He remained silent for a moment and then sniffed hard as if to hold back his sorrowful emotions. “I'm a traitor, a prisoner of my enemy, and I'm responsible for the deaths of my family and countless others. You tell me why I should be allowed to sleep at night?” he asked in earnest. “The worst thing is wearing this collar. I can't end my life. It won't let me and there are days I desperately wish I could.”
His words shot through her like spikes of ice. She forced Garric to turn to her and as he did she softly wrapped her hand to his forehead. His eyes grew distant, as if he were in a trance.
“Here's a direct order, go to my quarters and take a bottle of wine. Go home, drink and relax. You're just having a bad day. Think of nothing more except relaxing. We’ll start fresh tomorrow,” she said softly, slowly removing her hand from his forehead.
Garric nodded complacently. “Yes, Chadon. Wine, home, and I’ll relax. I will do as you request.” He left, walking towards her quarters to fulfill her command.
She remained motionless in the middle of the street, staring up at the ceiling where six orbs hovered, guarding her. Her body felt numb, her toes tingling as her shoes grew heavy, squeezing her feet. She didn’t want to move, didn’t want to think if only for a moment.
Her ears focused on one simple sound, but she couldn’t tell what the sound was. Breathing? Was it her breath? She exhaled, having realized she was holding her breath. Moments later the sound was followed by a light footstep, heavy on the first toe and scraping as the heel fell to the ground. She slowly removed her pistol, knowing full well who it was. Regardless, she felt the need to make a statement.
“I might not be empathic, but I know when I'm being watched,” she called out. “And I might add it’s not safe for you.”
Hasapoi stepped from the shadows of an alleyway. A smirk appeared on his thin lips as he raised his hands. “You're good. Typically, people can't tell I'm near. Or maybe I’m losing my touch? Regardless the reason, I wanted to make sure you were telling me the truth about Garric. I don’t approve of slavery, never have.”
Sedom motioned for the doctor to follow her as she holstered her pistol. At least they saw eye-to-eye on one matter. “Trust me, this isn't my choice. The two of us have a history. Seeing him here is a constant reminder of everything I lost. But it also reminds me what I'm working towards.”
“Which is?” Hasapoi questioned.
She turned to him, meeting his eyes. “The end of slavery, for one. The end of a lot of things and the beginning of a lot more.” She turned away, her eyes peering towards the tunnels. “It’s a long road ahead of me, though. First, I must fill this city with like-minded people.”
“Your heart is kind and your mind is clear about its task. I have no doubt you’ll succeed,” Hasapoi complemented.
“It’s kind of you to say. Are you hungry?” she asked. The man nodded. She led him to the domed-roof cafeteria. “When I return in a few days I'll have the food replicators running at full power. I have another task I must contend with first. I hear Dranium is handy with computers. Hopefully, he'll be willing to help out around here. I know Lolum has him working on the com relay. The stupid thing keeps shorting.”
He spun in front of Sedom to open the cafeteria door. “I'll see what I can do. Your friend has been through quite an ordeal.” He paused, peering through the open cafeteria door towards the direction of Qilo. His face paled as he watched Qilo for a moment. “Forgive me, Chadon, but I'm suddenly not hungry. I'll talk with you another time.”
His rather quick departure caused Sedom to question his urgency. She turned back to the cafeteria, noticing Qilo inside. She continued further inside, watching Cidele and Qilo eating late meal together. Cidele was wearing a rather low-cut pink sweater. From the doorway, Sedom could see her friend’s perky breasts nearly popping out from her sweater. Sedom’s hand automatically went to her aching forehead, forcing back her frustrations from her friend.
“That didn't take you any time. They've been here what, less than an hour? Something tells me you have a thing for Dormins,” Sedom called in Cidele's native language of Caal.
Cidele returned Sedom’s statement with a drop-dead glare. She stood from the table in a huff. “I was being hospitable. It’s not every day we have attractive guests,” she barked back low.
“Be hospitable somewhere else. We have business to tend to,” Sedom warned, motioning for her to leave. The last thing she wanted was to see her friend hurt by a one night stand.
Cidele caressed Qilo's shoulder. “I have much to do. Have a safe trip,” she said, then turned to Sedom with an icy stare. Sedom motioned for Cidele to leave with a jerky neck roll.
With her friend out of the way, Sedom took a seat next to Qilo. “Well,” she started, “enjoying the hospitality?”
“You should know, I know Caal,” Qilo began. He took a sip of his drink, then sat back. “You don’t meet too many kind females out here,” he mentioned with a grin.
Sedom
