Wicked
Wanderer
Chapter Six
by Sharon Green
Copyright 2003 by ABCD Webmasters, and Sharon Green
"Was there something you wanted?" Tor asked mildly without removing his helmet. "If so, please get to it as quickly as possible. I'm rather busy right now." "What are you children doing?" the woman asked, her gentle sadness increasing. "We've never meant you any harm, but you're causing untold harm! Please, just sit down and talk to us about what's bothering you. I promise we'll listen to everything you have to say. And please remove those helmets, all of you, so I can see the people I'm speaking to." "You want us to remove our helmets," Tor echoed, letting a bit of amusement enter his voice. "Blowing us up didn't work, so now you're trying to talk us into exposing ourselves to being gassed. Just how stupid do you think we are?" "Young man, we really don't want to hurt you," the man said while the woman fought to retain that look of sadness. "Our lives obviously mean nothing to you, but yours mean a great deal to us. If we're going to negotiate there must be trust between us, and we're willing to show our own trust by having our guards put down their weapons. Once that's done you'll feel better about removing your helmets, won't you?" "Try to understand what I'm saying," Tor said, speaking slowly to the now-smiling man. "I don't trust your bosses even as far as I could throw them, so there won't be any negotiations. You and the people you work for are all through with ruining everything you touch, so you might as well give it up. You've lost, so the least you can do is bow out gracefully." "If anyone will be bowing out, it's you!" another voice snarled, and suddenly the two people were pushed aside by a woman. This second woman was all stern expression with fanaticism peering out of her dull eyes, and the tight-lipped man who moved into viewing range with her looked as soft as a mound of jelly. He pouted rather than frowned, and the rest of the group who pushed in behind the first two were obviously pettishly outraged. "Your behavior is completely unacceptable and it will stop right now!" the woman went on, her voice rasping like a file on flesh. "The Associated Worlds are all becoming Utopias because of our efforts, and we're not about to let you ruin what we've done. You'll put down your weapons and surrender to the guards outside that room, and you'll do it this minute! You can't stay in there forever, and the longer you do stay the harder it will go with you. Do as I say NOW!" "But we can't leave here now," Tor protested, annoyed enough that he spoke mildly just to pass on the annoyance. "We haven't quite finished picking off your guard ships, and that's still our job even though the rest of our people are already here. You've got almost nothing in the way of ground troops, no more than a bunch of personal guards who have no real experience with combat. If you don't want to throw away the lives of those guards you'd better surrender as quickly as possible. You've already lost, so it just makes sense for you to surrender - " Tor cut off his comments when the screen went blank, showing that the opposition had gone away in a huff. The two actors they used to make public announcements, the first man and woman, were supposed to have talked Tor and his people into being stupid. When that didn't work the actual heads of the government had tried bullying, and when that didn't work either they'd retreated in an effort to regroup. Not that that was likely to do them much good either… By the time the rest of the fleet reached them, Tor's people had destroyed almost all of the ships arrayed around Utopia. Two ships of the fleet had taken over mopping up the handful of survivors who'd managed to run away, but everyone else had landed on Utopia. When the guards who had gathered out in the hall put down their weapons and raised their hands, Tor knew he and his men were being relieved. As soon as the guards were shackled and taken away, Tor had the girl open the room's door so the newcomers could take over. Romman made sure that the relieving crew knew how to use the equipment and the girl taught them about the fail-safe code, and then the assault group was finally able to leave the room. There would be ships coming in from other locations that would try to attack the fleet, and that's why the control facility still had to be manned. When Tor got back to the Hawk, he found that Falk had left orders for the Hawk to join the other ships where they were. Cloud Nine was the name of the very large group of buildings that made up the governmental offices and apartments, and the complex had to be taken over before anyone in the fleet could even start to relax. "All right, get us over there," Tor said to Henson after Decker gave him the message. Tor carried his helmet and had been looking forward to getting out of the body armor - and having a discussion with a very stubborn girl - but duty came first. The girl in question was summoned right along with Tor and his people, so maybe the chance for that talk would come sooner than he expected. When the Hawk put down near the other ships and Tor led his people outside, he discovered that the final push hadn't yet started. Falk and his lieutenants and bodyguards stood around beside the Chayara with the other assault groups near their own ships, and when Tor appeared Falk brightened. "Ah, you're here," Falk said, and he looked happy to be stating the obvious. "You all did a wonderful job with the control facility, and now we need your help with the end stroke. I'd like most if not all of the current governmental heads in custody before we announce a change in personnel." "And once we've taken over, one of the first things we'll be doing is moving the control facility to a place under the governmental buildings," Risson, one of Falk's lieutenants, said with a grim smile. "That's where the facility should have been all along, but our wonderful leaders were afraid to have a prime target sitting under their precious backsides. They - " "I think we'll have plenty of time to get into that later, Risson," Falk said, interrupting what promised to be a long lecture on improper behavior. "Right now we have a complex waiting to be taken over, and the effort has waited much too long already. Chayara, my dear, I'll be happier if you put on that helmet instead of just carrying it." "Certainly, Uncle Leron, as soon as we get moving," the girl answered, showing a faint smile. "We couldn't take the helmets off in the facility, so now I'm enjoying breathing freely while I still can." "Of course," Falk agreed with his own smile, then turned to give orders to his people. Tor forced himself not to stare at the girl over the way she'd responded. Her words had sounded as if she were being completely reasonable and rational, but Tor would have bet there was still something disturbing her quite a lot. Falk got everything moving quickly, so it wasn't long before their people were on the way into the end building on the left. Some of their forces had been left behind, arranged outside the buildings in what amounted to snipers' positions, which ought to keep their targets from sneaking away - and keep their targets' guards from flanking the attacking forces. There were ambushes and attacks almost from the very beginning of the advance, but Tor could tell that the guards making the effort had little or no experience with what they were trying to do. Each section of building was cleared before they moved on to the next, and the clearing really consisted of making sure there was no one being left behind their backs. A number of people were found, servants and assistants and the like, and they were all fitted with wrist and ankle restraints before being left for later retrieval. Tor couldn't help but notice that some of the areas of the buildings were trapped, but for one reason or another most of the traps failed to work. Faulty wiring, inferior materials having been used, mistakes in set-up, or amateurish mishandling all contributed to the ease with which the attacking forces moved through the buildings. Tor knew it was the girl's "luck" that was making the advance so easy, and that was why Falk had waited for her arrival before beginning. Using the girl's talent was the smart thing to do, of course, and Tor was glad he didn't have to fight for his life every step of the way. But somewhere deep inside him, on some odd level, Tor was beginning to resent the way the girl was being used. She was being treated more like an object than a human being, and that could be what was bothering her. If so, Tor didn't blame her for showing some attitude. In her place he would have done worse, and later, when they talked, he would have to tell her so. Taking out the various pockets of guards was more time-consuming than difficult, but they eventually reached the place the government's leaders were holed up. The area was protected by a disintegration field, but this time it wasn't necessary for the girl's talent to wreck the field. The generator seemed to be powered by a cable that actually ran outside the field of destruction instead of having a separate power source on the inside, a circumstance Tor couldn't quite bring himself to believe. "It might not be a good idea to go rushing inside those rooms when the field goes down," Tor said to Falk while they waited for some of their people to cut through the power cable. "That cable could well be a set-up to make us believe there's no separate power source, and as soon as we step into what we think is a dead field it just comes alive again." "Under other circumstances I would agree with you, but in this place I'm afraid I don't," Falk said, amusement to be heard in his voice even though Tor couldn't see his face behind his helmet. "Having a separate power source inside a field is dangerous, because if the power source isn't shielded exactly right the disintegration field becomes a solid circle instead of a ring around a center. The inner power source then turns to dust motes along with everything else, but that doesn't matter when there isn't anything left for the field to guard." "So … you just make sure your power source is shielded properly," Tor said slowly, trying to understand Falk's point. "I don't see why there would be a problem in doing it that way." "The problem comes in when you're too afraid of the field to believe that any shielding is absolutely safe," Falk answered, and the amusement in his voice had changed to weariness. "That's the main problem these wonderful leaders of ours has, operating from fear rather than any other stance. If you're afraid that someone will laugh at you for being short, or fat, or anything else that makes you different, you outlaw ridiculing instead of learning how to put down those doing the laughing. The intention is to feel safe without ever having to do anything to change the situation that's causing your fear." "But how can you ever feel safe if you aren't willing and able to protect yourself against what comes?" Tor asked, a point he'd always had trouble understanding. "If you're nothing but a walking target for bullies and fools, you end up with nothing but fear in your life." "Not if you partner with people who aren't afraid to do the necessary," Falk returned, the hardness of determination now in his voice. "It's what might be called the 'natural order of things,' to have fighters doing the fighting while the non-fighters do the building. The trouble starts when the non-fighters decide to get rid of the fighters because fighters are 'troublemakers' and 'dangerous to have around.' That's what this government did, and now their fear causes them to make mistake after mistake - Ah, the field is down." And the field was down, so Tor joined everyone else in entering the group of offices after the advance troops broke down the doors. These offices were larger than the ones in other parts of the buildings, and the room in the very middle held a table large enough for all twenty-five head members of the government. Tor had expected there to be at least some guard personnel in the room in addition to the twenty-five people huddled against the back wall, but there wasn't even one single guard. "Just as I suspected," Falk said to the group of huddlers as he led his own people forward. "You were afraid you might get caught in a fire-fight if you had guardsmen in here with you, so you chose what you considered the more prudent action and sent all the guards away." "Leaders are supposed to be prudent," the snappish woman Tor had spoken to earlier said from her place in the middle of the group without moving forward. "You people are breaking the law being here, so you'll put down your weapons this minute and surrender to us. Your trial will be absolutely fair, and - " "Stop playing the fool," Falk interrupted, and now he sounded annoyed. "Only your kind will obey all laws simply because they are laws, making no effort to think about whether or not the laws are just or even make sense. The new government will be more intelligent about what it does, and it will be run by the best men and women we can find." "Now you're playing the fool," one of the men near the woman blustered, also without leaving the huddled group. "All men and women are created equal, so talking about the best is - " "Stop!" Falk demanded, his hand held up toward the speaker. "When one man or woman can be born with a level nine intelligence and the next with a level sixteen, it's ludicrous to claim that everyone is born equal. What you want to aim for is giving everyone an equal chance to make something great of themselves, not waste everyone's time with nonsensical claims. Chain those idiots up, and then we'll finish clearing these buildings." There was a lot of whimpering and crying and even wild demands when Falk's people began to obey his orders, but no one paid any attention. Once the job was done a strong guard force was left with the prisoners, and the rest of the invaders went through the remaining buildings. There were still a few guards left on the loose, but they surrendered rather than attacking so the entire complex was quickly taken over. When the job was done, Falk drew Tor to one side and took off his helmet. "That feels much better," Falk said with a smile as Tor removed his own helmet. "Now that we've taken over the government the real job can be started on, but that's for tomorrow and the days after. It's also for the rest of us, since you have a job of your own to see to. You do remember that you'll be taking my niece home and helping to free her father?" "Yes, that's right," Tor said with a frown, only now remembering he'd been told about this before. "Did you want us to leave right away, or wait a short while until we're certain there won't be any more resistance?" "There's going to be a certain amount of resistance everywhere until we can replace planetary appointees with our own people," Falk answered. "Our fleet is large enough that we ought to be able to do that all at once, before anyone really understands what's happened here. I'll be sending the Raven along with your Hawk to my niece's planet, so you'll have backup just the way everyone else will. And there's one more point… " "Yes?" Tor said, wondering why Falk looked so odd. The man seemed almost diffident… "Tor, I'd like you to take over as governor of my home world," Falk said, and even through the instant shock Tor felt he thought that this wasn't what had made Falk hesitant. "I know how much you've been yearning for a normal life, and being a planetary governor just might suit you. You'd keep Hawk as your personal transportation, of course, and if you decide you don't like being a governor after all we'll find you something else to do once a replacement is arranged. Are you willing to agree to that?" "Willing? Yes, of course I'm willing." Tor was so stunned that he could barely get the words out, but he wasn't about to just stand here like an idiot while the chance of a lifetime went by. "I think you know I'll do my best, but if my best isn't good enough I'll step aside for someone else. You have my word on that." "I expected nothing less," Falk said with a smile as he gently clapped Tor on the shoulder. "And as soon as everything settles down, you and my niece can be married." This time the world seemed to stop dead for Tor, all the rest of what he'd been told instantly taking a back seat to this new arrangement. It took a moment for Tor to notice that Falk studied him carefully, but then he shook his head. "I … don't think that part of it will work out," Tor said, groping for the proper words. "There are things you don't know about, Falk, and even beyond that there's your brother. If he has to approve your niece's husband, I seriously doubt if I'm someone he'll approve of." "But he's already given you his approval," Falk countered, his words gentle rather than argumentative. "I sent a copy of your gene mapping to him as soon as I had it myself, and he agreed that you were the perfect choice for Chayara. Your strengths compliment hers as well as reinforce certain talents, and I'm of the opinion that her luck agrees with the choice. If it didn't, it would never have been your ship that she stowed away on." Falk was clearly waiting for Tor to say something else, but Tor was too busy fighting the urge to let his jaw hit the floor to be capable of words. With everything else that had happened and been discussed, his mind whirled around and around with the thought that he no longer had to keep his hands off the girl. If she was going to be his wife… But there was still the matter of what was bothering the girl, and Tor knew he had to get to the bottom of the problem before he could relax. "As I said, there are things involving Chayara and me that you don't know about," Tor finally managed to get out. "If she and I can get the problems worked out on the trip back to her world, I'll be delighted to marry her. But I won't take an unwilling bride even if everyone else around us is willing." "That's fair enough," Falk agreed, his smile wide and no longer full of anxiety as he clapped Tor's shoulder again. "Let's just make sure our people have everything well in hand here, and then you and your people and the Raven's crew can leave." It was another couple of hours before the dust settled and food and drink were made available for Tor's group, courtesy of some of Falk's people. It had been a lot of hours since Tor and his group had had anything to eat or drink, longer than any of the others had had to do without, so none of them was shy about accepting the courtesy. Finally, though, Tor was able to take his people back to their ship. The girl - no, Chayara; he didn't have to distance himself from her any longer - hadn't made any real attempt to avoid him, but she hadn't gone out of her way to be near him either. Once on board the Hawk she disappeared, probably to go back to her cabin. Tor went to his own cabin to get out of his body armor, shower and change clothes, and pass on a few orders. He put Lanni in charge of coordinating with the Raven and getting them off Utopia and on their way, and then he went looking for the woman he'd been told was meant to be his. Tor rang at her cabin door, firmly refusing to let himself think that he might have imagined Falk's approval of him as a nephew-in-law, ready when the door was abruptly opened. "We'll be taking off for your home world in just a little while, so we have to talk," Tor said to a Chayara who looked like she was about to close the door in his face. "Rather than asking you to come to my cabin, I've come to yours." "That was very generous of you, Captain," she said after a brief hesitation, then stepped aside to let him walk in. "I'll appreciate it, though, if you ask whatever questions you have as quickly as possible and then leave. I'm tired and I'd like to get some rest." By then Tor was inside with the door closed behind him, so he turned to look at Chayara. She was a tall girl with lovely blue eyes and long blond hair that looked better when it was loose, and even with no expression on her face she was pretty. Whatever had been bothering her still seemed to be doing a job on her, so Tor didn't try to beat around the bush. "My first question might also be the last," Tor said, very aware of the way she'd turned from him and now stood staring at a wall as far away as the cabin allowed her to be. "You seem really … unhappy, and I'd like to know if I have anything to do with your feeling like that. If so, I want to talk about it." "Your involvement is only tangential, Captain," she answered with the same kind of hesitation she'd shown before allowing him to come inside. "You may have been the one to show me what a failure I am, but my being a failure is no one's fault but mine. I doubt if anyone is ever thrilled with the idea of being useless, so you now know the source of my unhappiness. If that's all there is - " "No, wait, that's not all," Tor interrupted, confusion giving him the urge to shake his head hard. "How can you say that I showed you what a failure you are when I don't remember doing any such thing? All I can remember is how well you did during our part of the attack. If that's your idea of being a failure I'd hate to think what your criteria for success might be." "What I did during the attack was nothing more than my luck and training," she said, shaking her head to dismiss his contention without turning around. "What I'm talking about is what happened here, on the ship, between the two of us. I tried to do my best at being a slut, but nothing worked the way it should have. That proves what a failure I am, and now I have to live with the knowledge that I'll never even be decent as a slut, never mind superior. I can't blame you for the eagerness you showed in getting me out of your life, and now I'd like to be alone." Tor just stood and stared at the girl, distantly wondering if one shock after another eventually made you immune to being shocked. He had a feeling he'd better hope that was true, or else get used to standing around with his mouth hanging open. "Listen to me, Chayara, you've got it all wrong," Tor finally managed to say. "I wasn't … 'eager to get you out of my life,' I was trying to behave properly with someone who wasn't just a passing stranger. When I saw you lying naked on my bunk I wanted nothing more than to join you there, but at the time you - were part of my crew, that's it, you were part of my crew. It's a firm rule of mine that I don't mess around with my female crew members, so seeing you like that got me angry. I should have realized that you might not know the rule, but sometimes anger doesn't let you think clearly. But you're not a member of my crew any longer." Tor had almost blurted out that Chayara had been forbidden to him then but no longer was, but he'd realized just in time that that was the worst thing he could say. If she found out now about the proposed marriage, she'd think he was showing interest only because she was Falk's niece. He had to bring her out of her dark mood first, at the same time hopefully doing something about that "slut" business. He still didn't really understand what she was talking about there, but for the moment he should be able to just slide past the point… "If that comment about me not being part of your crew any longer is supposed to make me feel better, I appreciate the effort," Chayara said after another of those hesitations, still not turning back to him. "You seem to be hinting that you find me attractive, but you really don't have to bother with being kind. I'll be out from under foot soon, so - " "I'm not just trying to be kind," Tor interrupted as he moved toward her to put his hands gently on her shoulders. "I do find you attractive, just as I did when I first took you to my bed. I had no idea who you were at the time, and from my point of view that was a good thing. If I'd known I didn't have an ordinary stowaway in my cabin I wouldn't have been able to enjoy myself so much." Tor let his hands caress down her arms as he spoke, and then he used one of those hands to move her hair aside so he could kiss her neck. She'd all but flinched when he'd first touched her, but now the stiffness of her posture seemed to be melting some. He let his lips enjoy touching her skin for a minute or so, and then he turned her to face him. He saw at once that her eyes were closed, and that was just the response he'd wanted. So he briefly touched her lips with his before picking her up in his arms and carrying her to the bunk. She clutched at him when he lifted her off the floor, but she made no effort to open her eyes. Once he put her down he began to undress her, kissing and caressing as he went. Her shirt came off first and then her bra, and her nipples were already hard even before he began to kiss and lick them. She made no effort to stop whatever he happened to be doing to her, and by the time the rest of her clothing was gone her body had begun to move in the way that said she was becoming very much aroused. But Tor wanted her to be more than just a little aroused, so he got rid of his own clothing while he continued to kiss and lick her body. He could tell that she'd showered after getting back to the cabin, the clean, faint smell of soap adding to his own arousal. When he parted her thighs and used his lips and tongue on her most intimate softness she cried out, then spent her time moaning as she clutched the blanket under her with both hands. She still hadn't touched him in any way and that was disappointing, but then he remembered she was practically still a virgin. She didn't know what she was expected to do, but she would learn. Chayara was whimpering by the time Tor moved over her. The moisture flowing out of her said there would be no pain when he entered her, and there didn't seem to be. Her body had welcomed his when he carefully thrust inside her, and then he gathered her in his arms and began to stroke her slowly. Her hands clutched at his arms as she mewled and writhed, silently urging him on, and that was all the encouragement Tor needed. He lost himself to pleasure then, but knew well enough that Chayara was feeling the same. It took a while before Tor could no longer hold off climax, and by then Chayara was all but limp under him. Her body had exploded again and again, so when he moved himself to lie beside her he didn't have to wonder if she'd enjoyed herself. The bunk was larger than average but still smaller than his own, which meant he had to lie on his side while he gulped in air. It was only a minute or so before he had his breathing under control again, so he reached out to stroke the soft and beautiful body of the woman who had given him so much pleasure. Started to reach out - But stopped when he saw the tears streaming down Chayara's face. Her eyes were closed again, just as they'd been so much of the time, and rather than looking satisfied she looked miserable. Tor wanted to gather her into his arms and hold her close, but first he had to find out what was bothering her now. "Chayara, what's wrong?" he asked, finding it impossible not to stroke her face. "Didn't you enjoy that as much as I did?" "Yes, I did enjoy it, and that's just the trouble," she answered in a whisper after what was becoming her usual hesitation. "I've just had it proven to me again what a slut I am, and it isn't possible to forget that I'm a failure at being a slut. I didn't know it was possible to hate yourself this much, but I'm certainly learning." Tor's first urge was to explain that Chayara's reactions to him were completely natural and had nothing to do with whether or not she was a slut, but he closed his mouth again without speaking the words. He'd told her the truth about the Green Glow and she hadn't believed him, so there was no reason to expect that she'd believe him now. It was ludicrous to think that lying to his future wife might make her feel better, but if she refused to hear the truth there was no other option. And Tor had just gotten a crazy idea, one that would hopefully make Chayara a lot more willing to listen to reason. "Now, see, that's where you're completely wrong," Tor said, fighting to keep his tone light. "You're not a failure at being a slut, you're just inexperienced. It takes a lot of practice and hard work before a girl can claim to be a successful slut, so hating yourself just because you don't have that experience is foolish." "But … how am I supposed to get that experience?" she asked after a shorter hesitation, actually opening her eyes to look at him. "I tried to get some of the crew to come to my bed, but they all ran away. That was supposedly because they know who my uncle is, but it was probably because they knew what a failure I am. You need experience to stop being a failure, but when you're a failure you can't get that experience. Obviously I'm trapped, so - " "No, you're not trapped at all," Tor interrupted, flatly refusing to let himself get wild over what she'd said. Only a complete innocent would have admitted that she'd tried to get who-knows how many crewmen into her bed, and she hadn't just admitted the fact. She'd told it to the man currently in her bed, a man who'd said he was interested in her, so maybe his crazy plan would turn out to be the best idea after all… "You aren't trapped because what you need to gain your experience is proper training," Tor went on. "Not everyone can supply that training, but it so happens that I can. If you really want me to. Slut training isn't easy, and more girls drop out of the training than stay to finish it. If you do drop out, you're just proving you're not a slut after all." "But since I know I am a slut, I have to be able to finish the training," Chayara said, tears no longer running down her face. "What kind of thing is involved in the training?" "You'll have to wait to get the details, but one thing I can tell you," Tor responded, careful to look soberly serious. "If at any point your efforts don't please me, I won't hesitate to punish you. Refusing the punishment will be like refusing the training, so you'd better decide right now if you really do want to start. Not starting will be the same as dropping out, which means you'll never mention being a slut again - or try to act like one." "But I am a slut, so I have to take the training," she said, finally sitting up and turning to look at him more fully. "Do you want to start right now?" "No, I'll have to make some preparations first," Tor said, making sure none of his amusement showed through. "And we'll also move you to my cabin, where we'll have a bit more room - and privacy. The training is intense, and during the training you probably won't want anyone to see you." Chayara nodded before beginning to get out of bed to reclaim her clothing, but Tor just lay where he was as he watched her. The next couple of days ought to be more than a little interesting and possibly some fun, but only for him. Chayara wasn't likely to enjoy any part of the time, and as soon as she dropped out of the "training" he'd be able to tell her about her mistaken assumptions. She'd be more than ready to listen to him by then, and afterward they could start to enjoy each other the way engaged couples were supposed to. But until then…
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