Truth or Dare Chapter 8:Timing is Everything
#8 of Truth or Dare
Standard legal stuff, if you are not of age to be exposed to adult themed material for your area then please do what you must. All characters are mine, please do not use without permission. Criticism is always welcome.
Truth or Dare
Chapter 8: Timing is Everything
Legs crossed and propped up on the edge of the table in front of her, Diana quietly hummed a tune as she looked out the small window in the room she was in. Occasionally she would see the running lights of smaller shuttle type craft pass by but for the most part space remained as it had been for countless years, empty. She was dressed in a simple white medical uniform that consisted of a pull over, loose fitting shirt and similar type trousers. Duel tone chimes made Diana stop humming and look over at the door to the room. Standing, she casually walked over to the door and leaned to one side of its frame before running her hand over the controls opening the door. What happened next surprised even her.
A blur of red, white and green flew through the door causing Diana to let out a startled shout and nearly fall on her ass. It took every one of her reflexes to not fall over while maintaining a grip on whoever had come into her room. Gaining her footing she looked down to see who it was that now had their arms around her increasingly soar stomach. Eyes going wide she let out a happy shout upon seeing the top of Katlin's head.
"You're alive!" exclaimed Diana, "I was told you were safe but I have dealt with too many government types to trust anything unless I see it for myself."
"Yes, yes," Katlin replied happily, standing back up so she was looking Diana in the face, "I was not sure if you would . . ." Breaking down into a sob Katlin buried her face into her friends neck, "he . . . he messed you up so bad Diana. I have seen some sick i-i-i-individuals before but he took the cake."
"Yes, Yes," Diana said in a soothing but strained tone, running her hand lightly over Katlin's head, "you forget my line of work. I have had to deal with some rather questionable customers with some rather sick taste. But you are correct that Dragon was messed up in the head."
"I saw what he did to you," began Katlin, looking back up at Diana, "how can any fur do that to another and-"
Diana put a finger on Katlin's mouth quieting her in the process, "it's in the past honey, the bastard is dead, or so they told me. He is dead right?" Concern creeping into her voice as well as he eyes.
"Yes he . . . he is dead," Katlin replied, a haunted look briefly passing over her eyes as AJ's voice ran through her head, 'Well sweetheart you ready to play.'
"Katlin?" asked Diana concern in her voice. She was holding Katlin out at arms length studying her features. "Tell me what happened."
"No! I mean . . . nothing happened."
"Bull-fucking- shit," stated Diana in a mater-o-fact tone, "I have been able to tell when you have been lying since secondary school." Dragging Katlin over to a nearby set of chairs Diana made the protesting vixen sit. "Coffee or tea, I have a feeling this will take a moment to get out of you."
"Please no tea," Katlin replied wincing while holding her head.
"Another story that needs telling apparently," the female snow leopard said coyly. Walking over to a communications panel she pushed several buttons before getting various electronic beeps indicating errors before she just punched the panel to which she saw a green light turn on. Looking back at Katlin she smiled before speaking at the panel, "hey snowballs, be a dear and go get me two cups of coffee, black, and it better be hot." Not waiting for a reply she walked back over to Katlin and took the seat next to her. "Well now, I find the best way to tackle a situation is head on so I will, did that dragon rape you?"
"W-w-what?" Katlin stuttered out while shaking her head back and forth, "no, he . . . no."
"He what?"
"Nothing he did nothing."
"Right, that's why you keep looking away when I ask and fidgeting with your tail."
Freezing Katlin cautioned a glance at her hands and sure enough she had the tip of her tail in both her paws. Slumping her shoulders and lowering her ears in defeat she looked back at Diana with a weak smile. Thankfully the door to the room slid open causing a distraction, looking towards the sound she saw that it was Charlie entering with a tray that had a pot of coffee on it and two mugs.
"Hey, snowballs!" Diana snarled, looking over at Charlie, "what have I told you about just coming in her without knocking first? We could have been in the midst of a vigorous fuck session and you come walking in here interrupting us."
Katlin's eyes went wide and she could feel the insides of her ears burning. Seeing Charlie though she had to hold back from laughing, his near albino appearance made it obvious that the imagery Diana had just place was working as intended. He was blushing from his ears to his tail, bug-eyed, looking like he wasn't sure if he should look away or close his eyes.
"Well how about it sweet cakes?" Bristled Diana, "go back out and ring the fucking bell."
"Miss Stryker," began Charlie in a flustered tone, "we have had this conversation before. You are a guest on a Military war vessel. I do not need to knock to enter into the medical ward."
"But you will scamper off when I ask for something?" Diana asked scowling at the fox.
"Only because I was ordered to!" Charlie countered hotly, walking past Diana and setting the tray down on the table next to Katlin, "Miss Stryker your status as a protected guest only grants so much flexibility to which you are entitled to."
"Well aren't we bold," huffed Diana folding her arms under her breast, making them lift slightly. This action did not go unnoticed by Charlie.
"Believe me if I could have you placed elsewhere I would do so," bristled Charlie as he walked past Diana on his way out.
"A double ender if I ever heard it snowballs," jabbed Diana, blowing a kiss at Charlie as he walked out of the room. The door slid shut as Charlie turned around cutting off any retort he fired back.
Walking back to her chair Diana sat down crossing her legs and rested both of her hands on her knee, "He is so cute when he gets flustered."
"Are you two . . ." began Katlin with a raised eyebrow, leaning forward she picked up the cup nearest to her.
"Fucking?" Finished Diana as she picked up the other cup of coffee, "no we are not having sex yet, and I emphasize yet. Still breaking the fuzball in, don't want to come on to strong don't want to scare his cute little ass away. But before we were so rudely interrupted, I do believe you had been about to tell me what AJ was doing to you."
The relatively light mood in the room burst faster than a balloon being hugged by a porcupine. Starring into her cup coffee Katlin could see her reflection staring back at her with a pleading expression on its face. "He . . . he was not able to p-p-penetrate. But he told me how much fun he had w-w-with you and what he had planned for me."
"What happened?" Diana asked with a raised eyebrow as she looked over her raised cup.
"I . . . what do you mean?"
"Well obviously you managed to not get brutally raped and you will have to forgive me here. You are not the most physically capable individual so I know you did not fight your way out let alone get me out of that apartment. So tell me what happened."
"Um, Deamos arrived and beat the piss out of that blue dragon before turning him into a charred smudge."
"Really?" asked Diana her ears perking up at hearing of the death of AJ.
"Don't remind me," Katlin replied, putting the cup down with a disgusted look on her face, "I don't think I will ever forget that smell."
"Ok that explains the skittish part," Diana stated suddenly drawing a questioning look from Katlin, "look ever since you saw that dragon you have been acting like a skittish rabbit, when you should be fucking like one. I don't know what your reservations are about sex besides the crap boyfriends you had in the past but you need to act before he decides to move on for something else. From what I have heard from the other females he would not have to look too far."
"Is sex all you think about?" Growled Katlin, "what is going on between my personal life and decisions I make are my own. Your imaginative libido needs to stay there in your head. Besides I think he is an ass and oh yeah I forgot to mention, he tried to kill me!"
"Really?" Diana asked coolly, "or was he interrogating a suspected member of the Lighting Fist?" What? You think I have just been sitting on my ass flirting with the help these past two days?"
"Then why all the questions?" Katlin asked with a touch of suspicion, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms and looking pissed.
"Because you needed to hear yourself," responded Diana calmly drinking from her cup, "you have put up this block and I have been trying to help you over it. Plus I wanted to see for myself if what I read was true or complete horseshit about you having certain abilities. If you do I am not as impressed as these Enforcer's are, being that you could not pick up on the fact that I already knew much of what I was asking."
Katlin looked at Diana with a mixture of shock and betrayal, "You were testing me? We have not been able to talk for . . . for weeks and you test me? That is fucked up Diana! Really, really, fucked up."
Glaring at Diana, who was still drinking from the coffee cup quiet casually, Katlin felt a cold chill run up her spin when she made eye contact with her friend, and the eyes staring back at her were Sykon's. Swallowing hard she stood up slowly, unconsciously straightening her shirt, "I just remembered that I have something else I need to deal with."
"Sit down honey," Diana ordered, still holding her cup, "I know you are running because you are scarred to deal with your own faults."
"I need to go Diana so I will get back in touch with you tomorrow, ok?"
"Sit."
Ignoring the order Katlin made a hasty retreat for the door, she could feel her heart hammering in her chest. She was not sure if Sykon realized he had been found out but she did not want to tangle with that dragon again if she could avoid it.
"Fine run like you always do when faced with a problem. You can't hide from life forever."
Stopping at the door Katlin thought back to the training Charlie had been running her through before the 'Sykon' incident. Focusing her thoughts as best she could she turned to look at the now standing Diana. "You wanted confirmation? Well let me say this much," focusing as hard as she could she lashed out at Diana. The calm look that had been on the female snow leopards face was wiped clean and replaced by one of pain and surprise. Diana's hands had flown to her head as it jerked back and her knees buckled. Stumbling from the room Katlin let out a pained grunt as her back hit the bulkhead.
"YOU BITCH!" Sykon's voice roared out, "that will cost you!"
Looking at Diana as she struggled to get back to her feet, Katlin's mind raced on what to do next. Thankfully the door between her and Diana closed and locked before she needed to make a decision. From the other side of the door she could hear fist pounding angrily against the metal. When the pounding from the other side stopped just as suddenly as it had begun Katlin felt her skin grow cold and her heart skip a beat. Sykon's voice seemed to materialize around her and in her head at the same time and seemed as if it was coming from a great distance.
"You think he will be able to protect you?" Sykon asked, his voice echoing through her mind, "You think he will continue blocking me from what I want? I have eyes and ears everywhere; you will not be able to hide from me for long. I will have you by my side, willingly or not. Keep that in mind Katlin Star Redtail."
Sliding to the floor, Katlin could only stare at the door as fear crept through her body. Questions streamed through her head as she wondered how many others Sykon had control of and who it was she could really trust. Hands going to her face she broke down sobbing.
* * *
The amount of time that passed Katlin was unsure of. What she was aware of the left side of her body had fallen asleep and was throbbing painfully under her; she also became aware that the ship's deck platting was not the best place to have fallen asleep on. Pushing herself up into a sitting position she opened her eyes and let out a startled yelp as she saw Deamos squatting in front of her his elbows on his knees and an annoyed scowl on his face. Katlin noted that he was wearing his full uniform and his side arm.
"Sykon he . . . he is," Katlin began before Deamos cut in.
"Were you that embarrassed by your actions last night?" asked Deamos in an icy tone.
Confused Katlin could only stare back blankly.
"I am supposed to be keeping you safe and you run off without even leaving a note. I told you not to go anywhere while on Drackinalis. If you had been picked up there would have been nothing I could do."
"I . . .I just wanted to see-"
"Quiet," Deamos snapped angrily, "I am aware that you wanted to see your friend. I am also aware that she has been . . . infected . . . the proper term right now eludes me. What did you tell her?"
"N-n-n-nothing," Katlin stammered, she could feel her body going cold as memories of the last time she was question by Deamos began to surface, "I thought it w-w-w-was Diana and w-w-e talked about . . ."
"About what?" Deamos growled.
"J-J-J-Just what happened with AJ," answered Katlin, she was now doing her best to make herself smaller with hopes he would believe her and not do anything rash.
"So you jeopardized your safety so you could have some girl talk? I always took you for someone who was more intelligent than that. Apparently I was mistaken."
"I didn't t-t-think that it would be a problem if I went back to the ship."
"It would not have been a problem if you had taken an escort instead of slipping out. Explain that to me, why the fuck did you leave?"
"I was too embarrassed a-a-a-after last night to look you in the face," Katlin said in a defeated tone.
"Embarrassed? You got drunk and made a complete ass of yourself" Deamos began his voice losing some of its edge though the scowl stayed put, "look you know you are an important asset and so does the other side. Disappearing without an escort is stupid, even more so being on Drackinalis where Sykon can have you picked up as a spy. You pull a stunt like this again I will have you thrown into solitary confinement and Charlie or myself will be the only one you have any interaction with. With your abilities, you stand out like a floodlight in a cave. Other Sypathetics can pick you up with no problem, until you are conditioned better you are not to go anywhere without an Enforcer escort. Not to eat, not to piss, not to fuck, not to go stare out a window; understood?"
Katlin gave a weak nod, she could feel the insides of her ears burning in embarrassment, thankfully they were flat against her head. She had not thought Sykon would attempt anything with Deamos so close. She had rationalized that he would give her some distance after the incident the previous day.
"Now as far as your friend," began Deamos, causing Katlin's ears to perk up, "she is in isolation until further notice. No visits, no communications. I understand this is not fair to Diana herself but I do not have the time right now to see how much of her mind Sykon has taken." Katlin's ears lowered at hearing this, she wanted to hide with what she heard next, "But to a more pressing issue at hand. The Queen wishes to speak with you. Alone and I have two hours to get you to the royal palace."
Yawning widely Marcus sat up in bed and stretched her arms out over her head. Looking down at Dmitri she could not help but smile at what she saw. The large horse was to her right and sprawled out on the bed with the sheet askew and snoring like a fiend. Lowering her arms to her sides she looked about the room and tried to locate the underwear she had on the previous night. Scratching the top of her head when she did not immediately see them her ears caught the sound of something rattling in controlled burst. Cocking her ears towards the sound she was able to locate where the sound was coming from.
Leaning to her left she pulled open the drawer to the small nightstand next to the bed. Raising hear eyebrows in surprise she picked up her green glasses and put them on. Immediately the glasses recognized her and linked her into the Enforcer system. She saw that she had an encrypted message waiting for her that simply read as:
Priority Alpha Transmission
REDSTAR 1 Unstable. WILDCARD Protocol in effect. 12 hours until Event Horizon. Agents are now at TITAN Status.
Taking the glasses off Marcus frowned as she tapped the glasses against her paw in thought. Looking back at the still snoring Dmitri she had to cover her mouth to suppress a giggle. The large horse was sporting morning wood and the sheet that had been covering him was no longer hiding his member from view. She grinned as a naughty idea came into her head on how to wake up the large horse.
Leaning over she carefully pulled the sheet lower exposing his entire length. Carefully taking hold of his member she brought it in close to breath in his thick scent; shivering slightly at the heady smell. Sticking her tongue out, she ran it length from where her hand was at the base to just below were the tip began to flare slightly. The reaction she got from Dmitri was a loud snort, him muttering in his sleeping and squirming slightly. Smiling to herself she repeated the action causing Dmitri to squirm more and slowly thrust his hips in her grasp.
Stopping her ministrations after several moments, Marcus sat up but continued to jerk Dmitri off using slow deliberate strokes. Her other hand slipped down between her thighs to begin rubbing at her own sex. Closing her eyes and leaning her head back she let out a soft moan as she continued to rub the outer lips of her sex. Continuing the slow stroking of Dmitri's member and her own sex she felt that her fingers had become adequately slick from her own fluids. The whole time Dmitri had remained asleep; though he had already begun producing copious amounts of pre, making his own member slick in Marcus's hand. Halting her actions she slowly straddled Dmitri, positioning herself above his cock and moving with restraint so not to rock the bed any more than necessary. Leaning forward slightly she placed one hand gently on his chest for balance while the other hand reached under her to grasp his member and line the tip up with her own sex.
Slowly pushing back she waited until she felt just the head of his member push inside her, to which she gave a small shudder of pleasure at the feeling. Regardless of the number of times she and Dmitri had fucked in the past the feeling of being filled by the horse never ceased to amaze her. Sliding back slowly she pushed even more of his cock inside her, having to stop several times as small mini orgasms rocked her body. When she had nearly half of his shaft inside her she sat up slowly so that she was perpendicular with Dmitri's body, smiling wickedly she dropped herself completely onto his member letting out a loud moan of pleasure as well as waking the startled horse up.
"De fuhk?" Dmitri asked in a bewildered tone before he quickly regained his composure his hands going to Marcus's hips.
"Morning sleepy head," Marcus giggled, putting on an innocent face.
"Dam'et Sonyah," Dmitri snorted in mock anger, "Dis es one h'll of ah wahy to wake up."
"You don't like it?" Markus asked with a playful pout and slight rocking of her hips.
"Ah didn't sah dat," grunted Dmitri, "Ah just l'ahk being ahble cho take ah piss be'for fuking first ting en de morning. Copy?"
"Aww, am I keeping you from something?"
"No. just gohna be hard when we fhinesh to do so."
"I'd say you are more than a little hard," Marcus stated, continuing to rock her hips while running her hands up and down her body in a sensual manner.
Dmitri could only grunt in response as he began to buck his hips gently in time with Marcus's own rocking of her hips. The motion was made more difficult by the fact that she was squeezing his member purposefully and eagerly throwing off his own strokes.
"Also we are going to have to make this a quick one," Marcus stated, panting slightly and letting out a small gasp when one of Dmitri's hands grabbed one of her breast and began to kneed it gently.
"Ahn why es dat?"
"We had . . . keep doing that . . . another Sykon incident."
"Dah fuhk?
"Don't stop idiot! . . . nothing serious. Just received a . . . sweet mercy, don't you dare stop doing that." Marcus fell forward with both of her hands going to either side of Dmitri's chest. This allowed the horse the ability to fondle both of her breast freely. For her part Marcus began to rock her hips up and down with renewed vigor.
"Chu naht wanting to stohp?" Dmitri grunted, managing to look concerned even with clenched teeth.
"Shut up and fuck me Dmitri," Marcus growled, placing a hand on his mouth.
"Copy."
* * *
Katlin sat quietly in the passenger seat of the flyer Deamos was piloting. It was not as nice as the one Deamos owned being strictly a military model taken from the Revlon's own hanger bay. When they had left the Revlon they had been intercepted by two other Drackinalis military flyers the moment they had reentered the atmosphere they had been escorting them for the past hour. The reentry was something Katlin still had trouble handling, though she was no longer nauseous, her stomach still had butterflies in it.
As they approached the palace the two escorts broke off from their positions. Looking at Deamos, Katlin gave him a questioning look to which he only stared blankly at her. A moment later the intercom barked to life making her jump.
"Dre du Demthoiousen cal hei nech," the voce over the intercom said.
"Nih Demthoiousen mon De-Ren-Chal," Deamos replied over the ships own intercom system.
"Proceed to landing pad 9," the voice said coldly, switching to a heavily accented form of common.
"Beinech," Replied Deamos in an equally cold tone.
Katlin waited several moments before speaking, "so why the switch from . . . Drackinalis?" she asked biting her lip.
"Standard practice," Deamos replied in a level tone, "they contact with Drackalin and wait for the reply. Since they know I am transporting an off-worlder they switched to Galactic Basic so that all being transported know what is being discussed between pilot and the receiving party. It helps when dealing with diplomats and other dignitaries."
"They know I am with you?" Katlin asked with some alarm, thoughts of Sykon surfacing in her thoughts.
"They know I am transporting someone," Deamos replied, "the only other individual that knows you are with me right now is the High M . . . my mother."
Katlin swallowed nervously, "should I be scared?"
Deamos looked over at Katlin and for the first time since meeting him she briefly saw concern cross his features before being replaced by a cold exterior. "I would not be too concerned with ones safety," he replied.
Katlin was about to ask another question but was cut off as the flyer dipped suddenly making her grab the restraints in shock. Her eyes grew wider when the angel of descent went near vertical and the restraints holding her in tightened automatically to keep her from slipping forward. Closing her eyes tight she felt her stomach rise in her throat and threaten to spill whatever was in it. Just as suddenly as the decent began it ended and when she opened her eyes they were on a landing pad. She looked over at Deamos angrily, to which he only shrugged.
Deamos went through the shut down procedure on the flyer while he unbuckled the restrains he was in. Katlin was still frowning at Deamos when she looked down at her own restraints; her frown grew larger when she realized that she had no idea how to disengage the locking mechanism. Fighting with it for several moments she let out a startled gasp when Deamos's hand stopped hers.
"For future reference," Deamos instructed, pointing at the locking mechanism, "push here and twist this once you feel it click."
Katlin looked up from the unbuckled restraint at Deamos only to see that he already had his back to her and was opening the hatch on his side. Letting out an agitated sigh Katlin turned to her own hatch and was able to operate its locking mechanism with minimal effort. She found it slightly odd that the flyer's hatch operation was easier to operate then the restraints that held one in. Exiting the flyer she stood and stretched her back, the seats that they had been in were less than comfortable and the several hour flight had left her lower back in a large knot. Walking over to where Deamos was standing she was intending to ask him a question when he shot her a look that told her to wait.
Looking away from Deamos with a scowl on her face she took the moment to look about her surroundings. They were on what looked like a standard landing pad, it being uncovered, circular in design with a walkway of sorts shooting off of it towards what looked to be the main hangers. What caught her attention was the building past the main hangers, the palace itself. It reflected light as if the outside was plated or made of gold. Numerous spires reached up into the air all being different heights and widths. To her, the palace had a cathedral like appearance with a modern twist; it was both beautiful and intimidating at the same time. Her attention was brought back to where they were by the sound of several approaching figures.
Approaching the platform they were on was two columns of Palace Guards. Katlin was able to count five in each column with what appeared to be a commander of sorts leading the group. Each of the Palace Guards was a Silver (or grey, she was never able to determine the difference in species) dragon, each was garbed in ornamental armor that covered the chest, shin and forearms. The armor was polished to a mirror shine and appeared to be trimmed with gold. Each guard wore a helmet that covered the cheeks, top of the head and back of the neck. The commander was the only one that had purple horse hair crest on his helmet. Each of the guards, minus the commander who had a sword, carried a lance that was nearly twice as long as they were tall. The commander came to a halt in front of them while the two columns broke to either side and encircled them without any commands from their commander. The Silver dragon, which Katlin now realized was a she, for her part appeared irritated and rather tense as she looked Katlin over with a critical eye before addressing Deamos.
"That her then?" The commander asked in a cool tone, "I was expecting . . ."
"Someone else?" Deamos finished for her, "yes she is the one being requested."
"Should I expect any trouble?"
"From her no. There are those who would like to have her though and they may cause trouble."
"Anyone in particular? Or are you purposely being vague?"
"Elements within the Palace, just keep that in mind."
The guard commander grunted once before looking over at Katlin, "well can I expect anything from you?"
Looking up at the guard commander Katlin was about to reply when a loud clang made her jump and the surrounding Palace Guards lower their lances at her and Deamos. Looking to the source she saw the commander had drawn her sword and had it drawn back in preparation to swing it. It was being stopped by a rather wicked looking blade Deamos had drawn from someplace on his person. Katlin realized with some shock that she had not seen either of them draw their respective weapons.
"You dare?" The silver dragon snarled as she struggled to push Deamos back.
"I dare," Deamos growled back in just as hostile tone, smoke streaming from his nostrils, "she is under my protection."
"So that gives this fured bitch the privilege to address me as an equal? Let alone look me in the eye?"
"Stow the crap," Deamos snarled, pushing back harder with his blade and beginning to put the commanders arm in an awkward position, "you and I both know she is a guest of the High Matriarch so I would say yes, she is your equal. I am saying she is an equal and if anything happens to her while under your protection you will be dealing with me."
"Fine then," the silver dragon snapped, taking a step back so the she could disengage Deamos and re sheath her sword, "she will follow behind me not next to me and only speak when spoken to."
"She will follow behind you and she is free to speak as much as she wants to. She is not a prisoner and is entitled to diplomatic privileges."
"Diplomatic protection but not privileges."
"Agreed then."
Katlin was watching the exchange between the two dragons with much interest. She did not think they realized they had slipped into their native language and she wanted to know what was going on besides what appeared to be a rather hostile confrontation between the two dragons. The conversation ended with both securing their respective weapons and giving curt nods to each other. Deamos turned to face her and leaned in so that his mouth was next to her ear and he spoke in a low tone.
"You understand what you need to do?"
"Not-at- all," Katlin replied in the same low tone emphasizing each word, "the two of you were speaking Dra . . Drackalin."
"I apologize for that slip," Deamos stated after a brief pause, "you will be following behind the good commander until they drop you off. I made sure that if you have questions you can ask but I would keep any talking to a minimum and too what is necessary."
"Wait you are not going with me?" Asked Katlin with some alarm, "what if . . .Sy . . ."
"He will not be a problem, and yes I am not going with you. It was you that she wished to speak to. Not I."
Katlin felt an icy ball form in her gut.
"You will be fine Miss Redtail," Deamos reassured, "answer any questions truthfully, she will know if you are being dishonest."
"But . . ."
"We are moving," the commander barked, causing the guards to raise their lances and fall back into two columns.
"Good luck Miss Redtail," Deamos said, giving Katlin's shoulder a squeeze and stepping away from her.
The commander stepped next to her and placed a heavy hand on her shoulder and squeezed, not painfully but it was defiantly uncomfortable and conveyed silent instructions to her. With her hand still on Katlin's shoulder the commander guided her between the two columns before releasing her and taking her spot at the front. As they marched off Katlin cast a look over her shoulder at Deamos but he had already turned his back and was walking towards the flyer they had come in. Looking forward once more Katlin kept her eyes on the commander and tried to get her mind to relax as her dread grew with each step.
Marcus entered Fleet Commander Ross's Ready Room and plopped down unceremoniously in the nearest chair. Dmitri entered shortly afterwards followed by Charlie and Lehlani. Commander Ross was already sitting at the end of the table looking disheveled but no worse for the wear. She waited until everyone had taken a seat before standing, using the table to support some of her weight. Looking up at the small group of Senior Enforcers she cleared her throat before speaking.
"As chu all kno ah hab bheen ah guest oft de Scahlies. Dat beh'in said, we ahr chu be dephart'en 7 hours by dis plahnet tim'. We habt bheen ge'ven our nohtice ahnd need chu be mahken sure every'ting es rehdy. Ah know Miss Red-Tayl es on the plahnet s'hurfaes wit Deamos, dey wilt be johin us before we depahart.
"Did you learn anything while they had you?" Marcus asked, leaning forward in her chair and resting her arms on the table, "besides that they are pricks and assholes."
"Ah wilt be gehten to dat," Ross stated, "behfore ah do, what cahn chu be tell'n meh?"
"Der ist a significahnt des'party between de scahlies and does wit fur," Dmitri brought up, "weh saw ehvidence oft pohsible slahvers. Not 100 pr'cent but I ahm sure dat is what et es."
"I learned that Sykon's abilities are greater than I had first believed," Charlie added, "to what extent I am not sure. I examined Miss Stryker after Commander Deamos cleared her mind and put the mental block in her head. I found trace echoes that looked, to me, that she had psychic surgery on more than one occasion. I also was able to isolate the trigger that Sykon had implanted when she had been in the medical ward."
"Is she clean?" Lehlani asked tapping her fingers nervously against the table, "we cannot have a repeat of this morning."
"As far as I can tell and with the block in place," Charlie began, speaking thoughtfully, "she is clean and free of Sykon or any other for that matter. Found a few other unsavory types prints all over her brain though and I could not identify who, they belonged too. All in all she should be feeling better once she wakes up."
"Cahn she begh tahken ought oft re'trants?" Dmitri asked causing everyone to look at Charlie.
"Aside from a libido like a rabbit she is perfectly fine so, yes she can be moved back to her room" Charlie replied.
"Wehl ah am glahd dat tings ded not fall ahphart when I was gohn," began Commander Ross, "de ohnly problem es dat we are behin kick out of der space an we cahn not return to de Emphire an expehkt ah warm welcome. So dat lehves us wit a bit oft ah deleahma. Ah am ohpen chu idehas."
"What about the border territories?" Lehlani asked, "they hold no loyalties to either the Imperium or the Empire. We could seek sanctuary there."
"Show up with a Dreadnought and ask for help," Marcus countered, "we would be lucky to not get blasted into dust."
"The Uncharted Territories perhaps," Charlie offered, "we may be able to go there or at least hide there until we can plan our next move. Sykon and his little 'rebel' group will not wait to hit us to long after we depart Drackinalis."
"Not ah optchion," Dmitri stated, "too mahny Pirate ships en does areahs. We cahn try for deeper spahce wit in the Imperium. De cahnt track us ehvreywhere."
"What about that area of space that they don't control?" Asked Charlie, making everyone look at him again. "I mean they don't like the Imperium or the Empire. We can't go home and the Imperium in not exactly welcoming us anymore. I doubt Sykon has any operatives in that sector of space."
"If it is the area I think you are referring too," Marcus began in a worried tone, "I don't think we can exactly waltz into that sector. Both sides are sure to have blockades up and if we risk running it, we will get blasted. If we manage to slip past the blockades then we run the risk of being blasted by the other side."
"So our options are to get fucked," Lehlani stated with an agitated huff, leaning back in her chair, "we just have to decide on how hard we want to get fucked."
"Well when you paint it like that," Charlie added, "you make it sound fun."
"Ehnouf," Ross growled, her ears splayed back in agitation, "Ah wilt mahk my dehcishon en two hours. Get mah sheep reahdy and evry ting stowed. I wahnt de weahpons fuhlly charged an reahdy. Ah wahnt de mahin bahtr'es fuhly primed, do et wit out drahing atenchion to dem. Mahk sure de fehul cells are tohp'd oft an de Star Drive es up. Ah haft a fehlin we wilt be lehven en ah hurry. Copy?"
As one they all stood and replied in the affirmative. Commander Ross nodded at this before dismissing the group of Enforcers. When the last one filed out of the Ready room she sat back down and let out a sigh. "Ah am gehting to old for dis crahp," she stated before pulling a screen up on the Ready Room table.
* * *
Katlin remained silent as she waited for the Queen's chamber to open. The palace guard had left her near a cluster of ornately decorated and heavily padded chairs. The chairs frame seemed to have been made from gold or at least plated in it. The back and seat cushions she was certain were stuffed with real down feathers, she did not see anything poking out of the red cushions but she had never felt anything so plush before. She shifted in her seat as she looked about the reception area for the hundredth time and was still awed by the amount of wealth that this area alone held.
Large paintings and tapestries adorned the walls, each easily being over ten feet between opposite corners. Each painting was a portrait of what she assumed where past leaders of Drackinalis or at least someone of importance. Each individual was dressed in different garb ranging from the traditional, regal clothing and flowing capes, to military dress with its medals, ribbons and various bobbles. There were a few painting that were darker in nature showing the one depicted performing some violent act on another fur. Those particular paintings were flanked by banners of unknown meaning to Katlin; she assumed they represented the individuals' station.
Glancing back to the Queens chamber she saw that the two guards flanking the entrance had not moved. Katlin was fairly certain the two dragons had not blinked or even breathed for that matter since she was deposited by them. These two guards had been taller than the other Palace Guards and were nearly as tall as Deamos. Both of the guards had scales that were either a rich brown color or they were bronze. Both of them were dressed in the same armor and clothing that the Palace Guards that had been wearing when they picked her up at the landing pad. Instead of lances like the previous guards had been carrying the two had brutish looking poleaxes that looked like they could cleave her in two with little effort from the one wielding it.
Looking from the guards back to the many decadent and lavish items that lined the hall Katlin tried to guess how much some of the objects were worth and to what purpose they served beyond looking 'pretty'. There was a particular diamond encrusted vase that was holding some rare flower that had her attention when the Queen's chamber doors opened on silent hinges. The sound of armor creaking as the two guards came to attention made Katlin look up from her inspection. Looking Towards the doors her attention was held by the approaching figure.
As the gold dragon approached, Katlin stood and tried her best to straighten the wrinkles that had formed on the blouse and pants she was currently wearing. The Queen for her part was wearing a blood colored dress that clung to her form. White lace hung from the wrist and rand along the bottom of the dress. The neck line was cut lower then what Katlin thought one of her standing should have; it exposed the insides of her breast and continued to the middle of her stomach, a scattered few cross threads ran down the 'V' cut keeping the dress from spilling what it was holding. As the Queen drew closer she saw that she was not wearing any footwear yet Katlin did spot several elegant platinum toe rings. When the Queen stopped before her, Katlin realized what she had thought was a crown was actually small horns that ran across the top of the Queens head each was adorned by a ruby or diamond in an alternating pattern. Realizing that she had been staring she ducked her head and studied the intricate patterns that made up the carpets design.
"So you are the one," the Queen said in a cool tone, not unfriendly but it defiantly had an edge to it, "I understand you have unique abilities."
Katlin kept her head down not sure if she was being asked a question or a statement was being made. Thankfully the Queen did not seem to care.
"I am not sure what backwater planet he found you on," the Queen began, "but one normally one bows or at minimum offer their thanks for my hospitality when they are in my presence."
"I-I-I," Katlin sputtered as she tried to do an improvised curtsey, "I a-a-am sorry your h-h-h-highness."
"Better," the Queen stated with a raised eyeridge, "now follow me so that we many discuss matters in a more private manner."
Turning and walking back into her chambers, the Queen did not even glance back to see if Katlin was following after her. Falling in step behind the Queen Katlin saw that the back of her dress was an open face design that went from the base of the Queens neck to about the middle of her back allowing amble space for her wings to fold naturally behind her. Katlin also noticed that the lower half of the dress had been let out to allow the Queen's tail to remain covered minus the last few inches that poked out from underneath the dress and lightly danced along the floor behind the Queen. As the two crossed the threshold into the Queen's chamber the chambers double doors closed behind them with only the sound of the doors' lock engaging. As soon as the lock clicked into place what happened next caught Katlin completely off guard.
The Queen spun on Katlin with frightening speed and had her against the nearest wall and a blade against her neck before she was able to draw a breath to shout in alarm. The Queen was not a large individual nor was she a petite creature. She stood over Katlin by nearly two feet but she lacked the bulk of the male dragons and as Katlin was discovering firsthand the Queen made for the size difference with frightening speed. An odd thought registered in Katlin's mind as her hands grabbed a hold of the Queen's own, where the hell had the knife come from?
Turning Katlin's head from one side to the other, like she was studying some rare insect about to be dissected, the Queen said nothing but rather she frowned disapprovingly. When the Queen did began talking Katlin could feel the hair on her body stand on end, "I was told you had the ability to read our thoughts. Was I misinformed little animal?"
Katlin managed to shake her head weakly from side to side, her eyes getting larger when the cold of the blade began to bite into her neck.
"I can read your thoughts little animal," the Queen started in a cool tone, "I may not be able to do so like they claim you can but I can still read them nonetheless. You stink of fear . . . indecision . . . cowardice . . . but . . . but not my son . . . interesting. By now I would think you are having some trouble breathing. I will offer you this, what was the name of his father?"
Katlin did not understand what the Queen was asking of her. Deamos had never brought up anything about his family beyond that he was a bastard offspring. Searching her mind as her lungs began to burn and her brain screamed for oxygen she tried to recall every conversation she had with every Enforcer she had come in contact with. With small stars beginning to pop up in her vision and her mind continuing to remain blank she felt everything beginning to slip away. The white from the starburst in her vision became more prevalent until everything became a bright white.
'Really little one?' A rumbling voice broke through Katlin's thoughts making her look about. When she realized she could look about the initial shock passed as she recognized the place she was in.
"Am I dead?" Katlin asked with a small amount of fear on the edges of her voice.
'Do you wish to be?' The voice answered.
Katlin thought for a moment before speaking again, "this is that dragon correct?"
Rolling laughter that sounded more like boulders going downhill filled the air around her making her cringe slightly. 'You catch on quick to some aspects yet you fumble about like the blind in an unfamiliar room. Tell me little one have you always been like this?'
"Where are you dragon! Show yourself!" Shouted Katlin angrily, "you have shown yourself in the past why hide now?"
'Answer my question first.'
"No! I am not dense!" Huffed Katlin angrily, folding her arms across her chest only to let out a startled squeak when she realized she was naked. Her arms doing their best to cover her breast while her tail swept around her waist to cover her more intimate area.
'That is not what I asked,' the voice replied with some humor behind it.
"No I do not want to die!"
'Then why do you keep looking for something in a place you know it is not there?'
"I know this!" Snapped Katlin angrily, "do you think I am an idiot or something that I am purposely not reaching out!"
'Then look where the information is little one and stop this nonsense.'
"But the only place to look is the Queen and I can't 'see' her."
'You are willing to die because you can't do something? Have you tried?' The voice asked.
Looking down at her feet with her ears cocked forward Katlin tried to focus all her thoughts on the Queen. It was a difficult task for her to accomplish because anger kept creeping into her thoughts, being asked if she had tried was the hardest thing to block out because it was something she had had been doing the moment the Queen seized her. A thought occurred to her as she concentrated, Charlie had told her during one of their many training sessions that she had to 'be there' in order for her abilities to work and that when angry, sad, frustrated or scared one was not 'there'. Taking a deep breath she blanked out everything around her as best she could, even though she could tell she was choking to death. Even in the state she was in she was beginning to hear her heart pounding in her ears as it struggled to pump her blood throughout her body. When it happened it happened for just a moment, she saw it for a second and then it was gone. Eyes snapping open she saw the Queen looking at her with cold detached eyes. With great effort she mouthed a name that she herself did not hear but she knew the Queen understood. Katlin felt a sensation of falling and then nothing.
* * *
Opening her eyes slowly Katlin saw that she was still in the Queens chambers. She was on the floor in an awkward position that had left her right arm directly under her and completely asleep, her tail was kinked between her and the wall behind, her head oddly enough was on a small pillow that felt like it was made from silk. The Queen was now sitting in a chair a few feet away from her and staring at her intently. The knife was gone having been put back into some unknown place.
"You have been out for two hours if you were curious," the Queen stated in that same cool tone, "I was ready to believe that you were just another Sypathetics but you can read a Dragon," the Queen's eyes narrowed as she said the last part, "how can you do that?"
"I . . . I a-a-am not s-s-s . . . . s-s-sure your highness," Katlin replied, after taking a shuddering breath.
"So tell me this Fox," began the Queen, "have you met the heir yet, I am sure you have run into him."
"S-S-Sykon?" Katlin asked in a hoarse voice.
The Queen rose to her feet and walked over to Katlin. Going to one knee she brought two fingers under Katlin's chin so that she was looking up at her. Her other hand flew from the opposite side striking Katlin with a loud crack, causing small stars to explode across her vision and snapping her head to one side.
"You will refer to the Heir as the Prince of his name Sielltkion and not by that derogatory name you fured types have come up with," the Queen instructed, her voice never changing in tone. "But to answer your disrespectful question, yes that would be him. Before you ask I am aware of his little pet project of disrupting the Empire and I do not care about it. So long as it does not spill in to Imperium space he may do as he pleases. From the look on your face I take you are angry that stuck you?"
"No shit you heartless bitch," Katlin muttered staring down at the floor.
"I'm sorry I did not catch that," the Queen said, grasping Katlin's jaw with two fingers and raising her muzzle so that she was looking up at her, "mind repeating that fox?"
" . . . I said you are a . . . a . . . a h-h-heartless bitch, your highness," Katlin said her voice coming out with both fear and venom laced in it. Breathing hard she kept her eyes locked with the Queen's.
For several long moments the Queen stared at Katlin as moments of indecision flashed across her cold exterior. After what seemed a lifetime a small almost unnoticeable grin formed on the edges of her mouth. "Such a temper," the Q fueen said grabbing Katlin around her throat and hulling her to her feet, "such things may get you killed fox. Tell me; are you like this around him?"
Eyes wide Katlin trembled with fear and anger. The grip around her throat was not like it had been earlier. Instead of choking the life out of her as before this time it was only firm enough to keep her from pulling back.
"Do you get this defiant around him? It is a simple enough question to answer."
"At t-t-t-t-times," stammered Katlin.
"Stay this way fox; it will keep you alive when dark times come. Now I have one last question before this meeting is over, do you think you can stay alive long enough to answer it?"
If Katlin's eyes could get wider they did so.
"Do you plan to sleep with my son?"
Feeling her ears burn Katlin was not sure if she could answer the question with any kind of honesty.
"If you do plan on sleeping with him let me tell you a little secret that will stay between us, would you like to hear it?" Asked the Queen cryptically, "the blood lines of this house will not have any fured species as a potential heir. The Scandal would be just unthinkable to survive. I will not have any threat bring itself to my Houses and jeopardize the safety of our bloodline. I had the last threat dealt with and the family has remained just as strong. So if you ever get that itch, stay within your own kind. If those itches persist and you want to feel some dragon cock inside you, remember that I have a long reach and I will not have any threats to the throne appear on my doorstep."
Releasing Katlin's throat the Queen turned without any further words and slowly walked deeper into her chamber her wings fluttering out slightly as she walked. This left Katlin rubbing her throat and feeling both shaken and confused by the Queen's words. She was not sure what she was to do next with the Queen stepping away from her and the chamber doors remaining closed. She was about to speak out when the queen stopped and turned half way around to look at her over a shoulder.
"I will grant you this much Fox bitch," the Queen said in that cool voice of hers, "I will give that toy you so elegantly arrived in, a complete rotation of this planet; starting the moment the both of you lift off from the those pads outside. After that time, you will be hunted down, captured, rapped, skinned and kept alive for the amusement of my medical staff. It may not happen in that order but you are the one that can read my thoughts, you figure out which way I will have it done. You may leave now."
As the Queen gave the order the chamber doors swung open silently, a slight breeze blowing in the only indication that they had moved. The Queen turned away again and continued in the direction she had originally been walking. This left Katlin slowly backing away until she was outside the chamber, to which the doors swung shut the moment she had exited completely.
Letting a long sigh escape her lung she went to turn to walk back to the landing pads when a startled shriek escaped her lips. A gauntleted hand came down heavy on her shoulder and spun her around quickly, the first thing Katlin noticed about the one that had spun her around was the ornate armor that filled her vision. It was not that of the Palace Guard, it looked to ceremonial to be functional and much too expensive for the guard. What caught her attention next was the dragon looking down at her she had seen the face many times before and seeing it again made her feel sick.
"Miss Redtail so good to finally meet you in the flesh," Sykon said in a cold tone and a charming smile.