As they left the terminal K’rra walked slowly and methodically in her heels, purposefully making sure each step was languid. Kaster couldn’t help but watch her ass sway as she placed her feet one in front of the other with each step. Knowing there were no panties underneath the thin fabric only furthered to ensure his distraction.

When they got to the shelves, she made a quick turn looking back to take his hand and drag him along. With shelves concealing them on two sides, K’rra pressed herself against his chest looking up and drawing his head down into a kiss. Shocked, his first thought was of vanilla kaffe, she tasted delicious only further fanning the flames of his desire. His hands wrapped around her back.

She broke the kiss and whispered, “I’ve always wanted to be taken in a library.”

Stars! What he would do to make exactly that happen. He wanted to take her right then, right there. But the dark side of his mind asked, is she distracting you as a trap?

Her lips crushed against his again and she murmured softly as his hands explored her backside. He could feel his desire enflaming. He pushed her against the shelf and pressed himself hard against her.

“Yes, Dear,” she moaned softly.

He indulged, but only for a moment longer, then stepped away out of her embrace. “Not now. Not here. We have a target. There’s work.”

K’rra pouted, “All fun and no thrill makes me a dull girl.”

“When we are deeper in Fed territory, on some fat lazy world, I’ll take you to a library and fuck your brains out.”

She squealed and threw her arms around his neck, “Promise me, Master.”

He sighed and disengaged, heading for the exit. K’rra followed along for a moment, then caught up with him and took one of his arms in hers. Kaster looked down at her with a mocking frown.

“What? You’re my travelling companion. On this world I get to walk next to you.”

He shook his head rolling eyes, complications upon complications.

“What do you know about Fury temples?” he asked.

“Hmm, not much. Culturally few Gyth have embraced the mission or purpose of the Furys.”

“Why is that? They’re stoics like your people.”

“My people?” she wrinkled her nose, “Hmmph. It might be best explained with a line of questions. When you use your Focus on others what are you doing?”

“Sensing their feelings.”

“That is exactly how I understood Focus as well. Why not sensing their thoughts?”

“Thoughts are complicated, require building blocks to arrive at a conclusion, can deceive even the person having them.”

“That also confirms what I’ve read. So why emotions?”

Kaster nodded understanding where she was leading him, “Because emotions are instantaneous, happen in a state of flux, are broadcast and have effects immediately.”

“My people squelch feelings. They rely only on long carefully matriculated thought. We don’t come to the Fury temples with any sense of how to read others. The Fury religion holds no value for us.”

“Thank you for the lecture professor.”

“You asked.” She butted her head on his shoulder, “Besides, having a student answer their own questions is one of the greatest learning tools.”

The exit doors whisked open as they exited, he laughed, “I’m a student, am I?”

“On some things you do seem quite… oh stars.”

Kaster looked up to see an armored military vehicle parked in front of the library. A squad of Federated soldiers bristling with armor and weapons approached.

“Can I see your papers?” the eldest and most burly of the soldiers asked.

“Why? Have we…” Kaster began but was cut off.

“Have we broken the law?” K’rra demanded. “Are we under arrest?”

The lead soldier narrowed his eyes and glared at K’rra, “Not yet, but…”

She wasn’t having any of it, she interjected before he could finish his threat. “But, nothing, Sergeant. Without either suspicion of a crime or an act of arrest, Federated citizens are free to move about without fear of having to present identification or explain themselves. Last I checked this world was a part of the Federation. If you’d like to press me on this matter you better get your Lieutenant or Captain here asap… What was your name soldier?”

Kaster watched the exchange nervously. He held K’rra against him, her body hiding his WaveBlade.

He blinked from under his dark blue beret, “It’s Sergeant Sokes. Could I get your name ma’am. That is something we have legal authority to demand.”

“Absolutely,” K’rra said indignantly. “It’s Commander K’rra of clan Ry’attahk Chief Science officer of the Hycyon, and my travelling companion. Do you need his name as well or is harassing a naval officer enough jackbootery for you for one day?”

“Well ma’am…”

“That’s sir.”

“My apologies, sir… It’s just that… there is a heightened security posture on this world as we search for traffickers. Could I ask that you step away from your travelling companion just a moment to ensure you’re not… under duress?”

K’rra made fists with her hands, letting the soldiers see their very first angry Gythian. She spoke slowly and flatly, “I am flattered you think I am attractive enough to be a… a… pleasure slave, sergeant. But this indignity…”

Kaster leaned down and told her, “It’s okay, they’re just doing their job. If it will alleviate their fears, go speak with them. I’ll be right here.”

“But…”

“Just go talk with them.”

As she stepped forward Kaster turned hiding his right side. With a flick of his wrist he got the Blade pommel off his belt and up his shirt sleeve. Crossing his arms he turned back to the soldiers who were none the wiser. K’rra stomped off indignantly which he thought was quite a task given her heels.

K’rra and the sergeant spoke for a few moments as Kaster waited for the arrest to come. The Feds would want to separate their assets, K’rra, before doing anything to their target, himself. He eyed the handful of soldiers left waiting with him, the soldiers looking more bored than alert, Kaster’s Focus proving exactly that.

She returned and took him by the arm. “Can we get that cab now?”

Kaster nodded and called for one on his comm. The soldiers lingered, asking other civilians for identification, separating women from men, and generally milling about their armored carrier. Dark thoughts continued to plague him, had she passed a message on? Was this some sort of deeper setup? He admitted his paranoia made little sense, how would Vydon profit planting him with a Fed spy?

Finally, an air-car dropped from the sky towards them.

“Ma’am!” called the sergeant, running from the military vehicle back towards her, “Did you say your name was Commander K’rra Ry’attahk?”

“Void,” was all she whispered.

Kaster sprung into action, hurling K’rra back behind him as his Blade came out and ignited. The sergeant stopped in his tracks looking stunned. Using his Focus, Kaster yanked the soldiers rifle causing it to leap through the air. He caught it with his left hand and flung it back. His Focus drove the rifle into the sergeant face knocking the burly man down. He leapt over the body and into the cluster of five soldiers.

With a Focused kick Kaster sent another soldier flying, then dodged around another. The soldiers panicked now having seen their sergeant and another taken down. One of them began blasting back into the circle of soldiers. Kaster dodged several shots that hit another two soldiers, they screamed clutching thighs and arms as they toppled.

Flicking his Blade out Kaster cut through the center of the firing rifle causing it to explode. He dodged the spray of hot metal as the firing soldier went down clutching his face and screaming. Kaster spun to face the last two soldiers. They stared at him wide-eyed.

“Run.” He told them. And they did.

The armored carrier had started up, its engine whining to life. Kaster saw a squat ugly turret atop it turning. His blade vanished and he clipped the pommel to his belt as he returned to K’rra, wide-eyed and astonished at what she’d just seen. He grabbed her hand and yanked her to the parked air-cab.

“What in the void?” the driver yelled when Kaster ripped open the back door. He threw K’rra inside and dove in after her.

“Drive!” he yelled once he’d shoved K’rra down to the floor and covered her with his body.

The military vehicle fired and the pavement around the cab exploded showering the area with broken fragments of durocrete. The driver screamed, and Kaster shouted at him, “Drive! Drive! Drive!”

Another volley of fire erupted from the military vehicle as the cab lifted into the air. The shots missed but for one that passed through the rear window vaporizing it completely and hitting the roof of the cab. The roof exploded in hot burning fragments, bit and pieces of which fell on Kaster. The driver, realizing the danger he was in, shot the cab skyward at full speed. The car sped through the sky wounded and smoking, but with only superficial damage.

With a growl Kaster shoved a burning chunk of roof off him. He then asked K’rra, “Are you okay?”

She nodded, seeing a man completely different than the one she thought she knew.

Kaster Sat up and yelled at the driver over the howl of air rushing by, “Get us to the starport.”

The driver screamed back something unintelligible. When Kaster placed the pommel against his neck there were no more arguments.

As they flew, Kaster moved about the cab, watching for any pursuit vessels. He was relieved to see nothing for now, but once they were alerted, he knew they would come in droves. A quick exit was their only option.

He noticed far more military vehicles in the city below. Far more than he’d ever seen on a Federated world. There was a massive build up of troops, as if an invasion was expected… or planning to be launched. Void. He’d been so smitten with K’rra earlier he hadn’t noticed. He needed to clear his head and rethink his situation with the slave. She was a dangerous distraction.

When they landed Kaster dragged K’rra out and dumped a fistful of coins on the seat next to the driver, “Sorry for the mess…”

Not wanting to be slowed by K’rra’s heel, Kaster hefted her up with one arm and flung her over his shoulder. He sprinted into the starport. At the customs desk the agent watched a flashing red terminal. He stood up to shout something as Kaster sprinted up to him.

Barely slowing Kaster used his Focus to send the agent flying across the starport lobby.

Kaster left K’rra dazed in the common area as he leapt into the cockpit. As the engines growled to life he flicked on the scrambler. The docking status light changed from red to green. He yanked back on the collective and shoved the throttles forward, the Outlander rocketed into the sky.

In space he debated whether he should flee back into Coalition space, or go with the plot he’d already set deeper into the Federation. Creating a new plot would take time. The authorities down below were probably already reporting a fleeing starship, and patrol vessels would be thick all too soon. He opted for the quicker escape, deeper into the dragon’s maw.

The comms came alive with an incoming message. “Fleeing vessel, by order of Federated Fleet Command you are to land your ship immediately…”

There was more of the same but Kaster lost interest. He checked the scanner noting that a trio of fighters were closing in.

“Come on, finish your calculations,” he demanded of the navcomp.

It seemed to have heard him making a ping echo through the ship.

He grabbed the jump shifter and pulled back on it watching all the pinpoints of light become streaks.

Safely in hyperspace Kaster pulled himself up out of the pilot’s chair. Not that the adrenalin was fading he could feel the exhaustion coming on. He staggered out into the common area where K’rra sat nervously on a cushioned bench.

“Stars!” She cried and rushed to him.

When she wrapped her arms around him, he gasped wincing, “Careful. Go to the middle room, there’s an autodoc, get it prepped for me.”

“Yes, Master.” She ran to the middle door and plunged through it.

He staggered a few more meters to the table he’d taken her on. A deep pain in his back wailed. Reaching back, he found a wedge of metal buried in the skin. Bracing himself he yanked on it pulling it free.

“Void, no!” K’rra cried as she came running back but stopped before the table. He followed her gaze to the floor and exit ramp. A trail of ochre dots lined the floor leading from the exit to the cockpit, then back to where he stood. He looked at the flat metal piece in his hand, it was streaked with blood.

K’rra tore the dress off, throwing it across a chair. She then darted around the table and under one of Kaster’s arms. Standing she dragged him into the center room, helping to get him to the autodoc, a gurney with robotic arms. They heaved and got him on it. He cried out when she rolled him on his side.

She leapt to the control terminal and started the doc up. A scanner swept over him, then an arm descended pressing a hypo to his neck. He heard the hiss and watched the universe fade away.

First:

Rogue Fury – Part 1