pilled on top of her head and a tear shaped tattoo on her cheek and Dareia’s blue eyes. She appeared to be arguing with shorter man her hands gesturing curt and angry. Jane couldn’t hear what they were saying.

“Sorry can’t see anything significant.”

Jane felt more then heard Dareia’s mental sigh. “I really did want to have to do this the hard way.”

Jane felt Dareia’s sadness it made her uneasy. “What do you mean?”

“I’ll have to take control of your body.”

Jane felt fear run through her. “Dareia?”

“I can’t see what you see clearly enough I need to be where you are this is the only way. We need a clear picture of where you are. And to do that I need to use my telepathy. I can’t do this remotely.”

“Will it hurt me?” Jane asked anxiously.

“No, remember what hurts you hurts me. It will bring us more into sync.”

Jane considered this she couldn’t see a way round. “Ok do it.”

“Please forgive me my love.”

Jane felt her consciousness slip away to be replaced by Dareia’s it made her realise how truly alien Dareia was. She became a mere watcher in her own mind. Dareia’s love for her enfolded her in a protective blanket. Dareia trawled around searching for answers still frustrated by her lack of range. Jane felt Dareia withdraw and her mind re-establish itself it felt as if something had been taken from her.

“Did you find what you needed?”

“That and more,” Dareia replied her mind touching Jane’s like a caress.

“And?” Jane wanted out of here, wanted all these women out of here. “Are you coming to get me.”

“Not me personally.”

Jane got a mental image of Dareia in her hospital bed surrounded by machines.

“We’ll get you out all of you.”

A voice interrupted her. “You’re awake I was worried about that.”

Jane turned to confront the voice. Behind her she could hear the fearful mutterings of the other women. It was the huge blonde haired woman with the tattoo of a teardrop on her cheek.

“Palkkasir,” Dareia said to Jane.

“Let us go,” Jane said to her directly. She wasn’t sure what a Palkkasir was but now wasn’t the time to ask Dareia about it she had to concentrate on the here and now. “We’ll go easy on you?”

The Palkkasir smiled. “I can’t do that, do you want to die human?”

“No,” Jane admitted. If she died Dareia would die to.

“Then stay quiet.” The Palkkasir nodded to the women behind Jane. “They learned that.”

Jane couldn’t she had to know why she hadn’t been killed. “Why are you attacking this world there’s no profit in that?”

The Palkkasir scowled. “What did I say about being quiet?”

“Please,” one of the captives behind Jane begged. “Do as she says.”

“See someone with sense.” The Palkkasir turned and walked away before Jane could demand answers.

Jane felt Dareia’s frustration. Jane closed Dareia’s frustrations out and concentrated on the women she was imprisoned with. She noticed there seemed to be a trend amongst the women. They were young and blonde. Jane was a blonde although a darker shade hers had come out of a packet to match Dareia’s she surmised that this was the reason she’d been taken and not killed. She spent the next hour talking to the captives in low tones trying to gather as much information she could. She felt guilty hearing their harrowing tales and relaying the information back to Dareia. At least some families would have closure even if it wasn’t the news they wanted.

“Ready?” Dareia’s voice said in her mind.

“Ready,” Jane responded. Relieved help was nearly there.

“Good get everyone to the farthest corner. Include yourself in that I don’t want you to hit by debris when we blow the doors.”

Jane’s biggest regret was that Dareia wasn’t there she was in a hospital bed. She could feel Dareia’s frustration through their link.

Before she had the chance to do so the Palkkasir returned carrying two buckets with another of the raiders carrying several blankets still in there wrappers. The raider another short man sported a black eye and had a sour expression on his face.

“Hold!” Jane called out to Dareia. “Raiders at the cage door.”

“Halted,” Dareia replied.

Jane’s attention returned to the Palkkasir who was studying her with an uncomfortable interest. “Clean yourselves up or drink the water. I don’t care. You can shit and piss in it afterwards.” Jane saw her look towards the corner where some of the women had done that already. “And clean that stench up.” She gestured to the other raider. “The blankets are to sleep in.” She put the buckets just inside the door and the raider threw the blankets in earning a cuff over the head from the Palkkasir. “Males stupid, good for nothing!” She closed the door with a clang. She looked at Jane directly. “We’ll talk in the morning.”

Jane used the moment to herd the women to the back of the room. It wasn’t easy since some of the women eyed the buckets of water thirstily.

“Five, four, three…” Dareia counted down.

“Everyone down, get down!” Jane yelled pushing a woman closest to her onto the floor. Anything else she was going to say was drowned out in a massive boom followed by flashes of bright light. Confed soldiers in combat armour stormed through the door.

“Kill the prisoners!” A male voice yelled.

One of the raiders ran at the cage his weapon raised. Jane just reacted feeling something surge within her. The surprised raider flew backward his weapon flying from his hand. Before he had a chance to get up the Palkkasir shot him dead. Jane stood there her hand outstretched more surprised than the raider was.

“I knew there was something special about you?” the Palkkasir said dropping her weapon and holding up her hands. “I surrender!” she called out as Confed soldiers surged towards the cage no doubt guided there by Dareia.

“Saved!” The women cried embracing each other.

Janes more practical side raised it head. “We’re not safe yet?” she warned them. The women ignored her. Jane saw the Palkkasir waiting patiently her hands in restraints noting her Confed guards were all female.

“We’ll meet again little bird,” The Palkkasir said to her.

Jane ignored the comment she was safe and soon she’d be reunited with Dareia.